It’s been a couple of month since they released their raging debut EP and we finally found the time to sit down and give this Florida pack a proper space on IDIOTEQ. THE F/A started back in 2017, played a bunch of shows and released their debut recording “How Riot Starts” in late August last year. Featuring Brian Espitia of NYHC band NOTHING LOST and Lee Fetzer of the almighty ENDPOINT from Louisville, GUILT and ENKINDLE, as well as members of CA bands MINDROT, STAND CLEAR and Florida acts FLYING SHARKS and FILTHY, the raging quintet delivered 6 old school, NYHC inspired tracks that temper their angst with anthemic hooks and energetic melodies and a range of breaks and tempo-changes. Each track has a message behind it, so we though it would be a great idea to give you an opportunity to dive into it through their stories, including a powerful opener with lyrics written by Brian Espitia’s wife that hark back to cruel story of her dad, who is a Vietnam Vet and is the only surviving member of his platoon. Play it loud and see the full track by track feature below.
Last Man Standing:
This track is the very first F/A track ever written and has great significance. Basically, Lee, our guitar player wrote all of the music. We were in another punk band that my wife was singing for and we had started jamming on this one. So, my wife actually wrote the lyrics about her father, who, to this day, does not talk about his time in Vietnam. Ever! She can’t get a word out of him still after all these years. The song is called Last Man Standing because he is the only surviving member of his platoon. He walked out of there with a Purple Heart when he received a severe back injury that still causes him to walk with a limp to this day after his parachute didn’t open. So when we started this band, the song was already there. We just added the intro and threw a heavier spin on it. And makes for a great song.
Just Might Snap:
(Take it Back) Plain and simple. This song is about battling those things that hold us back. For me it’s been anxiety and a “short fuse”. It’s about dusting off your back and moving forward. This is another song that, musically, was written before the band was fully formed.
You Don’t Know A Fucking Thing:
Shit Talkers. They’re everywhere. And since the invention of the computer keyboard, there’s a whole lot more of them. And the worst are the fakes disguised as your friends. It’s something we all deal with. Probably our most melodic song we’ve done.
The Final Anthem:
Well, this song is about my dad. It actually doesn’t even do him enough justice and still doesn’t quite capture the essence of his “Inner Scumbag”. I could write a whole album about him. My dad was the type of guy who will screw you from the grave. I can’t thank him enough for the years of resentment and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Anyway, he’s gone now, but the anger still lingers, and you can hear it in this song.
We Won’t Back Down:
I’m sure everyone can hear the 7 seconds influence in this song, as most of our songs are rather old school sounding. It may come across to people as a Fuck the Police kind of song, but actually it’s about being caught up in the judicial system, and how you become food for the government’s money machine. It’s about how our system makes money off keeping people in prison and it’s disgusting. I almost fell into this trap, as I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger. If I didn’t wise up when I did, I would not be able to work in the industry that I work in and my life could have turned out much differently over a bunch of bad decisions I made before I was even old enough to legally drink.
My Crew:
Our former bass player wrote the opening riff and it all came together from there. It’s fun, fast and raw. A song about our Vero Beach (Florida) crew inspired by our own “C.B.G.B.’s”, called The Stamp where we have shows and enjoy spirits.
