Bay Area’s Fake Fruit have become one of the most exciting bands in the past few years. With much buzz surrounding their self-titled album, which was released by Sonny Smith’s Rocks in Your Head Records.
Frontperson Hannah D’Amato originally founded the band five years ago in New York, then moved it to Vancouver, B.C. and before planting roots in Oakland. There, she secured a semi-finalized lineup composed of lead guitarist Alex Post, drummer Miles MacDiarmid and a rotating cast of bassists. Fake Fruit’s sound is more than your average post-punk dilettantes can produce; it is an intimate look into the thought processes of those behind the music.
You’ve been leading Fake Fruit, in one form or another, since 2016. What landed you in San Francisco? And what about the scene there draws you to it?
I came to the Bay area because I had been living far away from my sister for so long. I didn’t get homesick for California, but I got homesick for my sister (sappy but true). Anyway, it just makes sense for us to live close to each other because we love the shit out of each other and she helps me with art direction, music videos, hand painted lettering, outfit consulting, hair cuts; literally everything that is cool about me comes from her. Fun fact: I actually live in the east bay right by the bowling alley pictured on the LP. I can see the neon glowing at night from my living room, it’s so perfect.
What is the band’s song writing process?
For this record, I wrote all of the songs (save for three) and brought them to the band to add their parts to, and they’ve all changed slightly with each line up. The three songs we wrote collaboratively on the record are “No Mutuals,” “Swing and a Miss” and “Milkman.” These were all super fun to make, and sometimes I think I prefer writing in the room with the band. I think it’s so easy to get stuck in your head when you’re writing a song by yourself at home. I have this whole graveyard of ideas and half songs that I frankly thought sounded dumb when I wrote them. But, when we’re all together I can try playing them for the band and they join in and all of the sudden it’s an actual song and not garbage like I assumed. I still love writing at home alone, but I think the majority of our next record will most likely be written collaboratively.
Is there a central focus on Fake Fruit, or is every song its own living thing and the record’s just a natural collection?
I think our debut record is a natural collection, and I want to be careful not to box us into any one place. I think the songs reflect the times and locations that they were written in, so our sound will naturally continue to evolve in that same way. It’s important to me to have the freedom to flip flop between having a razor sharp edge and barking at people, and singing my lil heart out on a tenderoni.
Your videos for “No Mutuals” are great (love a western moment). Who created the concept for the video? And what’s the collaboration process like?
The initial concept came from Alex (lead guitarist/vocalist). They pitched it to us, and gave us room to contribute ideas. My contribution was the slap stick part at the end where I bite into the fake apple, and spit a bloody tooth out because I’m a campy lady at heart. Miles was so instrumental in laying out the way it would be shot, he said he was going to draft up a little storyboard but because he’s a comic artist it was above and beyond. He drew every shot and set it to the music and it’s so cute and worth seeing I think, we’ll have to post it somewhere. As for shooting it, my good friend Savannah Magruder directed and shot it for us and she is such a pro, so of course it came out great.
What are some bands you’d love to play with when shows resume?
I’m definitely looking forward to playing with our loved ones and friend’s bands locally (Pardoner, BLues Lawyer, Naked Roommate, Dingbat Superminx, and more), but I’m also super excited to meet new folks and play with bands we’ve never played with. A few names that come to mind that would be a dream to play with would be: Sweeping Promises, Dry Cleaning, Lithics and Shopping to name a few.
What’s your earliest music memory?
Probably being in fourth grade orchestra playing “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion and crying kid tears because I thought it was so beautiful. I played Viola, and my eyes were so welled up that I couldn’t see the sheet music; so funny to think back on.
I know you’re an ex New Yorker, do you miss anything about the music scene or in general there?
Yes and no. I will always love New York and will probably (a little bit) secretly wish I was living there instead of the West Coast for the rest of my life. But, the reality of it is that it’s easier to live on the West Coast. I think when I was younger I loved the feeling of being pushed around by a city where the weather wants you dead and the people are famously unrelenting. Everyday you wake up alive in that city is an accomplishment, but I’m realizing now that I enjoy being a part of the music scene on the West Coast more I think. Not to say that this doesn’t happen in the bay, but I feel like in New York people are super quick to “cool guy” you and I don’t respond well to that. I will always miss the excitement of being on my own in that big ass city and finding my way. It was like the ultimate liberation because I wasn’t in college, I just went straight into the real world and I barely slept, had no money, was spread out way too thin but I cherished every minute of it.
I know you’re a part of a couple different projects, what makes Fake Fruit different?
Fake Fruit is my baby, I write the majority of the songs and it’s become this extension of me. The other bands I play in were completely collaborative from the start. I play in a band called Divorcer which started in Vancouver. It’s this really fun wacky group of girls who are some of my best friends in the world. I play viola, lead guitar and sing in that band (we all do) those songs were almost always written in between cry laughing, and so much goofing off. The other band I play in is called Flex TMG, which is my left-field disco band with my boyfriend Rob. It’s the ultimate diva project where I get to just sing and maybe do some synth stuff here and there.
What song are you looking forward to performing live and why?
There are some new songs that we are so excited to play live and to record. But, if I had to choose one from the album I’d probably choose “No Mutuals” because it’s one of those songs that gets people’s heads moving and it’s so cool to go into the excitement infinity loop with the crowd.
Who inspired you the most as an artist while learning your own aesthetic? What makes them standout and special to you?
I think that key figure has repeatedly shifted for me over the years. I started making music as a teenager and had way different taste than I do now, so it’s difficult to pinpoint one inspirational artist. The closest person I can think of that I admire in that way is Sarah Kinlaw. When I first moved to New York she was playing in this band I loved called Softspot and I briefly lived with her. She is insanely talented, and while I was in New York I was lucky enough to witness her evolving and shapeshifting and starting to dip her toes into performance art and movement. Everything she touches turns to gold, and she is as fierce an advocate for her friend’s art as she is her own. I learned from her that you don’t have to be in a box, you can just do whatever you want and the right people will catch up to you. Her new solo project is called Kinlaw, definitely worth checking out.
If people could take away one thing from your music, what would it be?
Speak up when something is bothering you, don’t go out of your way to accommodate people who aren’t great to you, take up space and be your own cheerleader.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
Whoever smelt it dealt it. Kidding. Probably trust your gut and allow yourself to fail. You’re not going to nail everything that you do the first time around in your career as a human.
What are your hopes for the future of Fake Fruit as you navigate 2021 and beyond?
We are eager to hit the road as soon as it’s safe to do so, and record our next album! We’re just getting started, and I’m really glad I have my fruits with me every step of the way.