Joey Frendo: Stone Mason's Son
Despite every obstacle that has been thrown out, the last year has been busy, yet fruitful for the Tulsa-based artist, Joey Frendo. Not even a global pandemic kept him from making good on becoming a solo artist. Today, the debut EP, Stone Mason’s Son, gets released into the big, bright world for all to discover.
The road to making this EP started in Frendo’s home state of Michigan. He completed this leg of the journey when his new family recently relocated to Tulsa, OK after his wife received a job opportunity they couldn’t pass up. Frendo began his singer-songwriter career in Grand Rapids, MI while fronting an indie rock band from 2014-2019. He was a lyricist and singer for the band; learning the piano during those years and then expanding his instrumentation to the guitar in January of 2020. Frendo says, “learning guitar really has driven my songwriting output since, and allowed me to finally write in a way that is totally representative of myself.”
Photo by Jared Phelps
Growing up in a Rust Belt state of the volatile auto manufacturing industry, Joey Frendo took notes from the stories of the rise of the General Motors giant to the Lordstown, OH auto assembly plant strikes and used them to weave stories that liken to those of his songwriting heroes, John Prine or Bruce Springsteen. His lead-off single, “Lordstown,” was released September 24 and featured a video developed by Jared Phelps and Rankin Barger which showcases an acoustic version of the song. For the video, Frendo chose to perform the song with just an acoustic guitar to symbolize the stark reality of a once prosperous part of the country now stripped down to empty factory warehouses, dilapidated assembly lines and rusting steel. Joey wrote “Lordstown” a couple years ago, while following the news on the auto plant strikes, when he learned about people called “GM Gypsies.” These folks were auto manufacturing plant workers that hopped from town to town in search of work when one factory would shut down and the work moved to another. He saw a lot of similarities to their nomadic way of life when reflecting on the way his music career evolved – chasing down gigs and going from one town to another to play shows; always knowing that something will turn up, but it’s the constant uphill climb that makes you wary. He writes the kind of stories that the common American can relate to and it’s what connects Joey to his listeners. He has lived it and you can sense the authenticity in his delivery. The album track is a lively version with an incredible studio band comprised of John Nowak (drums), Jefferson Rinck (bass), Pat Lyons (pedal steel/electric guitar), Phil Bronch (keys), Preston Wait (fiddle), Jake Groves (harmonica), James Hertless (BGVs) and additional recording by Aaron Goodrich.
Each of the remaining songs on the EP are hard-hitting and full of understanding. I enjoy the ethereal combination of the strings arrangement and vocals on “Loose Gravel.” I found myself going back to this one for another listen. You can feel the emotion of searching for an escape to protect your heart while pushing your way through something uncomfortable that may end badly.
“I Talk Too Much” is a more light-hearted track that gave me the impression of not letting vices drag you down before you find your place in life. It’s about being proud of what you have and the good you have done.
“But one of these days I’m going to find out what I’m good at / Be proud to hang my hat on something and not face-plant / Make sure that what I’ve got means more than what I’m not / More than all my sins”
Frendo tackles many heavy subjects on Stone Mason’s Son, but the fourth track, “Black Tar (Daily Habit),” may be the heaviest and most important of topics: mental health among military veterans. The austere lyrics stand front and center to the gentle instrumentation that permeates the background. The song plays like a mini movie that traces the timeline of an impressionable young adult entering the Army in search of a better way of life. The story touches on how the character, like so many others, are affected by the job they have to do – turning to self-destructive habits to dull the stress and guilt they endure. Frendo concludes by touching upon how veterans often end up left to their own devices and only flounder in the system that was designed to assist them but is rather failing them.
The title track, “Stone Mason’s Son,” is an anthem to the blue-collar workers that make up the backbone of America. The men and women punching the clock, hoping to capture the American dream for their family and wondering when it'll be their turn.
“Ain’t life just like a runaway train / If hope were the coal and rails made of pain / And fear is the engineer / He’s standing on the brake / Ain’t that just like a runaway train”
The EP is wrapped up by “Glory Days.” It’s a tip of the hat to the things we thought we’d do and the people we thought we’d be when we dreamed about our future. Those were the days that we felt invincible and were naïve enough to believe we were. Who can’t relate to that no matter where life has taken you?
The basic level of the recording process for Stone Mason’s Son began in Michigan and concluded after Frendo settled in Oklahoma. The remaining layers of the album’s tracks were done remotely out of Nashville and Texas by touring band members from some of Americana’s biggest artists, including The War & Treaty, Colter Wall, Pony Bradshaw, Esme Patterson, and Brothers Osborne, as well as Oklahomans Travis Linville and Mallory Eagle. The record was mixed and mastered by Jason Weinheimer (John Moreland) at Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, AR and co-produced by friend Jefferson Rinck.
Joey Frendo seems to be fitting nicely into his role as a solo artist. Performing is not new to him; he’s already had the opportunity to share the stage with the Drive-By Truckers, Penny & Sparrow, Joseph, Josh Morningstar and Langhorne Slim, to name a few. We look forward to watching him flourish in the growing Tulsa music scene. If you are in the Tulsa area, be sure to catch him live tonight at The Mercury Lounge. Joey will be celebrating his new release in support of Tulsa’s own, Jesse Aycock. You can find more info about the show by following this link: https://fb.me/e/3MMBz60kt
In celebration of today’s debut, Joey Frendo will be releasing a couple of live acoustic videos recorded at Dogtown Studio this past summer. So, follow Joey’s social media pages and keep your eye out for those, as well.
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