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FranKo

So, they are back, then!

Over 10 years, we waited.

10 years!

The rotters.

I think the new album is going to surprise a lot of us. Well, if you follow their socials, you'll have heard the clips. It's going to be awesome. They've all been doing music in the gap - so there is 40+ years of music experience going into the new album!

That's quite a lot, isn't it?

Whoop!

CPx

#franko #music #vienna #eyeofthestorm #votefranko

Music & everything.

So music is still happening, then - out there, in the big ol' world.

FranKo have been recording. A genuine blast from the past. 10 years! I wonder when we will see some of those fruits.

The landscape of music has changed so much in the last decade. CDs are mementos now, dust-gathering gee-gaws. Everyone is streaming. DVDs/Blu-rays are bought for extras, or by completists. Live is where the money is.

Spotify have cornered the streaming market - take note, early adopters! Very hard to compete after the event.

We still need gate-keepers, and taste-makers and NOTHING beats a personal recommendation from a trusted source...

Here comes the algorithm, and right behind it, AI. The latter soon to be composer and artist and producer, all in one, they predict.

Who is this ubiquitous 'they'? When you can spot disaster hammering down the tracks at you, 'they', why can't you derail it?

Because we all need to take some individual responsibility, I guess.

Because it's someone else's problem, until it isn't.

Does it matter where music comes from, as long as it's good? Should it?

Oh, I don't know - trust your instincts, what else do we have to follow?

In the meantime, I like this: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0x3sTIYnP56TnL6bbyMU2i?si=9i0bcOTeSnWTQiwJ1GZrkQ

A mix of Engineers / Jeff Buckley / Divine Comedy / Eric Matthews. Lush and pretty and timeless.

2018

So much music. So little time.

So we only tend to trust trusted sources. Gatekeepers, tastemakers, friends. And then there are reviews.

How can we find new (amazing) music outside of our usual catchment?

Anything that polarises opinion seems to me to be worth checking out. I don’t trust things that weigh in with ONLY positive reviews. Something that people both love and hate with equal enthusiasm spells a niche that might be worth exploring. How wide is that niche? Do you like it?

Last year I was listening to Bon Iver, OMD, Dagny and Steven Wilson (amongst many, many others).

I wonder what 2018 has to titillate my ears...

So, that’s the future contemplated.

Now to the past. How many people can actually point at a song, an individual song and say, “That’s it, that’s where my journey started. That’s when I wanted to become a musician”?

I can. And I don’t care if it’s cool or not (it almost certainly isn’t!), but it lit the fire. Gratitude.

Happy New Year, all.

#Happy New Year

Into the ether

Like so many missives, there is information, misinformation and there is twenty-five. Into the ether

What I did in my year off (with Rich from FranKo)...

Firstly, here's the quick answer:

CLICK HERE

It takes you to a video for 'Hold On Lucy' by Dagny. It's a track Rich and I wrote with Dagny. She's amazing! She's Norwegian! And if you like the song, you can currently download it FREE from Soundcloud by following the link posted on YouTube.

That's Rich you can hear playing guitar (and other instruments, too), and we are both in there doing backing vocals with Dagny, too.

So, the long answer is: we've done a load of tracks with her, and we hope to hear many more released very soon. We've done other stuff, too - more on that when the time is right!

Back to Dagny - she's already supported Sting & Elton John, and has another big gig coming up soon.

Anyway, if you like it, please pass this information along to anyone else who you think would like it. That will help us a lot, and we'll be grateful :)

ALSO, check out her gigs - Rich and Chris are currently moonlighting from their new band, Polar Zu, to play live for Dagny.

More soon, I hope...

CP x

Polar Zu at The Bedford

As debut gigs go, I have to say that I was astonished. Polar Zu emerge from the traps looking like they have always done this. And I suppose that individually they have. Except for Richard and Chris, of course, who have had years to hone their rapport in FranKo. It was a big night in lots of ways, though. Because Far South (the company behind Polar Zu) was also showcasing other artists on its roster. And Richard and Chris showed up in the first set of the night, playing for incredible Norwegian artist Dagny, whom I have heard described as a 21st-century Joni Mitchell. Well, I think she's easily as good as that, with more of a pop nous about her... PZ play an intense 30 minute set. The two tunes which immediately stood out to me were Someone and Saw Scenario, the closing number. But my favourite track was one entitled First Time, which was a stream of consciousness recounting of (what I can only presume) are the singer's firsts. First kiss, first love, first sex, first fight etc. You get the idea? It was nothing short of mesmeric. It seemed to me that everyone was on the edge of their seat, and listening to every revelation and insight that James saw fit to disseminate. Am I glad I was there? You betcha. And I was also thrilled to be joined in the audience by Ricky and Tommy, both extremely vocal in their support. A cracking night. Watch this space…

The return of 50% of FranKo!

Hello, anyone who might still be interested in reading what I have to say!

I have some significant news, worthy of a tumblr update. I've been holding fire on this for a while, but the boys in Polar Zu are now ready to shoot - so please do feel free to check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/PolarZu

Polar Zu includes Richard & Chris from FranKo - and 2 other supremely talented guys: James & Dexter.

There are a couple of snippets of material on their page, and they give a good flavour of what this new act is all about.

They are playing their debut gig on 30th Jan, free, at the Bedford in Balham.

I'll be there, and I believe Tommy & Ricky may well be there in support, too - so it'll be great to say hi to any of you who come along and say hi to all of us!!!

Polar Zu, edgy, sweary, spiky, rocky, acoustic-y and more. Fun, funky, energetic, hooky, and many other adjectives besides! Here you go, 2014 - something for you to get your laughing gear around...

beep beep

New movie clip of FranKo on YT

Hello again

Just a quickie for now, to let you know that I have put up a new FranKo clip today. It's HERE

Oh, and there's a 50% off sale on all FranKo merch on mamstore :)

Updates on the guys will follow soon.

I hope you are all well and funky :)

CP x

A bientot, FranKo

Ah. Coming down to it, it's hard to express how I feel about the FranKo situation right now. A bientot is French for 'see you later' (roughly). I think. Because I hope we will see them again later. Yesterday, I floated the idea of setting a date in 2 years time to do a one-off gig again, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Is that smart? Or would it be just for me? Fans (some fans) can be fickle, and whilst there's no harm in that, it would be rubbish to arrange that and play to no-one! They loosely said that they'd see where they were in a year's time, and make a decision from there. That doesn't mean they won't work together in the meantime, of course. It feels like there is unfinished business, after all. I intend to keep a record of their continuing exploits online, because every one of them is worth keeping up with, in my opinion - and maybe people other than me will feel the same. So watch this space. If you want. Hmm. Wow. Thanks to these guys, I got to go to NYC, Thailand and tour up and down our fair country, meeting great people and playing great shows. I'm sure we may have played a stinker of a show here and there, but that's of little consequence now :) I am fiercely proud of their output and their musicianship. Of their camaraderie and sense of fair play. Of their skill. To say I will miss FranKo doesn't cover it. How they didn't get picked up by some major label early on I will never know. Songs the caliber of 'Run', '10 Feet' and 'Speak Up'... There was some true originality in there, and large swathes of music lovers don't even know these songs exist. What was your favourite? I always loved 'Change Your Life', though they hardly ever played it live. On a different tack, I think we made some enemies at the end, which is a shame. When music projects come to a halt, there are all sorts of political reasons why you don't announce it. And you get painted into a corner when quizzed on it, but still can't say. The band got some haters for that, but it was a decision taken behind the scenes and I should take the blame for that, not FranKo. I don't have to explain the reasons behind that decision: it's private. But it was done with the best of intentions. At the end of the day, it's just music, right? No, that's horseshit. For me, music IS life, or at least the soundtrack to our lives, but politics is different again. For anyone still annoyed, stay mad at me, but leave the lads out of it. I'm sorry for any upset caused. FranKo are all still great friends, and I believe they will be so for life. That should have been obvious to any of the lovely people who came out to say goodbye at these last 3 shows. Is it goodbye? I have no idea. Never say never. I was just a cog in the FranKo machine, but I still want to personally thank everyone who supported the lads and myself for the last few years. In particular, all the fans who turned up and made the mere fact of this band a possibility. Every one of you. You know who you are. And the extra special ones who went the extra mile and ran the street teams and spread the FranKo gospel... Well, you were simply amazing. How much love is that? Just awesome... The bands who we toured with. Remember Elliot Minor? 2009? Wow. Long time ago! Huge thanks to Dave Giles, who championed us every chance he got, and generously shared his spotlight. What a gent. Our families. Good grief, where do I start there? Frank, Amanda, Chris, Kate, the other Kate, Karen, Mark, Sue, and of course Ian, were never anything other than stalwart friends and supporters of the cause. And Beau! Beausephalus J Poynts III, and Sharon and Gary. Thank you all so much. The Ws in Nottingham - watch out, we have you on film! Thank you thank you thank you - you are the most generous and incredible of kind people. Anyone who ever fed us or put us up... Thank you!!! Hang on, did I win an Oscar earlier? Pretty sure I didn't. This sounds like a protracted acceptance speech. They never sound sincere! But this is. My life would be a very different shape without FranKo, but theirs, and mine, would be utterly different again without the boys at CMC. Frank and Chris have done more for FranKo and I than words can express, but I'm having a stab at it here. Hugely talented and generous individuals both, they made every aspect of the journey possible, so if you ever enjoyed a tune or a show that FranKo did, you ultimately have them to thank, too. And so what now? I'm on a train home. I wonder whether you'll be reading this on a smartphone or a computer... If you're here, you're interested. If you read this far, you're very interested. The FranKo story may not be over, but this chapter is. 'The best things in life come to those who wait...' sang Tommy. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Richard, Chris, Richard and Tommy. And I'm sure the best is yet to come, for all of them... Watch this space... Onward.

The shows in May

So, here I am, taking to Tumblr to talk about the 3 shows next month with FranKo.

Don't know what songs they are going to be playing yet, but I know it's going to be emotional... if only for me!

But... who knows what will happen after these shows? I don't know if FranKo read my posts on here (in fact, I don't think they do!) but I'm hoping that playing together again will re-kindle something, and that they'll end the 'break' sooner rather than later. Though I have to accept it could also lead to a permanent break

When bands take a break, people often speculate that there has been a falling out, or personality clash. Not in this case. And if I went on the Facebook page shouting that fact from the top of my voice, I think it would only serve to confirm that speculation.

But as this page is a bit more private, and more about my take on things rather than a more corporate, FranKo-centric organ, I'd like to make it explicit that they guys are all still fine with each other.

Why the break, then? Well, originally, it was intended simply as a writing and recording hiatus. The re-invention. To come back with an undeniable body of work (a new album) that would be beholden to no-one, including me.

I think to an extent what the public saw of FranKo was a somewhat watered-down version of what they wanted to be. Guided by me, amongst others. At heart, they were always more left-field. And certainly, what was being written after the initial break was RADICALLY different from what had gone before.... and then other opportunities, and other experiences and other distractions came their way. And slowly took over.. in truth, I'm not quite sure when exactly the train became de-railed, as it were.

But when it became clear that it was, it then became a question of what to do next - and so the decision was made to officially call a halt to proceedings for now. But they all wanted to do some final shows, which have taken a while to get sorted - largely because of availability. I was a fan of this idea, as it felt right to say goodbye and thanks to everyone who has supported them for the last few years. And we wanted the shows in place before making the announcement. My decision for the most part. For most people, I guess it wasn't a surprise, but it's nice to have one last blast, even if it's only 3 gigs.

I think anyone who follows me on Tumblr must be a true FranKo fan, so it seemed like the right forum for me to now witter on about it all :)

So anyway, thanks for reading, thanks for being a true fan - let's all hope this isn't the last we see of FranKo.

And THANK YOU from me on a personal level, too. Managing FranKo was always more than just a job to me. It was body and soul, so it's tough to embrace what's going on at the moment. But meeting the extended family who appreciated the music was a privilege.

FranKo live

It's been a while, but it looks like there will be some new shows. Not many, but a chance to see Tom, Rich, Chris & Ricky smash it up live. We'll be taking the new DVD with us to sell, and I am looking at maybe having an exclusive CD to give away for every one who buys tickets in advance... But there will be more on all of this very soon, and hopefully tomoz... Hoping everyone is all good :)

Been a while

Ho thar!

What a start to the year. Shocking for me, anyway!

Too boring to go into here. Let's just say there's a reason I always make the following toast: 'Health & happiness!' Enjoy!

Anyways: FranKo.

Things are rumbling. The DVD that we made is being set up on our MAMstore page from today, so that international fans can get their teeth into the 90 minute fix of all things FranKo just as easily as the UK ones :)

http://franko.mamstore.co.uk/

Each is a homespun production, signed and made by the band itself.

I'll be Facebooking and Tweeting to this effect when they actually go up online later on...

But for now, hope this finds you all well... And more FranKo news very soon now...

FranKo DVD update

OK, so.

I shot too early, didn't I? That Richard reminded me of a load of lost footage. So. The contents of the DVD are (in full):

Promos for:

Eye of the Storm, Vienna, Love For Fame, Night Time (Vote FranKo version), Night Time

Live montages accompanying:

Eye of the Storm, I am Right, Night Time

Live acoustic films:

Lucky, Run & 3 tracks performed at Rise, Worcester

Extras:

- behind the scenes of Eye of the Storm (our own stuff)

- a gallery of stills set to Free From Me

- 2 x blooper/outtakes films

- OMA thanks

- Love For fame 'stalker' footage

- Compilation of interviews on camera

- "Large fans" - infamous clip from UK Undiscovered interview, set to stills and clips

- Thailand footage set to new song, See You

- promo film for Silverlake

- FranKo at London Live 2012

- stills from FranKo's 2009 trip to NYC, set to their tour intro music from that year

Sound good?

Hope you are all good....

DVD update

Okay, so I was a bit premature there…

Rich reminded me of a wealth of other materials not included thus far.

Some great live performances and more assorted craziness. So that means even more crammed on, and ever better for the discerning FranKo fan :)

Look out for Ricky on helium, fire extinguisher percussion, trampoline redemption and many more!

And don’t forget there will be another FranKo Friday preview of one of the movies from the DVD for 3 hours from 6 - 9pm GMT. The rather rude bloopery nonsense one!

Consider yourselves warned…

September

My, how time marches on.

For those of you on the new FranKo mailing list, you'll know that I have been putting together a DVD for the guys. It's nearly ready!

It will feature the guys' 5 promo clips, 3 new song films to live footage, 2 acoustic performances, and a host of extras, including outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, a video to accompany new song "See You", stills etc. and weighs in at over an hour of viewing.

I plan to make a couple of the new films available on YouTube for a couple of hours NEXT FRIDAY, so that you can have a taster of what to expect. FranKo Friday will ride again! So make a date in your diary for those.

Trusting this finds you all well....

Things the Grandchildren Should Know

I have just finished reading “Things the Grandchildren Should Know”, by Mark Oliver Everett – lead singer of eels. Small ‘e’.

I won’t trivialise the impact it had on me by picking some classy adjectives. It’s a gutshot of a book. Honest and uncompromising. Just like it’s author. Someone who has made it on his own terms, by creating unique and undeniable music – whether you love or hate it doesn't matter.

I’ve never recommended an autobiography before, but I am now. Unfussy, undeniable and unputdownable.

Bo!

Link to follow....

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