With over 20 guitars, it’s no surprise Chris Frangou’s musical pursuits are equally varied and dynamic. We visit the musician, producer and educator at his Thornbury home.

When Chris Frangou says he doesn’t really have any typical days, it’s not hard to see why. Between playing with a number of artists, running a record label, working with a vintage guitar store, producing and teaching music, we’re frankly impressed that Chris can remember it all!

Luckily Chris’s home studio and music set up is uniquely set up to support his many pursuits. Tucked away at the back of a quiet Thornbury apartment block, Chris’s home is not only a space to work and play, but to be inspired, to create and to experiment—a true reflection of a life that revolves around music.

Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a bass player, producer, and musical educator. I own an independent record label called Boundary Records, and I am also the media manager for a vintage guitar store in Northcote called Echo Tone. Some of the artists I play with include The Senegambian Jazz Band, Mulatu Astatke, and Paul Reid.

Who else lives in this house?

My partner Kenna, and our cat Aiko. Kenna is a PhD student and university tutor, specialising in publishing at the University of Melbourne. As for Aiko, she follows you around all day and meows—she is very talkative and not very cat-like.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I don’t really have any typical days. The most typical aspects of my day are usually my mornings. This consists of me making a big batch of filter coffee using either my Chemex or V60 to have in bed whilst I read or get updated on social media happenings. I’m not much of a morning person, so this process can be quite slow! After that, I either get into my studio to work on something, head off to teach, or spend my day at Echo Tone surrounded by great music gear.

What do you love about your home?

I love its location. Melbourne’s inner north is full of musicians, so everyone I know lives close by, and it’s not too far to travel to most of the venues I play. Being in Melbourne’s north, it’s also really easy to get to the airport when I need to tour. I have also turned one of the bedrooms into a studio, so it’s great having all this gear in a creative space right at home.

Do you have any daily or weekly habits or rituals around music in your home?

A lot of my work involves me playing at home, such as learning new material for a tour, or recording new music in my studio. My studio is set up to record anything from vocals, guitar and bass, to even a full drum kit. So I have people over to record quite a bit. In more casual settings I like to put a vinyl record on when I’m doing things around the house. I really enjoy vinyl as a medium because it’s very digestible. The length of the record is limited, and of course there is a break in the middle where you have to turn it over, so I find when I listen to vinyl the record always seems to go quickly. It also means you need to commit to the entire record and listen properly. No skipping tracks!

Tell us about a time when playing guitar has positively impacted your life, or a highlight of your guitar ‘career’.

I think playing music has always had a slow-burn positive presence throughout my life. Almost everything I do revolves around music in some way, so it keeps me busy, gives me drive and determination; something to look forward to in the future. Not to mention, every day is different and exposes you to lots of different challenges. Whether that be musical (like learning tunes), or with your time management. I think it’s these aspects that keep me on my toes and keep me interested. As a career, music has taken me all over the world, and the while I was getting paid for it! From playing Glastonbury to landing at a remote airport in northern Ethiopia. The sky's the limit with opportunity in music, which I find very exciting.

What spaces of your home do you play in?

Most of my playing takes place in the studio. However I’ve been known to drag instruments throughout the apartment to get out of that space for a change. Particularly acoustic guitars and such, they sound great in the more acoustically live spaces like the kitchen!

Do you feel like your taste in music has changed over the years?

I feel like my music taste has stayed fairly consistent! A lot of people I know seem to have gone through phases where they were really into metal or something, and now they look back and aren’t really into that music now. However I feel like I just accumulate new music that I add to everything else I have always loved and listened to. That being said, I’m probably slightly into more vocal led music than I have ever been.

You’re at a party and get corralled into playing your guitar for the crowd—what do you play? Do you have a go to song?

I feel like I would protest enough that I would more than likely get out of it somehow! However if by some chance that didn’t work, I’d probably choose a classic sing-a-long of some description, so that I could just play guitar and not have to subject everyone to my singing. Come to think of it, I might have been in this scenario and played ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ by John Denver once or twice…

Tell us about your guitar—where did you get it and what do you love about it? What makes it special to you?

I currently have around 20 guitars. Each one has an interesting story and I love them all. The instrument I have had the longest is my black Fender Jazz Bass. My dad (who is also a guitarist) bought it for me when I was 12 and first wanted to start playing bass. He said that if I didn’t continue he would take it off me and keep it. So I say that I only still play today just to spite him! That bass has been touring across four continents with me. Some of my other favourites include my 1964 Fender Precision Bass which I have had for a few years now, my 1964 Fender Bass VI which is a weird six-string bass that used to be owned by Kirk Pengilly from INXS, as well as my 1960 Gibson ES-330.

What's an album you never get sick of?

I have three! I can never just pick one of anything. The first would would be, A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. It’s a stunning piece of artistry from one of the greatest ensembles of all time, Coltrane’s quartet featuring McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Jimmy Garrison. The second would be Paul Simon’s Graceland, an absolute banger! Finally I would have to say Band on the Run by Wings. Paul McCartney is the best Beatle…

And your favourite album cover?

Again, I’m going to have to do a couple… I’d say Parliament’s Mothership Connection. It pretty much tells you everything you need to know about that record! I also really dig Abbey Road too, there is something supremely awesome about not caring about the album cover enough to do anything other than using a photo of your band crossing the road outside the studio, all the while creating one of the greatest covers of all time. I’ll also have to say Bitches Brew by Miles Davis - a brilliant piece of ‘60s psychedelia.

Any great resources, lessons, books or tips and tricks for learning guitar?

I think one of the best things to do is to find a great teacher. I have had students that have been self taught for their entire life, and after 30 odd years of playing they decide to come to me and get lessons. In doing so, they realised they should have had a teacher years ago. Often it’s hard to step back and detect things in your playing that need improvement, so that’s where a good teacher comes into the equation. They have more than likely done everything you want to do already and have experienced a lot of things, so they can also be your mentor and fast-track your learning experience. My other tip is to play every day! Even a few minutes a day will help you build up your connection with the instrument.

Do you write songs and if so can we link to some of them?

I write such a large amount of diverse music I don’t think I am influenced or inspired by any one particular thing. I have a modern jazz record called Kaleidoscope which was influenced by contemporary New York jazz such as Jason Lindner’s Now Vs Now, older ‘70s fusion as well as minimalist composers like Steve Reich. I have also been producing Paul Reid’s latest record, and my work on that has been influenced by modern singer-songwriters such as Ben Howard and Phoebe Bridgers. Lately I have also been really inspired by UK jazz and electronic music like Kamaal Williams and Mura Masa. I feel like instruments themselves really inspire me too. Each one has a particular thing they do best and if you are sensitive to it, it will tell you what that is. This can really take you in directions you might not naturally think of, it’s like a collaboration. Old vintage instruments are particularly good at being interesting and inspiring to me as each one is quirky and completely unique.

What keeps your musical spark alive?

Every time I get on stage the spark is kept alive. I love playing shows and touring, and I’ve been lucky enough to play some incredible shows over the years. Sometimes there can be periods where I am not playing as many shows and I’m focusing more on recording and such, which is great, but I find it hard to be energised as much as when i’m touring or playing shows. So as soon as I get back on stage, the spark is back alive. Concerts are also an amazing source of inspiration too. As a busy musician myself, it’s sometimes hard to schedule time to go out and see music without it being your own gig. So it’s something I always have to make sure I do.

Find out more about Chris’s many projects at his website here →