Coordination Daddy

Here at (B)HA(B)F, we get tired of simply blogging. Sometimes we even start to feel like we’re a legitimate publication(?!) with a responsibility to provide original content for our loyal readers. It’s a rare feeling, but nonetheless…

On that note, we would like to welcome you to a brand new series tentatively titled: Interviews With Extremely Interesting and Talented People.

Since this is primarily a blog about music, most interviews will be with… yep, musicians. However, we reserve the right to interview anyone we think is particularly interesting. Maybe even you*.

Extremely Interesting and Talented Person #1: FRANK DUFAY

Who? You mean you don’t know Frank Dufay? Sadly, you are not alone - which is one reason why we started this series. It could also be titled: Great Artists That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of. However, that would go against the optimism that we’re currently channeling. As long as there are people with taste, there will be an audience for artists with something to share… like Frank.

Frank Dufay is best known for being the one man band – known simply as FRANK - that outdoes all other one man bands. Incorporating a full drum kit, keyboards, effects and vocals, a FRANK performance is something to see. His compositions - which are played live with no sampling or pre-recorded tracks – go beyond the spectacle of his unique talent and attest to some serious songwriting chops.

Of course, it is the guy-who-plays-everything hook that tends to garner the most press. But even a brief exploration into his work will reveal much more than an ambidextrous wunderkind. The beauty of FRANK lies in his ability to fuse some pretty heady musical ideas with clever and accessible pop music.

FRANK was gracious enough wax poetic on topics that the readers of (B)HA(B)F want to know about. We sent him some open ended questions, hoping he would run with them. Luckily, he did.

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(B)HA(B)F: As a one man project, you have a unique perspective on the process of musical creation. I’m not referring to songwriting so much as actually putting a group together. As someone who has performed with a group and is now doing it all themselves, explain what led you to eschew the traditional “rock band” approach.

FRANK: I'm a one-person band 'cause I wasn't able to find the right partners - conflicts of commitment, skill, temperament or musical preferences. Finding good co-musicians is like finding a good girlfriend, it's hard and rare. After a couple years of Craigslist, hooking up with friends, starting bands 'cause it was better that nothing . . . I just got tired of waiting to get going. I finally got selfish and driven and desperate enough to try and do it myself.

(B)HA(B)F: Were there unexpected benefits and/or obstacles in going completely solo?

The benefits are easy - commitment, musical compatibility, skills - that was all me . . . I don't get mad at myself for not showing up to practice. But the disadvantage is that there's no one else to bounce off of, to give feedback and stuff. I miss the cooperative nature of writing in a band - though it's only worth it if it's with the right people, which was the problem in the first place.

(B)HA(B)F: Part of your uniqueness comes from the fact that you purposely do not use any sampled or recorded parts when performing. Although this has become commonplace for many, you have always held this “no sampling” as a standard. Is this something that will always be part of FRANK? Could there be a time when you incorporate the technology - to explore different ideas?

FRANK: My band, FRANK, will probably always be live, but that doesn't mean that I, Frank Dufay, won't do other projects. I love jamming and playing and doing new things with different people and always try to branch out. But, FRANK is around to better my writing and playing and maybe make a living. It'll be live - the goal is to make it good.

(B)HA(B)F: Recently on his blog, David Byrne railed against the tendency for contemporary composers to make music that is purposely difficult, that alienates as much as it entertains. As someone who has studied composition but who also has their feet firmly planted in popular music, how do you see the relationship between artist and listener as it stands today?

FRANK: All music is difficult for someone. I think the real difficulty lies in making difficult music fun. Hard music has it's place in the world. It challenges and pushes boundaries. That doesn't mean I like all of it, but like is a relative word. In my earlier years, I would dismiss music I felt was technically inferior. What I came to realize is it's the creativity that I value. I can freely dislike or like simple and difficult music for the same and different reasons - it's about context and sincerity.

There are tons of bands and artists who distinguish themselves through class, be it the snooty composer that refuses to have a beat, or the snooty rocker that refuses to play in 5/4 time. It's all a lack of creativity and effort in my opinion - which is fine, it's just not my thing. As for the relationship between artist and listener, music doesn't have to be liked to be good, and just because music is liked doesn't make it good. It's all relative.

(B)HA(B)F: How has [the artist/audience relationship] changed since you started playing and where do you see it headed?

FRANK: I don't think it has changed - that's part of the problem. I have seen many, many shows that are serious or arty or whatever that are just boring . . . masturbating is fun, but that doesn't mean I want to watch someone else masturbate. A lot of difficult music I've heard is stuff I'd enjoy writing or playing, preferably inebriated, but wouldn't necessarily want to present to the world, or pay money or time to hear.

(B)HA(B)F: An LA Times music writer wrote “There are no more genres… it’s all just music now . . .” Your influences span the musical spectrum, where do you see yourself fitting in the modern musical landscape? Are there other composers/performers out there whom you identify with?

FRANK: I'd love to compare myself to Igor Stravinsky, Brian Eno, Sly Stone, Frank Zappa, the Beatles - or tons of other music - but I'm not really making the kind of music they made. I've asked lots of people to describe my music, and haven't gotten any consistent answers - makes it hard when someone asks me what my music sounds like.

I've never been very good with genres - I usually don't know what they mean. I tend to ask the instrumentation and the time period to get a sense of what the music might sound like. I'd rather just hear the music, which is pretty easy now thanks to the web.

Basically, I don't really know how to place my music in the landscape.

(B)HA(B)F: Not too long ago you moved from Portland, OR to the Bay Area. Both places are currently known as creative hot spots. From your perspective, how are these respective scenes similar or different? Are the environments as vibrant and supportive as they are made out to be? Is there anything that you'd like to see change?

FRANK: For music . . .The Bay sucks. Portland is less sucky. That's my flippant response, but I'll go into more detail . . . First off, the people here are great - nice, sincere, open, caring. Everyone I've met has been very kind and inviting, and I really appreciate that - really. But for the music scene . . .

I haven't found a lot of good music in the Bay - not that it's not there, I just can't find it. In Portland, both Willamette Week and the Mercury have lots of paragraph-long descriptions of bands playing each night of the week, and they're mostly local bands. Here in the Bay, there're as many reviews a week as there are a day in Portland, and they're mostly national or international groups. The Bay papers will list all the bands, but It's up to me to Google the names to know if it's something I'd be interested in. A little frustrating when you're trying to find some good music to see tomorrow night.

There just aren't enough clubs, and there's no easy way to find local bands. I attribute some of this to the high cost of living, and most of the rest to the little information available for people who want to hear music. Of course, I've been here less than a year, whereas I spent my whole life in Portland, so I need more time for a better perspective.

(B)HA(B)F: Hypothetical question: You are on a desert island and you are allowed only five records. What would they be?

FRANK: Well, that depends - do I get a record player, an amp and speakers, too? If I had all that stuff, I'd probably be more interested in trying to use it to get off the island so I can listen to more than five albums for the rest of my life. If that didn't work, I'd still rather record my own stuff - to leave what little trace I could of my existence and sensibilities.

Anyway . . . my five favorite albums . . . that's a hard one. I guess I'd have to pick Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain or Here Come the Warm Jets, Frank Zappa's We're Only In It for the Money or almost any Zappa album, Igor Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale and Rites of Spring - in a double album, so that only counts as one, the Beatles' Revolver or Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt. Peppers, Sly Stone's Life (’95 edition with the song Only One Way Out of This Mess) or Fresh or Small Talk, plus Frankenchrist by the Dead Kennedys. I guess there's more than five there, but it's kind of like asking a parent which child to sacrifice - pretty tough choice.

So there you have it. For more information on FRANK, check out his site and Myspace page. And if you’re in the Bay Area, be sure to catch him in person at the Ivy Room (Albany, CA) on September 8^th and at the Mama Buzz Café (Oakland) on September 16^th. Thanks Frank!

*PS – we weren’t kidding. If you think that you are extremely interesting and talented, send us an email, if we agree – you’re in!