Frank is becoming one of our favorite places to catch a show. Being able to show up early to chow down on a Chicago style veggie dog with a side of tasty waffle fries and a side of buffalo bleu dipping sauce is an awesome perk for a live music venue. To boot, they do an excellent job of booking bands, and the sound engineer, Chris, knows her way around a mixing board, having run sound at the Parish for a number of years before transitioning into working at Frank.
All of these elements combined Friday night for a great show of two local acts and a touring artist from Denton, RTB2. RTB2 is the moniker of songwriter Ryan Thomas Becker. Becker has four albums under his belt, the most recent being available only on 8-track. (Not a typo—and I don’t mean recorded on an 8 track.) He is a phenomenal songwriter and guitarist, and puts on an incredible show. In watching his powerful live performance, consisting only of himself and a drummer, you find yourself looking around the stage for other members of the band. His relentless and driving song delivery fill the space of a room with force.
On stage he is focused and uninhibited, often falling to his knees during instrumental parts, sticking out his tongue, or making generally wild facial expressions. He’s the kind of guy who seems to do whatever comes naturally, organically. In this way, as well as musically, with his folked-up brand of early punk leaning rock ‘n’ roll, he recalls Jonathan Richman. Becker performs honestly and sincerely, playing each song like it’s the last one he’ll ever play.
Randy Reynolds and his band under the new moniker No Future (recently changed from Leatherbag) headlined after RTB2, and the crowd at Frank made them feel warmly welcomed from the beginning. No Future is sounding tighter with each set. Their divergent influences that range from early rock ‘n’ roll to modern punk make for a captivating set of live music. Some nights after seeing them, it is the catchy Feelies-esque riffs of “Ditto Time” we have in our heads. Other nights, it is the swaying and soft notes of their cover of the 1959 classic pop ballad “Sleepwalk” by Santo and Johnny. After this particular performance, it was the upbeat, feel-good, and infectious “Shambles.”
Earlier in the night, The Bye and Bye opened the night with their quirky and disjointed take on country pop, making prominent use of mandolin and harmonica. Ultimately, the night was a cohesive group of bands performing great live music. Put these bands on your radar for future performances.
