From FRANKIES To DINGBATS PARTY PIT - Keeping Music Alive With JORDAN McDONALD

Interview by Kris Peters
Photo credit ALI NASSERI
December 2023 saw the end of an era of live music that reinvigorated the entire Sydney music scene and spread that love throughout the rest of the country.
For 10 years, Frankies Pizza was the cornerstone of the Sydney live music hub, bringing a swag of international bands through its doors as well as giving Australian acts of all genres and career trajectories a home where they could be heard. And, more importantly, understood.
While the entire staff of Frankies was involved in bringing the club to life, one man would always be in the thick of things playing, performing, or moshing in the pit. That man - Jordan McDonald - became a legend amongst many, always smiling, always approachable and never judgemental.
So, when Frankies closed its doors for the final time, the local music scene lost not only a great venue but also an icon of the industry. While being vocal that he did not want Frankies to continue in any shape or form in another venue - believing the legacy should end where it started - McDonald never turned his back on the music scene, continuing his drumming passion with local and touring acts as well as branching out into other areas of hospitality, but being an active and contributing part of the Australian music scene in a capacity where he could give back to the industry was never far from his mind.
Initially launching his own business Nite Rite, aimed at helping businesses and individuals set up and run live music venues amongst other things, McDonald soon found opportunities knocking to start up something more based on his personal choices and experiences. This came in the form of a new live music venue situated in the heart of the Sydney CBD that was screaming out for live music.
After getting his head back into the booking and promoting side of music, McDonald is now ready to launch a monthly live music night called Dingbats Party Pit at a venue underneath the Arcade Bar on O'Connell Street on March 7. But of course, as anyone who visited Frankies or knows Jordan McDonald would lovingly point out, the man has more on his mind than a once-monthly event.
HEAVY sat down with Jordan for an interesting chat to flesh things out.
"I'm glad other people remember it, because I don't remember much," he laughed when we first bring up Frankies. "That was ten years of my life, and it was ten years well spent. It was fantastic. And it was one of these classic examples of the whole fake it 'til ya make it thing. I had this brilliant business partner who pulled me into the mix when I was selling him beers - because I used to tour with bands around the United States and I would come back to Australia and the closest thing to a craft beer would be your Little Creatures or Coopers or whatever. But there wasn't too much in the way of funky options out there, so I started distributing all these interesting beers into the country, and there was this dude who had a great little venue called Shady Pines Saloon and I would sell him a bunch of American beers. One night he pulled me aside, and he said, 'hey man, I've got this idea. I wanna do a rock n roll club. I have a space in the Sydney CBD that is a totally untried and untested area for this kind of thing.'
"At that point of time everyone would go to the CBD to go to work, finish work, then go home. You just wouldn't hang out there. And he had this concept to throw a gig every night of the week, seven days a week until 4am, and he thought I was the solution to it. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I said yes, let's do this thing, and fast forward ten years and Frankies Pizza had built its name as a trusted force in the rock n roll world."
In the full interview, Jordan talks more about Frankies and the legacy it left behind, what he has been doing since it closed down, his new company Nite Rite and how it aims to help the music industry, his new venture Dingbats Party Club and what to expect, the venue itself, the launch party of March 7, future plans to open it up for local, national and international acts and more.
The March 7 launch event features 5 bands, each overflowing with Party Rock attitude. Drawing heavy inspiration from the Rock Clubs of Hollywood’s Hair Metal heyday, Dingbats thought it best to come out swinging Sunset Strip style. If Big Red Fire Truck, Bloody Legend and The Hush don’t leave you wondering who bought the time machine to 1989, Planet Earth’s #1 Poison tribute act, Poizon’Us, will have you flying in the Flux Capacitor by the first four bars.
In case anyone gets too comfortable, Dingbats are dropping a wildcard set from one of the world’s most exciting up and coming alternative acts, MANNEQUIN DEATH SQUAD. A 2 piece DIY tour de force taking the world by storm. DJs NITECALL, AXL BROS & JORDAN ADAM will be reducing a Heavy Metal jús before, between and after all featured acts.
And that's not all. Thraxxy Kilmister's Horrendously Bad Tattoo Competition calls upon all cretins present to bare their most regrettable ink for a chance at mega merch packs, tattoo credit and a generous portion of champion's glory.
This is a fully accessible event with seamless wheelchair access and disabled facilities. Tickets are on sale now, bit.ly/dingbatsmar25
https://www.nite-rite.com


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.