Faking the band

The new Rainn Wilson comedy "The Rocker," which opens Wednesday, features songs by the film's fictional bands, the hard-rocking Vesuvius and teen-pop act A.D.D. The bands may be fake, but the songs are real. Musician Teddy Geiger, who plays A.D.D.'s frontman in the film, has even added his onscreen band's single, "Tomorrow Never Comes," to his real-life tour set list.

Of course, Vesuvius and A.D.D. aren't the first fake bands on celluloid that have been surprisingly realistic (and in some cases, talented). Here are some others:

MEREDITH GOLDSTEIN

STILLWATER

Peter Frampton supposedly helped style the fake rock band in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film "Almost Famous," which starred Jason Lee as Stillwater's lead singer and Billy Crudup as its guitarist and golden god.

THE WONDERS

The Wonders, or as they like to be called, "The Oneders," were the band from Tom Hanks's 1996 film "That Thing You Do!" Keeping the band in check was fake drummer Guy Patterson, played by Tom Everett Scott.

POP!

This was the fictional, Wham!-inspired band from the 2007 movie "Music and Lyrics." Hugh Grant dares to perform songs on the film's soundtrack.

STEEL DRAGON

Jason Bonham (son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham) was one of the real musicians who helped make the fake hair band Steel Dragon seem like the real deal in the 2001 movie "Rock Star" (Bonham plays the drummer). Mark Wahlberg, of course, stars as Dragon's fan-turned-lead-singer Chris Cole.

SPINAL TAP

The 1984 mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" featured the mother of all fake bands. If Tap members remind you of another fake band, the Folksmen (an act that got its due in the 2003 mockumentary, "A Mighty Wind"), it's because both bands are played by Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean.

THE COMMITMENTS

This fictional band became a real one, thanks to the popularity of the Irish-soul soundtrack from the 1991 film of the same name.

CITIZEN DICK

Matt Dillon's fake grunge band from 1992's "Singles." A number of real-life Seattle musicians, including Eddie Vedder, were members of Dick.

HEY, THAT'S MY BIKE

Ethan Hawke's fake grunge band from 1994's "Reality Bites." Hawke sings the band's song "I'm Nuthin" on the "Bites" soundtrack.