Frank and the Twins

Retiring for now...

2007-11-06T14:12:00.000Z

I'm retiring our Blogger account for the time being - with a MySpace page, a Bebo page and a regular website it's too much to keep on top of. Will use the MySpace blog from now on, probably as infrequently as this one has been used ;-)

Cheers

Keith

Better get this going again...

2007-10-12T13:01:00.000Z

Haven't done this for ages.... I lost my password and have only just now got it sorted out. So... a lot's been happening since the last post - PJ's decided they did want us back, and we're almost at the end of an "every 6 weeks" residency there, which has been a lot of fun. Got a few gigs to go there before the end of the year (17th Nov and 22nd Dec to be precise) and we're hoping for a regular slot next year too.

More importantly, some changes afoot on the F&TT camp - Alan is leaving at the end of the year to start up his own band, so we're down to four (again). Current plan is that I will take on keyboard duties in addition to my current vocals/guitar slot. It's been a Looooooong time since I played keys regularly, so lots of brushing up to do. Hopefully this should not impact our gigging schedule for next year!

Cheers

Keith

Saturday at PJs

2006-12-05T17:27:00.000Z

Had our first visit to PJ Molloys in Dunfermline on Saturday night - great venue with its own sound and lights, and a great night too. Hoping to get some more dates in the New Year, check the main page or the Myspace for more details as we have them.

Madonna and Child

2006-10-20T12:03:00.000Z

In the middle of all the controversy about Madonna and her adoption, here's her official guide on the subject, as documented on "Talent in a Previous Life"

Big Pants

2006-10-18T21:27:00.000Z

OK, so it's a couple of months late, but I wanted to share the Crossford Wives most recent promotional item - presenting Frank and the Twins Big Pink Pants TM, as modelled by my daughter.

On complaining about the fact these were HUGE granny pants and not lacy lingerie, reason given was that our name was "too big" to fit on anything more alluring. Next time at Legends, I'm hoping for something small and lacy with "F&TT" on it instead. :-)

We're only here for the beer

2006-10-18T16:04:00.000Z

Finally, an update on our performance at the Dunfermline Charity Beer Festival - The Falcons (Dunfermline stalwarts and the main band of the evening) graciously allowed us to play a short set midway through the night - thanks due to the guys for the use of the gear. Anyway... it could have gone smoother; 1 broken string, 1 busted lead, and 1 set of flies (mine) left open for the whole set, but our reception from the capacity crowd at the Glen Pavilion was excellent. Hoping we'll get the chance to do this next year...

Coming up next month - a return visit to Legends on the 18th of November, then a "Pink Ladies Evening" Breast Cancer Benefit gig in Edinburgh the following week, already sold out. We're currently working out an arrangement with the wonderful GuitarGuitar chain to borrow some pink guitars, in order to fit in with the theme of the evening.

And finally, Iggy Pop's Tour Rider, worth a read if you haven't already seen it...

FATT in the Park

2006-08-29T12:08:00.000Z

Well it wasn't quite T in the Park, but we played our second open air gig of the year at the Braids Fun Day in Edinburgh. This is an annual fund raising event held by local residents on the Braid Hills.

This was almost a gig we just didn't seem destined to play.

After agreeing to play, Alan and Keith both discovered it clashed with major parental birthday celebrations, but we agreed to play earlier in the day to accommodate. On the day there was a mix-up as to where we were going to get power from, leading to Les almost attempting a forced entry to the wrong premises. An accident on the city bypass then delayed both Keith and Alan's arrival.

Finally, Ken's amp gave up the ghost. Fortunately, Les is one of the aforementioned local residents and has an ancient 4x12 half-stack in his garage. With Keith's help, cobwebs were dusted off, and amp and speaker pressed into action.

Despite lots of feedback-like howling from the amp, Ken finally tamed it and got through the gig - just. Even the brooding dark skies finally broke and we had sunshine for most of the time we played.

So there we were, on a hill, filling the air with our (well other peoples') music -there could only be one image for the posters:

Long Hot Summer

2006-08-16T12:53:00.000Z

Well, we're all back after our summer break, and getting back into the gigs - "Legends" in Dunfermline this coming Saturday (19th August); one to look forward to as it's usually a great night. We then have a trip to the capital to play at an Edinburgh Festival. Sadly, not the Edinburgh Festival, but it'll do for us. It's an open-air gig, so we'll be at the mercy of the elements... which thankfully wasn't a problem at our "Fair E'en" gig in Bo'ness back in June. After the washout the year prior, it managed to stay pretty dry, at least while we were playing anyway.

A couple of weeks after that we're off on our road trip to Montrose to play the Montrose FC Supporters Club annual function; thanks to Simone for booking us again, we're looking forward to it.

Legends...

2006-05-07T10:53:00.000Z

Another fun night at Legends last night - quite a good crowd, seemingly unbowed by the fact their team lost the last game of the season that afternoon (but hey, they stayed up, right?). Ranks were further swollen by a couple of hen nights (Karen and Lindsay being the respective brides to be). Tried out a couple of new tunes - "No Tomorrow" by Orson which went down a storm, and "Stay With Me" by The Faces which, erm, didn't.

Special mention has to go to The Crossford Wives however, who turned up to support in their usual enthusiastic fashion.

Left to right we have Graeme from Legends, Rebecca, Lynn, Susan and Donna.

Can't see the T-Shirts properly? Here's a closeup, courtesy of Rebecca ;-)

April Update

2006-04-06T21:23:00.000Z

It's been a while since I updated the blog, so here we go:

Had a great run of gigs in February/March, including our very first visit to Legends in Dunfermline - great venue, and a small but VERY enthusiastic crowd... they were all fired up about going to Hampden, shame about the result. Looking forward to getting back there in May.

Quite a few gigs in the offing, including a return road trip to Montrose in September, plus an outdoor gig at the Braids Festival in August.

Polishing up a bunch of new tunes including "No Tomorrow" by Orson, "Sewn" by The Feeling, and "Stay With Me" by The Faces. All those pale into insignificance compared to the crowd-pleasing show-stopper that is "Born To Run" though.....

Is it that time already?

2006-01-18T09:47:00.000Z

Wow - here we are in January already. Final gig of the year at Behind The Wall was a big success with a very appreciative crowd - even "Merry Christmas Everybody" went down well.

Gigs are starting to firm up for this year - we have a series of 4 over the course of the year at "Legends" in Dunfermline (at East End Park), plus quite a few private functions. The effort to get some new tunes ready is in full swing.... Got some pics from the Charity Night in Edinburgh in November, should get some of them up on the main site soon.

A belated update

2005-11-25T20:53:00.000Z

Finally, a chance for an update - New photo gallery is now up on the main site, featuring photos from our October gig at Behind The Wall, plus some oldies from last year at the Pitfirrane Arms.

Charidee gig in Edinburgh on November 4th went very well, with over 2000 quid being raised for good causes in Malawi and Scotland. We briefly expanded to a 6-piece as Simon (back from Australia on holiday) sat in on bass for a few tunes, with Les on Acoustic guitar - lots of fun. All that, plus the spectacle of the Crossford Wives attempting to do The Slosh, the Macarena and even the Birdie Dance to some wholly inappropriate tunes. Ended the night with pizza in Stockbridge - excellent

Behind The Wall Christmas Entertainment.

2005-10-25T16:56:00.000Z

Behind The Wall have updated their website to include their Christmas Events Schedule, which of course includes our gig on December 17th. Interestingly enough we've been described as "Good time POP/ROCK funkified elegance." ... not that I'd necessarily disagree. I can see the advertising slogan now - "Come taste the Funkified Elegance of Frank and the Twins". ;-)

The joys of audience interaction...

2005-10-19T08:52:00.000Z

Picked this up on the ever-excellent Harmony Central Forums - we can certainly relate to a lot of this stuff...

Tips for the Band PATRON:

HOW TO GET YOUR REQUESTS PLAYED WITH THE BAND IMMEDIATELY:

Musicians are expert mind readers. Only refer to your requests with the phrase "play my song", or "it goes something like this" then hum a few bars! We have a chip implanted in our heads with an unlimited database with the favorite tunes of every patron who ever walked into a bar & all songs ever recorded, so feel free to be vague, we love the challenge. If we say we do not remember exactly what tune you want, we're only kidding. Bands know every song ever recorded, so keep humming. Hum harder if need be, it helps jog the memory.

If a band tells you they do not know a song you want to hear, they either forgot that they know the tune or they are just putting you on. Try singing a few words for the band. Any words. If one member halfway knows part of a chorus, the rest of the band will instantly learn the entire song by osmosis. Knowing this, if the band still claims to not know your song, it helps to just keep requesting the same song every time there is a break.

It also helps to scream your request from across the room several times per set followed by the phrases, AW COME ON! and, YOU SUCK! Exaggerated hand gestures expressing disapproval from the dance floor are a big help as
well, such as the thumbs down or your middle finger. Put-downs are the best way to jog a band's memory. This instantly promotes you to the status of "Personal Friend Of The Band."

Entertainers are notorious fakers & jokesters and never really prepare for their shows. They simply walk on stage with no prior thought to what they will do once they arrive. An entertainer's job is so easy, even a monkey could do it, so don't let them off the hook easily.

Your request is all that matters. If a metal band had played at the club a few weeks ago, the next band that follows will automatically know every metal tune the previous band ever played, even if the current band is a blues or country band. It's the law. Feel free to yell AC DC or SLAYER!! to a band that plays strictly originals or jazz for example. Conversely,
Deadheads may yell for Grateful Dead tunes at a dance or metal band.

VERY IMPORTANT TIP: When an entertainer leans over to hear you better, grab his or her head in both hands and yell directly into their ear, while holding their head securely so they cannot pull away. This will be taken as an invitation
to a friendly & playful game of tug of war between their head and your hands. Don't give up! Hang on until the singer or guitar player submits. Drummers are often safe from this fun game since they usually sit in the back, protected by the guitar players. Keyboard players are protected by their instrument, & only play the game when tricked into coming out from behind their keyboards. Though difficult to get them to play, it's not impossible, so keep trying. They're especially vulnerable during break between songs.

TALKING WITH THE BAND

The best time to discuss anything with the band in any meaningful way is at the middle of a song when all members are singing at the same time (such as a multi-harmony part). Our hearing is so advanced that we can pick out your tiny voice from the megawatt wall of sound blasting all around us.
Musicians are expert lip readers too. If a musician does not reply to your question or comment during a tune, it's because they didn't get a good look at your mouth in order to read your lips. Simply continue to scream your request & be sure to over emphasize the words with your lips. This helps immensely. Don't be fooled. Singers have the innate ability to answer questions &
sing at the same time. If the singer doesn't answer your questions immediately, regardless of how stupid the question may seem, it's because they are purposely ignoring you. If this happens, immediately cop an attitude, we love this.

HELPING THE BAND

If you inform the band that you are a singer, the band will appreciate your help with the next few tunes, or however long you can remain standing on stage. Just pretend you're in a Karaoke bar. Simply feel free to walk up on stage & join in. By the way, the drunker you are, the better you sound, &
the louder you should sing. If by chance you fall off the stage, crawl back up & attempt to sing harmony. Keep in mind that nothing assists the band more than outrageous dancing, third & fourth part harmonies, or a tambourine played out of tempo. Try the cow bell, they love the challenge. The band always needs the help & will take this as a compliment.

IMPORTANT: Remember to allow enough time to make it from the stage to the bathroom in case of an emergency. On stage accidents are bad form. The band will carry on.

BONUS TIP:

As a last resort, wait until the band takes a break and then get on stage and start playing their instruments, they love this. Even if you are ejected from the club, you can rest assured in the fact that you have successfully completed your audition. The band will call you immediately the following day to offer you a position.

Customer feedback....

2005-10-16T20:18:00.000Z

I'll occasionally do a quick Google on "Frank and the Twins" just to see where our site ranks in the listing (disappointingly low, as it happens), but was tonight pleased to find some great feedback from our gig in Montrose last month. The article on the Montrose FC Supporters Club website reads as follows;

"Apathy Rules but Frank and the Twins ROCK!!

Around 120 people turned out for the 60th Anniversary Party Night. Unfortunately, that number did not include any players, or in fact many supporters club members! However, the music was FANTASTIC and we had a great time.

This event was primarily a celebration for the Supporters Club, but it was also a fundraiser. Monies raised by the Supporters Club (amongst other things) subsidises the buses to away games for those supporters who would otherwise be unable to travel. This event raised £500; not as much as we were hoping for, but that is largely due to the lack of numbers attending - apathy rules in Montrose!

I would like to say a BIG thank you to Frank and the Twins for coming up to Montrose and playing some great music - this band is a MUST HAVE for any party! Check them out at www.frankandthetwins.com Good work boys - same time next year???"

So - it's nice to get such positive feedback, and there are some good pics of us in action up on the site as well - check it out!

Once more Behind the Wall.......

2005-10-06T21:36:00.000Z

Phew - another great gig at BTW! The place was packed, standing room only until we finished playing. Always a fun crowd there, and this was no exception with a very good response from the Falkirk punters. If that's what early October is like, the Dec 17th gig should be crazy!!

Got some great photos from Callum, one of Les's workmates, so I'll be updating the main website soon - in the meantime, here's a wee taster - there's plenty more where that came from;

"Get tae Falkirk..."

2005-09-22T14:18:00.000Z

Just over a week now until our return to Behind The Wall in Falkirk - always an enjoyable place to play, beer and food are pretty good too. Looks like the website hasn't been updated for October yet - we're playing on October 1st, and then again on Dec 17th. After a very productive practice the other week we'll have 4 new tunes for the Bairns to enjoy, a few more if you include some of the 70's stuff we haven't played there yet.

Hit the Road

2005-09-08T20:41:00.000Z

"How are we going to fit this lot in?"

That was the question as we loaded up the cars for our road trip to Montrose at the weekend. Carpooling seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was a bit crowded in the back of Les's car, not to mention mine.

Still, the drive to Montrose was fine, and we arrived in plenty time for setup, soundcheck, and an official safety inspection of our gear ("It's council rules lads....")

Safety inspection over, it was time for a quick fish supper (best one I've had in a long time) and a pint (just average) before showtime.

Montrose Town Hall is a fair size, yet we still ended up huddled together in the middle of the stage... it must be a comfort thing.

Gig itself went fine, complete with pies at half time (well, it was for Montrose FC supporters club), plus the added opportunity for us to be upstaged by the 93-year-old founder of the club telling a filthy joke and playing a couple of tunes on his moothie. How do you follow that? ;-)

So, a fun gig (Thanks Simone!) but a long drive home. Thankfully we're a bit closer to home next gig - October 1st at Behind The Wall, always a good night.

John (BTW Manager) called a few weeks back to ask for some photos for their Christmas Brochure, which I supplied, despite the fact that they're more likely to put people off coming than anything else. Never mind, should be fun to see us in print

"How does the chorus for this one go again?...."

2005-08-22T08:03:00.000Z

Frank and the Twins lumbered back into action on Saturday night with a 40th birthday party at West Lothian Golf Club. Alan was practically fresh off the plane from Australia and we hadn't had much in the way of practice, however it didn't show. Played a pretty good set, including impromptu (and unrehearsed!) versions of "Live Forever", "Pretty Vacant" and (ahem) "Smells Like Teen Spirit".... which weren't nearly as shambolic as they could have been.

We came out of it with one provisionally booked gig for next March (!), plus handed out quite a few cards to folks who were looking for them - good result, roll on the next one; our Road Trip to Montrose in a couple of weeks.

Wakey wakey!

2005-08-08T15:54:00.000Z

Has it really been over a month since the last post? Looks like it.

Well, F&TT are slowly coming out of summer holiday mode; we're having a quick thrash this week (minus Alan who's still on holiday) to blow away the cobwebs and get back into practice for our upcoming gigs; a 40th Birthday party at West Lothian Golf Club, plus our Road Trip to Montrose for the Montrose FC Supporter's Club 60th Anniversary Party Night. They've got us on the posters and everything - look here.

Live 8 review....

2005-07-07T08:58:00.000Z

Not our own review, but one from the very funny Talent In a Previous Life

Well, it made me laugh at least......

Keith

Back to the 70's

2005-07-06T22:03:00.000Z

After a damp disappointment the night before, the 70's night was a lot of fun. The folks attending had made a big effort with the authentic 70's gear, not least the guy with the red/black zebra pimp suit. As you'll see from the photo, Siouxsie also made an appearance.

We did have a go, but it's just too damn hot to play while wearing a wig. Besides, my wig made me look like Ian Gillan's ugly younger brother. Ken was rockin' the 70's porn star look with a handlebar moustache and curly wig, but even that didn't last too long. Only Les managed to keep it going with a fetching Afro.

The 70's set itself went fine, and we were asked to come back on later in the night to do a set of more up to date stuff.

Rain Rain, Go Away!

2005-06-30T21:48:00.000Z

Oh well.... After a day of dull conditions, the heavens opened at 6pm, leading to the cancellation of the Fair E'en gig. A bummer for us, but not too bad as we have another one tomorrow night. I felt sorry for the kids in some of the other bands; for some of them, this would have been their first chance to play in front of a real crowd. Never mind - better luck next year!

Why Does it Always Rain on Me?

2005-06-29T00:31:00.000Z

Oh dear.... Just over a day to go to our first outdoor gig of the year, and (of course) it's raining. The forecast for tomorrow is more showers, and the BBC weathermap shows a black cloud with rain, but with the sun peeping out from behind it. However, Friday's forecast is sunny, so here's hoping that it starts to clear up on Thursday evening.

We played outdoors at Dunfermline Glen for the Civic week last year - we had sunshine for our set, but literally 5 minutes after we finished, the heavens opened..... maybe we shouldn't have played that Travis song!

70's night in Edinburgh on Friday, so I'll update over the weekend with comments and (hopefully) photos from both gigs

Keith

A Brief History of Frank and the Twins

2005-06-22T23:19:00.000Z

So, who are Frank and the Twins?

1992: Neil (drums), Keith (guitar) and Simon (bass) are part of the "house band" at Spider Systems in Edinburgh. They play one less-than-triumphant gig at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, but call it a day when Neil leaves the company. However, the aforementioned three decide they enjoyed jamming on Rush tunes to annoy the rest of the Spider band so much that they want to keep playing together, so recruit Ken Snowden (Guitar) and Steve Hunter (keys), who'd both played with Neil and Simon previously in "Rumour Has It". They spend the next couple of years practicing occasionally, but never venture out in public

1995: Steve leaves (the time honoured Musical differences.... we were musical, Steve wasn't) and the band (still without a name at this point) decide to refocus on playing covers, the better to get some gigs.

1997: The band consult an oracle (oh alright, a list of random band names from the Web) and come up with the snappy moniker "Frank and the Twins" . What can I say?..... it was either that or "Tubes of the Giants"

August 1st 1997; Frank and the Twins make their live debut at Girsey Nicols in Bo'ness... and people actually seem to like it... even people we didn't know!!! :-)

1997 - 2001; F&TT continue to gig around Fife and the Lothians

2001 - 2003; Keith moves to the USA, and his place is taken by Alan Condie on vocals, keys and guitar. The band continue to gig

2003 - 2005; Keith returns from the USA and rejoins the band, boosting the numbers to a 5-piece (2 Guitars, Bass, Drums, Keys). The band up the gigging frequency with semi-regular slots at Somewhere Else in Dunfermline and Behind The Wall in Falkirk

March 2005 - present; Simon moves to Australia, and is replaced by Les Nicolson on bass. Lineup is now;

Keith Aitken - Guitar, Vocals
Alan Condie - Keys, Guitar, Vocals
Les Nicolson - Bass, B. Vocals
Ken Snowden - Guitar, B. Vocals
Neil Wilson - Drums

First Post....

2005-06-22T22:03:00.000Z

A Blog? For a covers band? Who's going to be interested in that? Well, maybe no-one, but it'll be an interesting experience (for me at least!)

I'll use this to document the ups and downs of gigging in a covers band. It's not rocket-science, but if nothing else will keep Simon (Bass player Emeritus and band witch-doctor) up to date with what we're doing while he's in Australia.

More soon.......

Keith