Danny LeFrancois — 14 April 2021 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour
Danny LeFrancois, of Danny and the Parts, joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with him at facebook.com/Dannyandtheparts
Danny LeFrancois, from Danny and the Parts, opened up Rocket Shop with one of their newest songs “This Time Tomorrow”, to be released on their upcoming album this year. While Danny soloed on the recording, “the Parts” are very much still part of the band, and in the process of creating yet another record.
Danny and the Parts, a group from Burlington, describe themselves as “Americana with vision”. Debuting with their self-released EP in 2018, Future Fields(Driving All Alone), the group has only gained in popularity. When asked what that vision was, Danny simply responded, “To make as many albums as I can with as many people as I can.” The vision comes from having such talented friends scattered all over Burlington that allow him to give into “the flow” and be influenced by the people surrounding him. This “vision” is how Danny and the Parts came to be. Originally just “The Parts”, Danny felt adding his name would convince him that he had control over his life and follow that goal of bringing everyone together through music.
The motivation of “trying to make multiple records with little money” as he puts it, has evidently become a reality. With a new album being released once a year, this coming year being no exception, Tom wonders how many songs were written and how they are stored. To get to the 10-15 song mark per album, around 50-100 songs are written in his daughter’s notebooks, but many are repurposed, attached to other songs, or thrown out completely. Luckily, to sustain this process, Danny admitted he’s never had too much writer's block in the past. Writing can’t exactly be scheduled into his day so the morning is where he describes he gains this “burst of energy” and is the most productive.
At the start of the pandemic, the Americana group fell victim to trying to please the public. He explains the group struggled in the beginning, trying to write something that was meaningful as in that moment, everyone was “all about meaning”. There was this widespread pressure to make the most out of the pandemic, whether it be working out, finding a new hobby, or writing a new record, it seems there was this obligation to not waste these months. Everyone was suffering at different levels, and Danny didn’t want to screw up during this pivotal moment in history. At one point, he forgot about trying to please everyone and decided to let go. He tuned into his own emotions instead of others and reverted to his original “let it be” philosophy of writing with feeling.
After playing their new song,” Flowers”, Tom asks how the music industry will change and the lasting effects of the pandemic. Danny believes anyone who is truly passionate about art, is “ready to go” and ready to change their way of experiencing live performance. “Creative types adapt best and the rest will follow”, as Danny puts it. The arts will adapt accordingly, but we may need to put in more work for the interpersonal changes that came with this pandemic. With that said, Danny is waiting for some sort of structure to be established for the ”new normal” in the music scene, before adapting their performances appropriately. With the end of the pandemic in sight, the group is actually taking a little time off from gigs as they’ve felt a natural pull to slow down and focus more on rehearsing and writing.
He closed the show with Wasted, a song we can only assume will be on an upcoming record.
Danny and the Parts can be found Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music, or on their website here.
Text by Flore Barrillon - Photo by James Lockridge
