From an interview with Cory Vallaincourt, contributing editor of the Erie Reader: Their punk roots are readily apparent in every track on Set the Table - but to call the band's debut record a punk album is folly; it's folky, acoustic flavor is occasionally self-indulgent, which would certainly garner them some face-punchery - or worse - from the likes of GG Allin and Sid Vicious. The story goes that guitarist/vocalist Matt Flowers, bassist Bill Frackowiak, guitarist/vocalist Nick Taylor, and drummer Brad Triana were invited to an open mic at the crooked i by Matt Broke Boland, and didn't want to carry all their electric gear around. They also didn't want to blast patrons out of the room, so they stripped down and found a sound that was much more acoustic, mellow, and folky than they'd ever intended. People liked it immediately, said Taylor, as I sat around my dining room table with all four members of Falling Hollywood on a recent foggy Sunday. I think we just hit that scene in stride. Right when the more raw, real emotional sound was gaining popularity elsewhere, we happened to be right in the thick of it. And it also allowed us to reboot as a band, which allowed us to capture a new audience. 'Set the Table' felt like a reboot, like a core. Audiences responded well to their gritty-yet-fresh sound, and over the past two years, they've played nearly every major gig available in and around Erie, including Celebrate Erie, the Downtown Partnership's Block Parties, Romolo Chocolates Music Series, The Great Blue Heron Music Festival, and The Gathering at Chaffee's, while simultaneously becoming regulars at places like Basement Transmissions, the crooked i, Sandbar, and Sherlock's. They also became Dr. Rock's darlings, frequented Fazed Cookies, and appeared on the Reader's Aug. 22, 2012 cover. Lately, they've been playing a greater amount of their gigs on the road at well-known venues like the Hard Rock Caf in Pittsburgh, Sullivan Hall in Greenwich Village, and the Grog Shop in Cleveland; and their recent Kickstarter campaign to fund this new album exceeded it's $3,000 goal by 50 percent in just under 30 days. All based on that one folky, poppy album. This album definitely has a harder sound, said Flowers of the as-yet unreleased, unordered, unnamed album as he fiddled with a half-empty beer can. It's kinda weird, but I think this album has this - even though it's rougher - there's this strange, sexy, loving, melancholy, energetic feel. It's one of those albums where you listen to it and you feel high afterwards. That these guys have grown as a band is apparent to anyone who's seen them play over the course of the last year or so; the uptick in gigs has certainly made an already-tight outfit even tighter - not to mention the hours spent on stage. As we became tighter as a band, and we all got better at our respective instruments, Flowers said. Flowers would know - he had a lot to do with that. As I listened to the album, the thing that immediately jumped out at me was how much both Flowers and Taylor had matured in their playing; at times, Taylor lays down some searing leads in places Falling Hollywood would normally spotlight acoustic strumming, and Flowers' dependable, workman-like axemanship has only gotten more reliable over time. Frackowiak - who's rapidly become one of the best bassists in Erie - and Triana's already-solid rhythmic relationship takes a deeper turn as well. Triana, however, looks at the band's growth a little differently, as is his custom; he cited their organization and confidence as evidence of their progress as a group, but all four of them are quick to give credit to Band Manager Emily Smicker. She not only books shows, they say, she also delegates responsibilities to members of the band like a taskmaster, freeing the musicians up to do what they do better than anyone else in town right now - make music that people enjoy hearing. That organization and confidence manifested itself during the production of their new album; they once again reach out to the capable hands of Senior Audio En
