WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? W/ JEFF FRANE OF ALL-CITY CYCLES
Photo courtesy of Steve Smith
Beyond Stoked.
Stoked is not an accurate enough word to describe how I felt when Jeff Frane said he'd help me kick off this new 'What Are You Listening To?' segment. An OG behind All-City Cycles and the creator of Bike Jerks, Jeff has become a dude I've looked up to since breaking into the cycling world two years ago.
I've spent countless hours lusting over and window shopping All-City's stable of steel war horses. They truly are beautiful, hand-crafted road-rippers (further display of affection here). What really grabbed my attention though was how each model is named after something really fucking cool. I mean, seriously: Macho Man, Nature Boy, Log Lady and Thunderdome (hoping that's a Tina Turner & Mel reference). As a person who steeps in pop culture references, I was, once again, beyond stoked. Fingers crossed there will be an Ultimate Warrior or Stone Cold model in the future.
Bike Jerks is a cycling, punk rock mash-up, with a DSY (Do Shit Yourself), underground mentality. I studied printmaking in college and when I learned Jeff prints all Bike Jerks shirts by hand, I became a devoted follower. On top of that, the Bike Jerks blog is bursting at the seams with custom builds, cycling eye candy and a catalog of legit music. If this isn't a site you frequent, I suggest you start now.
Given the above reasons, I thought Jeff would be perfect to start off this 'What Are You Listening To?' segment. A peak into the musical tastes of a rad dude.
What have you been listening to lately?
Bobby Bland- The Dreamer has been blowing my mind lately. Classic funky R&B.
The 2000 and up Darkthrone discography. I love their classic black metal output of course but the deeper into speed metal they get, well it hits all my right buttons.
What are a couple of artists or genres you want to invest more time into or discover further?
Been getting back into Funk lately. It's funny, but the catalyst has been the new Childish Gambino record "Awaken, My Love!". It's an actor unabashedly riffing on old Parliament themes, but it's a great record. As my buddy Kyle put it, "If anyone is going to get this generation into Funk, it's a Hollywood star; and a generation raised on funk is going to be a good generation".
What is the most recent artist/song you discovered that you got super pumped about?
That Bobby Bland album. It's an unappreciated stone soul classic.
A few summers past it was Shuggie Otis - Freedom Fight, Cymande - S/T and Baby Huey - The Legend of Baby Huey.
All must have slabs.
How would your taste in music now compare to 10 years ago? If it has changed, which artists did you listen to then?
I've always had an eclectic taste in music. I'll get into anything if it's good. Of the genres that have fallen off for me as I've aged it would unsurprisingly have to be punk. I loved Operation Ivy, The Clash, etc. Still do, but they definitely don't speak to me or get played as often as they used to.
What song would be your soundtrack in the following situations?
-Fighting off a grizzly bear. You have a knife.
Manowar "Hail and Kill"
-Fleeing Rosco P. Coltrane in the General Lee.
I'm a sucker for classics, I'm going with Eastbound and Down!
-You're Simon Birch, saving all those kids from the bus sinking in the lake.
What's a Simon Birch?
What's the last show you went to?
Obsequiae and False. Obsequiae was terrific.
Three artists you think everybody should know about:
Are we going with artists whose breadth of their whole catalog is amazing, or under appreciated? Or both? Let's go with both!
How about:
Barn Owl - Ambient drone masters.
Charlie Feathers - Honky Tonk/Rockabilly at it's best.
Judas Priest - Specifically pre-1979 albums and Painkiller.
Give us one song to end this interview on:
The Damned - I Feel Alright