About Me
THE ARTISTFrank Roy was born and raised in Welland Ontario Canada, and has been involved in the local music scene since 1993. His voice, with its unique warm but gravelly tones, has lent itself to bands that span hard metal to groove funk. Roy has played over 1000 shows in the last 10 years with bands and on his own, and released 4 independent records including his latest EP, Daytrip, which is his first release as a solo artist.Roys writing style is raw and moody, an acoustic journey through love, nostalgia and the dark corners of small town life that no one wants to look at. Roy finds earthy poetry in every day life that we can all relate to and connect with. His passion comes through in every song, and no one can deny that unmistakable whiskey vocal sound that can surprisingly muster an edgy tenderness on softer tracks.His personal musical tastes are varied and many. Growing up on generous portions of hard rock like Motely Crue, Guns n Roses and Kyuss, deeply revering narrative artists like Neil Young and Tom Waits, and appreciating and identifying with the blue collar rock of Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. There are no limits to his tastes, always open minded and excited about new concepts and ideas in music.Currently, Roy lives in the same town he was born in, plays in two bands,He sings in The Smoothies and plays bass and sings in The Guv'nor Generals devoting his heart and soul to his independent music. Daytrip is set for release in January 2007, to be followed by a few select dates.THE RECORDDaytrip leads the listener deep into the belly of the artist. Down to earth, truthful, and at times, dark, this record travels through childhood/pubesant memories in the deeply emotional and nostalgic Yellow Barn, to the fuzz toned tale of obsessive love in the slow and sexy Eye On You. Cronic brings you into the sometimes lethargic and seemingly hopeless side of small town life, while Winter Lullaby, an instrumental piece, soothes you with warm melodies and comforting tones.Roys voice is distinct, yet ever changing, and his instrumentation keeps the listener interested and the songs uplifting, yet flavoured delicately with morose. Peppered with distinctive old school keyboards, pedal steel guitar and an array of vintage amps and pedals this record, with its attention to delicate detail, deserves to be heard with an active ear.This is not your average solo EP. Roy is layered as an artist and songwriter, and brings a passionate truth to his narratives that are worth listening to. You cant help but feel connected, every song like spending time with an old friend that knows you better than anyone else. All of your victories, defeats, celebrations, regrets, your joys and your sorrows. A songwriter that allows you to see life through his eyes, and equally makes you feel as though he can see life through yours.THE HISTORYFrank Roy arrived on the music scene with the momentum of a fast moving train in 1993 as the lead singer and front man of blow-your-face off hard rock band BUCKETMOUTH. The band played local indie gigs and released a well-received and still talked about EP entitled SLOW. Roy looks back on those days with affection, glad to have had the chance to honour his musical roots with screaming vocals and wailing guitars. Could a reunion be possible in the future? Its definately something that fans have been asking for since the band broke up in 1996. Bucketmouth fans can still be seen in the local music scene donning their Bucketmouth t-shirts proudly and hoping to inspire a reunion.
Always looking for something new, next Roy turned his ear towards funk. In 1997, Roy sang lead vocals and played bass in the groove/funk band, The Smoothies. The Smoothies released their first independent self titled EP in 1997, and played tirelessly all over Ontario. Their second EP, the sexy Sounds from the Bedroom was released in 2000 and their fan base exploded. Fans loved their funky, danceable sound and the Smoothies packed dance floors with originals and covers from St. Catharines ON to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. As years passed and band members began new independent projects, The Smoothies are still everyones favorite party band. Visit www.thesmoothies.com.During his affair with groove and funk, Roy began yearning to write deeper, more narrative music and found himself spending a lot of time with his acoustic guitar. As the songs poured out, he realized that there was much within him that needed to be expressed. His solo writing venture began and he has never looked back. Daytrip is the first installment of a collection of independent music that Frank Roy has already written, and has yet to write. As his journey continues, he will no doubt continue to share it with us, with truth, honesty, passion and a familiarity that keeps us coming back. Not only to connect with him and his experience, but ultimately, to connect with ourselves.
