Frankie Ballard opens for Luke Bryan

Thursday night at the Intersection in Grand Rapids Michigan ended up becoming a sold out show to welcome back Battle Creek Michigan native Frankie Ballard. The Clayton Anderson band who also play at Joe's in Chicago about six or seven times a year started the night off along with Nashville's Fast Ryde.
The line to get in stretched down the street nearly all the way to the Woods lounge about a hundred yards away. Frankie took the stage around 9pm with his long time friends and band mates Bill Justice on drums, Eddie Robinson on rhythm guitar and Jarrod Sturgis on bass. Frankie played a solid set of southern rock with Eddie providing some mean slide guitar and he played some new songs he's been working on that will be included on his Warner Brothers Nashville records debut album. Luke Bryan also called Frankie out on stage to close out the show with Luke's band. Dont forget that Frankie is playing a Christmas show on December 5th at Kalamazoo's State Theater. Yes there will be a few Christmas songs here and there but it will be a good time and Frankie is going to rock. Tickets are on sale, its all ages so if youv'e missed him in the past because he was rocking out in a bar, now you have no excuse, so get the family together and come support our local musicians Shelagh Brown and Jordan Lunardini and Frankie Ballard.
I did not show up for this show until about a few minutes before Frankie went on stage which is why i do not have anything to post here about Clayton or Fast Ryde. Click here for More photos from the show.

Frankie Ballard rocks and rolls through Kalamazoo

Frankie Ballard came back up from Nashville on July 23rd to play at the Taste of Kalamazoo on Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) old tour bus, and when i say old tour bus i only mean that it used to belong to him, the bus was amazing. The crowd was there to see him on a Thursday night, and it seemed like everyone was there to see Frankie back with his band in our hometown. During the show he played some new songs he has been working on down in Nashville with songwriters like Rivers Rutherford and Paul Overstreet. He slowed things down for a few songs with a nice acoustic break and even gave away a guitar to a lucky young girl he picked out of the audience. It was great to see him on a bigger stage again with Eddie Robinson on guitar, Bill Justice on drums and Jarrod Sturgis on bass. It wont be long before he heads out on tour, look for him near you soon. Click on the title to this post to visit his myspace page and hear a few songs. Frankie Ballard is signed to Warner Brothers records in Nashville.

Kalmazoo's own Frankie Ballard signed to Warner Brothers records

Kalamazoo, Michigan's own hometown hero Frankie Ballard has been signed to Warner Brothers records in Nashville today March 20th, 2009.
Frankie was a college baseball player at Western Michigan University and got a later start than most in music. Frankie grew up with country and rock influences and used to impersonate Elvis and Johnny Cash with his father. Frankie and the Frankie Ballard Band have been playing sometimes four nights a week here around town and have also opened up for Kenny Chesney, Shooter Jennings and David Allen Coe and many more. Over the last year or so Frankie has been making many trips to Nashville to write with some of music row's best songwriters like Doak Turner, Walt Aldridge and Jim Bo Hinson. Frankie is an acomplished guitar player and captivating entertainer who also has a strong background playing blues and southern rock in various local bands. We here in Kalamazoo look forward to watching the next steps he takes on his journey to fame as a country music star on the rise.