Mick and Sting have done it, why not Dr. Frank? The guitarist and lead
singer of the Mr. T Experience has led the East Bay punk ravers though a
12-year, eight-album career of high-energy pop music. Next Monday night
at Brainwash in San Francisco, he'll take the stage alone to perform a
set of solo material.
"It's still unfamiliar territory, and the whole thing is a little bit
frightening to me," admits Frank, who got a taste of solo performing
last year at Bottom of the Hill and the Lookout Records store in
Berkeley. "With my band, there are a whole bunch of people on the
stage, and it's extremely loud. When you're playing alone, it's
different -- you're really naked, and the material can be scrutinized in
a way you're not used to. You're putting your money where you're mouth
is."
The good doctor won't be going it fully alone: Also appearing onstage
that night will be Kevin Army, longtime producer for Mr. T Experience,
as well as Green Day, Operation Ivy, the Brilliantines, Penelope Houston
and other Bay Area artists.
Army, too, will be performing solo. "I'm leaning on Kevin for moral
support," Frank says. "I'm not the greatest singer in the world, and
I've got to get the audience to actually believe they're watching an
entertainer. If that happens, the songs can be the star."
In April, Lookout, the 11-year-old Berkeley record label, will release a
collection of Dr. Frank's material titled "Show Business Is My Life."
More solo dates are to follow.
The payoff seems fit for such a long-dedicated punk. "I've tested the
songs out on street corners, but every time I've done it I've had to
psyche myself up," Frank says. "I assume it will get easier."