Do you think being an American band that was so strongly influenced by British bands helped you find your own voice? So we naturally reacted to all those British bands and early on tried to emulate them.Īt the same time, though, you always had a unique sensibility. They thought there was a real dividing line between style and substance. ![]() There was the idea that if you showed any kind of visual flair, it was because you were trying to hide the fact that you didn't have any musical substance. We always thought the English bands were cool, and the American bands, other than a few of them, like the Beach Boys, they didn't care about stage presence and flash. We really loved the Who and the Kinks, and even though we're from Los Angeles, we pretty much based our lives on those kinds of bands. In general, we wanted to be an English band. When you and Russell first started performing together, what was your concept for the band? Was there any particular style from those days that you were emulating or, perhaps, reacting against? It's kind of perverse in a way that we're still doing it. ![]() We had great respect for him, and to his credit, he was the only one who wanted to sign our band. So just to have that first album was such an unbelievable thing for us - to go into the studio and work in that kind of way and work with Todd Rundgren. The concept of the future is not even part of your thinking. When we did our first proper album, the Halfnelson album, with Todd Rundgren, maybe that was 1971 or something like that.īut when you do your first album and you're young and really excited and everything is new, you don't expect something like that. Michael Roberts: If you trace the history of Sparks back to the formation of Halfnelson in the late Sixties, the band is approaching its fiftieth anniversary. Our conversation with Ron details the history of Sparks and how the band came together with Franz Ferdinand, led by the charismatic Alex Kapranos, over an eleven-year period and discovered that the years separating them were no match for their shared love of music that values sauciness and impertinence over self-serious pretense. Sparks is among the most unusual musical combos of the past half-century, thanks to the two Maels - vocalist Russell, who’s always looked like a pop star, and Ron, who’s known for a mustache that once seemed like a simultaneous nod to Charlie Chaplin and Hitler (it’s more of a pencil-thin version these days) and a practically motionless stage persona that comments sardonically on all the bizarre activity taking place around him.īut a devoted cult following that appreciates the Maels’ off-kilter yet grin-inducing vision has kept the group going for decade upon decade - and the fandom of Franz Ferdinand is just one example of the mark they’ve made on the musical landscape. ![]() By that point on the recording, the combined efforts of the two bands, which will play October 11 at the Ogden Theatre, make it abundantly clear that, in this case, collaboration works far better than anyone had a right to expect.Īs a bonus, the merger provided the opportunity for the biggest Sparks tour ever, according to Ron Mael - who writes most of the collective’s music as well as the majority of the lyrics warbled by his brother, Russell - and given that the two of them have been performing together since the late 1960s, that’s quite an accomplishment. They have released several critically acclaimed albums including "Franz Ferdinand" (2004), "You Could Have It So Much Better" (2005), and "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" (2009).The song “Collaborations Don’t Work” appears near the end of the self-titled new album by FFS, the inspired team of Sparks and Franz Ferdinand - and the timing is perfect. Influenced by artists such as *Kaiser Chiefs*, *The Last Shadow Puppets*, and *Dirty Pretty Things*, Franz Ferdinand's music combines infectious melodies with thought-provoking themes. Their catchy hooks, energetic performances, and clever lyrics have garnered them a dedicated fan base worldwide. With their unique blend of indie rock and post-punk revival, Franz Ferdinand has become one of the most influential bands of their generation. After seeing the horse win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, the band began to discuss Archduke Franz Ferdinand and thought it would be a good band name because of the alliteration of the name and the implications of *his assassination* (which was a significant factor in the lead up to World War I). ![]() The name of the band was originally inspired by a racehorse called Archduke Ferdinand. Franz Ferdinand is a band formed in Glasgow in 2002.
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