Fran Banish

FRAN BANISH HAS A SELF-PROCLAIMED MUSICAL SPLIT PERSONALITY: a love for blues and a love for pop music. And he intends to keep mixing things up. "I love the element of surprise in music," he explains. "I still remember the hypnotic effect jukeboxes had on me when I was 5. They could spit out a Beatles tune, a Jackson 5 tune, then some B.B. King. Every song was a magical surprise that drew you in."A Chicago born, L.A. based guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, Fran Banish is a ROCK AND BLUES GUITAR MASTER. Besides playing gigs and recording, he's coached big-name artists like Keb Mo, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Brian Bell of Weezer, and Doug Ardito and Paul Phillips of Puddle Of Mudd. He also teaches select up-and-coming guitarists.The magic began when Banish got his first guitar at age 6. He turned professional performer at 14, jammed with many legendary Chicago Blues musicians while still in school, and studied classical guitar performance at Northwestern University. He earned top honors in solo classical competition, and after graduation, recorded and toured with the progressive-pop band, Security. After relocating to LA, Fran created a stir fronting such groups as The Elder Greens and Stung By the Gods. He also did stage and session work with Keb Mo, Travis Tritt, Rami Jaffe of The Wallflowers, Dan Lavery of Tonic and The Fray, Doyle Bramhall II, The Williams Bros., Janiva Magness, Megan Mullally (of TVs Will and Grace), Berry Oakley Jr., Chris Stills, Heather Waters, and Tina Schlieske, Kofi Baker, and Cathy Richardson. HE PLAYED LEAD GUITAR AND CO-WROTE ON DUNCAN SHEIKS GOLD DEBUT ALBUM ON ATLANTIC. Continuing to contribute licks to commercials, film and TV, you can hear his diverse abilities from nylon string Spanish and Tex-Mex, to New Metal in the indie film "Across the Line," which also features music by legendary Charlie Daniels.IN JUNE OF 99, OUT OF OVER 1200 ENTRIES, BILLBOARD/MUSICIAN MAGAZINE VOTED FRAN BANISH ONE OF THE 12 BEST UNSIGNED BANDS OF 1999.Banish's self-produced 11 song CD titled "The Gemini Assortment," released on the Internet October 99 showcases his dueling passions for blues and pop. Its morphing moods spark comparisons with John Lennon, Stone Temple Pilots, Derek and the Dominoes-era Clapton, and Tom Petty. The closing track, "The Sinking of Good Hope", is featured in a live performance scene in Dimension Films thriller, "Beneath Loch Ness". In January 2001, the trip-hop remix of "Save Me from Myself" was named a winner in the 2000 John Lennon songwriting contest. "Its a Blue Moon" was a recommended alternative cut at Farmclub.com, and is included in the upcoming feature film, "Learning Curves".Today Banish describes his ever-evolving split-personality songwriting style as "contemporary blues meets soulful alternative rock". HE RECENTLY RECORDED AN ALL BLUES CD IN CHICAGO WITH ALUMS OF BUDDY GUYS BAND FEATURING CLASSIC BLUES COVERS ALONG WITH HIS NEWEST ORIGINALS. Fran's songs are a large part of the soundtrack of the recently released feature film, "The Caper." YOU CAN HEAR HIS PLAYING ON MULTI-GRAMMY WINNING CONTEMPORARY BLUESMAN KEB MO'S RECENT EPIC/SONY RELEASE, "SUITCASE." Currently, Fran is also enjoying fronting Kofi Baker's Tribute To Cream. Most recently, Fran contributed to the soundtrack of an upcoming feature film about the beginnings of Chess Records and electric Blues in Chicago alongside Keb Mo.Fans are kept up to date at www.franbanish.com.