Franky Perez
Franky Perez | |
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![]() Perez in 2023 | |
Background information | |
Born | Las Vegas,Nevada,U.S.[1] | February 24, 1976
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1995–present |
Labels | Atlantic |
Website | fxptheartist |
Franky Perezis an American musician best known as a solo artist, touring vocalist of the Finnish metal bandApocalyptica,and as former guitarist forScars on Broadway.He has also released three solo albums,Poor Man's Son,My 4th of July,andAddict,and performed with guitaristSlashin his live band before Slash assembled the touring band that backed him during his first full solo tour withMyles Kennedy.Perez has also collaborated with Slash'sVelvet RevolverbandmateDave Kushner,releasing songs under the pseudonym ofDKFXP,as well as thevirtual bandPusher Jones, contributing the song "Count Me Out" toThe Avengerssoundtrack.
Perez has performed with a number of all-star cover bands over the years includingCamp Freddy,Ducati All-Stars, Royal Machines, andKings of Chaos.As of 2014, Perez is the singer of the Finnish metal bandApocalyptica.
He sang for the supergroupDeadland Ritual,alongside guitaristSteve Stevens(Billy Idol,Michael Jackson), bassistGeezer Butler(Black Sabbath,Heaven and Hell) and drummerMatt Sorum(the Cult,Guns N' Roses,Velvet Revolverand many others).[2]
Biography
[edit]Solo career (2002–present)
[edit]At the beginning of his career, Perez befriended conga player and Cuban exile Lazaro Valdez[1][3]before moving to Miami, Florida although he initially planned on moving to New York City.[3]After waiting tables in Miami, Perez was contacted by formerVan HalenandThe Black CrowesmanagerPete Angeluswho suggested that Perez move from Miami to Los Angeles.[3]Perez also brought his band to L.A., named The Highway Saints, and signed a deal withAtlantic Recordsin 2002.[3]He released his debut solo album, titledPoor Man's Son,on May 13, 2003[4]to some positive reviews, with Christina Fuoco ofAllMusicstating that "with Cuban music as a base, he successfully experiments with a buffet of tastes including sultry blues, roots rock, inoffensive '80s rock, and anthemic pop."[4]The album's single, "Something Crazy", peaked at number 22 on theBillboardAdult Top 40.[5]
In 2005, Perez releasedMy 4th of July[1]and toured in support which included an appearance at theRock Festin Cadott, Wisconsin.[6][7]
On March 14, 2010, Perez announced[8]that he had signed with Sanctuary Artist Management intending to release a new solo album.[9]
Scars on Broadway (2008–2012)
[edit]After recording an album and posting their first track online, titled "They Say", Scars on Broadway collaboratorsDaron MalakianandJohn Dolmayan(both ofSystem of a Down) recruited new members to perform for upcoming live shows.[10]Added to the lineup were Perez, on guitar, Dominic Cifarelli, on bass, and Danny Shamoun on keyboards and percussion. They played their first live show in April 2008, at the Whisky a Go Go, and played at theCoachella Festivalin the same month.[1][10]The group's debut album,Scars on Broadway,was released in July of the same year.[10]In August they announced their first North American tour in support of their debut release, while also releasing a music video for the track "World Long Gone",[11]however the tour was canceled by Malakian for "compelling reasons".[12]Perez addressed the fans about the tour cancellation saying:
I know the news has been extremely shocking to all of you. However, I know that Daron has compelling reasons to not continue with the tour at this time. I wanted to take the time to thank him and John for giving me such an incredible opportunity to do what I love and to be a part of an amazing band with undeniable talent. They are like brothers to me and with time our band became like family which made the news even harder to swallow. I also want to thank the fans from all over the world for all of your support and for welcoming us with open arms. I hope you will continue supporting us no matter where this journey leads us. Each member of Scars has a deep love and passion for music that will never die. With that said, this is not a goodbye, but a see you later.[12]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Franky_Perez%2C_Iraq.png/220px-Franky_Perez%2C_Iraq.png)
Almost a year after the tour cancellation, Scars on Broadway announced they were to tour U.S. Army bases in Iraq without Malakian. Perez stated that "We all wish that our brother D [Malakian] would come as well, but he has other commitments in the States. He has given us his blessing to go perform and supports the cause completely."[13]In the same year, Malakian, Dolmayan, former System of a Down bassistShavo Odadjianand Perez performed together at Odadjian's Halloween party at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on October 31, 2009.[14]
On April 13, 2010, Scars on Broadway announced that they were performing a comeback show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood on Sunday, May 2, 2010.[15]During the show, they debuted a new song, reportedly titled "Talkin' Shit", and were joined on stage by Shavo Odadjian, on third guitar, for two songs.[16]
On September 22, 2012, Scars on Broadway performed their first concert in over 2 years at the Epicenter Festival in Irvine, Ca. Franky Perez did not appear, and he confirmed on Facebook that he was no longer in the band.[17]
Other work
[edit]In 2009,Slashannounced that Perez was part of his live band, along withJohn 5,Chris Chaney,Jason BonhamandTeddy Andreadis,to perform at his headlining appearance at the Quart Festival on June 30 in Kristiansand, Norway.[18]He was once again part of Slash's live band, this time on lead vocals, at his show in Las Vegas on October 2 the same year.[19][20]On September 10, Perez performed at theOzzy Osbournetribute at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.[21]Guests at the tribute includedHenry Rollins,Tommy Lee,Slash,Billy Bob Thornton,LemmyandCorey Tayloramong others.[22]
On June 20, 2009, Perez announced via his official Myspace that he was in the studio collaborating with Velvet Revolver guitaristDave Kushner.[1][23][24]Perez had briefly been hired as vocalist of Velvet Revolver in 2008 before the band changed their mind.[25]The songs recorded were released under the pseudonym ofDKFXP(a combination of both Perez and Kushner's initials), the first released on September 19 titledParty of One.[26]On November 16, another song, titledThe Collapse,was made available to download.[27]On December 1, Perez listed all the songs that had been released for free previously, as well as the codes to download them, including the songBeyond the Wirewhich was previously only available to US troops serving in the war.[28]
In October, Perez stated on his Twitter account that he and Kushner were jamming withWeezerbassistScott Shrinerand his Scars on Broadway bandmate, drummerJohn Dolmayan.[29]
Also in 2009, Perez recorded a cover ofThe Who'sSlip Kidwithheavy metalgroupAnvil,released onSongs of Anarchya 2011 album featuring music from theFXtelevision series "Sons of Anarchy".[30]In 2012, Perez performed a cover of Stevie Wonder's, "Higher Ground" for the fifth-season soundtrack of 'Sons of Anarchy', along with Sons of Anarchy house band, The Forest Rangers.[31]
In 2010, a cover band of musicians andDucatienthusiasts, called Ducati All-Stars, was announced featuring guitaristsBilly Morrison(Camp Freddy,The Cult,Circus Diablo),Steve Jones(Sex Pistols),Steve Stevens(Billy Idol),Chris Wyse(The Cult) on bass, Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin) on drums, andDonovan Leitch(Camp Freddy),Mark McGrath(Sugar Ray) and Perez on vocals.[32]They played their first show at the Roxy Theatre, Saturday, January 2. The group plan on performing more shows, including a possible tour of the West Coast and overseas.[33]
After performing together at the "Giving 2010" benefit event on May 3, 2010,[34]Perez formed the cover band "Carnival of Dogs" withMatt Sorum(Velvet Revolver, Camp Freddy, formerly ofGuns N' Rosesand The Cult),Tracii Guns(L.A. Guns,Brides of Destruction) andPhil Soussan(formerly of Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol andVince Neil).[35][36]
Perez has performed with the cover bandCamp Freddyon numerous occasions over the years.[37][38][39]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Apocalyptica-gdansk-nnastazja-IMG-9670.jpg/261px-Apocalyptica-gdansk-nnastazja-IMG-9670.jpg)
As of 2015, he is the exclusive singer on the vocal tracks for the newApocalypticaalbum,Shadowmaker.He will also sing on the subsequent live shows.[40]Regarding the possibility of having him as an official member, Apocalyptica co-founderEicca Toppinensaid "it's too early to think about it but nothing is decided! Now we got the record done and then we will have touring more or less for 2 years and at the end of that time or sometime during those 2 years we will know. But it wouldn't be an impossible option to have Franky [...]".[40]
Discography
[edit]- Studio albums
- Poor Man's Son(2003)
- My 4th of July(2005)
- ADDICT(2014)
- Suddenly 44(2020)
- Crossing The Great Divide(2022)
- with Apocalyptica
- Shadowmaker(2015, album)
- I'll Get Through It(2022, single)
References
[edit]- ^abcde"10 Things You Didn't Know About Franky Perez".Classic Rock.July 3, 2009.
- ^Kielty, Martin (December 10, 2018)."Deadland Ritual Premiere 'Down in Flames': Exclusive".Ultimate Classic Rock.RetrievedJanuary 8,2024.
- ^abcdWilson, MacKenzie."Franky Perez Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedFebruary 13,2015.
- ^abFuoco, Christina."Poor Man's Son Review".AllMusic.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles".AllMusic.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Cinderella, Great White, Ratt, Quiet Riot Confirmed For Wisconsin's Rock Fest".Blabbermouth.net.February 20, 2005.
- ^"Megadeth, UFO, Cinderella Confirmed For Wisconsin's Rock Fest".Blabbermouth.net.March 29, 2005.
- ^"Franky Perez's Photos - Wall Photos".Facebook.May 14, 2010.
- ^"Franky Perez".Sanctuary Artist Management. June 16, 2010.
- ^abcTrue, Chris."Scars on Broadway Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Velvet Scars on Broadway: More 'World Long Gone' Video Details Revealed".Blabbermouth.net.August 29, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^ab"Scars on Broadway's Daron Malakian Has 'Compelling Reasons' For Cancelling Tour".Blabbermouth.net.October 9, 2008.
- ^"Scars on Broadway Members Touring Army Bases in Iraq".Blabbermouth.net.August 24, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"System of a Down Members Reunite For Halloween Performance".Blabbermouth.net.November 2, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2010.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Scars on Broadway Announces Comeback Show".Blabbermouth.net.April 13, 2010.
- ^"Scars on Broadway Returns To Live Stage After 17-Month Absence; Video Available".Blabbermouth.net.May 3, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2010.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^Perez, Franky."Facebook Wall Post".Facebook.RetrievedSeptember 27,2012.
- ^"Slash at Norway's Quart Festival: More Details Revealed".Blabbermouth.net.June 4, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2009.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Slash Confirms Lineup For Mirage Concert".Blabbermouth.net.September 28, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2009.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Slash And Friends Perform in Las Vegas; Review, Photos Available".Blabbermouth.net.October 5, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 8, 2009.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Slipknot, Scars on Broadway, Billy Idol Members Perform at Ozzy Osbourne Tribute".Blabbermouth.net.September 11, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Slash, Lemmy, Tommy Lee Honor Ozzy Osbourne at Sunset Strip Music Festival".Blabbermouth.net.September 11, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Me And Kush".MySpace.June 20, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^"Velvet Revolver Guitarist Dave Kushner Receives 2009 Emmy Nomination".Blabbermouth.net.August 18, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon May 25, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^perez vocalist
- ^"Party of One – Free Download".MySpace.September 19, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^"Free FXP Mp3".MySpace.November 16, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^"Codes for FXP songs posted to date".MySpace.December 1, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^"Scott Shriner, Dave Kushner, John Dolmayan, and I got together..."Twitter.October 15, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 2,2010.
- ^"Anvil, Scars on Broadway Guitarist Cover The Who For 'Sons of Anarchy' EP".Blabbermouth.net.August 30, 2009.
- ^"Higher Ground".Amazon.
- ^"Jason Bonham, Steve Jones, Chris Wyse To Perform As Ducati All-Stars".Blabbermouth.net.December 21, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Ducati All-Stars Concert Packs The Roxy Theatre on Sunset".Blabbermouth.net.January 6, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Matt Sorum, Tracii Guns, Phil Soussan To Perform At 'Giving 2010'".Blabbermouth.net.April 29, 2010.
- ^"Velvet Revolver, L.A. Guns, Scars on Broadway Members Join Forces in Carnival of Dogs".Blabbermouth.net.May 22, 2010.
- ^"New Covers Supergroup Is Formed".Classic Rock.May 24, 2010.
- ^"Slash, Chester Bennington, Billy Duffy Jam With Camp Freddy in Hollywood".Blabbermouth.net.December 10, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Fred Durst Performs Aerosmith's 'Sweet Emotion' With Camp Freddy; Video Available".Blabbermouth.net.December 7, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^"Camp Freddy Performs at Pre-Oscars Party in Hollywood; Video Available".Blabbermouth.net.March 7, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon March 10, 2010.RetrievedJune 9,2010.
- ^abSchizodeluxe, Andrew (January 14, 2015)."Apocalyptica talks to The Rockpit".The Rockpit.RetrievedApril 20,2015.
External links
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