The Fab Faux is a musical

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band, tribute group or tribute artist is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the so ...

performing the works of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

(whose members were often known as the "Fab Four"). The group was founded by Will Lee, bassist for ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', and features Jimmy Vivino, bandleader for '' Conan''. Other members include Rich Pagano, Frank Agnello, and Jack Petruzzelli. The band is committed to performing live what they feel would be an accurate reproduction of The Beatles'

repertoire Repertory or repertoire () is the list or set of works a person or company is accustomed to performing. Whether the English or French spelling is used has no bearing, but it was the French word, with an accent on the first e, , that first took ho ...

, often performing material The Beatles never played live. The band members do not try to impersonate the members of The Beatles, instead simply playing cover songs. The band is often accompanied by a

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the term ...

(known as the Hogshead Horns) and a

string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

(known as the Creme Tangerine Strings) to achieve the proper sound. Their performances in the New York City area have included The Bowery Ballroom,

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

, Nokia Theater,

Irving Plaza Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Verizon 5G and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York ...

, the Beacon Theatre, The Bottom Line, and The China Club. Their shows often have themes; one show could feature a track-by-track rendering of '' The White Album''; the next might feature all of the Beatles' psychedelic work; another will include a full survey of the band from its

Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a music venue on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened on 16 January 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The club becam ...

days through to ''

Let It Be Let It Be most commonly refers to: * ''Let It Be'' (album), the Beatles' final studio album, released in 1970 * "Let It Be" (song), the title song from the album Let It Be may also refer to: Film and television * ''Let It Be'' (1970 film), ...

''. The Fab Faux has also performed a show of post-Beatle solo material. The group was featured in a full-length profile on

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

that was broadcast worldwide. They also participated in a CD of original material by Beatles tribute bands, recorded in London at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

and engineered and produced by Will Schillinger. The group has performed multiple times in

Liverpool, England Liverpool is a port city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population of (in ), Liverpool is the administrative, c ...

, where they played three shows each year from 1999 to 2005 for that city's annual "Beatle Week" festivities, including outdoor concerts for over 35,000 people on the Yellow Submarine and Let It Be stages. The band was featured in a full-page story in the August 11, 2005, issue of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine (page 22). Senior editor

David Fricke David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...

wrote: "The Faux invigorate the artistry of even the Beatles' most intricate studio masterpieces with top chops and Beatlemaniac glee;" and the story's byline called The Fab Faux "The greatest Beatles cover band...without the wigs." In an on-air interview (and accompanying print article) with

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

's Ashley Kahn in January 2008, members of the band discussed their process of re-creating The Beatles' material for live performance; as well as an account of a brief conversation about the band between Will Lee and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Notable appearances

On February 9, 2007, the band appeared on the ''

'' (43 years to the day, and in the very same studio, that the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show), marking a late-night televised cross-over of sorts, as band member Jimmy Vivino was a featured player in the Max Weinberg 7, which is the

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

for ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. It was also the first time a

was shown on ''The Late Show'' and the second act for which members of the CBS Orchestra, Will Lee and Tom Malone, performed as members of a guest band (

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and comedian who served as David Letterman's musical director, bandleader, and sidekick on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1993) and ''Late Show with D ...

had performed as part of

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

and

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

's bluegrass supergroup during that group's 2001 and 2005 appearances on the show). On March 28, 2007, the band performed on ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

'' for the second time. They performed " Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/

A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...

" from ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

'', "

Penny Lane "Penny Lane" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double A-side single with "Strawberry Fields Forever" in February 1967. It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwr ...

" and "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles (album), The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist, as ...

." Stern stated during a replay of their performances that listening to them gives him chills. On May 8, 2008, at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, the band appeared with vocalist

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

and Phish guitarist

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 ...

as featured performers, celebrating the 7th Annual Jammy Awards. On September 12, 2008, the band appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', once again marking a "cross-over." On September 20, 2008, the band celebrated its 10th anniversary at a sold-out show in

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

Band members

Current members

* Will Lee - bass, keys, vocals * Jimmy Vivino - guitar, keys, vocals *Rich Pagano - drums, vocals *Frank Agnello - guitar, vocals *Jack Petruzzelli - keys, guitar, vocals

Guest musicians

Jerry Vivino Jerry Vivino (born January 8, 1954) is an American musician. Biography He was a member of the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night program '' Conan''. He was also a member of The Tonight Show Band, the house band on '' Th ...

- horns * Tom "Bones" Malone - horns * Tom Timko - horns *

Lew Soloff Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944 – March 8, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor. He was a founding member of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Biography From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studie ...

- trumpet * Sibel Finn - cello * Amy Kimball - violin *

Erin Hill Erin Kathleen Hill is an American harpist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress. Her Celtic album hit #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart and she has played and sung with Kanye West, Cyndi Lauper, Moby, Sinéad O'Connor, Eny ...

- harp, backing vox * Andy York - guitar, backing vox * John Chudoba - trumpet * Jim Boggia - guitarThe Fab Faux Celebrate John Lennon's Extraordinary Life and Career with a Special 70th Birthday Concert at Radio City Music Hall Sept. 25
/ref> *

Denny Laine Brian Frederick Hines (29 October 1944 – 5 December 2023), known professionally as Denny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands: the Moody Blues and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966 ...

- guitar, backing vox * Glen Burtnik - guitar, backing vox

Notes

External links

The Fab Faux
- Official website
2012 Audio Interview with Rich Pagano from Podcast "I'd Hit That
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fab Faux, The The Beatles tribute bands Musical groups from New York City