Eclectic Pop‐Rock / Singer‐Songwriter
Ian Franklin Wilkerson is a dynamic singer/songwriter and guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area, performing as an acoustic solo artist and with his band. He is inspired by many types of music – fueling both a diverse sound and a style uniquely his own, never void of passion. He mixes the best of roots-rock, funk, jazz, blues and folk - a new genre he calls "Eclectic Pop-Rock."
Born in California, Franklin was home-schooled and obtained his first guitar at the age of 12. He was immediately swept away by its music, power and poetry. His parents were great musical influences, exposing Ian to a wide range of music, including the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Franklin began writing original songs at the age of 13 and joined his first band at 16. He's played with a number of ensembles, some of which received awards for their outstanding performances.
Franklin’s songs pull from his creative imagination and are often fueled by personal experience. He enjoys using his music to connect with his fans – promoting awareness about issues that he feels deserve attention or simply helping to provide listeners relief from the daily stressors of life through a truly fun and entertaining live and recorded performance.
Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Franklin has performed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and he has shared the stage with many great acts. In 1995, Franklin formed the band Gollum, a fusion rock-funk and hip-hop group. They found great success in Northern California between 1995-1998.
Following this musical stint Franklin formed another project called Cory's Slug, writing and performing in the style of Frank Zappa and Faith No More. In 2001 he teamed up with a good friend Frank ‘Side-Burns’ Sanders to record his first live acoustic EP. “Finley Swims.” This same year Ian joined up with a separate crew called W.I.S.H., an instrumental ambient tribal-rock group.
In 2002, Wish released the album “Full,” culled from countless jam sessions in a WWII bombshell bunker. After the release of “Full” and performing to a sold out crowd at the River Theatre in Guerneville, CA, Franklin shipped off to Boston, MA, where he earned his Bachelors degree in Music Therapy and Songwriting. Franklin was the visionary and front man behind the jazz-funk and groove-rock collaborative known as Infinite Frequency. They released their debut CD, "What If” in May of 2006 and performed throughout the North Eastern United States, taking first place in the Boston Regional Global Battle of the Bands and performed at the National Finals at the Key Club in Hollywood, CA. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2007, Franklin continued to tour throughout the North East United States before moving back to California in 2008.
In late 2008 the Ian Franklin Band recorded a new demo featuring four of Franklin’s newer songs. Since his return home Franklin has been performing across the west coast feeding his muse and writing a whole new catalogue.
Franklin is now in private practice as a Music Therapist, a profession that he enjoys and brings him a great deal of satisfaction. If the popularity of his music continues to increase, it’s a vocation he’ll have to put on hold to meet his professional musical commitments. He admits he often burns the candle at both ends, providing music therapy during the day and pursuing a professional music career by night. He feels the many long nights are well worth the effort.
Franklin recorded six new songs over the past year with Ben Bernstein, and mixed his new “Step By Step” 6-track EP at Petting Zoo Studios over a few months in late 2010. Two of the songs, “Baby I Got Your Fix” and “Don’t Do Me Like That” were released as singles in the fall of 2010.
San Francisco based Independent Distribution Collective will release and market his new EP in May of 2011. His debut full-length album is expected out early 2012. Stay tuned for much more from this fresh artist.
IAN FRANKLIN – ECLECTIC POP-ROCK – SINGER/SONGWRITER
