The Stranded Local Q&A: Ad Frank

Ad Frank started playing with The Fast Easy Women in the early aughts. He was mostly playing acoustic shows and missed rocking out, so he asked his friends Quick Fix to back him up for one show. It went well, and someone at the show asked if they would open up, so they had a second show. Five years and fifteen band members later, they're still here, delivering their 70s-inspired blend of late glam / early new-wave to clubs throughout the Midwest and East Coast.

His most recent album, The World’s Best Ex-Boyfriend, released in 2005, "bursts with love-lorn desperation," according to the Boston Globe. Now in his third decade as a songwriter and performer, Ad continues to pack local clubs. When not appearing solo or with the Fast Easy Women, Ad can be found playing with Lifestyle, fronted by Sean Drinkwater of Freezepop.


Ad took a few minutes to answer the 5 questions SiS always asks:

Hailing from Boston makes us better than all those non-Boston bands because
Ha. I reject the premise of this question, but I'll play along. It is definitely nice to have so many other bands here to learn from. I read an interview with the Finn brothers where they said one of the reasons that the Split Enz were so out there at first was that they had no one else in New Zealand to copy, business-wise or artistically. You definitely don't have that problem here.

Name at least three bands that are still around and touring that you’d love to be on a bill with, and think it fits well
Well, Erasure of course, though I don't know if there would be room for us amid the swans and balloons. Lloyd Cole, if only so as I could meet him and, ummmm....oh, I just heard Leonard is finally planning to tour again.


Your favorite Boston venue to perform in is
I really love the Cantab and am hoping it blossoms. Great location and easy to work with and it looks like the Frank Sinatra "No One Cares" album inside.

Are there any genres that influence your music conceptually, rather than sonically?
Wow. What an amazing question. It is making my jaw hurt. Well, I have had a hard time reconciling the sound and feel of my solo shows with those of my full band shows because they are so different--so I really admire Neil Young and Crazy Horse--how they will rock out for an hour and then seamlessly transition into a solo- Neil set. I am working toward something like that, but its harder when you only have 45 minute sets.

Your favorite local bar to hit up when not doing the whole band deal is
I've been loving the Newtowne Grill lately. It is the closest thing Cambridge has to a redneck bar--and it has the $15 pizza and pitcher special!


[Myspace] http://www.myspace.com/adfrank

Download: "Winterthru" by Ad Frank (unreleased) [mp3]