Chris Frangou

Chris Frangou (born 3 May 1991 in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia) is a songwriter, bass virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist and session musician best know for his work as the bass player for Australian grunge funk band John Smith Quintet (JSQ) and funk rock trio Global Frontier.

 

Early years:

Chris Frangou was born 3 May 1991 in Bacchus Marsh (a small town in Victoria), Australia. He was raised in a musical family where his father played electric guitar. Whilst still very young he began playing piano and recieved lessons at school. He continued piano for a few years until he decided to start learning the bass guitar because he claimed "...there are not enough good bass players out there and every one plays guitar" and by late 2003 his father bought him his first bass, a black Fender Jazz Bass which he still uses today.

Shortly after starting bass, Frangou began listening to music like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and similar rock bands. He says that while he still played piano he was influenced by ragtime players like Scott Joplin. The early rock music quickly began to show in his playing when he adopted a fat classic bass sound but it was not until he discovered bass oriented bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus that his unique bass sound began to take form.


Global Frontier:
In 2006 Chris Frangou formed a Ska/Jazz Fusion band containing members and friends from his highschool bands. The rhythm section consisted of Chris on electric bass, Domenic Nardo on electric guitar and Phill Rogers on drums. After playing a few gigs the trio discovered their ability to connect musically and in June 2006 they created the funk-rock band Global Frontier. Later in 2007 Global Frontier was put on hiatus after Chris Frangou left to record and tour with his new band John Smith Quintet.

Sound Theory:

In late 2006 Frangou began to record solo material which he named Chris Frangou's Sound Theory. It exhibits him writing and playing all instruments heard. Not intended for full public release he kept the material under his own record label Envelope Music named after the song "ENVELOPE" that he wrote. He continues to write material for Sound Theory and plans for the small scale release of a Sound Theory album sometime in 2009 or 2010. He has recently hinted at the fact that it may be of the Jazz Fusion genre and that it may include his own big band.


John Smith Quintet:
In August 2007 Chris Frangou co-created Australian Grunk band John Smith Quintet. He is intrumented in the developement of their unique bass oriented sound and has co-wrtten many of their hit songs including 'Healing' and 'Tram'. Chris claims he thought of the name John Smith Quintet and its catch phrase "...who is John Smith?" thinking it would be quirky to be named a quintet without actually having 5 people and a John Smith.

Sound and technique:

Being professionally trained he gained experience over the years playing electric bass and upright bass for numerous jazz bands, rock groups and solo artists. He is known for his extensive use of slap bass technique and large array of effects. One example of his effects heavy sound can be heard on his signature track ENVELOPE.


Equipment:
Chris Frangou is known for his expert knowledge of musical gear and utilising a wide range of equipment. As of recently he is primarily using both a 2003 Fender Jazz bass and a 2008 Custom Fender Jazz Bass Fretless in the studio and on tour. He currently uses Hartke bass cabinets and heads but also utilises Ampeg 8x10's, SVT-VR's.