NEWS ARCHIVE
Spring 2022 Happy Spring! I hope you made it through the Winter safely, and that good things are on the horizon for you in 2022! I've got a little time off before I start the next Shania Twain residency leg in Vegas... That'll run June 10th - 25th, and then we'll be back for a couple more runs later in the year. I'll also be doing some shows here and there with Gwen Stefani, Down to the Bone, and others. As always, check my SHOWS page for upcoming performances, and find download and streaming links for my new album "Eleven Years Later" on my MUSIC page... I also set up a new STORE page, where you can purchase my albums in physical form. Feel free to add your email to the form below if you'd like to subscribe to my email list for future updates. Be well everyone, and I hope to see you at a show soon!
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Winter 2021 Live music is finally back, and in a big way! My Las Vegas residency with Gwen Stefani resumed recently, and with only 4 shows left, we're nearing the finish line. But I will be back in Vegas with Shania Twain in December and beyond... Check out my SHOWS page for ticket links. In between Gwen and Shania, I've been filling in a bit with Kelly Clarkson's band on her daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show. I'm a huge fan, and it's been really fun getting to play with her and her awesome band. Since things have been so busy, I'm gonna have to hold off on doing live shows with my own band until early 2022. Our most recent show at The Baked Potato was reviewed in the current issue of Music Connection Magazine, check out the article HERE. As always, check my SHOWS page for upcoming performances, and find download and streaming links for my new album "Eleven Years Later" on my MUSIC page... Feel free to add your email to the form below if you'd like to subscribe to my email list for future updates. Be well everyone, and I hope to see you at a show soon!
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Fall 2021
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NEW ALBUM! NEW VIDEOS! NEW INTERVIEWS!
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I'm pleased to announce that my new solo album, "Eleven Years Later", is available now! All download and streaming links can be found on my MUSIC page... feel free to add your email to the form below if you'd like to subscribe to my email list for future updates.
Since we're still unable to play live shows, I recently went into Palomino Sound in Los Angeles and filmed a series of live-in-studio performances with my band. We played several songs from my new album, and I'll be releasing one every couple of weeks for the first part of 2021. Visit my YouTube channel to check 'em out!
While hunkered down here in Los Angeles, I took part in several interviews for some podcasts and online publications... Also there have been a few album reviews published. Here they are, just click on the title to check 'em out:
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Everyone Loves Guitar Podcast - Appearance #2 (2021)
Relix Magazine - Artist Sampler Playlist
Everyone Loves Guitar Podcast,
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Be well everyone, and let's hope we can get back to live music soon!
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SUMMER 2020
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LOCKDOWN!!!!!
Yup, we're living in crazy times right now. As we're all locked down in quarantine due to COVID-19, we're all trying to find ways to be productive, stay positive, and get through it. I've been taking advantage of this time to exercise more, read more, and write more. I recently started recording a new solo album, aiming for a September release... more on that later! No updates to my touring schedule yet, but hopefully we'll all be able to get back out there playing before too long. In the meantime, I did a recent interview for the Everyone Loves Guitar Podcast, you can listen HERE or view the video HERE. Soon after quarantine started, I had a nice conversation with Bass Magazine about how I've been handling lockdown, and you can read that article HERE.
Before the pandemic, I had another nice chat with The Career Musician Podcast, and you can listen to that interview HERE.
Be well everyone, and I hope to see you on the road soon!
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JANUARY, 2020
Happy 2020, everyone! I've had a bit of a break throughout January, with the exception of a few fun local LA gigs with Soundcheck Live and Woody's Big Surprise.... But break time is over, and it's now time to get back to work! The year is shaping up to be quite busy with both Gwen Stefani and Shania Twain's​ Vegas residencies, and a European festival tour with Gwen is in the works for July... more on that as things develop. Check my "SHOWS" page for updates!
WINTER 2019-2020
It's hard to believe that the year, no wait, THE DECADE, has come to a close! And wow, what a decade it's been... I've been super fortunate to travel the world making music with some amazing artists and bands since 2010, and I hope to do more of the same in this next decade. Here's the latest news...
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• This past fall we had our final run of shows for the year with Gwen Stefani's "Just a Girl" Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood, and I then immediately went into rehearsals for Shania Twain's "Let's Go!" Las Vegas residency, also at Planet Hollywood. Shania's show opened December 6th, and will continue sporadically through 2021. The next Vegas run with Gwen starts February 7th, and the next run with Shania starts March 13th. There will be additional shows with both artists in between our Vegas residencies, I'll keep this site updated as things develop.
• I've got some fun upcoming gigs in LA with Soundcheck Live, Woody's House Party, and The Dirty Diamond, check out my SHOWS page for more info.
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That's about all I have to report for now! In between these aforementioned gigs, I plan to do as much snowboarding as possible, and writing for a new solo album. Keep checking in for updates!
FALL 2019
Summer is over, leaves are changing, and to quote Game of Thrones, "WINTER IS COMING..."! Here's what's happening now and in the not-too-distant future:
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• I've been around the world a bit lately, doing various shows with Gwen Stefani. We're back at our "Just a Girl" Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood throughout October, and we'll back for our final two chunks of shows in February and May, 2020.
• In November I'll be busy rehearsing with Shania Twain for her "Let's Go!" Las Vegas residency, also at Planet Hollywood. Our show opens December 6th, and will continue sporadically through 2021.
• My indie rock band, The Dirty Diamond, released our long-awaited new album "From the Stars" in June. You can download it or stream it on all platforms now.
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SUMMER 2019
A few highlights from the Summer thus far:
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• I've been around the world a bit lately, doing various shows with Gwen Stefani. We're back at our "Just a Girl" Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood throughout July, and we'll back for another chunk of shows in October.
• My indie rock band, The Dirty Diamond, released our long-awaited new album "From the Stars" in June. You can download it or stream it on all platforms now.
• I was recently a counselor at Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, coaching a put-together band of amateur musicians and jamming with Lou Gramm, Vince Neil, and Joe Perry.
• On August 1st, I'm honored to be performing an album release show at the Grammy Museum in Downtown LA with Cherie Curry (The Runaways) and Brie Darling (Fanny).
• At the end of September, I'll be filling in on a few US dates with Mexican singer Paulina Rubio.
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SPRING/SUMMER UPDATE
May 3rd, 2019
Hey party people! I've got some fun things happening this Spring/Summer, and I want to tell you about 'em!
• I just finished a short run around the world with Gwen Stefani. We'll be rocking the Machaca festival in Monterrey, Mexico June 22nd, and then heading back to our Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood July 5th.
• My rock band "The Dirty Diamond" is releasing a new single May 10th, a new album in June, and we have an album release show June 15th at The Troubadour in LA. You can pre-order the single "Going Through Changes (feat. Andra Day)" on iTunes HERE, or pre-save it on Spotify now HERE!
• Bass Player Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazine did an article on me and my setup in the June issue, on sale at newsstands now!
• MusicRadar.com interviewed me for their "Top Tips for Bassists" series... Click HERE to read it.
• I recently shared my "LA Story" with Voyage LA online magazine. Read the interview HERE.
• More things are in the works, check back here for updates and/or follow me on Instagram for the latest!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
January 16th, 2019
We're already a couple weeks into 2019, so I realize that my "Happy New Year" post is a little late... regardless, before sharing my 2019 plans with you, I figured I'd recap some of the highlights of my 2018 musical adventures.
• I started the year off touring around the US with Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers.
• In April, I did a 3-week tour of Asia with singer/songwriter Daniel Powter ("Bad Day").
• Immediately after that tour, I joined Gwen Stefani's band, and started rehearsing for a Vegas residency that will continue through November 2019.
• At the beginning of August, I filled in for the first couple shows of Shakira's North American tour.
• I did two shows with Shania Twain, one in Denver and one in Brazil... the latter had a crowd of about 100,000 people, the biggest audience I've played for yet.
• I celebrated New Year's Eve in Vegas with a Gwen Stefani show and great after party hosted by the boss herself. Part of our performance was broadcast on CNN as part of their New Year's celebration program.
• And in between all those live performances, I managed to fit in some LA shows with The Dirty Diamond, The Soundcheck Live Resident Band, The Deep Cuts, Woody's Big Surprise, and quite a few recording sessions.
So what's in store for 2019? Well, for starters, I'll be doing a few runs in Vegas with Gwen Stefani, check out the website to see the dates. I'm also hoping to start another solo project this year, I'll be sure to update this site when I have new music to release. As always, thanks for visiting, and I hope to see you at a show soon!!!!
NEW PODCAST INTERVIEWS
October 3rd, 2018
I recently did a couple podcast interviews, check 'em out! I talk about my time with Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Shakira, Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers, Air Supply, and much more...
1. The Lowdown Society Podcast : Episode 8
2. The Music Mentor Podcast: Episode 127
SUMMER 2018
July 27th, 2018
The latest news: We just wrapped the first leg of Gwen Stefani's "Just a Girl" Las Vegas Residency, and it was A-mazing! We'll be back in December, February, and March, visit GwenStefani.com for more info. I'm now off to Denver for a show with Shania Twain, and I'll be doing another one with her in Barretos, Brazil August 18th. In between, I'll be filling in on a few dates with Shakira... visit Shakira.com for more info; I'll be on the first week or so of her US/Canada run. Then hopefully I'll be able to take a little break and get into the mountains for a bit!
2018 TOURING
May 9th, 2018
Just a little update on what's going on with me on the live performance tip... I just got back from a 3-week run in Asia with Daniel Powter. Great artist, great band, great shows... what more can one ask for? Another Asia tour with Daniel is on the horizon for November, I'll keep you posted.
I was recently invited to join Gwen Stefani's band, and we're currently in rehearsals for a residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas starting June 27th. The show is going to be incredible, visit GwenStefani.com and get your tickets! I gotta say, I'm super stoked... playing all these No Doubt tunes with Gwen is nothing short of exhilarating!
I have to take a little break from Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers to make room for Gwen, but I'll be jumping back on tour with that band starting in August. Visit MindiAbair.com for tour dates.
I'm sorry to say that my time with Shania Twain has come to an end, at least for the time being. Shania's 2018 NOW tour is more of a visually-focused production show, and unfortunately does not include a bass player. But I wish Shania and the team the best of luck out there!
2018
2/21/18
We're coming up on the end of February, and I realized that I haven't written an update in a few months... Happy 2018, everybody! Over the next couple months, I'll be touring around the US with Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers in support of our most recent release "The East West Sessions". Check out the tour dates HERE. In between touring, I've been busy in the studio recording with artists such as Cristian Castro, Enrique Guzman, and others... I'll let you know when those records are released! In other tour news, I'll be joining singer/songwriter Daniel Powter on a tour of Asia in April. More things are in the works, I'll keep you all updated!
ALL OUT OF LOVE...
September 30th, 2017
Graham Russell once said to me "Air Supply is like a train that keeps moving constantly... every now and then, someone jumps off, but the train never stops.". Well, I'm afraid that the time has come for me to jump off the Air Supply train. Over the past year, I've been a member of three different touring bands, and eventually the "juggling act" became too much to handle. Although it was a difficult decision to make, I've decided to step out of Air Supply and resume my position as bassist/vocalist with both Shania Twain and Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers. It's been a fun ride, and I can't thank Graham, Russell, the band, crew, and management enough. Playing such iconic songs in well over 150 shows in I-don't-know-how-many countries has been the experience of a lifetime, and I won't forget the amazing times I've had playing, hanging, and traveling with these incredible humans. I also want to send out a special thanks to all the Airheads out there... When I came in last year to fill the shoes of Jonni Lightfoot, you all made me feel extremely welcome, and I appreciate it immensely. I wish the best of luck to Air Supply as they continue to spread their message of love and music around the world, and I hope to remain in touch with everyone on the team forever.
NEW RECORD! NEW INTERVIEW!
September 15th, 2017
The new album from Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers, "The EastWest Sessions,” dropped Friday, Sept.15th!!! We went in and tracked live together as a band, and I'm really proud of it... Support your local musician... buy a copy, and tell your friends! Links for Sales and Streaming:
•Spotify •Amazon •iTunes •Target online •Artist website
I recently did an interview via Skype for Bass Musician Magazine, check it out HERE!
SHANIA TWAIN PROMO DATES
On September 29th, Shania Twain will be releasing her first album since 2002's "Up". In support of that release, we'll be doing a few promo dates:
8/16: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon VIEW HERE
8/28: Opening ceremony for the US Open VIEW HERE
9/5: Performance on TV show "Strictly Come Dancing" (UK)
9/10: BBC Radio concert in Hyde Park (London) VIEW HERE
9/27: Performance on the Late Late Show With James Corden VIEW HERE
9/28: Performance on "Ellen" VIEW HERE
11/26: Halftime Show at The Grey Cup VIEW HERE
In between all of that, I'll still be holding down the low end with Air Supply, Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, and the Soundcheck Live Resident Band. As always, check out my CALENDAR page for my complete schedule!
NEW INTERVIEW
July 11th, 2017
I recently did an interview for NoTreble.com, an online bass magazine. I talk about how I started, current projects, and of course GEAR! Check it out: http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/06/29/bass-tracks-an-interview-with-derek-frank/
SHANIA ON THE TODAY SHOW
June 19th, 2017
I recently returned from New York, still buzzing from our performance with Shania Twain on NBC's Today Show. We played the just-released single "Life's About To Get Good", the soon-to-be-released single "Swinging With My Eyes Closed", and a couple of her smash hits. Here are a couple video links:
"Life's About To Get Good": http://on.today.com/2tvhNCi
"That Don't Impress Me Much": http://on.today.com/2ryB8WB
MAY UPDATE
May 8th, 2017
Wow, it's almost Summer... crazy! The year is already flying by... Here are some highlights so far:
• I just played the Stagecoach Festival in California with Shania Twain. It felt great getting the band back together, and we had an amazing show. Shania sounded and looked fantastic, and that was the biggest crowd I've ever played for - 80.000 people singing every word! We'll be performing on NBC's "The Today Show" June 16th, promoting her new soon-to-be-released single and album.
• Air Supply has been keeping me busy, so far this year we've played in 7 countries and I-don't-know-how-many states. We'll be going non-stop throughout the year...
• In between all that, I'm still holding it down with the Resident Band at Soundcheck Live on Wednesdays at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. Check my CALENDAR page to see when I'll be there!
2017 TOURING
January 9th, 2017
Happy new year! 2017 is starting off with a bang... On January 12th, Air Supply will be resuming our world tour, with shows all over the USA, Canada, Asia, Jamaica, etc. Click HERE for info/tour dates/tickets.
I'll also be doing some shows with Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, starting with some east coast dates during the first week of February. Click HERE to see Mindi's schedule (NOTE: I won't be appearing on all of Mindi's dates... I'll try to keep my schedule updated on my CALENDAR page).
On April 29th, Shania Twain is getting the band back together for a special headlining performance at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA. There may be more Shania shows after that, keep checking back for updates!
In between the road trips, I'll still be holding it down with the Resident Band at Soundcheck Live on Wednesdays at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. Again, check my CALENDAR page to see when I'll be there!
INTERVIEW - WAKE UP HOLLYWOOD
December 06, 2016
I had a great time being interviewed on LA Talk Radio's "Wake Up Hollywood". I talk about some current gigs/projects/records, early influences, and what's coming up in 2017. Thanks to Nikhi Korula and Eddie Pence for having me! Click HERE to check it out.
AIR SUPPLY TOUR
September 20, 2016
I've recently been invited to join soft-rock hitmakers Air Supply as their full-time bassist. We're in the midst of a world tour that is taking us all over the USA, Canada, South America, Israel, and Asia. Click HERE for more info and tour dates.
MINDI ABAIR IN CHINA
August 23rd, 2016
I just returned from a trip to China with Mindi Abair... We had a festival show in Dengfeng that unfortunately got rained out, and then we played 2 nights at a brand new Blue Note club in Beijing. Wow, what an AMAZING venue! If you get the oportunity to check it out, I highly recommend it!
AIR SUPPLY
May 17, 2016
I'll be hitting the road with Air Supply in June, with shows scheduled in New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong. Visit my CALENDAR page for the full schedule...
SOUNDCHECK LIVE
March 20th, 2016
I'm now part of the resident band at an exciting new night in Hollywood called Soundcheck Live. We play every Wednesday at Lucky Strike, located at the iconic Hollywood and Highland center. This night features some of the best musicians in LA, along with featured guests from some of your favorite bands. Different artists every week... Every Wednesday at 9pm. It gets packed, so I suggest showing up early!
INTERVIEW - THATSMYGIG.COM
January 5th, 2016
I recently did an interview with ThatsMyGig.com , a great website that connects musicians with gigs, and also offers lots of free music industry advice. I talk about my early experiences in LA, auditions, and how I ended up on my current gig with Shania Twain. Check it out HERE.
HOME!!!
November 1, 2015
I'm finally back home in LA after what has been an unbelievable 5-month tour with Shania Twain. Best tour I've ever had the privilege of being on, with the best team of touring professionals in the business. Thanks to Shania, the team (all 100+ of us), and all the fans for such a great year. We're done for the foreseeable future, so I look forward to getting into some new projects soon!
NEW RELEASE
September 25th, 2015
I'm pleased to announce the release of the new Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers album, "Live in Seattle". We recorded this album over 4 nights at Dimitrou's Jazz Alley in Seattle... Buy it HERE! We'll be touring to promote the record in 2016, check out my CALENDAR page for the schedule.
ROCK THIS COUNTRY TOUR
August 30th, 2015
Shania Twain's "Rock This Country" tour is in full effect, with yours truly on bass and background vocals. We just wrapped the Summer leg of the tour, with 48 shows all over the USA and Canada. We'll be back at it this Fall, starting September 12th in Spokane, WA. Check out www.shaniatwain.com for more info and tickets.