Getting to Know Philly's Tubey Frank

Tubey Frank is quickly becoming a Philly staple, and we are surely head over heels. TF who have just released the new album "Euphoraphobia" via Logic Gates Records, bring a bold an beautiful sound to the table. The brain child of Joshua Kirwin, he's accompanied by Andrew Kirwin on guitar. Going back to basics, the album is filled with skillfully crafted tracks that dive a bit deeper into the mind and work of Tubey Frank. We had the honor of catching up with the artist for an exclusive interview, below.

1. Congratulations on your new record! What can you tell us about the name of the release; what was the inspiration behind it and how does it represent your sound as a whole?

Euphoraphobia was an album made in a time of fear for me. I am over it. I’ve shed a few blindnesses. I’m a lot less afraid now. Happy in my skin, much more aware and accepting of who I am. The sound was frantic and home-made, but hi-fi, which I think reflects the place I was in at the time.

2. Living in the greater Philly area, what are your favorite venues to play? Where do you connect with fans the most?

I live on South St. near the TLA, and have for years. I would say the first place I connect with people is through the record itself. I really like a lot of venues but it really depends on the night. Some places are really hot stuff one day and super beat the next. Dawson Street Pub in Manayunk is consistent. I’ve always been treated with respect and the sound is great. They also just really like good songs, and actually put faith in artists, not really too enamored by marketing. Building up for artists, not leeching off.

3. When creating songs, what inspirations and aspirations did you have in mind? What was the backing behind the story you wanted to portray on the new record?

These songs were generally written very quickly, so there wasn’t much thought to them, it came very naturally. Once they were finished, I realized the common denominator was fear and ignorance(or bliss), and the relationship between people and those feelings. Fear and bliss are a hot subject though, compared to things like mania or regret, so it would be ignorant for me to capture other people’s exact thoughts and try to emulate them. I stuck to my own lense.

4. On a personal note, which song that you've written would you say is your favorite or the one that speaks the most to you?

Once the words are down, it doesn’t become too personal really. But the song I enjoy most is definitely “My, My Mind”. Carefully crafted songs with happy accidents in the studio are my favorite. I guess I can visually remember writing “Germantown” at the Germantown regional rail stop. Mostly because it was rather cold.

5. On the new record, who were the key players that made the record happen?

Adam Stehr produced and mixed the EP. He was irreplaceable. He cleaned up a lot of dirty tracks I’d sent him. My brother Andy slammed some sick little guitar licks on all the songs but Germantown, and Nate Kipp mastered the record. My dude Kianu (aka Wood Dog) actually spat quite a bit on “While the World Screams By” but before we mixed it, one of the hardrives that had the files completely burnt out...so we only had that little bit in the recent bounce and said fuck it. I was just talking to Kianu the other day, and I really want to make a new version of that song with all him.

6. Did you self-produce or use an outside studio? Can you walk us through the process of either?

This is the second record I worked on at Stehreo Records. This is the first record I’ve had distributed by Logic Gate Records. Being the highest quality home-studio I’ve worked in, it’s perfect for me. Adam uses top of the line equipment and really has a high bar of organic creation, which I have not found in many “professional” studios. Honestly, that man can make an Abbey Road-quality recording if you give him enough time in post, really. So we actually kind of broke the rules and just kind of built the songs from scratch after I had the lyrics and basic chords. I taught Andy the songs, we jammed on them twice, and then just started playing with weird electro drums that Adam made.

7. With the release of the new record, what's up next for 2019?

I actually I am really lucky with the great backing band(s) I have begun working with this summer, so I have like a million shows in October, and then I’m going to start another record. Andy, Adam and I recorded a few punk bangers that we did mostly live, so I’d like to put those out ASAP.

Listen in here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7AoOYk6R3RPyOSXXB4aTbE?si=OWXy3lieR9SVIArBh07ntw