Michael Montante’s band didn’t start in a friend’s garage. It started through Facebook.

Montante, a sophomore in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries, became one of four members of the pop-punk, alternative rock group Faith and Fiction.

A founding band member, who is no longer in the band, approached Montante via Facebook. From there, Faith and Fiction was born.

Though all four members of the group, which was formed in 2011, are based in Buffalo, they’ve recently been splitting their time between Syracuse and Buffalo.

Last week, the band finished recording its second EP, “Kids in the Clouds,” at Syracuse’s The Square Studio with producer Steve Sopchak. The EP, which the band began recording in November of last year, will likely be released in the next few months.

Montante, one of the band’s guitarists, chose the Bandier program with Faith and Fiction in mind, hoping to use the skills and expertise he acquires there to help the band progress.

“(It) actually motivated me a lot more because I see what can be done in this industry and now I’m kind of learning what to do,” he said.

The Syracuse University connection was a coincidence, as the band had decided to record with The Square Studio before Montante decided to attend SU.

The other band members are bassist and backing vocalist Konstantin Klimuk; lead vocalist and guitarist Timothy MacDonald and drummer Wyatt Kluckhohn.

Both Montante and Kluckhohn, a sophomore at Rochester Institute of Technology, have had to frequently travel to and from Buffalo to keep up with band-related events. Despite the distance, Montante said the band is in constant contact.

MacDonald, 23, said though it took them a while to complete recording the album given how busy Sopchak is, the environment of the studio and Sopchak’s style of producing made it worth the wait.

“He’s just really down to earth, so just working with him helps the creativity, the spark, and that just makes the songs that much better,” MacDonald said.

Kluckhohn, 20, said he was excited to have a second EP out on the music market. Now the band has something tangible to show off for the hard work the members have put into the EP, along with the experiences and memories they have.

“Everybody really put all of themselves in here and it’s a really good representation of who we are and what we’re capable of,” he said.

Kluckhohn said the band’s newest member, bass player and backing vocalist Konstantin Klimuk, has been an influential factor in the band’s growth as songwriters. Klimuk, 23, joined the band two years ago.

“I love recording and I love writing probably the best,” Klimuk said. “I love playing live, but I think my favorite part is actually starting with a small idea and working, watching it progress until it’s actually in the studio and it’s all done.”

Montante said as the band’s following grows larger and stronger, live performances are his favorite part about being in the band.

This July, more than 200 fans came to the band’s show at the Forvm in Buffalo. Montante said it was exciting to hear them singing along to the songs they had written. He considers the show one of his favorite experiences performing live.

“There’s nothing better than when you have a show where everything goes right for you,” Montante said.

Faith and Fiction’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Xbox Music. The band will perform in Buffalo on Sept. 25, and is currently working to organize a show in Syracuse.

Although labels have approached the band, it is not signed to one yet. Band members said they’d be open to signing with a label when they find one that meets their needs.

The band also has plans to produce a music video to accompany the release of “Kids in the Clouds.” The group has released lyric videos before, most notably in December for its single “You Stole My Sweater.”

As Faith and Fiction’s popularity grows, the band members have no plans of changing who they are to please other people.

“We’re obviously going to make music that we think people are going to like, but at the same time, we’re not confining ourselves to a certain genre or a certain sound,” Kluckhohn said.

Published on September 16, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Isha: idamle@syr.edu