Our next show!
As some of you know, our beloved brother Seth Glickman will be attending graduate school in Pittsburgh in the fall.  While Seth will always be a member of FRANK, this is a great opportunity to see us in our current form before he spends more time in the Iron City.  Come by and give Seth a big hug (and/or a scotch).

We’re excited to share the evening with with our good friends in a reunited (one night only) Hello Nurse as well as The Rinse!  Please RSVP on facebook by clicking here.

Here’s the details:

What:  FRANK (with Seth) live!

Where: Fontana’s 105 Eldridge Street (map)

When:  Friday, June 5th.
8:00:  The Rinse
9:00:  Hello Nurse
10:00 FRANK

Cheers –
Billy, Christian, Scott & Seth

At long last we’re very proud to share our new record, “frank IV: Music (and Other Bad Habits)”, with you!  Go get it here!

frank IV: Music (and Other Bad Habits) was the first record recorded at Room 17 in Brooklyn, owned by Scott Porter and longtime FRANK family Joe Rogers and Adam Lasus, and was mastered by our good friend Joe Lambert.  The record was produced by FRANK and Joe Rogers.

Record Release Party!
We’re throwing a big party to celebrate the release of MaOBH with our good friends in Big Shifter and Evil Jake.  Please RSVP on facebook by clicking here.

Here’s the details:

What:  The frank IV: Music (and Other Bad Habits) Record Release Party!

Where: Fontana’s 105 Eldridge Street (map)

When:  Friday, November 14th.
8:30: Big Shifter
9:30: FRANK
10:30 Evil Jake

Watch videos from the record at FRANK’s youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/frankbandvideos

Cheers –
Billy, Christian, Scott & Seth

Wikipedia lists the band’s genres as “hardcore punk, post-hardcore, experimental rock, metallic hardcore/thrashcore” and that sounds about right.  But their music is also a perfect combination belief and movement.  Their final record “The Shape of Punk to Come” (1998) is visionary, fearless and one of the greatest punk/post-hardcore records of all time.  “Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent” (1996) sounds like the heaviest, most urgent band in the world.  Do yourself a favor and check out their full set at Coachella in 2012 – their fourth show after 14 years away (band kicks in around 3:00):

Like Minor Threat, Fugazi and Quicksand, Refused push you forward. They broke up in ’98 but reformed for the 2012 run, which seems to have been a one-and-done reunion tour. I hope they play again.  The records don’t get old, but I really want to be there in person.

They suck primarily because the entities that organize the shows fundamentally don’t care about the art form they are allegedly celebrating.  Christopher Krovatin has written a spot-on, passionate piece in Noisey that makes this point convincingly by focusing on the exclusion of game changing Slayer guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman from the “in memorium” section of the show.  I also note that Jared Leto was chosen to eulogize the great Lou Reed, thus forcing me to use their names in the same sentence, which is in itself a grave injustice.

I did not watch the show, though I did watch several of the performances in the maelstrom of Grammy recap posts/articles the following day.  In addition to the primary point made above, here are a few additional reactions:

1. Fuck Macklemore:  I’m sorry, Seattle peeps, but I just cannot stand this guy.  It’s telling that this clown is EXACTLY what the Recording Academy loves – safe, innocuous, bullshit content.  Fucking yawn.
2. Paul McCartney will be awesome until he is dead:  His new record is really good, his collab with the surviving members of Nirvana is good, he’s the best part of the Sound City documentary (which was pretty great already), the list goes on.  I love John just like the rest of us, but we must appreciate Paul while he’s still around.
3. Trent Reznor is great/needs to chill the fuck out:  I’ve always respected the guy, and I thought the Reznor/Buckingham/QOTSA/Grohl end jam was very cool, but to accept a slot on a shitastrophe like the Grammys and then get all bent out of shape because they cut off your performance is like going to a Justin Bieber concert and getting pissed that the entire audience is under-18 and/or retarded.
4. Even the Grammys shouldn’t let you pretend to play onstage:  I have loved Daft Punk since 1998, but the sight of them “DJ-syncing” was horrifying.  I’m shocked they went along with the whole production – it looked like the SNL cowbell set.
5. Kris Kristofferson remains the man: The Highwaymen medley thing was very cool, and KK looked pleasantly stoned as he mocked Merle Haggard‘s archaic Okie from Muskogie lyrics.  I have written of my love for KK before.
6. The Metallica / Lang Lang mash up on “One” was the only truly interesting thing that happened on the Grammys:  This was the only instance of real improvisation (including dissonance and spontaneity, two essential components in interesting music IMHO), and/or risk taking that I saw.  People give Metallica a lot of shit these days, but they still rock and they still take big risks, and I respect that.
7. Beyonce is smoking hot, but otherwise pretty unremarkable:  And I respect Jay-Z, but I could use a break.
8. I do not understand what all the fuss is about with Lorde.  But that’s OK, I don’t need to understand everything.
   

I think that’s it.

Cheers -

Scott

Hey Everyone -

I was talking to Christian about how ecstatic I am after hearing that my favorite band of all time, The Replacements, were reforming (as best they can) to play three shows at RiotFest (one at the main festival in Chicago, as well as at the smaller offshoot festivals in Denver and Toronto).

The minute I heard the news I immediately bought my tickets for the Chicago Riotfest and booked flights and hotels.  I’ve been waiting for this for over 20 years!!!  The Chicago show is the one to hit, as (a) it has the largest and best overall lineup (maybe the best festival lineup I’ve ever seen, including Guided By Voices, Mission of Burma, Public Enemy, Quicksand (another reunion that blew my mind last year), Bad Brains, Bob Mould, X……), and (b) the Replacements famously broke up onstage in Chicago at Grant Park in 1991, you can listen to the entire show here.  If you want more live shows (many are legendary, some for performance, others for drunkenness, others for some combination of the two), here’s the spot.

I’ll spare you the story of my life with the Replacements, but suffice it to say that no band has had more influence on me as an overall musician, songwriter, guitar player or human being (for better or worse, mostly for better).  Their songs, their attitude, the development of their songs and attitude over time, the trajectory of their career and the countless stories about their exploits, shows, etc. are absolutely core to my own personal narrative.  I am not alone in this, and The Replacements are commonly referred to as one of the most influential and underrated bands of the past 30 years.  Jeff Tweedy of Wilco is a huge fan, and during Wilco’s covers set at the Solid Sound Festival, they covered the Replacements’ classic “Color Me Impressed” with Tommy Stinson guesting on guitar!  Check it out.

Here’s a shot of Paul Westerberg and I from 2002 or 2003.  He played four dates in the area (I went to all four shows) and hung out at the tour bus after the show to meet his rabid, cultish fans.

Since Paul and Tommy have decided to get back on stage, and all of their records have recently been reissued with great bonus content (though fanatics like myself have had all of this material in one form or another for years) and are available at Spotify, iTunes and everywhere else, I feel the time is right to offer the FRANK community the same guide I offered to Christian.

I now humbly offer my guide to The Replacements’ studio recordings.  The albums are listed in their current order of popularity with me, though I truly love them all, the order below changes weekly and each record has had a stay at number one at one time or another.  I’ve singled out certain notable songs on each record, but by no means does this take away from the rest of the material, all of which is worth multiple listens.  Each record has a distinct personality, so i recommend listening to complete records as opposed to single tracks.  Anyway, here goes:

Pleased to Meet Me (1987)

• Skyway – One of the most beautiful songs ever
• Can’t Hardly Wait – “Jesus rides beside me, he never buys any smokes”
• Never Mind – One of my all-time favorite songs.  Kurt Cobain was a big Replacements fan…..
• Valentine – A classic: “If you were a pill, I’d take a handful at my will”
• Alex Chilton – Ultra-catchy tribute to Alex Chilton from Big Star, who the Replacements idolized
• Extras:
• Can’t Hardly Wait – Check out the “alternate version” on the reissue, which was actually recorded during the recording sessions for “Tim”.  Different lyrics and way more rockin’.
• Birthday Gal – Unreal that this didn’t make a record.  this version is a bit more tentative, but the version on the “All for Nothing / Nothing for All” collection sounds like it’s right off “All Shook Down”

Let It Be (1984)

• I Will Dare – For many, the quintessential Replacements song.  Peter Buck plays the mandolin solo
• Unsatisfied – Maybe my favorite song of all time, and this is the best version
• Favorite Thing – Rock
• We’re Comin’ Out – Rock x Rock
• Androgynous – Beautiful song, way ahead of its time, often covered these days
• Answering Machine – Another classic, nobody does desperation like Westerberg

Tim (1985)

• Left of the Dial – One of my favorite songs ever, also often covered, Gaslight Anthem did a great version
• Here Comes a Regular – Another beautiful timeless classic.  I used to cover this one a lot
• Bastards of Young – F**king rock immortality.  They famously played this on SNL, they were one of very few bands to be banned, Bob crapped in an ice bucket.
• Waitress in the Sky – Tongue in cheek classic tell off tune, I quote this one all the time.  This was their second tune on SNL, they switched clothes.
• Swingin’ Party – Another great one that I quote a lot

Hootenanny (1983)

• Color Me Impressed – One of the first true great Replacements songs, I really hope they play this one!!!
• Within Your Reach – The first beautiful Replacements song to appear on a record (If only You Were Lonely) was the B –side for the “I’m in Trouble” single but didn’t appear on a record
• Lovelines – Classic Replacements ridiculousness, reading the adult classifieds…
• Treatment Bound – One of my all time favorites – “Label wants a hit, but we don’t give a shit!”
• Hootenanny – Drunk and playing each other’s instruments – on the first track on the record.  YES.  At their final show in Chicago, one by one they gave their instruments to their roadies to finish the tune and walked off the stage.

All Shook Down (1990)

• One Wink At A Time – Great Westerberg storytelling
• Nobody – same as above
• Sadly Beautiful – Gorgeous bittersweet song.  Makes me weepy now that I have kids.
• Attitude – This used to be my personal theme song
• The Last – Fantastic song to end the band’s last record, in the vein of Here Comes A Regular
• Extras:
• Satellite – Classic tune, often played live – Tommy sings lead.

Don’t Tell A Soul (1989)

• Achin’ To Be – A perfect song.  The band was reportedly really trying (as hard as they ever would at least) for some commercial success on this record, and despite the over-production throughout the album, this tune is a home run.
• I’ll Be You – Another perfect song
• Talent Show  – They used to go into “Send in the Clowns” from Porgy & Bess when they played this one live.  They also played it when they bizarrely opened the International Music Awards, I remember watching at home on TV.
• Extras:
• Portland – Great tune, refers to a classic drunken mess of a show they did in Portland.  They used the outro from this for “Talent Show”
• Wake Up – F**king rocking.  Can’t believe it never made a record
• Date to Church – Hilarious drunk in the studio with Tom Waits. 
• We Know the Night – Also unbelievable this didn’t make a record.

Sorry Ma Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)

• Customer – One of my favorite Replacements songs, punk rock love tune
• Shiftless When Idle – Love stealing lyrics from Westerberg, this was one of the first tunes I pillaged in FRANK
• More Cigarettes – Classic early Mats
• I’m In Trouble – Their first single, great tune
• Extras:
• If Only You Were Lonely – One of the great Mats tunes, unbelievable that this was not on a record, and that it was the b-side of their first single (I’m In Trouble)

Stink (1982)

• Go – Many people’s favorite Replacements song
• Kids Don’t Follow – Punk rock anthem
• God Damn Job – Great blues on meth
• F*ck School – ‘nuff said

Also worth listening to is the compilation All For Nothing / Nothing For All.  The first disc is just a compilation of selections from the band’s major label records (Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don’t Tell A Soul and All Shook Down), but the second disc has some fantastic extras, including hitherto unreleased songs, etc.

Happy listening.  if you want to join me in Chicago September 13 – 15, email me @ scott@frankband.com and we’ll figure it out.

Cheers -

Scott

They seem like cool guys. The drummer likes Phish. Thus, via Billy Ziff, FRANK and Vampire Weekend have something in common…