Last week, WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt hosted a live studio session with Frank Calzada and Friends. The band was scheduled to play three shows in Dayton on March 8 and 9, and plans to release a new EP, Muchas Mariposas, later this month. Frank Calzada & Friends features Frank Calzada (vocals, guitar), Nelson Florek (bass), Billy Gruber (auxiliary percussion), and Jared Bruns (drum kit). Together, they played several songs live on air, and Calzada spoke with Juliet about joining a family line of songwriters.
For Frank Calzada, music and family have always been intertwined. In January 2022, the singer released a dreamy single, “Buenas Noches.” The song wasn’t new; it was originally written decades ago by Calzada’s grandfather, an amateur musician and songwriter. “My grandfather taught my mom how to play guitar when she was growing up,” he said. “He was a very musical man, he just never pursued it seriously.” Eventually, Calzada plans to record more songs from his grandfather’s song book (as soon as he manages to get it back from his aunt). But, he added, playing music will always makes him think of family: “My mom taught me how to play guitar, so whenever I pick up the guitar and I’m playing music, I'm always reminded of the history of my family behind it.”
Frank Calzada is also a prolific songwriter in his own right: since 2018, he has released four full-length studio albums and a half-dozen singles and EPs. While he is the primary songwriter of Frank Calzada & Friends, he told Juliet that he welcomes input from the other members of the band. “I come up with these songs myself, then I make a demo of it on my iPhone via GarageBand,” he said. “Once I get that, I show it to the band—I’m like, ‘Hey, this is an idea of what I have. Would you like to work on it?’” According to drummer Jared Bruns, the band’s name is rings true:
“We are actually friends. I know some bands that aren’t actually friends; they show up for the gigs and they don’t see each other. But we see each other and we really enjoy it.”
Frank Calzada will release a new four track EP, Muchas Mariposas, on March 16. For updates about Frank & Friends’ shows and releases, follow them on Instagram.
Text by Peter Day, adapted from a live studio session recorded by Juliet Fromholt on Mar. 6, 2024.
