Despite an overwhelming amount of support from local fans, Provo band Fictionist was eliminated in the third round of Rolling Stone magazine's "Do You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star?" competition Wednesday.
Though Stuart Maxfield and his four band members wish they had made it further, the competition helped the band chisel its identity in the music industry.
"We learned what we do best, and what we want to do," said Maxfield, lead singer of Fictionist. "The pressure to be 12 different things helped us decide what this next record is going to sound like and I think we have a more confident sense of identity."
Maxfield said one of the most valuable facets of the competition was the opportunity to record new songs with major producers like David Bendeth, who works with Paramore.
"For me, it was recording that was the most memorable, and really anything to do with making our music," said Maxfield, adding that Fictionist wasn't too keen on the makeup, hair and photo shoots throughout the contest. "In a lot of ways, we tend to be more introverted because we are really just about the music and the live show."
The competition was heavily based on fan voting. But it wasn't just the local, die-hard fans voting that pushed Fictionist on to Round 3. it was thousands of newcomers stumbling onto the music because of the Rolling Stone publicity.
"There were tons of people who knew about Fictionist before the competition, but among my friends and coworkers I've seen a lot more people who know who they are now," said James Gardner, an avid fan and student at Brigham Young University.
Fictionist has been playing together for three years, but many fans have been with the band since it was Good Morning Maxfield, a slightly different mix of musicians led by Maxfield. Fictionist's chemistry, hard work and aggressive touring were the reasons Atlantic Records made the call and entered them into the contest in February.
"When something like this happens, everyone always thinks you're an overnight success," said Brittney Maxfield, the lead singer's wife of more than five years. "What most people don't know is that this one contest is years in the making and lots of hard work doing everything we can to scrape by."
The end of the competition is just the beginning for Fictionist. With a bigger fan base and national publicity, the band is working hard to keep the momentum. Fictionist is set to take the main stage at the Utah Arts Festival on June 25, and was asked by Atlantic Records to do another showcase performance.
"As far as the fans are concerned, they ought to know we've stirred it up and now it's going to get really crazy," Stuart Maxfield said, adding that fans can expect a new EP record in the fall and a full album next year.
But as for now, the band is enjoying its well-earned recognition and success.
"I just had a little feeling about playing with these guys," Maxfield said. "There are some people who stumble into music, but it's our love, our craft and our ambition. I've always hoped success was right around the corner."
For updates on Fictionist, visit fictionist.com.
Caitlin is a feature writer for The Deseret News and a journalism student at Brigham Young University.