When it comes to upbeat music, The Frail is that go-to band. They have a sound that is unique to them and their new LP LoveDeathLegend is infectious. They formed back in 2007, originated in San Francisco, and have been making moves since. The Frail was even deemed one of the best up-and-coming acts in San Francisco by Deli Magazine. Daniel Lannon, the lead vocalist said on his Facebook page, “When we started working on LoveDeathLegend, I had recently lost a few friends. I locked myself in the studio with Patrick Brown and we wanted to do justice musically to all of these friends going through hard times.” Lannon had a lot more to say about their upcoming tour with Shiny Toy Guns and their up-tempo music that is sure to get you dancing around in no time. By Nelly Martinez
Cliché: How does it feel to be releasing your first full-length album?
Daniel Lannon: We couldn’t be more excited! It’s been a long time coming and we’re so happy to be able to have finally released it. It had some holdups and just seeing it out and the response has been amazing!
The history of The Frail is quite different from a lot of bands; essentially you came together through Craigslist. How did using this tool work as an advantage to the band?
Well, with technology, I think you’re able to do a lot more in music these days. We wrote our first EP and the two after almost entirely over email, so I think moving from Craigslist and over to Gmail with Kevin and I using programs like Ableton, Logic, and Garageband, it really allowed us to write in a way that isn’t normal for most bands. But moving forward, we’re definitely exploring writing in person and in the studio to switch things up a bit. That being said, Craigslist can be hit and miss, so I think overall we were just lucky.
How exciting is it to be touring with Shiny Toy Guns? Did you have any personal relationships with them?
The last show we did at the Great American Music Hall was amazing. The crowd was really responsive. We don’t have any personal ties with them too much, but we really enjoyed hanging out with them the other night. It’s funny, I actually used to chat with the band via Myspace when I was in another band a long time ago, so there is some round about ways that we’ve spoke before. [laughs] The internet can be a weird place.
Which one of you is the most likely to be the first to call it a night after a successful show?
Well, it’s always hard. I think we all instigate each other and tend to stay out pretty late, especially if we’re in a new town. We like to go explore a bit. Our last show in LA, we hit the town with some friends and took off the next day at around 7 A.M. in pretty rough shape. [laughs]
On the LP LoveDeathLegend, which track do you anticipate to be your favorite one to perform?
Personally, I would love to be able to get our song “Run Life” to the point of taking it live. I feel like it has a lot of emotion in the different melodies and moving parts. The bridge is actually my favorite. That song has been a bit challenging because it has so many layers, but I’m hoping to have that sorted out really soon because I think it’s going to be pretty epic when we do.
The Frail Interview: Photographed by Brittany Tilleman
