Beginnings

It started out of curiosity at age 12 when Brian's parents returned home with a guitar they had bought to display in their home. He immediately picked it up and began playing and hasn't put it down since. As Brian notes, "I really don't know what made me want pick up the guitar and play. I was never a kid whose parents made me play any instruments, but for whatever reason I was drawn to the guitar when one was put in front of me." Seventeen years later he's an up and coming award-winning singer/songwriter.

Brian Franke was born and raised in Fair Haven, New Jersey. He grew up with music around him at an early age--his Pop Pop and uncle both played organ and accordian and his grandmother and aunt sang. "My earliest memory of music was going over my Nana and Pop pop's house and my Pop pop teaching me how to play a major scale and Jingle Bells on the organ. Nothing came of it, no recitals or anything, but I liked tinkering around." He also recalls a local artist whose album "Born in the USA" caught his ear at an early age. "Bruce Springsteen is a local hero to a lot of people in New Jersey including myself. I remember listening to 'Born in the USA' over and over again when I was like 4 or 5. So I certainly consider him a very early influence on my music upbringing."

After picking up that guitar at age 12, he was hooked. He started teaching himself how to play and immediately wrote songs. The following Christmas his parents bought him his first electric guitar and amplifier, only to endure hours of listening to him try and play along with other early influences like Metallica, Megadeth, and Nirvana. "Oh, I was a metal head, flannel wearing shirt teenager back in the day. But I loved playing that stuff, it gave me such a rush and taught me a great deal about song structure, technique, chord progressions, and how to learn other songs by ear." During high school he got involved in the arts, performing in plays and musicals, singing in the chorus, and playing percussion in the marching band. "That's where I learned I could sing and hold a tune as well as develop my rhythmic skills." Then after taking guitar lessons for 2 years, a couple high school friends approached him about being in a band.

Band Years (Visitors Only 1997-2002)

Visitor's Only started off as a band with no name in 1997 that played the prom during Brian's senior year of high school. Initially they covered a lot of King's X, tried writing and recording a few songs, but then fizzled away as everyone left for college. It was Brian's first experience playing with a drummer, bassist, and lead singer with Brian taking up rhythm and lead guitar duty. It was also his first time with a band on stage. "I recall our first gig at the prom and for the first few songs we sort of just stood there playing and had no stage presence. So for some reason I started jumping around to one of the songs while playing and got quite a reaction from the crowd. After that when the band did non-acoustic shows I would go a bit nuts at times running around stage, jumping off the drum set, and interacting with my bandmates and audience. Amazingly I have no injuries to myself or anyone's equipment from any of those stunts."

Upon returning from his first semester at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst the original lead singer was out and Brian was approached his friend Mike Bacigalupi to be the singer. After talking with the other bandmates Steve Aumack (drums and guitars) and Bob Voorhees (bass), everyone agreed to bring Mike on. In the summer of 1998 Visitor's Only was born and began playing the Jersey shore area particularly in Red Bank. They collaborated together around songwriting duties and focused on writing acoustic rock, but also continued to play cover shows as well with Brian strapping on the electric guitar. By the end of 1998 VO (as they were also known) had recorded its first album on a four-track and had a decent fan base.

However, the group only played together during breaks from college and once college was over each member went in their own direction to start their non-music career. But Brian speaks fondly of the VO days, "Quite honestly the best memories I have of my late teens and early 20s was spending time making music with Steve, Mike, and Bob. Not only just making music, but goofing around, hanging out at Sea Bright public beach at night just jamming or talking, and just enjoying each other's company. We had a lot of fun, but VO didn't end up being a priority after college as we all thought it best to use our degrees. Looking back now at what we wrote together a lot of the songs were about our first experiences as adults, being on our own, and where we wanted our lives to go." Visitor's Only last performed in December 2000 and it would be the last time Brian performed on a stage for the next five years.

Hiatus and Return to Performing
(2002-2006, 2006-Today)

For the next five years Brian started a career working in the non-profit sector, went to graduate school in New York City, and finally moved to Washington, DC. He describes the hiatus as, "music not being a priority. I was doing what I thought I should be doing like everyone else, focusing on a better education and career. I would still write songs when I could and play for friends but for the most part didn't have a desire to get out there and play in front of people I did not know. Looking back now it seems very lame since I really enjoyed performing, but then again when you're paying your way through grad school and living in New York City for two years there wasn't exactly time to dedicate to it."

Things changed though in the summer of 2006 after living in the Washington, DC area for a year. While out with some friends at a local bar he heard a guy playing and singing and realized he could be doing that. "I had reached a point where I was frustrated with myself and what I wanted to do musically again. I just didn't know what the hell to do. Seeing this guy perform that night turned that frustration into inspiration and I decided to go out on my own and perform. At first I knew I had to start with baby steps, especially on the singing--so I played a bunch of open mics in the area. I also got to know several musicians doing what I ideally wanted to do and relied on them for feedback, advice, and guidance. Most importantly, I started writing songs with more focus than ever before and really began learning more about how to write a quality song. After 8 months or so of doing the open mic thing I started booking myself at venues in the DC area."

And things have been growing ever since. He met local producer/recording engineer Dave Mallen of Innovation Station Music and recorded his first professionally done demo in 2008, which was given a songwriting award for his song "Six Blocks Down". In 2009 he began playing a part of a duo with Matt Weilmuenster called Twleve Strings. He has consistently performed every month for the last two plus years, booking all the shows himself, playing a mix of covers and originals, and receiving accolades from those people he did not know in the audience, fellow local musicians, as well as management at venues. By the end of 2009 he played over 70 shows, nearly four times the number of shows from 2008.

Today, Brian recognizes that music is his passion. "I have finally realized that music is what I love, what I do best, and what I want to be doing. It comes naturally to me. It's what I turn to when I'm up or down, stressed and need to relax, and it keeps me honest at the end of the day because there is no other way that truly allows me to express myself, my feelings, and just putting things out there. I'm grateful to be doing this and having my family, friends, and fans support me. It's always the best feeling to hear I've connected with someone in the audience or have a long-time fan tell me the progress I've made is incredible and to keep it up. But I always want more for myself and anyone I perform for, so I'm going to keep writing, performing, collaborating, learning, and making music."