The Frantic

There's not a lot of real punk music left anymore, not punk music with passion. Most of that kind of punk these days tends to be of the political variety, but The Frantic have created a record that encompasses these qualities, while still feeling like a good old-fashioned party.

These young Chicagoans (the oldest are just eighteen) combine the raw power of The Sex Pistols with the hooks of Set Your Goals. Audio & Murder bursts into action with a shout of "We're the Frantic! Who The fuck are you?!" and Ramones-esque "hey hey hey"s over pounding drums and stuttering guitars. "Big Papa" features a massive vocal hook in the chorus along with rapid fire verses that are bound to get a crowd riled up. There's even the faintest touches of synth accenting the guitars.

The growling vocals and undercurrent of power chords continue throughout the next few tracks, and the band doesn't loosen its grip on the listener for a second. "Fast Girl" provides prime opportunities for fist-pumping and crowd participation, as does the driving beat of "Frantic Summer." The lyrics aren't particularly deep, but they're relatable - tales of best friends and ex-girlfriends galore. Every suburban kid will key into the short spoken bit in "Frantic Summer" where two of the guys talk about having nothing to do since there aren't any shows that night.

"Movin' Along" is an acoustic ballad about moving to the city and not looking back to ex-girlfriends. It's got a country vibe to it, which doesn't fit the rest of the album at all. Regardless, it's a pretty song in the vein of Limbeck or Steel Train. After that divergent track, the band leaps back into their regular sound with "Rock & Roll Renegades" and keeps it there for the rest of the album.

The most entertaining track on the record by far is the closer, "Heifer." Clearly someone had a bitter breakup:

Your waist is a waste of space / My ass looks like your face /
You are a fat fuckin' heifer / I said / you fat piece of shit


The best part is that this chorus is one of the biggest hooks on the entire album. There's also handclaps and gang vocals - this will be a fan favorite for years to come for this band.

Audio & Murder clocks in at 25 minutes and 51 seconds. On one hand, I think that's far too short and I want to hear more. On the other hand, there isn't a single track I'd consider to be filler, and any attempt to stretch out the running time would have dragged the album down considerably. It's a great debut album by a band that has heaps of potential; I hope Audio & Murder will catapult them into view of the music community.

Track Listing
01. We're The Frantic
02. Big Papa
03. Fast Girl
04. Frantic Summer
05. Movin' Along
06. Rock & Roll Renegade
07. Audio & Murder
08. I Don't Want To Be Alone
09. Always Gonna Roll
10. Hollywood Homicide
11. Heifer

For Fans Of: The Ramones, MxPx, Dude Ranch-era Blink-182 - Pop-Punk Junkie

November 2, 2007
BY KYLE KOSTER kkoster@suntimes.com

Two summers ago, Kyle Dee attended the Warped Tour as a fan, just one among the screaming masses moshing to the music his idols made onstage.

''As we were leaving, I turned to my friends and told them I was going to be playing there next year,'' Dee says.

His words were prophetic. The next summer, he was rubbing elbows with the hottest acts and Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman at post-show cookouts for the performers.

Dee is the guitarist/vocalist of the up-and-coming Chicago punk-rock band the Frantic. Joining him are guitarist Ian Farnesi, bassist Chris Farnesi and drummer Brett Hartwell.

It all started innocently enough. An eighth-grade birthday party with Dee on guitar rocking out in a friend's basement. After the set, Hartwell came up and asked if he could hop on the drums.

''We knew it was something special right off the bat,'' Dee says.

The quartet threw themselves into their craft. A raucous set at the Beat Kitchen caught the eye of producer Murdock (Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack) and set the wheels in motion for their debut album, ''Audio & Murder.''

Despite their ages (Kyle and Ian are 17, Chris and Brett are 18), the band members have a refreshingly mature take on their early success.

''At first, we were worried that it would take off too quickly and burn out,'' Dee says. ''But we've taken some steps to make sure it will last.''

Among these are the attention to detail, a passion for live shows and a steadfast dedication to improving.

''We love to tour because we are out there making new fans,'' Dee says. ''But when we come home, it's strictly business.''

Dee's father hit the road with the band the last time around. What might seem like a wrench in the plans of teen rockers on the road actually brought needed perspective: What Dee and his bandmates may have been missing in textbooks, they made up for in real-life experience.

''My dad said that while we might not be in school, we were getting an education traveling the country,'' Dee says. "We met all types of people and got to go coast to coast.''

The Frantic's "Audio & Murder" hits stores nationwide on Tuesday, and the boys will be signing copies at FYE at Chicago Ridge Mall starting at 6 p.m.

They also will perform at Riot Fest 2007 on Nov. 18 at the Congress Theater. - Chicago Sun-Times

With a foundation cemented in straight up punk and a shell accented with catchy hooks and just enough mainstream flair, The Frantic are sure to be another Chicago-spawned phenomenon. It probably doesn’t hurt that The Frantic have one heck of a marketing push, even a pull out poster in a national music magazine. That should tell us something from the start; people believe in these guys. And why not Vocalist Kyle Dee, guitarist Ian Farnesi, bassist Chris Farnesi and drummer Brett Hartwell have been jamming together since age 9. As of today, two of them aren’t old enough to legally buy cigarettes and none of them can order alcohol in the venues they rock out at. Dee cites their age as one of the band’s biggest hurdles, “Sometimes people don’t take us seriously, especially in the bars or clubs we play in.�

The Frantic story begins at a basement party during their eighth-grade year. Already long time friends, they were just jamming when Hartwell sat behind the drum kit on a whim. “He [is] an incredible drummer,� boasts Dee. From there they knew something special had ignited.

As time went on The Frantic landed an opening slot for the Riverboat Gamblers at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. According to Dee, a producer known as Murdock (Avenged Sevenfold, Eighteen Visions, Godsmack) was there watching RBG and happened to catch wind of the hell-raising kids in The Frantic. Murdock approached the band and said he wanted to work with them. “Murdock had contact with Kevin Lyman,� explains Dee, “And helped get us three days on Warped Tour.�

The band went into the studio and had an album completed in just three weeks. “We’re thankful to have [Murdock], we’re proud of our record,� says Dee. “It was written over the years of us being punk kids.� Even the track entitled “Heifer� made it on Audio & Murder. It was a song Dee wrote in eighth grade about an overweight girl who used to make fun of him. It’s a typical adolescent lashing out, that Dee says he regrets writing because the two of them have since become friends. “Murdock liked it and made us put it on there,� says Dee.

After shopping for labels to release Audio & Murder, The Frantic finally penned a deal with Sinister Muse Records. “Finding the right label was tough, but it’s a great relationship,� says Dee. “It’s not about the money. They love what The Frantic are doing.�

Dee says that the band’s message is best conveyed live, rather than through the CD. “It’s high energy, we get the crowd into it and interact with our fans,� explains Dee. Luckily for us The Frantic plan on doing nothing but touring for at least the next year. They will be playing alongside bands like Bad Brains and The Casualties at Riot Fest in Chicago in mid November, have appearances slated for South by Southwest Music Festival in March and hope to get on a large national tour soon. “Our short term goals are to see the country, make friends and eventually make another record,� says Dee with excitement.

It’s quite obvious that The Frantic want to live the rock and roll life and will work hard to ensure it happens. “We all have backup plans for college,� explains Dee. “But we plan to tour full time and get as much success, [without] having to get a real job.�

Ultimately, time will determine the fate of The Frantic, but for now they are on the right track. They have surrounded themselves with the right people and come out swinging with an addictive punk-fueled record that flutters with enough pop sensibilities to make people want to listen. Look out world, The Frantic are for real.

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / Founder - Popular Underground Magazine

Friday, October 26, 2007
By Aaron Keker

The Frantic will be releasing their debut album titled Audio & Murder on Sinister Muse Records/Empyrean Records on November 6, 2007.

The Frantic consists of vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarist Kyle Dee, lead and rhythm guitarist Ian Farnesi, bassist Chris Farnesi and drummer Brett Harwell.

In fact, The Frantic performed on the 2007 Warped Tour via the Hot Topic/Kevin Says Stage.

I listed to Audio & Murder in its entirety and I enjoyed the album.

The album commences with We’re The Frantic and concludes with Heifer. The songs in between like Fast Girl, Frantic Summer, Rock & Roll Renegade, I Don’t Want To Be Alone and Always Gonna Roll continue to put you into a frantic state of listening to more and more of Audio & Murder.

If you prefer a more melodramatic song than you will want to listen to the song Movin’ Along.

If you are unfamiliar with The Frantic visit their website at www.thefrantic.com or their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/thefrantic. On their MySpace page, you can listen to Build Me Up Buttercup, Audio & Murder, I Don’t Want To Be Alone and Hollywood Homicide.

If after listening to their music and it turns out that you enjoy their music make sure you purchase their debut album Audio & Murder at iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody or any store that sells their music when it is released on November 6, 2007. If you purchase the album at iTunes you get the bonus song of Build Me Up Buttercup.

Finally, I am looking forward to providing future coverage of The Frantic. If you are interested in watching a live performance by The Frantic visit their website at www.thefrantic.com or their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/thefrantic. Also, make sure you purchase Audio & Murder when it is released on November 6, 2007. Below is the album song list for Audio & Murder.

Audio & Murder:

1. We’re The Frantic
2. Big Papa
3. Fast Girl
4. Frantic Summer
5. Movin’ Along
6. Rock & Roll Renegade
7. Audio & Murder
8. I Don’t Want To Be Alone
9. Always Gonna Roll
10. Hollywood Homicide
11. Heifer

iTunes Bonus Song:

12. Build Me Up Buttercup

akecker@alwaysacoustic.com - Always Acoustic magazine

Well, The Frantic ROCK. Hailing from the southwest suburbs of Chicago, band mates Kyle Dee (lead vox, guitar), brothers Ian (guitars) and Chris Farnesi (bass) along with drummer Brett Hartwell hit all the right notes - their garage swagger isn't hipsterish - it's a genuinely great recording. The music on Audio & Murder, the recently released CD on The independent Sinister Muse label, is catchy - an immensely likable mix of 60s garage, 70's Ramones, and 2K7 ballsy rock that would work well at any beach party, or any party at all for that matter. "Frantic Summer" is an instant hit and I must have listened to it at least 30 times before I finished the rest of the CD. This is not your normal punk. The Frantic is a punk rock adventure.

Many bands can sound good, but so few can write good, memorable songs. The Frantic are right there. They are in full control and confidently rock out tunes you want to go back and hear again. Highlights include "Big Papa", "Frantic Summer", "Fast Girl", and "Hollywood Homicide".

The entire CD is a relatively short 26 minutes, but the good news is that all of the tracks are pretty solid. Perhaps more CDs should be made in a like manner - Audio & Murder is a great listen all the way through.

Recommended for Alkaline Trio fans who don't want an Alkaline Trio clone. --Michael Canter - SonicJive.com

Lisa Balde | Beep Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Some factions will tell you that the glory days of discovering new bands via a scouter at a music fest are not only over, but that they are so far gone that bands hoping for their “big break� better not hold their breath. And for the most part, they’re right. As the music industry morphs daily (i.e. all-digital releases courtesy Radiohead, not to mention Nine Inch Nails’ recent label drop), it’s no wonder why new scenes can’t wait around for labels to come to them when MySpace bestows band status on any kid with a mic and a computer.

Say hello to The Frantic, an honest-to-goodness high school rock band with crafty punk leanings so close to Rise Against’s early days it’s scary. Four years ago, the quartet of friends that frame The Frantic created the garage group as eighth graders. It happened on kind of a whim, and like newfound rock prodigies, they believed in it more than anything. Then, two summers ago, they scored the best luck a bunch of teenagers could hope for. After their set at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen one night, the guy who produced Alice Cooper, Godsmack and early Linkin Park approached the band.

Andrew “Mudrock� Murdock (you’ve seen his name attached to Avenged Sevenfold and Powerman 5000 as well) not only produced The Frantic’s full-length debut, he shipped them off to L.A. to do it. The next thing they knew, singer and guitarist Kyle Dee, 17; bassist Chris Farnesi, 18; guitarist Ian Farnesi, 17; and drummer Brett Hartwell, 18, were signed to Sinister Muse Records, an independent label out of Orland Park. They recorded their album, “Audio and Murder� in three weeks. It’s set to be released locally Oct. 27 at Stage 83 in Lemont and in chains nationwide on Nov. 6. They’re now on tour through the end of the year.

“Nothing like that had ever happened to me before,� Dee says from the band’s van on the road. They’re on their way to Boston. It’s Dee’s first time in Beantown, and he seems obviously excited to be anywhere he’s booked to go. “It really didn’t hit us yet.�

Not until they got onto the plane anyway. That’s when it hit them over the head: They’d just changed the course of their lives. Like the good suburban Chicago teens that they are, they headed to L.A.’s beaches straightaway. And then straight into the studio, a “big, huge� gleaming mass of a recording space that has essentially steered their young musical careers thus far.

So far, The Frantic are beyond impressed with the results. They’ve played with Chiodos, Bad Religion and New Found Glory, scored a cameo on Warped Tour and most recently was added to Chicago’s talent-packed Riot Fest on Nov. 17 and 18 where they’ll share the stage with Youth Brigade and every punk’s dream band Bad Brains. All of them except Farnesi, who graduated from Lockport High, traded in high school for home schooling to get it all done.

“We knew from the start we were doing good things,� Dee says.

What’s so special about The Frantic to get them on a drive-thru contract in a Web-saturated music industry? Two things. Well three, actually. First, a spot-on bass line at the beginning of their disc’s title track, “Audio and Murder.� If this faced-paced, chant-worthy punk ditty survived production unscathed from its original form, the talent sunk into this song alone proves their worth. Second, they’re teenagers; their vim and vigor is still untapped. They’ve toured more than 30 states according to their publicity reps, and they aren’t even close to slowing down. And more importantly, they’re not complaining.

Which brings us to number three. On the phone at least, Dee – the guy wearing the hoodie – is the kind of kid you want to be friends with. He’s the cool kid you wanted to know in high school, and the attentive go-getter you wanted to have on the basketball team or theatre crew. Plus he’s loyal to his band, which makes him – and his equally easygoing, dedicated mates – perfect rock-label poster children for an industry that demands constant touring action. And they’re ready, come hell, high water or the long stretches of road The Frantic has already seen on tour.

“We’ve all been good friends for a long time,� he says of the band’s bond to get them through the trials that many times divide young bands. Dee has known the Farnesis since little on and met Hartwell at a birthday party. “It’s a friendship and a business.�

Dee speaks with constant tones of appreciation for his success. Words like “grateful� “supportive friends� and “sky is the limit� spew out of this kid so easily, it doesn’t take long to figure he’s the real deal. He talks about the band’s national tour like it’s a Price Is Right vacation, where he’s been given the chance to see places he’s only seen in the movies. He credits his family, pals and producers more than himself - Beep Central/Chicago Tribune

If there’s a more aptly named band in Chicago than the Frantic, I can’t think of it.

Taking the stage at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin last March, the absurdly young quartet tore through a frenetic but endearingly melodic set of punk anthems from its impressive debut “Audio & Murder,” released last November by the local Sinister Muse record label.

“There are 10 million bands in town tonight, and it means a lot to us that you came out to see us!” guitarist-vocalist Kyle Dee exclaimed with typical wide-eyed amazement. But the fact is that he and guitarist Ian Farnesi (both 18) and the rhythm section of bassist Chris Farnesi and drummer Brett Hartwell (the group’s elder statesmen at 19) were one of the best I caught at the prestigious fest.

With high-profile gigs on the horizon at Metro this weekend, Taste of Chicago on July 1 and several stops on the Warped Tour in August, I caught up with Dee at the tail end of a tour that had stopped in Houston.

Q. Kyle, take me through the band’s history, such as it is for such a young group.

A. Well, Ian and I went to kindergarten together. We were brought up in music, and we were always just kind of jamming together. Chris is Ian’s brother, and we were all just playing music forever. Brett went to a different school, but one time at like an eighth-grade party, the two schools came together and he happened to be there. I had always brought all my musical equipment to all my friends’ birthday parties, and he was like, “I play the drums!” We started jamming and it kind of clicked, so we knew we had something. I’m from Orland Park [in the southwest suburbs], and the guys are all from [nearby] Lockport. Q101 has helped.

We started playing together before we had a name. The Frantic name came about freshman year once we started playing shows. The first show was a place called Pizzeria at the Point in Lockport; it was a very little pizza joint, and they paid us with a large pizza. After that, I remember that we got our first show at Mojo’s Rock House [in Tinley Park], and we were jumping up and down. We just wanted to play.

Q. How did you come to hook up with Christian Picciolini and Sinister Muse?

A. Christian’s from the same area as us, and he was just following us around. We had already done the record on our own, and we were kind of ready to go. We were shopping around at that point, and he told us that he wanted to work with us.

We always just like recorded in the basement, every time we wrote new songs. But we played a show in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen, opening up for the Riverboat Gamblers, and the producer [Mudrock, a k a Andrew Murdock, who’s worked with Godsmack, Alice Cooper and Avenged Sevenfold, among others] was there to do pre-production and see them. He happened to see us opening and was interested and he flew us out to L.A.

At that point, I was 15. He sat me down and told me what he did, and I don’t think I even knew what a producer was at that time! We were all kind of in shock; it really opened our eyes that someone was giving attention to us. So we sat down with our families and came to the conclusion that we were going to fly out to L.A. and record all of our songs.

Q. It had to be a bit of a culture shock to walk into a professional studio for the first time.

A. We walked in the door and there was like a wall of 30 guitars and he was just, “Take one, play whatever you want.” It was crazy! But he was somebody who helped us a lot with learning how to structure songs. He kind of taught us more than just pulling things apart; he’d tell us what he thought we should do, and we would feel it out. Or if the chorus seemed too long, we’d maybe try changing the words around a bit. And he would push us — like, we’d wake up and start recording at 9 and get done recording at 8. That was like a lot of work for us at that point; the whole work ethic wasn’t really there for us yet.

Q. What do you think he heard in the band that hooked him?

A. I remember Mudrock said I looked like a 90-pound Pete Shelley, and he said that was what caught him. I guess we just got lucky.

Q. It’s impressive that you even know who Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks is, since they formed about 15 years before you were born!

A. I’d been into the Buzzcocks for a long time. It kind of goes back to dad, which goes back to you. I remember he’d take me up to the record store like once a week, and we’d just pick out new cassette tapes. It was like a dream of mine: I’d go home and play with a broom stick. I remember my first tape was “Dookie” [by Green Day], and I was like 4 years old. But my dad always followed what you recommended.

Q. So I’m responsible for your ruination and skipping college?

A. Pretty much, yeah! We’re just pushing as hard as we can with this album. I’d love to do college when there’s time to settle down and pursue it, but it’s not something we’re going to do until a few years down the road. I wouldn’t want to be do - Chicago Sun Times

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=147552

The more the music industry changes, the more the local scene stays the same.

The bands below have played the game. They created the MySpace page, passed around the show fliers, secured the fan bases that earned them well-deserved sets at some of the country's best venues. Ten years ago, we'd have been shocked to hear that they aren't signed to a major label. But that was then. These days, the home-grown scene represents lots of industry holdouts. Not because they don't need extra cash from nice label reps in slick Ben Sherman suits, but because they can. DIY never felt so good.

We present this crop of up-and-comers to you now as an offering of some of the best in the scene. There are plenty more where they came from.

The Frantic

Most likely to … get signed to a major label by the end of the year

You're a fan if you like: New York Dolls, The Stooges

The indie-label deal most bands spend the first half of their careers trying to land, The Frantic scored before most of them graduated from high school. By far the youngest rocksters on the list, The Frantic's wide-eyed, Red Bull-fueled punk riffs earned them a spot on Chicago's Sinister Muse roster and a country-wide mega tour that took them places frontman Kyle Dee openly admits he'd only seen on TV. They shared the stage last summer with Bad Brains and are unsurprisingly well-promoted on their way to South By Southwest this month. Their first full-length offering, "Audio & Murder," is a rock album to behold, full of ramped-up hooks only a garage full of punks throwing back Cokes between class could muster. The fact that they also undyingly appreciate the whole experience as a rock-star dream ends up being bonus material for the overall package.

- Beep Central / Daily herald

The Frantic's formula is simple; capture adolescent angst, lay it down on a gritty punk foundation and season it with enough pop-punk sensibility to make it deliciously addictive. The moment drummer Brett Hartwell sat down at the kit during an eighth-grade basement party, the rest of the boys knew they had found the missing link. Still not old enough to legally buy a beer at the clubs in which they rock out, the band sound like professionals when it comes to getting fists pumping and kids moshing with songs like "Rock & Roll Renegade" and "Frantic Summer." "We're trying to play as many shows as possible and keep CD sales up," says singer/guitarist Kyle Dee, who swears seeing the band live is the only true way to experience their intensity. This year will find the band touring non-stop and completing Audio & Murder's follow-up by late summer-but not following any New Year's resolutions. "In 2007, I didn't believe in giving something up." Dee explains. "Why not build?" - Alternative Press

If you have not heard The Frantic yet, chances are you will soon.

Feb 22, 2007 - Jessi Virtusio - The Star Newspaper