Hailing from Manhattan KS, Bill McShane and Nick Colby founded Ultimate Fakebook in 1994 and were soon joined by former Truck Stop Love drummer, Eric Melin, solidifying a classic power trio lineup. Incorporating their mutual love of Cheap Trick, The Replacements and Guided By Voices, UFB quickly stood out among their indie rock peers with killer songwriting and well-crafted razor-sharp power pop. The combination of great hooks, a dynamic live show, and near constant coast-to-coast touring with bands such as Nada Surf, Motion City Soundtrack, The Get Up Kids, At the Drive-In and Fall Out Boy caught the attention of major and indie labels alike and in 1999 the band signed with Epic/550 Records, who re-released UFB’s second of three Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, Touché Amore, The Appleseed Cast) produced albums, This Will Be Laughing Week.

In 2018, news that a reunited Ultimate Fakebook were secretly working on new material started to get around, and the band was asked to join punk legends the Descendents on their North American tour. The energy and buzz the band felt from those shows has resulted in UFB's most personal and celebratory album to date - The Preserving Machine, released April 10, 2020.