by Kate Hayes for OLY ARTS
Frankie Cosmos is on her way to Olympia! This coming Wednesday night (April 18), Frankie will headline a collaborative show that also includes Ian Sweet, Soar and Trust Fall.
Frankie Cosmos is one of a number of lo-fi indie musicians who were inspired by the K Records DIY ethos that originated in the Pacific Northwest and gave birth to grunge, emo rock and indie music as we know it today.
Yet Frankie Cosmos (real name: Greta Kline) hasn’t ever been part of a specific music “scene.” She has been playing music since she was a kid and actually played the drums in her first show when she was just 16 years old. Around 2009 she started making her own music and soon after played her first gig at Purchase College in New York as Frankie Cosmos.
Frankie’s music contains echoes of indie sound as well as rock, pop and folk. She says she has been influenced over the years by Kate Ferencz, Joanna Newsom, Jeffrey Lewis, Anna McClellan. Another inspiration noted by both Frankie and by rock reviewers is the often-felt inspiration of Olympia’s own K Records artist Beat Happening, helmed by Olympia alt-music legend Calvin Johnson. Given such powerful Northwest inspirations, it makes sense for Frankie Cosmos to include Olympia in her current tour.
When asked about the inspiration for her songs she responded with “animals interacting and cosmic consciousness”, which, if you’ve heard pieces like Sad 2 from her early album “Zentropy,” definitely makes sense.
Frankie Cosmos told OLY ARTS that she looks forward to the collaborative show: “I’m very excited to play with Trust Fall.”
OLY ARTS also asked about her bizarre/artistic album art and how she came up with her ideas. “First I put on my Hanna Andersson pajamas,” replied Frankie. “Then I light 3 Dank Crystal candles and place them in a triangle around me. I close my eyes and drink a Topo Chico mixed with Martinelli’s Apple Juice and between each sip I say a one-syllable word out loud. The 5th word becomes my inspiration for the front album cover, and the 8th word becomes my inspiration for the back cover. For this album (Vessel), the words were “tub” and “fur”.”
On April 18, we may not have the pajamas, the candles or the tub of fur. But in Olympia, on April 18, we will definitely have Frankie Cosmos in town to appreciate, in all her indie vibes and quirky cover art glory. Enjoy!
WHAT: Frankie Cosmos
WHEN: April 18, 2018, Doors open at 7 pm, Concert at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Capitol Theater, 206 5th Ave SE, Olympia WA
HOW MUCH: $15 (general admission), $10 (OFS members)
LEARN MORE: (360) 754-6670 | olympiafilmsociety.org