Cars have been a symbol of many things in American music throughout the years — independence, sex, the free market, and more. “Drive My Car,” “Highway to Hell,” and “I’m in Love With My Car” are just some of the rock songs that make use of the car as their focal point. However, newer musical talent has been putting a different spin on this theme — like The Frans, a public transit-themed rock band hailing from Cleveland, Ohio.
I had the privilege to sit down with lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Cameron Mays, lead guitarist Gabriel Xavier, bassist Hope Wondowsky, and drummer Matt Tuffano in person on March 15 to discuss their self-titled debut album, released on March 2.
I know the first question on everyone’s minds right now is probably “What do you mean a public transit-themed rock band?” Like you, this was my first question to The Frans. Frontman Mays says that he and Xavier originally played with the idea of being themed against extremist politicians running in Ohio at the time of the band’s conception. “The original ideas were a little too short sighted and … would kind of box us in,” Mays said. “I think there’s kind of urban planning issues with public transportation, there’s environmental issues it addresses … a lot of socioeconomic issues that it addresses and things like that. It seemed just more encapsulating and also more positive, too.”
The album “The Frans” definitely feels more positive and optimistic, even playful at times, when compared to other rock or punk albums focusing on social issues. The sound is quick-paced and rock-influenced, but has a wide variety of songs throughout. I always especially appreciate diverse tempos and emotions within rock albums, a genre I love that can unfortunately fall prey to songs sounding pretty similar to each other. Their most recent single, “I Just Wanna Ride the Bus,” sets up the overall vibe of the album in sound and content, but songs like “Smoking on the BRT” and “Bus of Elysium” make a change from the driving (no pun intended) wall-of-sound rock sound to a more downbeat and chill atmosphere.
When asked about musical influences, The Frans cite a wide variety of muses, from The Beatles to classical to Native American flute songs, which again comes across in the musical diversity of their album.
“I think [the band] comes together in the ‘50s, you know, like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry records, and [these] kind of old school rock and roll records,” Mays said. In addition to their first album, The Frans also just completed their first tour, which is a huge accomplishment for a new band.
“It’s been weird,” Xavier said. “I booked [the tour] and it was like planting a seed. And then, once it was all booked, there were like three months of waiting and now it’s like coming into your backyard and seeing a tree. But it’s been really cool; everyone has been supportive.”
If you missed the tour, don’t worry — you can still support the band by checking out their music on Bandcamp, Spotify, or Apple Music, and keeping a look out for The Frans’ future work, which may not all be public transit themed.
“I feel like we’ve really said all we’ve got to say in terms of public transit … and I think now it’s just kind of addressing the urban experience that we have in these sort of small, rust belt towns, so to speak,” Mays said. The band also stated that they are planning an East coast tour for the end of August. Until then, I urge anyone who is a fan of music, or of public transportation, to check out The Frans, especially if they need something to listen to next time they’re on the bus.
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