GB members Fell Far Behind parlay radio contest win into self-released album

GarageBand.com member Mike Hak from Philadelphia's Fell Far Behind was posed with the $25,000 question. It was December 1st, 2006, and his band had survived five rounds of competition in the GarageBand.com "Face Off" challenge, a battle of GB bands that took place on a dozen FM radio stations, where listeners text messaged their vote for best unsigned band. The decision in front of him: Whether to accept a chance to compete in the final round for a six-figure record contract with Capitol Records, or to take $25,000 and run with it.

"I think we're gonna keep our music within our own grasp right now and sign ourselves for 25 grand," said Mike Hak. It was a bold move for sure, and some couldn't help but wonder what the band would really do with all that money. Even Hak joked on air, "that could buy us a lot of beer!"

All speculation was quieted last month when the band made good on its promise and self-released its new album Reaching the Red Line.

"Looking at the level of competition that we were up against, we never thought we'd make it as far as we did," Hak told us recently. He admitted that before competition started the band had already decided they would take the prize money over the record deal.

"Major label contracts can be very risky when a band has not already established themselves enough to negotiate a safe deal," he said. "We wanted to control our own destiny, and 25 grand was the perfect start!"

Right now, it looks as if the band's gamble is beginning to pay off. "Downloads and album sales have been doing great," Hak said. "The Face Off contest really helped to get our name out there, and now that our album is out, we're seeing some really good, positive press. It's very exciting. We have even heard from a few record labels who are taking interest in what we are doing. Our goal now is to land a solid deal with a label who can take Fell Far Behind to the next level. "

Though their saga may seem like an amazing feat, Mike was quick to remind GB members that it can happen to anyone.

"It's a tale almost everyone with a band on GarageBand.com can relate to. Five guys who have one
thing going for them — their band. They have high hopes and big dreams, and despite coming very close at times, they can never quite seem to get their feet off the ground. GarageBand.com is a community of people who have many of the same goals in common. Everyone benefits by giving and receiving support and honest critique."