{"id":21018,"date":"2026-06-23T18:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=21018"},"modified":"2026-06-23T18:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:38:21","slug":"portlands-drunk-dial-records-bring-fictional-bands-to-life-on-fakes-volume-three-a-charity-compilation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=21018","title":{"rendered":"Portland\u2019s Drunk Dial Records Bring Fictional Bands to Life on Fakes \u2013 Volume Three: A Charity Compilation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Portland\u2019s Drunk Dial returns June 23 with Fakes \u2013 Volume Three<\/em>, the latest installment in its compilation series dedicated to fictional bands from movies and television. Released digitally and on cassette, the comp continues the label\u2019s tradition of pairing each volume with a different charitable organization, with all proceeds from Volume Three benefiting Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)<\/a>, an international nonprofit providing legal and psychosocial support for unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children. Across thirteen tracks, punk, garage, and indie bands from across North America lovingly tear through songs made famous by fake bands from pop culture history. The Archies, Robin Sparkles, Sex Bob-omb, Jesse and the Rippers, Spinal Tap. The kind of bands that somehow stop being fictional once they worm their way into your brain long enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drunk Dial itself started as a half-joking idea at a bar table: \u201cWhat if there was a record label that convinced bands to get super drunk and then make a record?\u201d What followed became less of a gimmick and more of a mission statement. The Portland label built its identity around spontaneity, raw performances, and the stories that happen when musicians are pushed outside their normal process. By challenging artists to write and record under chaotic conditions, Drunk Dial carved out a weird little corner of the underground where imperfections matter more than polish. The Fakes compilations carry that same spirit, channeling the strange emotional connection people have with fictional bands into something messy, funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly heartfelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fakes \u2013 Volume Three<\/em> dives deep into that shared cultural memory. Vancouver punks Night Court rip through Degrassi<\/em> anthem \u201cEverybody Wants Something\u201d by The Zits with snarling urgency, while Denver weirdos SPELLS barrel through \u201cThe Thermos Song\u201d from The Jerk<\/em> like a basement show threatening to collapse in real time. Keddies Resort tackle Sex Bob-omb\u2019s \u201cGarbage Truck\u201d from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World<\/em> with blown-out fuzz and slacker charm, and TV Cop resurrect Jesse and the Rippers from Full House<\/em> for a version of \u201cI Belong to You\u201d that feels equal parts sincere and tongue-in-cheek. Elsewhere, The Chugs swing at Adam Sandler\u2019s immortal Wedding Singer<\/em> meltdown \u201cSomebody Kill Me Please,\u201d while Sex Mex dive headfirst into Spinal Tap\u2019s psychedelic spoof classic \u201cListen to the Flower People.\u201d Like the best punk compilations, Fakes \u2013 Volume Three<\/em> feels more like a community artifact than a carefully manicured release. It bounces between cartoon bubblegum, fake Canadian teen rebellion, cult-comedy absurdism, and genuine rock-and-roll devotion without ever losing its momentum. There\u2019s reverence for the source material, but there\u2019s also plenty of chaos, inside jokes, and basement-show energy holding the whole thing together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Order Drunk Dial Records\u2019<\/strong> Music and Merchandise<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous editions of the Fakes series featured artists including Josh Berwanger of The Anniversary, Andrew Bassett of Mean Jeans, Suzy True, Personality Cult, Heavy Lag, and Ian MacDougall of Riverboat Gamblers. Volume Three expands that universe even further, pulling together lifers, punks, indie weirdos, and garage rock diehards who all seem to understand the same thing: fictional bands matter because they remind people why they fell in love with music in the first place. Drunk Dial has always treated music less like content and more like folklore, the kind passed around between friends at bars, basements, record stores, and late-night movie marathons. Fakes \u2013 Volume Three<\/em> captures that feeling perfectly. It\u2019s a love letter to fake bands, real scenes, and the beautifully blurry line between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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