False Front

False Front live @ John & Peters with Bill, Guy, Anthony, George and Marc

False Front was a band formed in 1989 by Guy Heller, Bill Fowler, and Anthony LoFaro. Originally named AGIT-8, the band operated out of the same farmhouse where Ween lived nearby. False Front recorded rehearsal sessions onto tape and shopped them around to record labels. Although the exact track listings on these tapes are unknown, they probably featured early demos from what would become Dude and Criminal Kind.

Around 1991, False Front was signed to Shimmy Disc, around the same time Ween was signed during The Pod era.

Members

Main members:

Guy Heller - Vocals

Anthony LoFaro - Guitar

Bill Fowler - Lead Guitar

George Altonen - Bass

Marc Carney - Drums

Past/temporary Members:

Christopher Griffith - Bass

Tony Sabo - Drums

Joanne Racciatti Parker - Keyboard, Saxophone

Brad Smith - Drums

Mickey Melchiondo - Guitar

Aaron Freeman - Keyboard

Mark Anderson - Drums

Release history

Both Dude and Criminal Kind were released in 1991 on CD and vinyl.

• Dude: Dude's CD release stretches for 1:05:46. The vinyl version of Dude featured a shortened track list to fit the format, where the hidden track on the CD, Judgement Junkie, included on the vinyl's A side. Johanna Racciatti contributed keyboards on the track “Encore.” A cassette version of Dude is known exist, though no photos have surfaced.
  

  Album art for Dude, Illustrated by Joseph Rose, Depicting Guy Heller* getting his face torn by his hands
• Criminal Kind: This album had a different lyrical style compared to Dude and featured Johanna Racciatti again, this time playing saxophone on the title track. It was released a few months after Dude, with identical track listings on both the vinyl and CD versions^.

Both album covers were illustrated by Joseph Rose.

In 1994, George Altonen left the band and was replaced by Christopher Griffith on bass. The band recorded a demo tape for a third, unfinished album at Brookridge Farms. This album would feature tracks they would play live frequently such as The Gong, Little Kids, and The Locust. The session was recorded on ADAT by Mickey Melchiondo and submitted to various labels, but was ultimately rejected, as most labels didn’t find their sound commercially appealing. This is the last thing that False Front ever recorded.

Live

In August 1989, Guy, Tim, Anthony, and Bill entered a Battle of the Bands at the Bucks County Playhouse by submitting a fake demo tape that included Pink Floyd tracks and songs from another local band. This was the first time the name False Front was used, and it stuck.

FF playing live sometime in 1989 with Guy, Bill, Anthony and Tim

During their performance, the band broke the rules against substances and vulgarity in front of the all-ages audience. They were disqualified, denied payment, and had their rented gear confiscated. After Guy and Anthony threatened legal action, the organizers returned their gear, paid them $100, and told them never to return.

Throughout the 1990s, False Front often opened for Ween in venues around New Brunswick, such as City Gardens and Court Tavern, performing a handful of their own tracks.

In 1992, False Front joined Ween for a performance of Pink Floyd’s Echoes. They would do the same in 1995, though without Guy Heller.

From 1994 onward, they consistently ended their live shows with their track The Locust, often performing extended versions. False Front continued performing with varying members until 2018, where the band is currently on an indefinite hiatus.