Fat Mike Gets Strung Out Share New Cover of NOFX's "Total Bummer" As Part of Bottle Music for Broken People Compilation (Bottles to The Ground)

Fat Mike Gets Strung Out and signed show flyer (SOURCE: FatMikeGetsStrungOut.com & Facebook)

Let's just start this off by saying that we really aren't fans of Michael "Fat Mike" Burkett, his long-standing band, NOFX, or his opinions. It may be that he's always kinda just rubbed us the wrong way and, although, we've heard plenty enough of NOFX's music over the years, it just never really clicked with us. However, we will admit we've always dug Fat Mike's label imprint and pseudo-namesake, Fat Wereck Chords, and a handful of the bands they've signed and albums they've dropped; a couple mildly enjoyable points that stand out are the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1-2 compilations (with Less Than Jake & Billy Bragg's version of "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out,") NOFX's "Eat The Meek (Dub Mix) from Floyd's 2002 Squawk Among Us promo CD sampler, which I either picked up at the X Games or Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam, and, of course, assorted releases from Against Me!, Anti-Flag, Bracket, CHIXDIGGIT!, Descendents, Face to Face, Good Riddance, Less Than Jake, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, Nerf Herder, and more.


So, with all that said, we weren't too upset when NOFX announced their final album(s) and tour(s) for 2323-24 before imminently disbanding... we were, actually, ECSTATIC! We have enjoyed the first couple singles from Fat Mike's new band, The Codefendants with Hip-Hop emcee ceschi and Punk vocalist Sam King from Get Dead. It seems like even with NOFX fizzling out, Fat Mike plans to keep himself busy, as Codefendants dropping their hotly-anticipated debut full-length, This Is Crime Wave, out March 24, 2023 on Fat Wreck Chord's newest imprint, Bottles to The Ground. It appears as though Fat Mike is gearing up to announce yet another side-band/solo project, fittingly dubbed Fat Mike Gets Strung Out. Earlier this morning, we saw Bottles to The Ground quietly dropped a 12-track Spotify playlist/compilation entitled Bottle Music for Broken People. It's closing track, "Total Bummer," attributed to Fat Mike Gets Strung Out.


With a little digital sleuthing, we quickly learned Fat Mike had orchestrated a couple shows dubbed Fat Mike Gets Strung Out On Baz's Quintet: An Evening of Strings & Storytelling back on February 10-11, 2023. Baz's Quintet being that of Bastien "Baz" Brisson AKA Baz The Frenchman, who had previously done something similar with Baz & His Orchestra Present: NOFX A Symphonic Punk Show - The Decline on numerous occasions live. Baz has, also, done work in recent years billed as either Baz The Frenchman or Baz & His Orhestra B.A.Z.'s Orchestra (or some similar iteration) with BAD COP/BAD COP, The Barberchops, ceschi, The Codefendants, Fat Mike's other solo/side-project Cokie The Clown, Days N' Daze, The Melvinator (Eric Melvin of NOFX,) NOFX, p.o.box, The Punk Cellist, and his own recurring YouTube series, HOW TO MAKE A SYMPHONY OUT OF....

An Evening of Strings & Storytelling: Fat Mike Gets String Out On Baz's Quintet flyer (SOURCE: DICE.FM)

An event listing for the 2/10 show at The Sun Rose billed it as "in this once-in-a-lifetime intimate performance, frontman and song-writer of the legendary Punk band NOFX "Fat Mike" Burkett gets strung out on violins, a viola, and a cello. Teaming up with Baz, the duo will conduct Mike's songs as they are adapted into string arrangements with Baz's Quintet. Fat Mike will tell stories, jokes, and speak about his decades-long career and song-writing process from NOFX to his musical, Home Street Home, to his newest project, Codefendants. Hear the brilliance in these songs in a whole new way in a beautiful seated venue with a chamber orchestra." So, it seems we'll be getting a proper full-length from Fat Mike & Baz with Baz's Orchestra attributed to Fat Mike Gets Strung Out, which may or may not be called Concerto at Fatty's. All of that has yet to be properly announced, but Baz himself told us, via email, he "arranged, mixed, and co-produced [the] record with Mike." Fat Mike Gets Strung Out's version of "Total Bummer" from NOFX's 2000 album, Pump Up The Valuum, is now streaming as part of the Bottle Music for Broken People comp. There's another track, "One Million Coasters," originally appearing on NOFX's 2009 album, Coasters, now streaming On Bottles to The Ground's Soundcloud, but they've turned off the embedding feature. Fat Mike Gets Strung Out's debut project will be released sometime this year on Bottles to The Ground.