Frank X. Gallagher, the host of the podcast, Soundman Confidential is on a mission to keep the magic of live music in the public's imagination. As we wait to return to seeing our favorite artists perform, legendary live soundman, Frank X. Gallagher, hosts conversations with some of the biggest players and artists in the music business, opening up about their careers performing live, and how they see the future of live music, post-pandemic. Add to the lineup, celebrities and other artists recalling live music's importance in their lives.
Season One commencing on November 12th, finds Gallagher (as he's most commonly known,) conversing individually with all four Talking Heads, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds and Kate Pierson of the B-52's
Frank's career in the music business spans fifty years. Having graduated from roadie to the soundbooth, Frank has mixed the live shows for some of the biggest bands in rock music, running tours, traveling thousands of miles on tour buses, and living the life of rock and roll.
In 1977, Frank drove from London to Zurich in a truck filled with sound gear to meet up with two American bands flying in for a European tour ~ The Ramones and Talking Heads. Post-show, Frank went backstage and told Talking Heads he wanted to be their sound guy. The band gladly accepted his offer. He moved to New York City in 1978 to live in Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's loft, where the band rehearsed and recorded the tracks for their seminal third album,
Fear of Music. The band's transition to their nine-piece live set was overseen by Frank. Subsequently he toured with the band extensively through the US, Europe and Asia.
In 1982, Frank met Scottish band, Simple Minds, rapidly becoming an important band in the UK's post-punk scene. The Scottish connection took Frank on tour in Canada and the US with his fellow countrymen, as they made headway into the North American market. Frank encouraged the band to work hard, play each gig if it was to be their last, and to stay connected to their fans who showed up to see the shows. It's a lesson they took to heart.
Frank was still touring in his seventies before Covid-19 pulled the plug on a B-52's tour. The B-52's are a part of the legacy act touring business, and Frank commands their iconic sound with his punchy, energetic mix, much to the delight of their legions of fans. Post-show you see Frank on stage directing the roadies, breaking down the gear and rig, and rolling it into the trucks, setting off for the next leg of the tour.
Based in Arizona and California, Frank awaits the call to get back on the road with the band. He left his home village, Banknock, in Scotland, as a sixteen-year-old in the mid-1960s and has been taking his gypsy spirit across the world ever since. He hears music, not so much through his ears but his heart. It's the Celtic in the man. Frank X. Gallagher - legend.
Season One
Nov 18 - Jim Kerr
Nov 25 - Tina Weymouth
Dec 2 - David Byrne
Dec 9 - Chris Frantz
Dec 16 -Jerry Harrison
Dec 23 - Kate Pierson
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