By: Shelby Lum
From Boston to Austin, Texas Aaron Sinclair of Frank Smith has moved around the nation, and is returning to The Drunken Unicorn to play his second Atlanta show.
But Frank Smith isn’t a person, it’s a band. The name came after a previous name change, because another band had the name. “I just figured if we named it Frank Smith we would never have to change it again,” Sinclair said.
And thus Frank Smith was born.
With time though, the band has matured and slowly changed its style. Beginning as a more country band, Frank Smith has taken a step in a different direction. “The sound has changed to a little bit more rock and roll,” Sinclair said. For the band, not only has the style changed, but even their instruments have taken a change. “It used to be acoustic guitars and pedal steels, and now its all electric guitars.”
Frank Smith’s latest album Before You Were Born was one of the first steps towards the bands now sound. “That was sort of the first record that moved away from the country sound and into the rock sound,” Sinclair said. The band recorded all the instrumentals of the song live giving it a a looser and tighter sound at the same time, he said.
Playing at The Drunken Unicorn, Frank Smith is getting a chance to play with native Atlanta musicians. “We have some local bands playing with us, which I’m excited about,” Sinclair said. Unlike the last time Frank Smith came to Atlanta, this show will feature local color with bands Wieuca and Capillaries. Sinclair said he thinks it’s better to have bands from the area when you aren’t a local. His last show at Smiths Olde Bar only featured out of town bands, and Sinclair said he is excited about having the Atlanta bands on the books at this gig.
For the Austin based band, they are now finding their groove as a band. “It’s an all new group of guys,” Sinclair said. “Everyone knows how to play together.”
Don’t miss Frank Smith at The Drunken Unicorn on Wednesday, February 20th, doors open at 9 p.m.
