The Federalists

"The Federalists are joined together not only by true talent but their undeniable ability to catch your attention and leave you singing their songs well into your workday."

http://www.zeromag.com/articles/article_view.php?id=898 - Zero Magazine

Luke Franks, the singer and guitar player of the Federalists, fidgets uncomfortably in his seat. He has some bad news. There's a long, awkward silence as he stares at The Chronicle reporter's notepad before turning to the band's producer Paul Ruxton for permission to share. There's a nod, then a deep breath.
Here goes: "Most of the band members are no longer in the band," Franks says.
That's right. The Federalists have broken up.
This sounds like devastating information when there is less than a month to go before the Bay Area roots-rock outfit finishes recording its long-in-the-making third album, "The Way We Ran," at San Francisco's Talking House studios. We have been intently tracking the progress of what promises to be its breakthrough work since discovering the young six-piece group at the local label's Christmas party last year and tracking down copies of its formative first two indie releases.
The last time we were here, in early March, things seemed to be going remarkably well, with the record needing just a few last-minute embellishments before the band members decamped to the annual South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, to spread the gospel. Now it's mid-April and it appears things have gone horribly wrong.
Franks, however, is quick to reassure us that it isn't as bad as it seems. For one, the Federalists aren't going anywhere. After all, the 22-year-old Pittsburg resident is the singer, songwriter and all-around mastermind behind the band, which has essentially revolved around his ideas since its inception in 2004. He's the only one who has spent every day in the studio since the recording process for the album started in November, sitting in this studio alongside Ruxton and engineer Justin Lieberman.
Besides, Franks says, he's already lined up a new cast of players to keep the Federalists going.
The personnel shake-up, it turns out, happened for practical reasons. As the album got closer to completion and everyone involved realized how much work would be required to break it into today's bleak market, a decision was made among the label, the front man and his fellow musicians.
"We're going to have to tour for a long time, and most of the other members weren't in a place where they could drop everything to be on the road," Franks says. Some of the other guys were rooted with new families, various jobs, even school.
"I'm planning on working as hard as possible to give this album the best opportunity possible, and playing locally on the weekends isn't going to cut it. If we did that, then we would just be a bar band."
All things considered, it could be worse. Everyone got to play on the album and the old band members have been helping the new recruits - guitarist Jason Roysdon, drummer Ruben Rios and bassist Jack Passion (who also happens to be the first-place prizewinner at the World Beard and Moustache Championships) - get up to speed.
"It was hard on some of the guys because they love being a part of it," says Ruxton, who does double-duty as Talking House's creative director. "But in this day and age, it's critical that bands get out there and connect with their fan base, and that takes 200 days of being in a van, sleeping on floors and playing places where nobody might show up. We may have forced the issue, but we can't make money off a band that can't tour."
With the financial support of former Seagate Chief Executive Officer and songwriter Steve Luczo, Talking House Productions began four years ago, shortly before moving into its sprawling complex near the freeway on-ramp at Eighth and Bryant streets. An umbrella creative group that runs its own recording studio and label, the imprint staffs six music-industry veterans who run its daily operations out of the custom-built space, doing everything from making albums and designing artwork to providing film and television scores for an assortment of projects.
"The only thing left of the original building is the exterior walls," Ruxton says, leading a tour through the well-appointed recording booths, practice rooms and dining area of the facility before settling in the sun-soaked backyard.
Talking House Records has a diverse roster. Apart from the local rock and pop bands like the Federalists, Scissors for Lefty and the Trophy Fire, the label has also put out a 10-disc "Blueprints of Jazz" series and experimental releases by the likes of producer pc munoz and cellist Joan Jeanrenaud.
"We have low expectations for sales," Ruxton says, adding that out of the two dozen or so releases the label has put out, not one has recouped the expenses that went into making it. "There is no timeline, but we do expect to become a profitable business at some point."
The hope, he says, is to arm all these local acts with great albums and put them out there to tour, get press and build a buzz. If all goes well, maybe one will take off and make the whole venture worthwhile.
"It's risky," he says. "But you do it because you love it."
The - SF Chronicle