As “Drops of Jupiter” by Train plays in the background, the gang that makes up the psych-rock outfit Frankie and The Witch Fingers amp up for the next live gig. They are set to play in front of thousands of fans at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The energy is intoxicating. Fans ready to party, but not necessarily ready for what is about to hit them. Front man Dylan Sizemore and the band know this; they may not have the laurels to headline a festival this big, but they are ready to melt some faces. That is what matters most, make that lasting impression. Get into people’s heads and into their Spotify playlists.
The performance commences and the reverb is felt instantly. This is not your ordinary show. Bassist and badass, Nikki Pickle is the first to grab your attention. Decked in black attire and sporting bright neon yellow locks, you cannot help but to fixate on her stage presence and be mesmerized by her bitchin’ bass play. The music continues to crescendo to a blast-your-eardrums level and it becomes more and more apparent that Frankie and The Witch Fingers mean serious business.
To get to this point, the troupe worked tirelessly on their 2020 LP release, Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters. States Sizemore, “This album found a unique path to being. It came about in a chronological order. Interesting, since it was something we had never attempted before. It was different, it was fun. The songs are simply in a story-telling order.” The record is an audible acid trip, hyped and full of adrenaline. From its first chord to its final note you can feel an unrelenting sense of zeal and vibrancy. Indeed, a colorful blasting effect that may leave you seeing people eating monsters or vice versa.
On stage, the Frankie and The Witch Fingers experience comes full circle. Witnessing first hand what they bring to the table is cause for crowd-surfing and mosh pits. Drummer Jon Modaff seems all too cool and collected to serve as the backbone to such an ear-deafening affair. Multi-instrumentalist Josh Menashe serves up rowdy string licks and powerful synths like a madman. Then we have tongue-wagging wild child Dylan Sizemore, the man simply will not let up and smell the flowers. Not at all. The man is pedal-to-the-metal from the jump; which pairs well to Frankie and The Witch Finger‘s primordial groove. This quartet was born for the stage. Born to assist in the destruction of traditional rock-n-roll barriers. Normalcy need not apply. After all, what exactly is normalcy? Let’s just say Frankie and The Witch Fingers create their own sphere of tunes and drag you into their partying vision; and you should be thankful for this.
“We love coming to Atlanta. We enjoy a walk through Piedmont Park and hit up a Willy’s Grill. Shout out to Willy’s! Their burritos are delicious,” notes Menashe. After their masterfully delivered set, the band sits at the press lounge of the Shaky Knees Festival. “I think we did good. I hope the crowd left our show with their knees shook. That was the whole goal of coming to Shaky Knees.” says a laughing Pickles. They know they did. Frankie and The Witch Fingers would have it no other way.
LoudSound Magazine 