Music, Passion And Pizza With JORDAN MCDONALD From FRANKIE'S WORLD FAMOUS HOUSE BAND

Interview by Kris Peters
What started out as a bit of fun on a Monday night at Sydney's
Frankie's Pizza back in 2012 has quickly developed into a global
sensation.
Initially formed to beat Monday night boredom at the home of live
music in Sydney, Frankie's World Famous House Band has grown from
such humble beginnings to being a mainstay on the Australian music
scene for both punters and international touring musicians.
For ten years until its sad closing in 2022, the band rocked the
stage at Frankie's Pizza, along the way collecting a healthy dose
of international scalps under their belt who frequented the venue
just to catch a glimpse of the house band. Members of bands such as
Megadeth, Steel Panther, White Snake, White Zombie and Cheap Trick
have all at one time shared the stage with the house band, while
they are now also an in demand gun for hire as touring bands for
stars such as Tim 'Ripper' Owens who enlists their help each time
he comes over.
They are a band made up of accomplished musicians, but, more
importantly, people who love music, and that infectious energy
night after night is one of the major reasons they survived when
Frankie's fell.
This weekend sees Frankie's World Famous House Band venture outside
of their home base of Sydney for a rare visit North, where they
will be playing at Lefty's in Brisbane on Saturday, June 7, and
Mo's Desert Clubhouse in Burleigh Heads the following night. HEAVY
jumped at the chance to chat with drummer and the legend behind
Frankie's Pizza, Jordan McDonald to find out more.
"Yeah, we never do this," he replied when we mentioned the fact
that the band doesn't play outside of Sydney often. "We get out of
town if we're the house band for a touring artist, that happens
every now and then. That's kind of, I guess, the niche of the
Frankie's World Famous House Band. If there's an act of cult appeal
who's coming to Australia but leaving the band behind, we'll fill
in and play, so we'll take that around the country. But just as us
doing it our way, it's kind of a matter of policy that we never
leave Sydney, so this is something different."
We question what policy could ever confine any band to one city
before Jordan smiles.
"It was bred in Sydney, and it's kind of where it makes sense," he
laughed. "It's part of the fabric of the zone, so we try and kind
of keep it that way. But if an opportunity like this comes up - and
it doesn't happen all that often - we say yes to most things. So
here we are!"
In the full interview, Jordan focused on the upcoming performances
of Frankie's World Famous House Band in Queensland, scheduled for
June 7 and 8. He provided background on the band, emphasizing their
unique position as a house band that typically does not tour
outside Sydney. He highlighted their speciality in high-energy
covers of classic rock songs and their collaborations with
well-known artists, which have bolstered their reputation.
Jordan introduced us to the rest of the band, saying that they
don't have a permanent set vocalist in preference of using a range
of singers to complement each performance. He ran us through the
birth of the band and how he came to be involved, the band name,
some of the people they have shared a stage with, his other music
and business ventures and more.


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