John Orr Franklin on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

John Orr Franklin’s music is a mix of progressive and album oriented rock with a broad range of styles and influences. The CD Transformation, offers an impressive roster of hand-selected talent, each adding their individual flair to the overall sound of the music. Transformation features John Orr Franklin on vocals, guitars & keyboards, Rob Palladino on drums, background vocals & percussion, Brandon Aly on drums & percussion, Josh Batschelet on upright & electric bass guitars, and Kris Mathesen on electric bass guitar & percussion. Benoît Ancenay of Metal Integral Webzine says, Transformation has the softness and reflections of silk, the luster of gold, and the charm of music that goes straight to the heart. Nothing less!

Born in Lexington, Tennessee and raised in the small city of Martin; Tennessee had a strong influence on John. At the age of five he realized, thanks to the band Kiss, that he wanted to play guitar and by fourteen he bought his first electric guitar.  Within a year of taking private lessons; he was playing rhythm guitar in his instructors’ band.  Later on he lived in Memphis and Nashville, which was extremely influential in shaping him as a songwriter because of the variety of music he was exposed to.  In Nashville, he participated in many songwriter events which were interesting since he was the only writer in the room not writing a country song.  In Memphis, it was all about the blues which is where John had his first taste of regular work as a musician.  “Playing in an all blues band on Beale Street had a profound effect on me musically; the blues is at the heart of everything I do as a lead guitarist to this day.”  Besides private guitar lessons John studied In the Record Industry Management Program at Middle Tennessee State University and the Commercial Music Program at the University of Memphis.

Inspired by his interest in recording he realized early on the potential of recording on a computer and worked in technical support to get his chops up. John spent many hours in his home studio developing his sound and once he felt proud of the results, he began learning how to start his own publishing company and record label, Blue Room Digital.  John has always been in the mode of “do it yourself” and though he says “It’s a bit overwhelming at times; he gets to release music that stays true to his original vision.”

Some might say he is doing it backwards by completing the album before he had a band, but because of past experiences he wanted to have full control of the finished product.  By bringing in musicians that were excited to play what was already written, John avoided the collision of creative egos, each with different agendas. Transformation represents the completed ideal vision that inspired him to establish a new sense of ownership over the sound of his music, which really brings him into his own as a songwriter.  “Sometimes you have to search for the light in the darkness” and John’s music is about lighting up the dark...there is so much in the world that is somewhat dark and depressing, he would rather his music not contribute to that but instead provide a respite from the things in life that are negative.  It is John’s hope that his “music comes across as embracing and comfortable when it’s listened to and that it brings joy into peoples’ lives.”

The song “Transformation”, as well as others on the album, deals with self empowerment and the ideal that we can make positive changes in our lives if we choose to walk that path.  It describes a hope that humanity could do this on a global scale and actually become more than we currently are as a global population. Both Transformation and Pathways, without a doubt, reflect his best work to date and he’s proud to stand behind them. He is ready to perform and share these songs with anyone willing to lend Him their ears.

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