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Who are the members and what do they play? Ricky Franco, Vocals Daryn Franco, Guitars + Vocals Jeff Franco, Bass + Vocals Hank Franco, Drums
Has there been lineup changes from 1997 and if so what?
When The Francophobes first started in 1997, how was the response?
How do you describe the francos today? Is it the same as when you started?
What was the greatest show the francos have ever played?
Do you have any funny tour/show stories?
Give me a short discography to date?
What were the francos like in grade school?
How did you get hooked up with Spawner Records?
Tell us a little bit about your tour with Fuzz 58?
What was your greatest memory of the tour?
Worst memory?
If Fat Mike approached you today, what would be the first thing you would say?
What do the Francos do outside of the band?
What's in store for the Francos in the future?
What would you like to say to all the franco fans out there?
Contact info??? Thanks to Jeff Franco for doing this interview. Drop em a line. You will be hearing a lot about the Francophobes in the future.
Francophobes Interview © 1998 Green Pea Soup |
Ooooh yeah... The actual starting of the band was long before that even. It all started with
a guy named Nick Carr that I played with for about 3-4 years on and off. We had a
hardcore band called Against The Opposed, which at one time had two members of
Minority in it... We hooked up with this guy named Adam Cassidy and came up with
Tuesdays, which is in the Francophobes setlist to this day. Well that band kinda fell apart.
We played one show at this bar and they gave us tickets to give people for reduced cover.
They had a blank for where you were supposed to put the name of your band followed by
"In Your Face" and the date of the show. We didn't have a name yet so we called our band
Blow My Load... In Your Face, Oct 13, 1994. hahahahahaahha.. ha? well we thought it was
hillarious at the time. So then Blow My Load broke up and I played no music for a while.
Then after Nick and I started talking again, we decided to start another band (our fourth or
fifth one together). I put an ad in the newspaper for a bass player and Daryn answered it
(and about 100 other heshers) he came over and jammed on some of my songs and about
two minutes later we scrapped all my songs and started working on his... and I started
playing bass. The guy is just an incredible guitar player. He's been playing in metal bands
for almost 21 years and all of a sudden he wants to play punk. That's why we have so
many wierd metal riffs in our songs. So we recorded 7 songs with Nick and Daryn and
put an ad in the paper for a singer. We got this guy named Dan who made us sound like
the Descendents. That was our first lineup I suppose. Dan did the vocals on the recording
even before we really jammed with him. Then he left the band and Daryn and I thought it
would be best to get a more commited drummer. So we got Hank and we finally got
Ricky (we were trying to get him for a while) and it was like that for quite a while. Then
we thought about getting a second guitarist and we did for one show (Carmen) but the
Francos will always be a four piece now.
Yep, we played Saskatoon at this place called The Wash'n'Slosh. It's a combination live
venue/ bar/ laundromat. We were just starting to play our first song when a more than
slightly drunk Daryn Franco's beer falls off his amp (due to the vibrations). He stops playing
and starts screaming at everyone that "whoever threw that beer at him is gonna die". He
was all like "come on tough guy, if you're gonna throw beer glasses own up to. I'm the
smallest guy here and I'll kick your ass." Then this guy from the audience came up and told
him that it just fell off his amp. It was pretty damn funny. And then at The Royal Albert
in Winnipeg there was a guy heckling us, which we love because we can usually out heckle
the heckler because we have a microphone and they don't. Anyways this heckler was doing
his thing because we weren't metal enough or something (Ricky used to sing in a pretty
well known metal band in Winnipeg called Crown Of Thorns). Well Ricky steps to the guy
and tells him to "come here and say that" or something to that effect. This big hesher comes
up to the stage and Ricky jumps of the stage and lays him out with a stone cold stunner
(steve austin's wrestling move) the guy gets up off the floor and just looks at Ricky and
laughs and then gives him a hug. We all thought that he was a friend of his or something,
but Ricky didn't know him at all. It was pretty funny. Nobody else heckled us that night.
Lots of arguing, lots of drinking, lots of driving, and lots of playing. That's to be expected.
Any band that thinks they are gonna go on the road, spend 3 weeks with the same 4 people
every day and not argue is kidding themselves. The tour went well though. We had fun
and so did Fuzz 58. It was both bands first real tour.
If he approached us for distribution or to be on a comp that would be great. But the guy
must get a million demo tapes a year. Realistically, is he ever gonna sign another Canadian
band? I doubt it. There is Honest Don's signing Canadian bands, but we don't fit that
sound. Daryn and I talked to him last year before we had anything recorded. We gave El
Hefe some Francophobes stickers. We've never sent Fat anything. Ricky was hanging out
at warped tour with some of the guys from some of the heavyweights like Strung Out and
H2O and he played them our new recording. He said they liked it alot. We make music for
people to hear it. The more people that hear it the better. I don't know what all the fuss is
about. We'd sell our souls for rock'n'roll in a second. We'd trade our moms in for a chance
to tour the world. Any band playing this type of music that think they wouldn't is lying to
themselves. I guess I'm kinda jaded. I've done the underground hardcore thing before and
it doesn't go anywhere. Wasted time. We are pretty DIY when it comes to records though.
We give alot of stuff away. Especially if people really want it and can't afford it.