Franc O'Shea

An Interview with Franc O’Shea

by Martin Simpson from www.bassplayers.co.za, South Africa. July 2006

Franc, you recently sent me a copy of your new seven track CD, Alkimia (playing time 47:38), which is a fascinating album. What I’d like to do is talk to you about this disc and hopefully give you a platform in which to speak about the project.

How long have you been playing bass Franc?

I started playing acoustic guitar when I was 11 and decided to put a band together with a friend. He suggested that I play bass as he wanted to play guitar. Ironically, I didn’t mind this at all as I was listening to Jean Jacques Burnel, Bruce Foxton, and Norman Watt-Roy, and bass was my favourite instrument anyway. So I switched to bass when I was 12. My older brother John had a bass which he never used and I gave it a home. So since then I have been playing 25 odd years.

Sounds like you were very much into New-Wave music when you first began getting into music?

I started out with some Hendrix, The Beatles and Santana and by the time I started playing, Punk Rock was beginning to hit big time and it had a great impact in the UK. Suddenly there were all these new bands coming out and it was very much a do it yourself type scene where anyone could have a go and age didn’t matter. Of course, some absolute crap came out of it but there was some brilliant stuff too.

Any other influences?

I have so many influences that it would be impossible to list them all. But I do find that all the music I have liked during my lifetime so far, I still like now. You know you get some people that get embarrassed about stuff they listened to when they were younger. I’m not like that. So I have a very diverse range of stuff that has influenced me from Bauhaus to Pink Floyd to Weather Report to Paco de Lucia to Henryk Gorecki.
Looking back to my very first influences, when I was baby, it was the Tribal music from Swaziland, Africa, were I was born in tandem with the Beatles!

Can you remember much about that first bass?

I knew that first bass I borrowed from my brother wasn’t going to be around for long so I ordered a bass from a catalogue and paid it off weekly. It was a Kay precision copy, cheap and cheerful but to me it was a glorious event. I couldn’t wait to get home from school and play and also jam with friends, trading new lines we had picked up or invented. It was like there was all this unemployment and moaning about Thatcher’s government but this instrument was like the magic wand that would transport you out of all that.

Do you come from a musical family?

My first lessons in music came from my brother Ric. He was 4 years older than me and had developed his ear quite well and was working stuff out like the Pink Panther theme. He would then teach them to me and show me how to use my ears more effectively. My dad played trumpet when he was in the army and my granddad was an alto sax player in a big band and then there are various relatives who have played things like flute and drums, so it is sort of there in the blood.

What Basses and amps are you currently using?

I have an endorsement deal with a local UK bass maker called Jeff Chapman. He has created a couple of wonderful 5 string basses for me, one fretless and the other fretted. He also totally customised a Tobias 5 string fretless for me. They all sound amazing and play faultlessly. I string them up with Elites. 
I also use a TL Audio valve parametric and a TL Audio valve compressor. These are made by Tony Larkin in the UK and have a really clear warm punchy sound.
For effects I use a Lexicon MPX1 and I put everything through two Mackie SRM450 powered speakers in stereo for live use.


Would you ever try expanding to double bass or going in the other direction of paying extended range bass guitars?

I have tried the double bass just for fun but it is not my thing. I do know a lot of electric players that take it up just to get more work, but for me even if I don’t eat, I have to follow my heart and expression of my soul is more important than just making money or following trends. Of course, some people genuinely love to play both acoustic and electric.
I do already play an extended range bass, a five string with a low B. I do find that a lot of bass players get into this whole business of having a zillion strings and playing the bass with their toe nails but for me the main thing is to get a good sound and then explore musically.
It is almost as if some people thought the show was over when Jaco came and went. Like he had explored all the musical possibilities and the only thing left was extra strings and new techniques. This is far from the truth. Jaco helped open the door to a whole new world of musical expression but it was and is far from over. As far as I’m concerned it is only just the beginning and as more and more music from around the globe continues to fuse there are no limits. 
The thing about Jaco is that he actually played mainly with standard two finger picking technique and what was important was the combination of notes and the expression he conveyed.
I don’t think it’s wrong to explore strings and techniques but some people do tend to focus on technical aspects too much as opposed to music.

Getting onto the Album project. The sleeve is interesting with a picture that I couldn’t understand at first but after opening up the sleeve and reading the notes about each track, things became a little clearer. You obviously had a lot of input in creating the sleeve. Could you tell us a little about the design.

The picture on the sleeve is an Aleister Crowley temple painting from 1909 representing the Tree of Life. I have been interested in magickal things for a long time. I use the term magick with a ‘K,’ which is about allowing real change to occur using creative energy, as opposed to ‘magic illusion’ as a form of trickery or banal sentimentalism. If you link the picture up with the excerpt on the back of the booklet it points to some very deep profound truths. Lao Tzu’s famous Tao Te Ching book from 2,500 years ago is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read.

I’m very curious to know why you chose the symbol representing the second track, The Three Princes of Serendip to go under the tray – why not the complete picture?

The pentacle consists of a pentagram and a crescent moonrise. The pentagram represents the four Elements with the added dimension of Akasha. Since these symbols represent all the creative channels, I thought it a fitting place for the CD to be at home on, rather like recharging a battery.

You’ve given a good explanation of each piece on the album’s sleeve, which all have an accompanying symbol that come from the design on the front cover. Could you take us through the album, giving us a rundown on how each track was recorded: -

I did most of the engineering and all of the mastering myself, so before I even started recording, I had to put in a lot of time to really learn about getting a good sound. The recording schedule was quite hectic as we recorded in Barcelona, Madrid, Granada and also in the UK in many different studios. I had to wait a long time for some of the sessions to happen as everyone was so busy with touring commitments, etc. 
Some strange events happened during the recording, like when we were recording the track Alkimia in Huétor Vega, Granada, they had the biggest storm there for years and all the power went out in the studio. We were left sitting in the dark with the elements raging outside. Eventually the power was restored and when we emerged from the studio there was flooding and bits of trees all over the roads. I thought it was quite apt that I had decided beforehand to start Alkimia with a recorded thunderstorm to represent the power of nature.
I also recorded the last track Shakti on my daughters first birthday and this was obviously the most special time I could choose to get exactly the right feeling for the piece. All the musicians really understood the concept. I feel that each of them brought their best to the album and we managed to capture some really inspiring performances. Recording is a difficult media to channel more profound musical statements through but I think we managed to open up some doors that glimpse other dimensions.

Was it recorded completely in digital?

Everything was recorded in digital but I used valve pre-amps to create a warmer sound and analogue and valve outboard mastering equipment too.

Most artists / bands make at least two or three albums before crafting a masterpiece but you’ve done so at your first attempt – is it downhill from here on for Franc O’Shea?

I did actually release an album before Alkimia called Esprit back in ’99 which received some really good reviews and I believe my albums will only get better and better as I evolve in different directions musically and personally.

Have you ever played any of the material in front of a live audience and if so, what has been the response?

I did play some of the material in the UK before I moved to Spain although the whole album wasn’t written at that point. My band at the time consisted of bass, violin, flute, keyboards and drum kit. It was very well received but at some point I knew that I would have to switch to percussion and flamenco guitar instead of drums and keyboards to create the type of sonic textures needed for the music. 
I plan to put together a tour to perform Alkimia live featuring many of the musicians from the album with some surprises as well.

Could we possibly eventually hear a live version of Alkimia?

Before I make a live concert album of previous compositions I would like to release some more albums with new stuff on them, and as I already write all my own material, in the future I will have a substantial backlog to choose from.

What does Franc O’Shea get up to when he’s taking a break from music?

I love to spend time with my family and we like to go for long drives exploring the Sussex countryside. We are both really into nature and we also like spending time at the Portichuelo, in Jayena village near Granada, Southern Spain.
Apart from playing, I do love listening to music too, and because music is so pleasurable to me, there is nothing to take a break from.
I read lots of books and particularly enjoy spiritual tomes, cutting edge physics and biographies.
And when it all gets too much, I like to go wild, let my hair down and fiesta till dawn.

Thanks very much for your time Franc – good luck with the new disc.