It’s just an ugly rumor. They don’t know who started it or why, but it’s not true. Great Big Freak has not broken up.

“That’s not true. I don’t know where that came from,” guitarist Steve Langan said about GBF’s alleged demise. Langan added that it may have started when their bassist left and was replaced by Minneapolis native, Derek Clarke.

“Some people just figured we were splitting up,” he said. “But now we have Derek and he’s one bad boy bass player.”

Langan said that he and the other Freaks are busy “breaking Derek in” before they head off to the Windy City to hopefully start recording. While Ames remains home, he said “musically, there’s only so much you can do here.”

“We’ve been getting great support from Chicago,” Langan said. “It just seems to keep growing. We’re going to go there and start work on a CD, about seven songs. And then, we want to put out a second disc right away.”

Pretty ambitious for a band that’s rumored to be splitsville.

“It keeps it fresh,” Langan said of the back-to-back discs. “Then people won’t forget you.”

But it’s hard to forget this group of guys, except maybe their names. Like so many performers these days, the men of GBF have their names— and then they have the names they call each other.

Vocalist Tony Juarez is known as “G-Mo.” Vocalist Charles Atwell is called “Chaz-A.” Guitarist Greg Griffin is better known as “Weeg,” and yes his mother also calls him that. Clarke is called “Heavy-D,” drummer Todd Cummings goes by “B.T.C.” (Big Todd Cummings) and guitarist Bill Kearney, well, just call him “Special-K.”

And what do fellow bandmates call Langan? “Chico,” he said. “It comes from back in the days of beanwalking. The nickname thing just seems to happen.”

What isn’t happening, though, are the inevitable comparisons to other bands. Great Big Freak, which has opened for the likes of Goldfinger, is tired of being confined to a musical label.

“It’s hard to put a finger on our sound,” Langan said. “People say we remind them of 311, but I don’t think we sound like them. We’re more roots orientated, more funky with an edge.”

You can catch the funky edge of Great Big Freak when they play at the Long Shot on Sat. Aug. 31. Showtime is scheduled for 10p.m. and cover is $3. And don’t forget your ID.