uncle:
Phranc
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Here, I am conciously making an exemption. Phranc is certainly not a new name in the world of music, but I always thought she deserved much more attention than she has. I heard about here somewhere in 1990. when an article about new wave of female music appered in Belgrade's music magazine Ritam. The article presented Vitoria Williams, Suzanne Vega, Maria McKee and Phranc. Phranc seemed most unusual of them all, and frankly, picture of her with american marine hairstyle and angry, muscular look on her face really jumped out of the rest of longhair cutties. To hear her music was the hardest thing to do, and the first song I heard was an uncompromised folk anthem to body and self (and to lesbianism) entitled Dress Code. Slap in a face! Strenght of a song strikes me even now. She sings: "You don't have to prick me, I bleed anyway". Declaring herself as Jewish, lesbian, folk singer-songwriter that teaches surf and swiming, Phranc shocks all those who have closed mind. To shock and to make people think is someting that is certainly a letfover from her punk-rock heritage. As a young girl, she did not find an understanding in her home, so she runaway to Los Angeles and found her niche in the blooming, today legendary, late 70's punk-rock scene. She had several bands, and one of those bands os filmed in Penelope Sheer's cult movie "The Decline of the Western Civilization". Soon, Phranc realised that people cannot hear her lyrics very well in a noisy punk band so she started performing accompanied only with her accoustic guitar keeping the sharp and uncompromised lyrics. She is open to everything in her style, but she also knows how to be very critical. She just knows how to name right things with the right name. When she sings about fachism, she simply shouts "Take off that swastika!". A lot of so called feminists would be probably negatively surprised by her treatment of Gerthrude Stein for example. She just took an old Modern Lovers song and simply replaced Pablo Picasso with Gerthrude Stein. She keeps her link with her native punk scene all the time. She played live with Husker Du, X, Dead Kennedys, John Doe... Not to mention her beautiful song Alfred Hithcock that she had written together with Dave Alvin and a wonderful duet with Ed Crawford on Firehose's "In Memory of Elisabeth Cotton". Her appereance is commanding to all young lesbian bands. American all-girl band Team Dresch made a great song called Uncle Phranc that tells all about it. Phranc is an excelent signer and an excellent songwritter. She writes uncompromised folk songs, with defiant lyrics. She is also very found of surfing and she likes to perform and wite surf music. On her records often a surf song replaces a folk song, and like that 'til the end of the record. Unique feeling. Phranc is now a Tupperware Lady, and she had an interestind appereance on Donny and Marie Show. We wathced it for you, and this is what we think...
Contact: phrac@phranc.net
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