PERFORMING FRIDAY AUGUST 16 ON THE MERKABA STAGE AT 5:45PM
By Eleni Austin
“Being able to play Idyllwild is a feat on its own, but the fact that we’re able to use our platform to help out a community is such an incredible feeling.” That’s Matt King, the fearlessly funny, cape-wearing bassist for FrankEatsTheFloor, talking about performing at this Weekend’s 2nd annual Idyllwild Strong benefit concert.
The wunderkind four-piece consists of Matt, Franky Altamirano on drums along with guitarists Aleks Romo and Joseph Beltran. Although they’ve only been together a few years, these guys have covered a lot of ground in a short period of time.
Their collaboration began in 2016, having met in Acting Class at Coachella Valley High School. Joe and Franky had already been making some noise as the Power Strangers when they invited Matt to join. Once they added Aleks, their line-up was complete. Problem was, another Power Strangers band was already wandering the earth, so the guys used a band-name generator to create their musical moniker.
Pretty quickly, the guys hunkered down and began writing their own songs. Early influences included stripped-down Garage Rock bands like The White Stripes and The Strokes. They were also inspired by the search-and-destroy Proto-Punk of Iggy and the Stooges, along with as the risqué musicality of Lonely Island. Rather quickly, they cobbled together a set of originals.
Soon enough they began booking shows, playing backyard concerts one day and Pappy & Harriet’s the next. Their combustible combination of high energy musicianship and quirky compositions immediately endeared them to the thriving Desert music community. Psychedelic Rock Gods Sleazy Cortez took FETF under their collective wing, sharing shows with them at venues like Plan B and The Hood.
The band released their first EP in 2017. It featured tracks like “School Food Sucks” and “John Dies At The End.” Their songs garnered some airplay on 93.7 KCLB, and a chance to compete at Tachevah. In the June of 2018, they were voted “Best Youth Band,” winning an award from Coachella Valley Weekly’s CV Music Awards, (that’s right, the very paper you hold in your own hands).
A second EP, Floor It, arrived in late 2018, featuring the single “Ungrateful,” as well as the Dada-esque humor of “Don’t Eat Instruments.” By this time their sound was a curious amalgam that echoed the tensile grace of Power Trios like Rush, the Police, and Oysterhead. Meanwhile, lyrics that were whimsical one minute and droll the next, indicated an appreciation for Devo, Frank Zappa and Primus. As they progress, their musical acumen belies their tender ages.
Since the release of Floor It! the band has been playing non-stop, hitting the usual Desert venues, and were also featured at the Desert VegFest and The Vue Music & Arts Festival. As the summer winds down, FETF will play an out of town gig at The Aquarium Of The Pacific in Long Beach. The guys have been stockpiling a cache of new songs and hope to record them soon.
(FrankEatsTheFloor plays the 2nd annual Idyllwild Strong Benefit festival on Friday, August 16th)
