Famous Framus
Three Chords & the Truth
A phrase has been often used to describe the rootsy songwriting style of Famous Framus. Born in Hamilton Ontario, he grew up fast on the streets of the “Gritty City”. As kid he was mesmerized by a man who would come to family parties and play guitar and sing old country songs at the kitchen table all night. This left a lasting impression. He cashed the first “real” paycheck he ever got and bought an acoustic guitar. A couple of years of wood-shedding the basics followed. He put the guitar down for the next few years to concentrate on working in a steel mill, breaking things, and generally raising hell.
Famous Framus picked up his guitar again in his late 20’s and began to get serious about songwriting and performing, playing shows around Hamilton and eventually from Ottawa to Victoria and all points in between. Famous Framus is a soul miner, a blues projector, and a truth teller.
What the reviewers have said:
"New Horizon is the 11th superb album by local Bluesman Famous Framus but it's also the first as a duo with his wife, Betty Bomb. Together they've made a dark, hypnotic and raw disc.
The duo pack a lot of punch into their incredible sound. Famous' voice just bleeds emotion as the lyrics lead the listeners into the darker themes of heartache, abandonment and pain. His menacing, gritty guitar work accentuates the intensity. Betty's fearsome drumming punctures through the sound to make itself heard. There's also a bit of positivity and hope mixed in, especially in the couples only duet on the album, Blue Betty."
"If you like your blues rootsy, straight up and unvarnished, with a dash of punk and hillbilly rock, Famous & Betty have you covered on New Horizon, their 2019 release....avant garde expressionism, and lyrics that take blues into the existential territory. On the drums, Betty Bomb is bombastic - the perfect foil to Famous' dramatic lyrics and tempo-bending delivery...from a growly rhythm to jangly chords and gorgeous bell tones."
"...part street punk, part folkie, part hellraiser, part poet...he's from Hamilton and bangs away on an old Framus guitar (we know this because the logo is tattooed on his neck)...Famous Framus has a new CD and a voice crying to be heard."
"With On Mortal Love, the latest CD from the Famous Framus Band, the group unleashes and unique, edgy, powerful album...It's a work of loud, rough, punk-like spirit that still manages to retain a traditional country/delta blues sound. Despite the rawness of it, the duo, which includes Famous Framus (vocals, guitar, banjo) and Dave Gould (drums, vocals) show off their great musical skills"
"...this Hamilton band get it right...rough n' ready tunes...serves up juke joint goods...straight blues no chaser"
"...part street punk, part folkie, part hellraiser, part poet...he's from Hamilton and bangs away on an old Framus guitar (we know this because the logo is tattooed on his neck)...Famous Framus has a new CD and a voice crying to be heard."
Like a big, mean, drunken, country rampage, Famous Framus Band don't hold back, but instead come out swingin' with a mix of punkabilly and blues."
"...making enjoyable music...never succumb to unintelligence...there's no sign that the Famous Framus Band plan on falling to the tedious side. Sometimes blues, sometimes rock or country... fits comfortably between Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's and the United Steel Workers Of Montreal's Kerosene & Coal."
"Famous Framus Band's new CD, Down By Desire, is a frantic, remarkable, howling work."
"...reminiscent of Social Distortion’s Mike Ness over a Jon Spencer type blues explosion, Famous Framus raises the bar with his latest outing..."
"...unique fusion of feral punk-blues-rock...crank up the volume and blow your nasty neighbors away!"
"I do not think I have heard an album that defines and captures the sound of Hamilton so effectively as Eight Ball...a white-boy blend of punk and blues that sounds like it was crafted together with steel in east Hamilton!"
"Famous Framus took the stage dressed in a black suit, acoustic guitar in hand, and with a single spotlight providing illumination. Framus played a set of heavy blues, and watching him perform was like looking into an old black and white photograph."
"Famous Framus had been one of our favourites going way back... blue collar origins and uniquely Canadian flavoured delta blues and Ozarkian tinged songs...a knack for wordplay and thrust in a deliberate two step...World class music all comes from the same place, the heart and mind of the artist who lays it all out for us."
"Learn to Live, the newest release from Hamilton's Famous Framus. shows a wondrous musical evolution. Framus takes his trademark, punk-like speed and growl and dials it down to create a beautiful, raw masterpiece"