What's in a

rock band's name? Pearl Jam took their name from one of the member's grandmothers

and her famous jelly, after deciding against using the name Mookie Blaylock.

Perhaps Billy Corgan enjoyed smashing pumpkins on Halloween, paving the

way for the name of his popular band? So, where did Fairborn, the local

rock band opening for The Village People, get their name? Near a loading

dock behind the Kedron Kroger.

Don't let that

fool you, though. The group is far from a back alley operation. They have

been together for over a year, practicing two to three times a week, and

writing original songs. They have emerged from the finished basement in

guitarist Joey Corvino's home to perform a number of shows in the Metro

Atlanta area, record a three song demo CD and gain some acclaim from people

in the local music scene and an opportunity to perform before more than

a thousand people at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater this weekend.

Not bad for a group made up mostly of students at McIntosh High School.

Senior Marc

Corbi is the singer while classmate Todd Christensen plays guitar. Chase

Storbeck, a junior is the drummer, while Corvino, a sophomore, is the

youngest member of the band. The oldest member, bassist Kenny Young, 23,

is also the newest member. Young joined up with the group a little over

a month ago. He was recently a member of the band Klopek and has also

played with Death By Catapult. Young is not the only one with a musical

background. Corvino's first foray into rock music included a band called

Indecent Exposure, while Storbeck is a member of the McIntosh drum line,

which is currently ranked number one in the nation.

The members

of Fairborn have a hard time describing just what genre of music they

play. Though they have been influenced by bands like Taking Back Sunday,

Saves The Day and cover songs by New Found Glory, Fairborn is not a punk

band. They are a rock and roll band, playing what they deem new rock or,

more specifically, "neu rock." Their influences also stretch

past current bands and include Jimi Hendrix and The Monkees. In addition

to their original songs, Fairborn has recently been working on cover versions

of "Brown Eyed Girl" and "The Boys are Back in Town."

Some of their original songs are titled "Asti Johnson," "KM

Theory" and "10 Reasons to Hate This Town."

As for how

they got the choice gig of opening for The Village People, credit knowing

people who know people. Christensen was approached by a friend of a friend

who got their demo CD to the Amphitheater's opening act committee. As

an interesting side note, Christensen is not the first in his family to

open for a act at the Amphitheater. His sister, Karen, was part of an

improv group that opened for The Guess Who.

Fairborn was

originally slated to open for The Pointer Sisters but prom got in the

way and pushed the band's slot to this weekend. The band has a lot of

respect for The Village People. "They've performed for a long time

and have remained popular," said Corbi. When asked what their favorite

song by The Village People was, the group was split down the middle between

"YMCA" and "Macho Man."

While all of

the band members admit that they would like to enjoy a successful career

as musicians, their goals are realistic. "We'd like to get somewhere

someday, but we really just want to have fun." They are doing that.

Fairborn has plans to go back into the studio this summer and record a

number of their songs. They have also entered a contest sponsored by Alternative

Press magazine and if they win they may perform on the local stage at

the upcoming Vans Warped tour.

The band would

like to make more local appearances but explain that there aren't very

many places to play. Most of their concerts are now at house parties and

those typically raise the ire of neighbors. They have performed at The

Masquerade and Factory Skate Park in Newnan among other venues and hope

that there are more shows at venues like these in their future. For now,

Fairborn is looking forward to their opening act gig this weekend, performing

with a professional sound and lighting display and meeting The Village

People.

The band plans

to stick together for at least another year. Corbi and Christensen are

planning on attending Georgia State University in the fall and trying

to spread the music of Fairborn to more people, while Corvino and Storbeck

continue their education at McIntosh. Fairborn will take the stage at

8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and tickets are still available for the

show for $45 a ticket.

For more information

on Fairborn, visit www.fairbornmusic.com

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