Jeff Franca's guest appearances

Jeff Franca

Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

The Upful LIFE Podcast

Karl Denson

Robert Walter

Anders Osborne

Eddie Roberts

Nikki Glaspie

Benny Bloom

Mike Gordon

Adam Deitch

Sam Bush

Steve Gorman

Lindsay Lou

Erika Wennerstrom

John Brown

Mark Victor Hansen

Ani DiFranco

OwlTail

In episode 484, I chat with professional drummer, Jeff Franca. Listen as we chat with him as he does some of his day to day errands and talks about:  Where his interest in music started What it was like playing percussion for dance majors in college Th influence African and Reggae music has had on him His journey into becoming a professional touring drummer How and why to find a band and family that fits you Finding your specialty and why that matters Creative role he plays in Thievery Corporation His feelings on music changes with the pandemic His advice for those who want to be professional musicians and tour 

In episode 484, I chat with professional drummer, <a href="https://thieverycorporation.com/artist/jeff-franca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Franca</a>. Listen as we chat with him as he does some of his day to day errands and talks about: <ul> <li>Where his interest in music started</li> <li>What it was like playing percussion for dance majors in college</li> <li>Th influence African and Reggae music has had on him</li> <li>His journey into becoming a professional touring drummer</li> <li>How and why to find a band and family that fits you</li> <li>Finding your specialty and why that matters</li> <li>Creative role he plays in Thievery Corporation</li> <li>His feelings on music changes with the pandemic</li> <li>His advice for those who want to be professional musicians and tour</li> </ul>

How to Become a Professional Touring Drummer with Thievery Corporation's Jeff Franca

Congo Sanchez

Episode 011 of *The Upful LIFE Podcast* welcomes JEFF FRANCA, drummer of Thievery Corporation and founder of Congo Sanchez and Natural Selectah, to the show for an informative and emotional powwow. Jeff is a rising star in the Denver music scene, and traces his musical and personal roots back to the District of Columbia. We took a solid ninety minutes to chop it up about a number of salient topics that ran the gamut and it was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation that I think will resonate with the Upful LIFE listeners.      We begin by discussing the Washington D.C. music scene and the successful, trendsetting new venue there The Anthem, spiralling out into a few directions from there. His earliest memories of Pink Floyd hitting his ears, and the music that first reached him deep inside. Topics covered include his roots as a thorough study of iconic jazz drummers from the late 50’s through the early 70’s, such as Billy Higgins, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobham, and Max Roach. He touches on themes and concepts native to each of their styles, and how those cats changed, and basically shaped, the game for decades to come. We also touch on his time at the University of Indiana as a double major, whether or not he wanted to try out for The Disco Biscuits, and his thoughts on jazz jamming verses jamband jamming. Jeff then takes a deep dive on a topic that will resonate with anybody who listens in, the relationship he had with his late brother Nicholas, who died in 2011, after a lengthy illness. Jeff details how his music career intersected with the last months of his brother’s life, the cosmic Virgo/Sagittarius connections within it all, how his brother empowered him to forge onward as a musician and an artist. He recalls in emotional detail spending days at Sloan Kettering in NYC with Nicholas and then chasing John Zorn, Adam Deitch, hanging at The Stone, and the experiencing the downtown scene after dark. It was during this time that the seeds were being sewn for Jeff to begin playing with Thievery Corporation.    Jeff's late brother Nicholas Franca Jeff brings us all the way back to Eighteenth Street Lounge music in D.C. and how stints producing records with Funk Ark and touring with See-I laid the foundation for his role as Thievery Corporation’s touring drummer. Franca explains the roots of Thievery in D.C. culture, and around the world, and how that heritage has taken shape over two decades. Jeff continues by meticulously breaking down his role playing live drums in an electronic music outfit, and it’s fascinating to hear him unspool it all, the nuts and bolts of how Rob Garza, Eric Hilton and company have evolved their live sets into a true live band performance, without sacrificing any of the thump. We get a thorough introduction to Congo Sanchez, Jeff’s fantastic side-project that mixes it up in mysterious styles of world electro and future dancehall. He recalls some humorous road stories and a comical debut at Electric Forest 2012, before opening up a bit about the cultural and thematic concepts inherent in the Congo Sanchez trio.  All that plus his presence on Eddie Roberts’ Color Red label in Denver, and why the music scene there is different then anywhere else in the States today. Having a partner as a tour manager, why the grind of touring is an authentic and essential element to making honest art. And a tribute to true East Coast OG, the late great Ryan Dewitt.  Thievery Corporation on the road in 2015   We follow that up with another interview from the Emerald Cup cannabis event in Northern California, in early December. This time we chat it up with Moe Angelo and Pat Anglin of the immersive art installation Because of the Lotus, which is a festival favorite and a beloved part of the fabric of Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, which coincidentally just announced another fantastic event Suwannee Rising, April 4-6.        The *Vibe Junkie JAM of the Week* is a classic golden-era hip-hop jam from twenty-three years ago: Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers: Crooklyn Dodgers 95 featuring Chubb Rock, Masta Ace, and Jeru the Damaja, with DJ Premier production. Among my all-time favorite hip-hop jams. This is history. Word to fat asses and cases of Heineken!      The Upful LIFE Podcast is available on iTunes! Theme Song: Mazel Tov by CALVIN VALENTINE Contact the host at B.Getz@upfulLIFE.com

Episode 011 of *<a href="https://upful187.podbean.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Upful LIFE Podcast</a>* welcomes JEFF FRANCA, drummer of <a href="https://thieverycorporation.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thievery Corporation</a> and founder of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CongoSanchez/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Congo Sanchez </a>and Natural Selectah, to the show for an informative and emotional powwow. Jeff is a rising star in the Denver music scene, and traces his musical and personal roots back to the District of Columbia. We took a solid ninety minutes to chop it up about a number of salient topics that ran the gamut and it was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation that I think will resonate with the <a href="/upful187/episode/update/id/upfullife.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Upful LIFE</a> listeners. We begin by discussing the Washington D.C. music scene and the successful, trendsetting new venue there The Anthem, spiralling out into a few directions from there. His earliest memories of Pink Floyd hitting his ears, and the music that first reached him deep inside. Topics covered include his roots as a thorough study of iconic jazz drummers from the late 50’s through the early 70’s, such as Billy Higgins, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobham, and Max Roach. He touches on themes and concepts native to each of their styles, and how those cats changed, and basically shaped, the game for decades to come. We also touch on his time at the University of Indiana as a double major, whether or not he wanted to try out for The Disco Biscuits, and his thoughts on jazz jamming verses jamband jamming. Jeff then takes a deep dive on a topic that will resonate with anybody who listens in, the relationship he had with his <a href="https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-my-son-s-tattoo-guided-us-through-his-cancer-journey/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">late brother Nicholas</a>, who died in 2011, after a lengthy illness. Jeff details how his music career intersected with the last months of his brother’s life, the cosmic Virgo/Sagittarius connections within it all, how his brother empowered him to forge onward as a musician and an artist. He recalls in emotional detail spending days at Sloan Kettering in NYC with Nicholas and then chasing John Zorn, Adam Deitch, hanging at The Stone, and the experiencing the downtown scene after dark. It was during this time that the seeds were being sewn for Jeff to begin playing with Thievery Corporation.   Jeff's late brother Nicholas Franca Jeff brings us all the way back to Eighteenth Street Lounge music in D.C. and how stints producing records with Funk Ark and touring with See-I laid the foundation for his role as Thievery Corporation’s touring drummer. Franca explains the roots of Thievery in D.C. culture, and around the world, and how that heritage has taken shape over two decades. Jeff continues by meticulously breaking down his role playing live drums in an electronic music outfit, and it’s fascinating to hear him unspool it all, the nuts and bolts of how Rob Garza, Eric Hilton and company have evolved their live sets into a true live band performance, without sacrificing any of the thump. We get a thorough introduction to Congo Sanchez, Jeff’s fantastic side-project that mixes it up in mysterious styles of world electro and future dancehall. He recalls some humorous road stories and a comical debut at Electric Forest 2012, before opening up a bit about the cultural and thematic concepts inherent in the Congo Sanchez trio.  All that plus his presence on Eddie Roberts’ <a href="https://www.color-red.co/records" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Color Red</a> label in Denver, and why the music scene there is different then anywhere else in the States today. Having a partner as a tour manager, why the grind of touring is an authentic and essential element to making honest art. And a tribute to true East Coast OG, the late great <a href="http://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/rest-in-peace-ryan-dewitt/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ryan Dewitt.</a> Thievery Corporation on the road in 2015 We follow that up with another interview from the Emerald Cup cannabis event in Northern California, in early December. This time we chat it up with Moe Angelo and Pat Anglin of the immersive art installation <a href="http://www.becauseofthelotus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Because of the Lotus</a>, which is a festival favorite and a beloved part of the fabric of Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, which coincidentally just announced another fantastic event <a href="https://www.jambase.com/article/suwannee-rising-music-festival-initial-lineup-tickets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Suwannee Rising</a>, April 4-6. The *Vibe Junkie JAM of the Week* is a classic golden-era hip-hop jam from twenty-three years ago: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJKdy2KvMg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers: Crooklyn Dodgers 95</a> featuring Chubb Rock, Masta Ace, and Jeru the Damaja, with DJ Premier production. Among my all-time favorite hip-hop jams. This is history. Word to fat asses and cases of Heineken! <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upful-life-podcast/id1438163781" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Upful LIFE Podcast is available on iTunes!</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3hCc26ga6r6AIUpzUG9ZkC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Theme Song: Mazel Tov by CALVIN VALENTINE</a> Contact the host at B.Getz@upfulLIFE.com

011: JEFF FRANCA (Thievery Corporation, Congo Sanchez)/ BECAUSE Of The LOTUS

This episode begins with a fortuitously-timed incoming phone call from Robert Polay, the founding partner of this podcast's first formal sponsor Polay + Clark. Seth shares his ideas for their new company slogan and Polay approves. Then Rob and Seth chat with Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation before that band's recent performance at The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA). They first talk about his other band, Congo Sanchez. Franca speaks of how the death of his brother, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine inspired the band's thematic debut album, We learn the extent to which improvisation plays into this band's work in the studio and live. Rob then asks about Thievery's gloriously bossa nova-flavored 2014 release Saudade, and their roots-dub-dance hall reggae-focused 2017 release The Temple of I and I. Then we learn how the Clifton, Virginia product (who was for a time an "orchestra dork and even performed at the Kennedy Center) ultimately found artists like Fugazi and the music world which surrounded the legendary 18th Street Lounge, the latter of which escorted him into the world of Thievery Corporation. We also find out that on this night there were some changes made in Thievery's live act, how much the band improvises and areas into which he would love to see the band dive in the future. Franca expounds on many other topics, including the oxymoron that is "rhythmic imperfection," how Haitian and Cuban music influenced him and how he and other band members talked Thievery into committing to, and then executed their sets of Grateful Dead music. Then Rob talks about his return to writing and Seth reports back from his experience as a couple of destination concerts and the 2017 season of Inside Out wTnS comes to a close. wTnS is Produced by Rob Turner, with this episode produced by both he and Seth Weiner, and Engineered by Josh Thane of Wonder Dog Sounds Studio. www.joshthaneproductions.com www.wonderdogsounds.com wTnS Sponsor: Polay + Clark 21st Century Accounting (Don't wait till April and get fucked, get Polayed) www.polayclark.com Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth: insideoutwtns.com Twitter: @InsideoutWTNS Instagram: www.instagram.com/insideoutwtns Facebook: www.facebook.com/insideoutwTnS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode begins with a fortuitously-timed incoming phone call from Robert Polay, the founding partner of this podcast's first formal sponsor Polay + Clark. Seth shares his ideas for their new company slogan and Polay approves. Then Rob and Seth chat with Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation before that band's recent performance at The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA). They first talk about his other band, Congo Sanchez. Franca speaks of how the death of his brother, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine inspired the band's thematic debut album, We learn the extent to which improvisation plays into this band's work in the studio and live. Rob then asks about Thievery's gloriously bossa nova-flavored 2014 release Saudade, and their roots-dub-dance hall reggae-focused 2017 release The Temple of I and I. Then we learn how the Clifton, Virginia product (who was for a time an "orchestra dork and even performed at the Kennedy Center) ultimately found artists like Fugazi and the music world which surrounded the legendary 18th Street Lounge, the latter of which escorted him into the world of Thievery Corporation. We also find out that on this night there were some changes made in Thievery's live act, how much the band improvises and areas into which he would love to see the band dive in the future. Franca expounds on many other topics, including the oxymoron that is "rhythmic imperfection," how Haitian and Cuban music influenced him and how he and other band members talked Thievery into committing to, and then executed their sets of Grateful Dead music. Then Rob talks about his return to writing and Seth reports back from his experience as a couple of destination concerts and the 2017 season of Inside Out wTnS comes to a close. wTnS is Produced by Rob Turner, with this episode produced by both he and Seth Weiner, and Engineered by Josh Thane of Wonder Dog Sounds Studio. <a href="http://www.joshthaneproductions.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.joshthaneproductions.com</a> <a href="http://www.wonderdogsounds.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wonderdogsounds.com</a> wTnS Sponsor: Polay + Clark 21st Century Accounting (Don't wait till April and get fucked, get Polayed) <a href="http://www.polayclark.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.polayclark.com</a> Inside Out w/ Turner and Seth: <a href="http://insideoutwtns.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">insideoutwtns.com</a> Twitter: @InsideoutWTNS Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/insideoutwtns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.instagram.com/insideoutwtns</a> Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/insideoutwTnS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/insideoutwTnS</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Episode 49 - Jeff Franca (Thievery Corporation/Congo Sanchez)