Project Description
Interview
with
THE FRANKLIN ELECTRIC
Interviewer – Dave Bruce
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Life happens, and it lives on in music. As such, The Franklin Electric reflect formative personal moments on a canvas of indie, folk, and alternative. The Montreal based collective founded and fronted by Jon Matte transforms experiences into anthems and has done so since emerging on the 2014 debut, This Is How I Let You Down.
Logging nearly 400 shows, they canvased the world alongside everyone from Mumford & Sons and Ben Howard to Edward Sharpe and City and Colour. Along the way, 2017’s Blue Ceilings marked a major milestone. Not only did the record produce favorites such as “I Know The Feeling” and “Someone Just Like You,” but it also led to a nomination at the 2018 JUNO® awards in the category of “Breakthrough Group of the Year.” The latter experience set the stage for his next evolution.
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For any new fans, how did The Franklin Electric come together?
Well in short I called up some friends and people I knew to come into studio and record some songs I wrote. Was more of a studio project I wanted to produce and ended singing my own compositions. That gave life to our first record ‘this is how I let you down’ We then started building organically as a collective of Montreal musicians that rotates on different tours or recordings and started to collect fans 1 by 1.
Who are you biggest musical influences?
#1My mother. These days it varies There’s some Sam fender influences Half moon run & Amber run, Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Gregory Alan Isakov to Leonard Cohen.
How would you describe your sound? What makes you unique?
It’s tough to nail down the exact genre but it’s goes from indie rock and folk with touches of electronic elements. Yet always changing.
Your new single “Trouble” is out on the 29th of November. Can you tell about the track and its inspiration?
Trouble is about the acceptance in the things that bring hardship. As this struggle is a very common ingredient in passing through this life. Created by a kind of old school break beat and the gloomy piano. We shot a video on London UK on a day off during our Europe tour last November. Pretty much a gloomy Brit crime drama with forgiveness and remorse.
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You’ve taken inspiration from the amazing natural landscapes in Canada. Can you explain this a bit more and why that was so inspiring for you.
Nature has a way of putting things into perspective. It s power is simply inspiring and really can help get you out of your head and back to the present while facing its powers and beauty. I feel lucky to have a career that allows me to see so many places and i try to take full advantage of that when i can!
With over 400 live shows under your belt, what’s the best thing about performing live?
My main thing and favourite thing playing live is the connection with people through music but mainly its an energy. You feel it when everyone lets down their guard, including me and there’s something that happens at that point. A trust and synchronicity, the moment when people sort of forget about everything else we all kind of get in there together and vibe out playfully with a certain openness. Its not YouTube, you cant pause it and things can really happen or change at any given moment. Its real.
If you could tour with anyone, who would it be and why? (Dead or alive)
If I could tour with anyone I’d say Bon Iver
What’s the next achievement you would like to take on in your career?
As for achievements that’s kind of hard to say. I would almost say record my masterpiece but the perfectionist inside might never be satisfied so just to continue creating and finding my music live in different places around this world.
FAVOURITE:
Album – Sketches of Spain
Artist – Stevie Wonder
Movie – Eternal Sunshine for a Spotless Mind
Place to visit – Southern Italy
Venue to play – Sydney Opera House
Food – Moms Lasagna
Drink – Haazey New England IPA on tap
Person in History – Joan of Arc
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) – Something to do with bees and a bee hive done by hand.
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Check out The Franklin Electric below
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