Adam Franklin with Ley Taylor:guitar; Josh Stoddard:bass; Than Luu:drums; Gerald Menke:pedal steel; Charlie Francis:bass, keyboards, manning the boards; Jeff Townsin:drums; Matthew Durrant:drums, falling off drums.
Influences
Jimi Hendrix, The Zodiac:Cosmic Sounds, Ennio Morricone, The Velvet Underground, T.Rex, Serge Gainsbourg, Swervedriver
Sounds Like
SHOP TOSHACK HIGHWAY via PAYPAL
Adam Franklin
Shine A Light
Original Release: 06/03/08
Format: 7" / Digital Price: £.49
Adam Franklin
Bolts Of Melody
Original Release: 06/26/07
Format: Compact Disc Price: £8
Toshack Highway
Syds Eye's 7"
Original Release: 09/26/06
Format: 7" Vinyl Price: SOLD OUT
Toshack Highway
Everyday, Rock'N'Roll Vol.2
Original Release: 10/11/05
Format: Compact Disc Price: £7
Toshack Highway vs. Sianspheric
Magnetic Morning/Aspirin Age
Original Release: 05/20/03
Format: Compact Disc (x2) Price: £10
Adam Franklin spent the 1990s as singer, guitarist and main songwriter for London-based Swervedriver, Creation Records rock'n'roll band. Were they 'dream pop'? Were they 'shoegrunge'? Go listen to them playing live and shuffle the words "dream", "grunge", "pop", "shoe" and "merangue" to your own taste. Certainly their heavy melodies incorporated traces of The Stooges, the Velvet Underground, Husker Du and Sonic Youth. Live shows were known for being loud and hypnotic with soaring, hook-laden tunes about UFOs and driving through the desert in the middle of the night etc blah blah.
Since Swervedriver 'went into orbit' in 1999, Adam has taken in a number of different stylings on six releases under the name Toshack
Highway and one appearance on compilation album as Adam Franklin. Sometimes a full band sound with acoustic/electric guitars, electric keyboards and bubbly moogs played through guitar effects pedals - somebody described the first album as 'Spacefolk', there's a couple more words to throw in the air - sometimes a much more back to basics affair, just Adam on his own playing simple melodic pop songs accompanied by the warm glow of the compression of the tape machine, sometimes a little electronic and sometimes a little bit psychedelic, a little bit country, a little bit rock'n'roll. You know, whatever.. Just take a listen.
A seventh release, a full-length album called Bolts of Melody, will be released early in the new year - honest!
Discography
Toshack Highway (full length album)
(Catapult / Flower Shop 2000),
Everyday, Rock'n'Roll Is Saving My Life EP (four track EP)
(Space Baby 2001),
Magnetic Morning / Aspirin Age (split album with Sianspheric)
(Sonic Unyon 2003),
A Houseguest's Wish (one song on Wire tribute album as Adam Franklin)
(Words On Music 2004),
Everyday, Rock'n'Roll Is Saving My Life Vol. 2 (full length album of outtakes, demos, live etc)
(SWD 2005),
Birdsong EP (four song downloadable EP)
(Shifty Disco 2006),
Syds Eye's / Silver Freight Train 7" (seven inch vinyl)
(Blackmountain Music 2006)
Adam Franklin/Toshack Highway's Friend Space (Top 24)
Adam a heart felt THANK YOU for coming through Chicago again. I have seen Swervedriver play every Chicago (and once in Champaign)show since you guys came over to tour for the Raise album.
hey adam, the sd and la swervedriver shows were incredible. i can't tell you how stoked i was to see swervedriver again after all these years (in sd and la). in fact, you all were so good, i am contemplating a nyc or chi trip for a third fix. cheers!
You rocked Coachella like no other band. My mates were sitting at the back (I was the bloke right at the front going mental) and said that a lot of peoples started showing up midway through absolutely blown away by the noise coming from those amps. And they should've been as you nailed it mate. First show in 10 years? It all sounded like 1993 again.
hi adam, rockin! thanks for dropping in, come by again in the future i change the tunes (& styles) often. you can also check out my scoring/commercial work @ www. soundmusic. ca
in the meantime please check out and vote for my orchestral remix of "Nude" from the new Radiohead record! peace - steve :)
'Sundown' and 'Morning Rain' have been my soundtrack for the last few days. i have to listen to them at least once a day (on repeat for at least 30 minutes). future classics, in my opinion. thanx for writing such great music, and i can't wait to Swervedriver in Atlanta.
my tickets to see Servedriver here in Seattle just came in the mail, I'm so stoked! thanks so much for getting the band back together, I can't wait to see you ...I never got a chance back in the day.
