The Ferocious Few

http://www.staythirstymedia.com/201004-044/html/201004-ferocious-few.html

The Ferocious Few are one of those bands that make you sit up and take notice. With the ability to stop traffic (literally, I saw it on the streets of Austin), their blend of music is what I like to call 'sweetheart rock n' roll' - romantic lyrics with a hard rock edge. I can just see singer Francisco Fernandez penning his lyrics over a lost sweetheart, but then lighting up a smoke and throwing her clothes in the street afterward.
Fernandez and drummer Daniel Aquilar spent their third SXSW busking on street corners, just as they do in their native San Francisco. This time they also had an official showcase at Headhunters. I caught up with Fernandez outside Stubb's BBQ in Austin.

(credit: Jackie Roman)

THIRSTY: Who are the Ferocious Few?

Francisco Fernandez: We are a band out of San Francisco, California. We started in Oakland in late 2005. I had a four piece and I broke it down to a two piece. We started playing on Powell Street in San Francisco. We realized that we could make a couple bucks doing it, and we were just making up songs at that time. Then we kept playing on the streets until it just became the way I made my living. Now we are just currently nonstop everyday to get as many people listening to the music as possible in hopes that we will be an international touring entity.

THIRSTY: And this is your third SXSW?

FF: Yes, the first year I didn't have any shows. I just drove down here in my friends car, by myself, and played on the streets the whole way to pay for the trip. And realized that this is a good spot for furthering our music career and just kept doing it. Now it's like a staple in my calendar for me to do.

THIRSTY: What type of music do the Ferocious Few perform?

FF: We play stripped down rockabilly rock n' roll. A lot of songs about love and heartbreak and with lots of energy. I don't know it's a mixture between, people have said it's a mixture between Bob Dylan and Motorhead. Or all kinds of other bands, too.

Juices (2010)

THIRSTY: When did you start playing music?

FF: When I was about 20, 21 years old. When I picked up a guitar I realized that's what I was going to concentrate all my energy on, so I wanted to find something that I wanted to spend my time doing.

THIRSTY: Will the Ferocious Few stay in San Francisco or would you like to move to New York, or even Austin, and pursue music there?

FF: Well, I think when you're a professional musician your home is wherever you are. So it doesn't matter. My shit is stored in San Francisco right now. - Stay Thirsty Media

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/letter-from-austin-sxsw-standouts/

South by Southwest turns all of downtown Austin into one big live-music venue, with bands blaring away from every available nook, cranny and street corner. That’s right up the Ferocious Few’s alley. The guitar-and-drums duo first gained notice busking on the street in their hometown of San Francisco, and they set up shop in Austin one evening in front of a hot dog stand several blocks north of the Sixth Street main drag. For a two-man band playing outside, the Ferocious Few manufactured a surprising depth of sound. The left-handed singer-guitarist Francisco Fernandez deployed a cheap amplifier to get a distorted ambience, while Daniel Aguilar bashed away on his drum kit with brushes, his hands and even a tambourine. But the group’s best asset was Fernandez’s voice, a shellshocked croon that conveyed the sort of wide-eyed fear of the almighty that the Band used to conjure 40 years ago. Not that you’d mistake the Ferocious Few for anything but modern, however. “We’re the Ferocious Few,” Fernandez said. “Google our name on your smart phone for all our shows this weekend. This next one’s called ‘Me and the Devil.’ ” - New York Times

Fast and furious street buskers, the Ferocious Few are making the streets of San Francisco just a little more dangerous and groovy. I’m sure if grumpy, potato-nosed Detective Mike Stone were still on duty, he’d want these punks locked away to protect the public decency in his City by the Bay. Bad-boy attitude and blistering, punked-out blues have been radiating from the corner of 16th and Mission for the past four years, when Francisco Fernandez and Daniel Aguilar first set up shop there, beating out rhythm on a cardboard box and skronking out a ballistic blues-blast through a cheap amp. They’re a hard-charging pair that play like they mean business, thus the moniker. A startling and disturbing sight to passersby to be sure, but, like a twisted car wreck, a sight not to be turned away from. Whenever the duo appeared, crowds would amass around them and word spread of this sonic chaos on four legs, which usually ended with the real police showing up to quell the ruckus. The FF actually survived on the donations from their audience and graduated up to a real drum kit and amp and landing gigs in local venues. They soon came to the notice of local label, Birdman Records, who herded them into the studio to put their visceral testimony on record and distribute it to the masses. In addition, the benefits of a studio allowed them to better showcase their talent with supplementary guitar, piano, bass or the manic organ on “Kathleen.” It really captures lightning in the proverbial bottle. Listening to the 15 tracks on ‘Juices’, is akin to being picked up by the throat by a lumbering 7’ wrestler, slammed against the wall, then stomped. Thirteen of the tunes clock in at an economical 2 to 3 minutes and the other 2 are over 4 minutes. The last of which, “16th St.”, is an acoustic number, ala early Zimmerman. Fernandez’ whisky voice adds a demented, dynamic urgency and pain to the songs. This lo-fi thunder is a scrappy working-class kind of blues-rock similar to Ike Reilly. It’s visceral music, born of callused-hand and school of hard knocks experience. You’ve gotta live it to play it! I’ve suffered through over 31 years of stupid, joke bands in the Bay area and can count on one hand the few outstanding ones. The Ferocious Few would be the middle finger. This is the album to grab when you’re in the mood to be revved up. As a betting man, I’ll wager ‘Juices’ is the best debut album of 2010 only 4 months in.

Standout Tracks: “As The Days Go By”, “Back Home”, “Anywhere In Love” and “Lok’d Out”.
– Barry St. Vitus - blurt-online.com

http://sfappeal.com/culture/2010/03/the-ferocious-few-build-ultimate-case-study-and-take-it-to-sxsw.php

Looking for a case study combining high quality, live music, tangible product, relationships, and digital strategy with a new infusion of social media & content? Look no further than San Francisco.

Two summers ago I got cozy on hipster beach with a book and a little bit of peace. Minutes later two guys set up an amp, a drum kit, and an electric guitar and started to play loud - as if they'd been playing all day and I was the one who just showed up out of nowhere.

Each song was rock-solid. Reminiscent of early White Stripes raw minimalism, without the candy. Crunchy guitar, weaving around smacking drums, bare and loud, for whoever was there to fall witness.

Fun fact: talented "street musicians" yield a better living than many musicians make playing gigs in bars. When the music is good, I'm just a lucky witness with a few dollars to cast as ballots. And these guys reminded me: rock saves. So I tossed a few votes toward the cause, as I do every time I encounter a street musician who moves me.

I approached the band, said thanks for the show, and the guitar player handed me a CD: The Ferocious Few. (tip: if you like the show, thank the band!) I went home and performed aural due diligence: I googled. Within seconds I learned the band only played outdoors in SF. Which is to say: they were playing the streets, and regularly. Not legally, but they were playing shows, and lots of them.

Since my initiation at Dolores Park two years ago, The Ferocious Few have continued playing hundreds of shows in the streets of San Francisco, while connecting with San Francisco's thriving independent music business & digital music community.

"It's much easier to take in music than it is to rant, which I love to do, but giving it a guitar made it a beautiful rant."I've seen their lead singer, Francisco at multiple music and music-tech conferences, learning new techniques to use online, and tirelessly, quietly letting everyone know which maybe-legal corner the band will play and when. "Come to our MySpace page" I'd hear him say "We're on Facebook now too."

With both analog and digital fever, The Ferocious Few developed an audience and began to reap the benefits of hard work in the streets. They continued writing large amounts of quality music, and building relationships with people who enjoy their music.

As the Ferocious Few approach a most important 1,000 True Fan marker online, they continue to make a living in the streets of the city, where they play regular gigs and create close relationships with their fans both online and offline while continuing to engage their prolific creative nature.

Now celebrating a recent signing to San Francisco's own Birdman records, a new album (April 13, 2010), a highly rated Noise Pop show, and multiple gigs in Austin, TX during SXSW 2010 including the Bay Area Takeover and an official showcase, The Ferocious Few are one of San Francisco's fastest growing, hardest rocking, most talented trailblazing bands - writing sweat worthy rock and roll and embodying a distinct relationship tenacity while literally pounding the streets with their labors of love. For The Ferocious Few, it's really just about the music.

I caught up with Francisco, founder of The Ferocious Few, and we discussed the experience of going from life as a street musician to a locally breaking band with a record deal, digital strategy and clear opportunity ahead.

me: So, is Francisco your real name? Because when I look at you I only see San Francisco.

Francisco: I am Francisco Fernandez from Berkeley and my bandmate is Daniel Aguilar. (mumbles) He's from Los Angeles.

Tell me how it started, because when I saw you set up and play in Dolores Park, I was blown away.

Well, Ferocious Few has been together since late 2005 when we formed band in Oakland with four people. (laughs) We played Stork Club and a few other shows, we even had residency at Missouri Lounge, we used to call it the "misery lounge."

I didn't know what I was playing and was also trying to lead the band. It was pretty bad. So I moved to SF and started playing with Daniel. We started jamming and he wanted to go down to Powell Street and play. We would practice at Lake Temescal.

I was going to protests in the Bay Area and I would see people with megaphones yelling about what's wrong. which annoyed me, and I'd see drum circles which weren't going anywhere, and I felt like the best way to be for the people was to be a ferocious band, maybe even with a message, because it's much easier to take in music than it is to rant, which I love to do, but giving it a guitar made it a beautiful rant. It feels like a primal thing that needs to come out. We played once outside of the H&M on Powell, made $30 and realized we could do it everyday.

So you started making money.

Yep. We got smarter and started putting cds out there and st - SF Appeal

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2010/04/the_ferocious_few_get_off_the.php

Drawn together by a shared loved of rock, soul, and country's most dynamic voices (James Brown, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan), The Ferocious Few decided to take its stripped-down bluesy rock to the streets. Literally.

"Our very first show was on the corner of O'Farrell and Powell," says singer-guitarist Francisco Fernandez. "It is the hub of all consumerism, and a place in need of fresh sounds and good rocking music. Even if it is illegal for us to play in the strip mall on Powell Street, we believe that we have a sound that should not be silenced."

Technically a ferocious couple--there's only two dudes in the band, the other being drummer Daniel Aguilar--the duo still stages open-air shows. It's also getting used to playing indoors, though. The band will be at The Uptown in Oakland tonight, San Francisco's Goforaloop Gallery on Saturday, and a Café Du Nord gig opening for Holly Golightly on April 17.

Local label Birdman Records released the band's debut, Juices, which was completed over four recording sessions in Austin, L.A., and here at home, and the title refers to the band's outlook on life.

"This album is a snapshot into the many different facets of creative juices that The Ferocious Few have to share," says Fernandez. "We all need to start stirring things up a little bit more in our daily lives and wake up to see there is still humanity behind all the locked doors, and it is waiting to smile back at you." - SF Weekly

It was smart to show up early to The Blacks’ CD release/breakup show last month, as I got my first chance to see The Ferocious Few, a San Francisco duo who immediately won me over with their energetic bluesy rock and roll. In one of those sleights of hand so common with stripped-down music, the band’s performances come off as effortlessly fun and rocking, but there’s a method to the chaos that betrays real tight musicianship too. They released an EP a couple of years ago, and the rumor is they’ve got a new album coming out in the fall. In the meantime, keep an eye out and you might see the band performing on the streets of San Francisco. - The Bay Bridged

San Francisco duo the Ferocious Few made their mark on the streets of the city, literally. They played through a portable p. a. system on various corners, most famously outside the Great American Music Hall. After gathering the attention necessary, they moved into real venues, but never stopped their streetside performances. Guitarist/vocalist Francisco Fernandez howls a sad tune while banging away at his guitar in a lo-fi garage rock sound, while drummer Daniel Aguilar pounds the skins with a true ferocity befitting their moniker. If nothing else, the Ferocious Few have found the perfect description of their sound, at once simple, sparse, and densly layered with rythmic mayhem. CS - Noisepop Artists

On 16th at Valencia. Friday night, June 12, 2009.

I finally got to see them myself in person. Damn, they're good. I bought a seven song $7 CD. Kind of felt like that time, years ago, when I bought a $2 CD from the Two Gallants in Dolores Park.

As we were watching a cop strolled up and everyone started booing. He hushed the crowd and said that we needed to keep a passage way on the sidewalk, and to stay out of the street. Then he nodded and went on his way. We all cheered him.

Please excuse the video quality. This had to go from AVI to MOV to MPEG4 for some stupid reason. Well, I guess I know why, I'm just waiting for the video formats to work better together.

Oh, and notice the hat changes by the dancing dude. So cool. - EvilOars

Video from this past Sunday at Dolores Park:

San Francisco and The Ferocious Few have a symbiotic relationship. The city provides music friendly street corners to play in and the duo returns a raw original rock sound from the gut that stops pedestrians in their tracks. They can be found anywhere from 9th and Irving, to 4th and Market, to 16th and Valencia and of course the cosmic home base, Dolores Park.

The first time I saw drummer Daniel Aguilar and guitarist Francisco Fernandez at Dolores Park was in the Summer of 2007, my jaw dropped. David’s drumming intensity (the facial expressions) was reminiscent of Michael Shrieve’s leyendary Woodstock performance but on a small kit, just brutal. Francisco’s rock singing and guitar playing was as if he was possessed by a southern blues spirit from the past that was trapped in his body. This duo has that voodoo juju in their funk mojo.. dig?

For being so lo-fi, their sound is so big. Indeed they are a ferocious act so their name is well-earned. I personally believe these guys are a rock duo made in heaven that will be listened to by many. I think you are lucky if you get to see these guys in their local element, before they blow up, which should not be surprising.

Enjoy this video of the Ferocious Few from this past Sunday at beautiful Dolores Park:
http://www.miguel23.com/blog/the-ferocious-few-live-at-dolores-park-7-19-09/ - Miguel23.com blog

http://missionmission.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/ferocious-in-the-streets/

Saturday we had the Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival’s big free concert at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in John McLaren Park. Sunday we had Sunday Streets with all its roller-disco parties and drum circles, as well as the SF Symphony’s free performance in Dolores Park. Yet on both days, The Ferocious Few stole the show. They’re impromptu and primitive, and also thoroughly entertaining. They’re drawing bigger and bigger crowds, so enjoy them now before they get signed and famous and start playing gutters in Monte Carlo or Beverly Hills or some shit instead of the Mission. Their CD, home made and usually available direct from the band (and pictured after the jump) is an extremely solid value. - MissionMission