The full band is: Fran: guitar and vocals, Sasha Smith, Rick Solem, or Dan Hastie on keyboards. Dale Jennings, Denny Croy or Sheldon Gomberg on bass. Lomax, Kofi Baker, Kevin Stevens, Oscar Seaton, Billy Hawn, or Otis Hayes on drums. When there's another guitar, it's Nalle Colt.
Influences
The Kingsmen, Tommy James and The Shondells, 1910 Fruitgum Company,
The Beatles, BB King, Chuck Berry, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, Janis Joplin, Freddie King, Albert King, T-Bone Walker, The Rolling Stones, John Fogerty, Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Gladys Knight, The Allman Bros., Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, Son House, Tampa Red, Blind Blake, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy, Willie Brown, Robert Johnson, William Brown, Howlin Wolf, Willie Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters, Cream, Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, Ry Cooder, Neil Young, Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Roy Buchanan, Albert Lee, Jeff Beck, Little Feat, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, James Brown, David Bowie, Leo Nocentelli, The Meters, Al Green, The Funk Brothers, Grant Green, David Sylvian, Cocteau Twins, Chris Whitley, Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Foo Fighters, U2, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Coldplay, Tarrega, Barrios, Villa-Lobos, Antonio Lauro, Segovia, Julian Bream, John Williams, Eliot Fisk, Django Reinhardt, Ralph Towner, Ustad Bismillah Khan, David Torn, Jan Garbarek, Bill Frisell, RL Burnside, Antoine Salem,
ZZ Top.
Sounds Like
I'm proud when people in the audience mention that I sound like a young Clapton,
or like a cross between Chris Whitley and Ry Cooder, with a bit of Steve Winwood and
Neil Young...
"On a good day I'm combining rainbow tears with lightningbolts, warm rays of sun with foggy moonlight and a fistful of chance. On a bad day I'm hard to find, but I'm right here, just ask." FRAN BANISH HAS A SELF-PROCLAIMED MUSICAL SPLIT PERSONALITY: a love for blues and a love for pop music. And he intends to keep mixing things up. "I love the element of surprise in music," he explains. "I still remember the hypnotic effect jukeboxes had on me when I was 5. They could spit out a Beatles tune, a Jackson 5 tune, then some B.B. King. Every song was a magical surprise that drew you in."
A Chicago born, L.A. based guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, Fran Banish is a ROCK AND BLUES GUITAR MASTER. Besides playing gigs and recording, he's coached big-name artists like Keb Mo, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Brian Bell of Weezer, and Doug Ardito and Paul Phillips of Puddle Of Mudd. He also teaches select up-and-coming guitarists.
The magic began when Banish got his first guitar at age 6. He turned professional performer at 14, jammed with many legendary Chicago Blues musicians while still in school, and studied classical guitar performance at Northwestern University. He earned top honors in solo classical competition, and after graduation, recorded and toured with the progressive-pop band, Security. After relocating to LA, Fran created a stir fronting such groups as The Elder Greens and Stung By the Gods. He also did stage and session work with Keb Mo, Travis Tritt, Rami Jaffe of The Wallflowers, Dan Lavery of Tonic and The Fray, Doyle Bramhall II, The Williams Bros., Janiva Magness, Megan Mullally (of TVs Will and Grace), Berry Oakley Jr., Chris Stills, Heather Waters, and Tina Schlieske, Kofi Baker, and Cathy Richardson. HE PLAYED LEAD GUITAR AND CO-WROTE ON DUNCAN SHEIKS GOLD DEBUT ALBUM ON ATLANTIC. Continuing to contribute licks to commercials, film and TV, you can hear his diverse abilities from nylon string Spanish and Tex-Mex, to New Metal in the indie film "Across the Line," which also features music by legendary Charlie Daniels.
IN JUNE OF 99, OUT OF OVER 1200 ENTRIES, BILLBOARD/MUSICIAN MAGAZINE VOTED FRAN BANISH ONE OF THE 12 BEST UNSIGNED BANDS OF 1999.
Banish's self-produced 11 song CD titled "The Gemini Assortment," released on the Internet October 99 showcases his dueling passions for blues and pop. Its morphing moods spark comparisons with John Lennon, Stone Temple Pilots, Derek and the Dominoes-era Clapton, and Tom Petty. The closing track, "The Sinking of Good Hope", is featured in a live performance scene in Dimension Films thriller, "Beneath Loch Ness". In January 2001, the trip-hop remix of "Save Me from Myself" was named a winner in the 2000 John Lennon songwriting contest. "Its a Blue Moon" was a recommended alternative cut at Farmclub.com, and is included in the feature film, "Learning Curves".
Today Banish describes his ever-evolving split-personality songwriting style as "contemporary blues meets soulful alternative rock". HE RECENTLY RECORDED AN ALL BLUES CD IN CHICAGO WITH ALUMS OF BUDDY GUYS BAND FEATURING CLASSIC BLUES COVERS ALONG WITH HIS NEWEST ORIGINALS. Fran's songs are a large part of the soundtrack of the recently released feature film, "The Caper." YOU CAN HEAR HIS PLAYING ON MULTI-GRAMMY WINNING CONTEMPORARY BLUESMAN KEB MO'S RECENT EPIC/SONY RELEASE, "SUITCASE." Currently, Fran is also enjoying fronting Kofi Baker's Tribute To Cream. Most recently, Fran contributed to the soundtrack of the upcoming feature film, "Who Do You Love" about the beginnings of Chess Records and electric Blues in Chicago alongside Keb Mo. Fans are kept up to date at www.franbanish.com. Fran joined Keb Mo's band for the '08 summer tour. June included double bills with Taj Mahal; July and August double bills include Robert Cray.
your vocals and guitar playing both sounded great over at St. Norberts....you are a great player man....and super tasty....I really dig your originals too!.
YO FRAN; YOU GUYS REALLY ROCKED THE HOUSE AT HENNESEY'S TAVERN LAST NIGHT.. YOU PLAYED EXCELLENT.. ALWAYS A GREAT SHOW ROCK-ON!! KOFI BAKER AND DOUG LUNN ARE GREAT DRUMMER AND BASSIST KUDOS BROS. !!!
Online Now!
