False Idle

After three albums with uniSEF and sharing the stage with acts like Flatfoot56, Our Corpse Destroyed, and a short tour with FBS, Sef was approached by Thumper Punk Records to release a new project on the up and coming label. With that offer, False Idle was born. With the release of the 6 song EP “Hymns Of Punk Rock Praise” in September of 2010, the band was busting back into the scene. Sef called up his good firend, and former uniSEF band mate, Tyler Lewis for second guitar and mic-shredding duties. With the addition of the drummer from the EP recordings, Matt Lagusis, along with former worship leader, Seth Warren on bass, False Idle finally had a solid lineup. With enthusiastic reviews from Indie Vision Music, Jesus Freak Hideout, and after making HM Magazine’s “Pick of the Litter” column in the November/December 2010 issue, the guys knew it was time to get to work on original music. After months of writing and recording, the “I Refuse” EP was released in the spring of 2011. Producing a finely-tuned live show, the band started turning some heads. With the eventual heavy-hearted departure of Matt from the band, the all-around musical magician, Phil Harris, who had previously filled in on guitar after Sef broke his wrist, came on as the full-time drummer. And with that, False Idle’s lineup was solidified. But in the back of all of the band mates’ minds was the drive to write and record an album that would stand head and shoulders above anything else they had ever created. And thus, the debut full-length album, “Threat” was realized. With a growing confidence and surety in the overall identity and sound of the band, each member committed themselves to having a significant part of all aspects of the project. What resulted was a completely unique joint effort that incorporated the influences and ideas of every member. Phil said of the album, “We all have a pretty diverse taste in music and I think it reflects well in the writing. We tried to challenge ourselves and think a little outside of the "normal" punk sound, while still making a great punk record. In the end, I would say we accomplished just that, staying true to our sound but being able to branch out and give new things a try.” Sef added, “We all wrote on the album, so it has a lot of differences from song to song. Everything from 30 second super fast songs, to dynamic compositions, to mellow songs with a little bit of a country edge. Something for everybody...” Having already been compared in sound to well-known bands like Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, xLooking Forwardx, and Rise Against, False Idle is poised to be the next big movement in punk rock. “Threat” boldly ventures into melodic anthems with the tracks, “Where Do We Go”, “In The Dark” and “Among The Dead” while sticking to its straight punk/hardcore roots with “A Tension” and “Sideswipe”. It even braved a folk-punk sound with the title track, “Threat”. But that’s not to say that the creation of this album was anything easy. “Some of the themes of the songs are deeply personal, and it was kind of new territory to put those kinds of insights out there”, commented Seth. It wasn’t just the lyrics that stretched the band as Phil explained. “I have never had to play the drums with that much force and speed before. I have always loved punk, but this is the first punk band that I have played with. I almost had to learn a whole new style of drumming that I wasn't crazy familiar with.” In any case, “Threat” is a labor of love for False Idle, having worked hard through moments of excitement and frustration, all the while never losing a constant drive to produce punk rock that speaks of hope in a hopeless world. In the summer of 2013, False Idle recorded an acoustic EP entitled “California Or Bust” as a way of funding their first venture to Southern California for the annual Thumper Punk night in September. The release was a compilation of acoustic versions of songs from “I Refuse” and “Threat”. With a more stripped-down sound, and an intimate feel, FI showed they could slow things down occasionally and get back to their singer/songwriter roots. The concert at Thumper Punk night didn’t disappoint. In addition to an energetic show from FI, it also featured a reunion set from uniSEF. They RAWKED with Sef on guitar and vocals, Tyler on bass and vocals, and FI’s former drummer, Matt rejoining for the night to revisit the glory days with an awesome set! Just to keep things interesting, FI has also started an Acoustic Cover Series that features members of the band playing their own acoustic covers of some well known songs. So far, they have recorded covers of songs from Social Distortion, Coheed and Cambria, Rancid, and The Bouncing Souls. With more to come, keep checking FI’s YouTube channel. In the spring of 2014, the band started talking about recording a split. After talking it over, Sef approached fellow label-mates, A Common Goal, about being the other half of the split. The Boston-based band accepted and the writing and recording process began. Each band put forth two new original songs, as well as a cover of one of the other band’s songs. After watching the seasons fly by, the split has finally been completed! With a December 16th 2014 release date, both bands are staying sharp with these new songs. In other news, False Idle played to a sell-out crowd for the Boise Music Festival this past summer. They had the honor of following their opening act, Train, on the stage. Actually, it wasn’t a sell-out crowd, and they didn’t play the same stage as Train (or want to), but it WAS fun! New FI fans who didn’t know they liked punk were getting into it as the band upped the energy and got the crowd moving. Maybe the main stage next year. Maybe not… For the second time, Sef broke his wrist skateboarding and was out of commission for a few shows. As a generation and age-defying renaissance man, he just can’t say no to kickflips and nollies! But hopefully he will pass the skate baton to his rapidly improving and gutsy son, and live vicariously through him from now on, FOR THE GOOD OF THE LISTENERS!!! But if it seems like there are no more boundaries to demolish for the punkers from Idaho, rest assured, it’s never really over. Amid their ever-changing lives, music is a constant. New music, added shows, and a general willingness to try anything once will keep you guessing about what to expect. Keep checking FI’s Website, Facebook page, Instagram, and ReverbNation to stay in the know! Boise punk rock band. Proud part of the Thumper Punk Records movement! Visit us at www.falseidlepunk.com for more!