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(The following was made for another publication, but due to circumstances beyond the writer’s control, it is now here.)

Straight Out of San Diego by Joyce Dejesus

Judging from the gloomy faces on the band members of F.o.N., early Sunday morning practice is just another sacrifice the group has made to become rock stars.
Each member trails into their rehearsal space in Chula Vista, silently setting up amps and tuning instruments. With few words exchanged between each other, F.o.N. began playing a song they had just written the day before.
The music blares inside the gray, barren building, and the one member who seems to be fully awake is the drummer, who looks like a little kid tinkering with his uncle’s drum set than a rock star.
That’s because he “is” a little kid. But at 12 years old, Ilan Rubin has many of the freedoms and perks people twice his age have: He can stay up late for gigs, he’s been interviewed for a broadcast on national radio and he’s even got a girlfriend.
Although he may be the youngest member of F.o.N., don’t think he’s that much younger than the others. At a brief glimpse, the rest of the guys in the band could be mistaken as some youthful boy band; they’re all attractive, charmingly clean-cut and decked out in outfits fit enough for ’Nsync.
Yet ask them to dance, and only 19-year-old guitarist Chris McGraw might comply.
“We went to a Subway, and they were playing ’Nsync on the radio. Chris was doing all the moves and singing all the words,” I. Rubin says.
Calling themselves wild and crazy guys, the lyrics they write are as carefree as they are. As one of the singers in the band, 20-year-old Yigal Adato knows the lyrics he sings over and over again, “we don’t write about how the government is taking over, just what we know,” Adato explains. What they know consists of everyday life; such as the pressures school puts on them and girls.
Responsible for the other half of the vocals, 20-year-old Josh Dodson is still trying to be comfortable on stage. “Ever since I was young, I used to do some kind of stuff on stage, but I never really felt comfortable. Even though I should because I sing and I have to be upfront and stuff,” Dodson says.
Also familiar with trying to be at ease in front of a crowd, keyboardist 20-year-old Alvin Exevea has had to be upfront in the band. In one of the songs, he leaves his instrument and does a rap, “my first show when I had to do my rap, it didn’t even come out ‘cause I got so nervous,” he says.
The only members of the band left to introduce are guitarist Aaron Rubin, he’s 20, and the second youngest guy in F.o.N. 17-year-old bassist Danny Rubin.
If you figured out the three Rubins are brothers, you’re right. Just don’t call them another Hanson. While the band talked about artists that have inspired them, they teased Ilan about liking Hanson, which he strongly denied.
“You guys are gay,” he says. “I don’t like Hanson!”
What he does like, along with the rest of the group, varies from metal to hip-hop, depending on which of them you ask. Yet take one listen to their music and you’re bound to classify the music as a combination of pop-ska-punk.
Created 3 years ago, F.o.N. was formed by Aaron Rubin and Yigal Adato for a battle of the bands competition at Bonita Vista High School. The name of the band when they first started out was Freak of Nature, a title of an early song written by the band. To avoid legal problems with another band by the same name, they abbreviated the name so their fans wouldn’t get confused by the change.
In the next couple of years the band went through two bass players (Adam Harmstead and Bryan Michel), released an independent CD, appeared on a compilation by Rhino Records, were interviewed by major publications such as “The Reader,” were given radio play, performed at the now-defunct Soma, and played at the biggest event of last year-Woodstock!
How did they get to Woodstock? They were picked among the many artists on Mp3.com based on a large amount of downloads they were receiving.
Performing on Woodstock’s Emerging Artist Stage, the band stood out because Ilan was the youngest person to ever play Woodstock.
“We were tired because the night before we didn’t sleep,” Yigal says. “We were partying the night before.”
Now uninterested with ska, they drop it for their upcoming yet-to-be-titled CD, in which they have found their own sound. A hasty listen to their new stuff would bring one to the conclusion that they sound like the Foo Fighters or Lit.
Besides the forthcoming release, they played this year’s Warped Tour and will be appearing on the show Farmclub.
Like any other band, F.o.N. has to deal with people who don’t like their music. Aaron handles the critics by the notion that the hatred is actually a love.
“It’s actually the haters that listen to you more…I just think it’s funny and to all the haters out there, thanks for the promotion.”
Ready to get back to their practice, they huddled into a circle and discuss how to tape Ilan’s drum solo for yet another contest.

You can check them out on their webpage at http://www.fonland.com/.