Music, Passion And Pizza With JORDAN MCDONALD From FRANKIE'S WORLD FAMOUS HOUSE BAND

Interview by Kris Peters
What started out as a bit of fun on a Monday night at Sydney's Frankie's Pizza back in 2012 has quickly developed into a global sensation.
Initially formed to beat Monday night boredom at the home of live music in Sydney, Frankie's World Famous House Band has grown from such humble beginnings to being a mainstay on the Australian music scene for both punters and international touring musicians.
For ten years until its sad closing in 2022, the band rocked the stage at Frankie's Pizza, along the way collecting a healthy dose of international scalps under their belt who frequented the venue just to catch a glimpse of the house band. Members of bands such as Megadeth, Steel Panther, White Snake, White Zombie and Cheap Trick have all at one time shared the stage with the house band, while they are now also an in demand gun for hire as touring bands for stars such as Tim 'Ripper' Owens who enlists their help each time he comes over.
They are a band made up of accomplished musicians, but, more importantly, people who love music, and that infectious energy night after night is one of the major reasons they survived when Frankie's fell.
This weekend sees Frankie's World Famous House Band venture outside of their home base of Sydney for a rare visit North, where they will be playing at Lefty's in Brisbane on Saturday, June 7, and Mo's Desert Clubhouse in Burleigh Heads the following night. HEAVY jumped at the chance to chat with drummer and the legend behind Frankie's Pizza, Jordan McDonald to find out more.
"Yeah, we never do this," he replied when we mentioned the fact that the band doesn't play outside of Sydney often. "We get out of town if we're the house band for a touring artist, that happens every now and then. That's kind of, I guess, the niche of the Frankie's World Famous House Band. If there's an act of cult appeal who's coming to Australia but leaving the band behind, we'll fill in and play, so we'll take that around the country. But just as us doing it our way, it's kind of a matter of policy that we never leave Sydney, so this is something different."
We question what policy could ever confine any band to one city before Jordan smiles.
"It was bred in Sydney, and it's kind of where it makes sense," he laughed. "It's part of the fabric of the zone, so we try and kind of keep it that way. But if an opportunity like this comes up - and it doesn't happen all that often - we say yes to most things. So here we are!"
In the full interview, Jordan focused on the upcoming performances of Frankie's World Famous House Band in Queensland, scheduled for June 7 and 8. He provided background on the band, emphasizing their unique position as a house band that typically does not tour outside Sydney. He highlighted their speciality in high-energy covers of classic rock songs and their collaborations with well-known artists, which have bolstered their reputation.
Jordan introduced us to the rest of the band, saying that they don't have a permanent set vocalist in preference of using a range of singers to complement each performance. He ran us through the birth of the band and how he came to be involved, the band name, some of the people they have shared a stage with, his other music and business ventures and more.


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