In “Crossing the Great Divide” the American multi-instrumentalist, former Scars on Broadway guitarist, and touring vocalist for Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, FRANKY PEREZ returned to his tunesmith-storyteller origins to bring a real-life testimony that hinges on the themes of adaption, passage, and rebirth.
The album came about during-and-after lockdown and is full of great melodies, irresistible hooks, and genuinely significant perceptions that are most often personal and highly contemplative.
“Every artist says, ‘This is my greatest album,’ but this truly was probably the best experience I’ve had making an album, and the most honest,” emphasizes Perez.
Many of the album’s songs were conceived during a cross-country motorcycle odyssey that has been captured in a new documentary film. The documentary charted Perez’s multilateral travels during lockdown, showing his frequent stops along the way to perform for healthcare workers and patients, and meetings with fellow musicians and friends including ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, country singer Randy Travis and comedian Bill Burr.
“This project is bigger than myself, and everyone that watches it is getting that,” offers Perez.
“Even though it was shot during the height of the pandemic [the documentary] turned into something else. It’s about humanity and hope… Covid is just a thread of the story.”
The new recording encompasses an entire range of emotions & proficiencies, with Perez playing almost all the instruments (although avid listeners will chance upon talented special guests) but, in the main, this achievement was written + played by the multifaceted musician himself, and captured in his home studio.
“That’s something I’m really proud of,” he says. “I probably performed about 90% of the instrumentation on the album and I recorded and engineered it myself. If I felt that I couldn’t get a certain feel, then I reached out to that particular player to get it.”
Listeners will know the musician from his involvement with rock supergroups and star bands, but RAW RAMP wanted to talk to Franky about his project “Crossing the Great Divide” due for release on June 24th via Black Sea Music. Check it out, below:
RAW RAMP 