ON THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE
By Kim Parnell
Seventeen-year-old Franky Fletcher, a talented musician and student from Urangan State High School, had a goal in grade 7 which was to get accepted into the school’s ACE Music Excellence class, this he achieved. Now as a senior, he is currently working towards completing his Certificate IV in music.
Franky was born in Hervey Bay and has three older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. One of his brothers is Jarrod Fletcher, a former Australian professional boxer and world middleweight title challenger who won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
But music was always Franky’s passion. At a very young age, he remembers listening to and learning the music that his mum and dad were into, such as The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and many other artists from a wide range of genres.
Franky’s dad Dave played the guitar so taught Franky the basics. Franky also picked up a lot from watching YouTube tutorials.
Vocally he used to take singing lessons with local voice coach Gunilla Myren, but his mum Jasmin says that he has always had a voice for singing and is a natural.
On Franky’s sixteenth birthday, he was gifted a Maton guitar, an Australian brand made from Australian timbers such as bunya, blackwood, and Queensland maple. A most treasured gift.
His musical influences range from the lyricism of Pearl Jam to the raw energy of Sublime and Alice In Chains. He loves pretty much anything from the 90’s Grunge/Alternative era.
Franky began by busking for pocket money at Pialba Place and sometimes at the Urangan Markets. Then, last year he entered the Hervey Bay Unplugged competition and made it through to the Grand Final. Although he didn’t win, he was proud of himself for getting as far as he did.
Live performances as a solo artist at some of the pubs and clubs in our region followed, and Franky is now being kept busy as a regular performer on the local music gig scene.
Franky says, “I don’t get nervous before gigs and performances but look forward to the journey. I love performing and always feel great when I am on stage.”
Another passion of his is filmmaking, nurtured by a love of the soundtracks/scores of some of his favourite movies. He is a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and says that the movie Pulp Fiction stands out for him. His other favourite directors include David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, and John Hughes. Franky’s top movie soundtrack would have to be from the film Dazed & Confused. Filmmaking has created another avenue for his creative expression.
Franky spends almost every waking moment when he is not at school, perfecting his craft, and admits that he is a bit of a perfectionist.
His mum Jasmin says that people always comment about his great setlist. It’s predominantly 90’s music like Nirvana, Radiohead, Powderfinger, and Oasis, with some older favourites mixed in there from the likes of Pink Floyd and Cat Stevens. She says that he has great taste in music!
Franky has had the support and mentoring of some of our best local musicians, including Shane Allsop who has done a bit of duo work with the seventeen-year-old.
Franky is beginning to make a name for himself locally and hopes to build on that momentum by playing more gigs, more venues, and more locations, as well as lifting his social media presence. His next goal will be to complete and polish up his original tracks and record a studio album.
He hopes to one day perform at large festivals and shows around the world. Franky has big dreams and with the support and encouragement of his family around him, he will achieve all that he wishes for and so much more.
As a musician, Franky goes under the name Franky Busta.
You can find Franky on Instagram and Facebook: @franky.busta.music
and on YouTube: @Franky.Busta_Music (Franky Busta Music)
