SOURCE – Describe the driving force behind Idle Hands and how do you harness that force and deliver it to your fans?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – Passion for songwriting, I am not that great at anything else, and I cant just sit around my whole life, gotta do something so I might as well do this. I generally don’t think about other people when writing, but I like to keep things authentic, people can see right through bullshit, especially fans of this genre.
SOURCE – What were some challenges getting Mana made?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – Just really busy, at that time I was our booking agent, manager, songwriter, merchansider, while working a full time day job, while also trying to find time to hang out with my wife. Every day was a very disciplined regimen, no time was spared, but we got it done.
SOURCE – How has the reception been so far with the new album, Mana?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – Insane. It started in Europe, we got a bunch of recognition over there after the EP, did 50 shows in 2019 and they went over great, by the time Mana came out, the crowds were singing the words to all the songs. The USA caught on after our tour with King Diamond and Uncle Acid, and now here we are almost 1 year later, not doing much on promo but the album is still being discovered every day and our streams are the highest they’ve ever been. It’s really cool and really humbling and I can’t thank everyone enough for their massive support of the record.
SOURCE – Can you tell us a bit about the lyrical themes of Mana?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – It’s all over the place, but each song tells a unique story, and I like to describe Mana as kind of a children’s fairytale book, they don’t have chapters, it’s just a collection of stories, that’s what Mana is. Real life experience and advice conveyed through the medium of complete fantasy.
SOURCE – What was the experience like creating the video for Give Me To The Night?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – Interesting, a very DIY shoot, my good friend Brock Grossl and his assistant /brother Holton were doing the filming. It took place in Vancouver, BC with the bulk of filming done in the skid row/homeless area, which in Vancouver is one of the worst in the western world, very gnarly area there on east hastings. We essentially picked a sketchy alley out and just set our stuff up. No permits or anything, of course after the first shot some dude started screaming at us, we thought he wanted to kick our asses, but he just wanted to hang out and jam.
Not all there. Originally I wanted to do it on top of a skyscraper, but budgetary constraints wouldn’t allow, what are you gonna do, next time.
SOURCE – What do you think the music industry will look like once this pandemic is over? What have you actually been doing during this time of quarantine?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – All we can do is speculate, everyone wants things to be “normal” but it won’t be. Music will come back at some point, it will just be different, but that’s’ ok. A kid born tomorrow wouldn’t know the difference. I guess I should say, I ultimately don’t care, im down for whatever, as long as I can still share my music through some medium, its all gravy.
Right now, I am keeping very busy, writing, and planning for a perceived and hoped for future next year. New music from Idle Hands will be coming in 2021, and there is a ton of other stuff going on with the band, big things, that will all be announced when ready.
SOURCE – Has your music career given you any opportunities that you normally wouldn’t have?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – Tons, I love music, but 50% of the reason I chose to be a musician was not to write, it was to travel. It has given me the ability to connect with strangers across the world, 2 people who play music always have something to talk about, and when you get into the deeper touring and more professional world of music, you finally find people who are so much like yourself, who understand what you’ve been repeating to deaf ears your whole life, who place music so high on their list of priorities they will sacrifice a regular life to perpetuate the continuation of a good time. Adventurers and explorers.
SOURCE – Due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, what prevention steps do you plan to take while on the road?
Gabriel Franco (Vocals, Guitars) – No bands will be touring until this is over, so none. Unless there is another new pandemic spreading around, and in that case I wont be playing shows. I’m just going to enjoy life for what it is right now, and chill out.
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