Today we’d like to introduce you to Franklin Wall.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Once upon a time at Disneyland, there was a new nighttime rock and roll show called the Mad T Party. Of course, we just had to audition! Dan ended up playing the role of the guitar, shredding Dormouse and occasionally the frontman Mad Hatter, while Stephanie was cast as the high-note belting rock star, Alice. Over the course of a decade, our friendship grew, working in a multitude of projects varying from feature films to web shows to cover bands playing all over the world.
When Covid hit, we decided to combine our efforts toward something uniquely our own and return to our first love, country music. Stephanie had been singing country since she was a kid with her lifetime mentor Kelly Rae and her band, and Dan had worked with country acts like LeAnn Rimes, Kelley Coffee, and Sasha Pieterse, even performing at the Grand ‘Ole Opry. It just made sense.
A few short months later, we were already releasing our first EP and opening for country legend Ty Herndon. From there, it’s been a whirlwind of amazing experiences. We’ve played the Queen Mary for their 4th of July celebration, The Sawdust festival in Laguna Beach, on the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego, and at Brea Bonanza Days, just to name a few. We’ve made some wonderful connections, like our friends at Nashville on the Coast, Tim Hurley at Go Country 105, and countless other artists, fans, and influencers. Most recently, we were honored to be asked to perform at the California Country Christmas Show at House of Blues Anaheim alongside some incredible talent, such as Daniel Bonte, Presley Tennant, Dani Rose, Sheyna Gee, and Redneck Rodeo.
We just released our sixth single, ‘Get it Right,’ which is available on all streaming platforms, and are in the studio working on our next single, ‘Blueberry Waffles’ – an intimate acoustic song about Dan’s father who passed away last year. 2024 promises to be another incredible year with some awesome live shows already booking up, brand new songs, and connecting with as many new country music fans as we can!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing worth having comes easy, and our project has been no exception. Life has thrown both of us quite a few curve balls, but we try to stay focused on the music and the people we love.
Last year, not only was Dan going through a difficult divorce, but he also experienced the loss of his father Roger and Uncle Don just a few months apart from each other.
Stephanie is a highly involved single mother of two very active young children and also helps care for the needs of her mother with Alzheimer’s and her paraplegic Navy veteran brother.
Craving out time to devote to the social media hustle and other business and creative tasks is a never-ending juggling act. Beyond all that, we both continue to work in various cover bands to make ends meet. We’re grateful for those bands and the wonderful people we have the pleasure of working with, but it does chip away at the times that could be used for the project.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are a country music duo. Country music has always been all about storytelling. Our lives have given us so many unique stories to tell, and with our backgrounds as actors as well as songwriters, we bring our own special flavor of that to our music. Additionally, we know each other so well after 12 years of friendship and working together, and now being newly in love with each other and together as a couple has opened up a whole new direction for our writing.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
We’re learning new lessons every day, but one that stands out is to always double down when life gives you challenges. Tenacity and perseverance are so important in an industry like ours, where rejection and disappointment are daily encounters. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward!
Contact Info:
- Website: franklinwallmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/franklinwallmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/franklinwallmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsFranklinWall
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyIZcezPzDn4o96zDJD9rqg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@franklinwallmusic/
Image Credits
Main image – Briahna Fuller Additional images provided by – Briahna Fuller, Laura Smith, and Heather Dingess
