Evan Frankfort was born at Cedars Sinai Hospital on December 13, 1970 and grew up in West L.A. Having been born into a family of musicians, his parents recognized his keen ears at the tender age of four when he would play back melodies from records on the piano. Thinking they may have a gifted child on their hands, they brought in a piano teacher known for grooming kids into world class players. Realizing in a matter of minutes that Evan did not possess that particular disposition, the teacher suggested he work with a more relaxed, neighborhood type, teacher. Evan’s gift, as it happened, was not technique as much as it was creativity and a sense of understanding. The practice regiment was always thought of as a necessary evil but the love of writing, orchestrating and recording was always the only real goal. He started playing piano and writing at age 4, playing guitar at 9, and recording his songs on a four-track recorder at age 11.
Evan grew up around the corner from his grandparents. His grandmother, Nadia Niles, was a concert violinist with absolute perfect pitch and his grandfather was pioneer radio announcer Ken Niles, who could do almost anything really well at first attempt. While Evan’s grandfather believed the more you know about something the less you can enjoy it, his grandmother believed that when you’re really able to understand detail and nuance, your enjoyment will be deeper. That background shaped Evan into a pop fan - needing immediate payoff and lasting interest.
Evan was a member of over 10 bands by the time he graduated from University High School, including the band The Imposters, which is still together today under the name All Day Sucker.
After high school, Evan was a founding member of the band Gingersol and played lap steel with Kathleen Wilhoite. During this time he became an agent for film composers at The Carol Faith Agency, where he helped develop the careers of clients including Jean Christoph Beck, Danny Lux and the Pfeifer Brothers. In 1996 Evan won a Daytime Emmy for his Musical Contributions to “Guiding Lightâ€.
But while things were really starting to take off in TV land, he really just wanted to make records. Things took a dramatic turn after meeting the band Maypole through Evan’s oldest friend Greg Richling (Wallflowers). He was invited to play bass the night before the band left to tour. He learned the songs in the van on the way to first gig. He toured with Maypole playing bass and lap steel for two solid years, opening for and frequently playing with the Wallflowers, the Jayhawks and others.
After returning from touring, Evan decided to focus on his producing skills and his own music. He started Tsunami Studios with partner and touring mate, Tobias Miller. Evan and Tobi co-produced Joey and Linda Santiago’s band The Martinis, as well as working with Biohazard, MXPX and producer Gil Norton on The Alien Crime Syndicate. Recognizing the overlap in skill sets, the two parted ways and Evan became inspired to create a new company with a unique direction.
Evan has described the concept of “Would Work Sound†as that of an artist collective, having a system of talented people with complementary skill sets. He knew that with the right balance of personalities and talents, this idea for a full service audio community “would workâ€. The name is also a play on words, as Evan’s initial plans included tree houses for each studio. Within the woodwork of the tree houses, the artists would work together to create a finished product that none could complete as perfect alone.
In his off-hours from working with other bands, Evan recorded his first full-length, self-produced CD entitled Appreciation, under the band moniker Melodine. His band played locally, and was included in the Trampoline Records, Vol.1 compilation CD, the brainchild of Pete Yorn, Marc Dauer and Rami Jaffee. Shortly after, Evan released his second record entitled Out of Your Hands, which was distributed internationally by Atenzia Records.
Evan stopped performing his own music, focusing his time on writing and recording. He has had songs featured in over 75 different TV and Film productions, including C.S.I., Smallville, Ghost Whisperer, One Tree Hill and Scrubs.
Nearing Would Work Sound’s 10-year Anniversary, Evan has worked on more than 200 Records and over 100 TV and Film projects. He currently splits his time between producing/mixing/mastering records and composing/post sound for TV and film. Trust from artists, directors and producers gives him the opportunity to act as a conduit and help all sides meet their needs.
Evan Frankfort’s client list, past and present includes ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, HBO, WB, UPN, A&E, Sony, Microsoft, Oxygen Network, MTV, VH1, History Channel, Rysher, Fox Sports, Universal, Artisan, Trimark, E!, Epitaph, Hellcat, Lava, Artemis, Columbia, Mercury, Sony, Columbia, Epic, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Artemis, Fearless, Soul Train, House of Blues, the Wallflowers, the Bangles, Rancid, Sugarcult, The Muffs, Dancehall Crashers, Acetone, the Bicycle Thief, Distillers, Jude, Rusty Anderson and Pete Yorn.
Currently, Evan is co-composing the new CBS drama “Swingtownâ€, with Liz Phair and Marc "Doc" Dauer.
-WRITTEN BY JOEL STURDIVANT
7317 Romaine Street.
West Hollywood | CA | 90046
818.762.3826 studio
818.762.3797 fax
www.wouldworksound.com
