Phranc • '64 Ford

I suddenly occurred to me the other day that I had never posted about Phranc on this blog, and that made me roll my eyes at myself. How could I have missed Phranc, after being a fan for some time now. For those who may not know, Phranc was often referred to as the "All-American Jewish Lesbian folksinger". Phranc made music in from the 1970s to the 2000s, starting out making Punk music with the band Nervous Gender, to her solo Folk work. Her music was smart, funny, and tight. In the early 1980s, Phranc refined her androgynous look, with her flat-top haircut, jeans and a t-shirt.

Phranc made great music, an interesting combination of Pop and Folk, with an obvious influence of the early 1960s surf music of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. I have long been in love with "'64 Ford", a song found on the 1991 album, 'Positively Phranc'. This song screams out Brian Wilson too me, and I mean that ins the best way possible. There is someting deliciously West Coast about it all, as well as being defiant, breaking gender roles along the way. Please enjoy Phranc singing "'64 Ford".

My personal favorite collection was the 1985 release, 'Folksinger'. This 13-song collection contains some of my favorites, including the first song I bring you now. "Everywhere I Go (I Hear the Gogos). It is a celebrations of the girl group, and how the girl-group might have inspired the next generation. But it also points out how the love for the group might have pointed out the way Phranc might not have been inspiring copycats. That is okay, cause I am glad I live in a world I have Phranc on my iPod. This is "Everywhere I Go (I Hear the Gogos)".

At the height of her career, Phranc was singed to Island Records, a major label. She also toured with the likes of Morrissey and The Smiths, Hüsker Dü, Violent Femmes, and Billy Bragg. However, this was not to last, as she was looking for a new label in the early 1990s. In 1998, she released 'Milkman' on her own label, and hasn't released anything since. It has been reported that in the mid-2000s, she became a Tupperware salesperson, an interesting career choice to be sure. For more about Phranc, you can visit her official blog. You can also 'like' her on Facebook. You can purchase the physical CD for 'Positively Phranc' from Amazon.