Fun Fun Fun Fest Interview: A Candid Chat with Frank Smith

Frank Smith @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
Saturday, November 8
Waterloo Park (403 E. 15th)
Stage Two | 1:35 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.
[info] | [tickets]

Ordinary in name but definitely not in game, Frank Smith could easily beat out the Joe Sixpacks of the world in any election if the agenda was bittersweet Americana ditties. Spearheaded by Aaron Sinclair, the Austin based outfit expertly assimilates introspective lyricism with pedal steel malaise, harmonica accents, and strains of the banjo to arrive at its brand of gritty alt-country. They might be fairly new to our town (having moved from Boston last year) but a look at their resume brings to light the fact that they have already released four albums, recorded a Daytrotter Session earlier this year, and received acclaims in the past from the Boston Phoenix and Boston’s Weekly Dig. Catch them early at Fun Fun Fun Fest -- they perform on Stage Two at 1:35 p.m. on Saturday, November 8th. Frank Smith will also open for The Redwalls at Club de Ville on October 31st. We caught up with Sinclair this weekend to quiz him on the band’s name, Juliana Hatfield, and the general awesomeness of Frank Smith.

Where did the name Frank Smith come from?

Aaron Sinclair: We had to change a name that we had earlier on because of another band. The idea was to come up with something no one could make us change. I’m not really sure but I was thinkin’ that no dude named Frank Smith could ever copyright his name. Who knows though...

You moved to Austin from Boston last year - why Austin?

I grew up in Texas and always knew I’d eventually come back, and if you're going to come back to Texas, then you have to come here. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works, anyway. I really like it here; we just have to figure out how get people to come to our shows and then it would be awesome.

What is the band's discography? Any new material we can expect soon?

We are making a new record right now with Alex Lyon at The Bubble. He's awesome. (The record) should be ready in a few months or something. We have four previous records -- Burn This House Down, Think Farms, Red On White, and Heavy Handed Peace And Love -- they were released in that order.

What is Frank Smith’s current line-up?

There are four of us now -- Kevin Bybie, Kyle Robarge, Steve Malone, and me, Aaron. Steve and I played together in Boston for about two years before I moved down here. He showed up about seven months after we got here, which is a really good thing -- to have him here because he’s awesome. Kevin was a friend here when I was still in Boston. He has played drums in lots of great Austin bands and is awesome too. We met Kyle through a friend and then it turned out he was awesome too. Overall, the current lineup is awesome.

Is Frank Smith a full-time profession or do you have day jobs?

Day jobs? We just hang out during the day and party.

Who writes the songs and what usually inspires that process?

I write the songs. That being said, everyone in the band is super creative and is always involved in the arrangement and execution of everything we do. We have written a few new songs on the fly as a band as well. Inspiration is tricky -- guess you just have to be hoping that it doesn’t stop coming.

You worked with Juliana Hatfied previously - how did that collaboration occur?

Our manager (Jeff Goodman) was friends with her and had passed her one of our CDs. I guess she actually liked it. We ended up recording an EP (Sittin’ In A Tree…) with her as her band and releasing our last record on her label (Ye Olde Records).

[Frank Smith MySpace]
[Fun Fun Fun Fest MySpace]