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FRAMING HANLEY
by Lisa Sharer
Photos by Sylvia Hagar
From the August 2008 issue of PRICK Magazine.
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Quietly tucked away in Candler Park at Dr. Bombay’s coffee
shop, we met with the young and talented group
Framing Hanley. Lovers of the art, no matter which
medium, they were more than happy to answer questions about
their lives,music, and tattoos. This five piece band from Nashville,
Tenn. (Nixon – vocals; Ryan Belcher – guitar; Brandon Wootten
– guitar; Luke McDuffee – bass, backing vocals; Chris Vest –
drums) put out their first album in August of 2007 and has been
touring relentlessly since the drop date. As friends that grew up
together,they are no stranger to being trapped in a van with each
other. In fact, they are grateful that the opportunity has presented
itself. “I mean, things always get stressful, but I don’t think we
can complain about anything, honestly. We love our job. That’s
what we tell people,” says lead singer Nixon. When asked where
they hoped to be in ten years, Wootten replied, “Hopefully, not
working at McDonald’s.”
“Every night we go out and have fun,” Nixon told us about
the touring experience so far. “It’s different with the bands that
we’re out with on any night. We go on stage and it seems to be
pretty generally accepted by everyone. We have fun doing it,
that’s what matters.” Self confessed diverse rock band, Framing
Hanley not only plays music for themselves, but they also play in
memory of the past. Hanley is the last name of Vest’s fiancée,
Ashley, who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2006.
After the traumatic event the band changed their name to
Framing Hanley to honor her.
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With such moving events in the lives of this group, their music
is inspired by reality. “A lot of the writing we do just comes
from life in general. All the stuff we’ve been through obviously.
The stuff that we witness other people go through,” says Nixon.
To fill in Vest adds, “I think almost every one of our songs has a
purpose tied into something that has happened to somebody in
the band or affected someone.” Influenced by bands such as
Thrice, As I Lay Dying, The Receiving End of Sirens, Incubus, and
Saosin, you might imagine what you’re getting into. However,
there are hints of outside influences such as Damien Rice, Evans
Blue, Joni Mitchell, and band favorite, Matchbox 20. “There are
so many different genres of music now and genres of subgenres
in rock, that I think it’s really hard to put a name on anything and especially with all the different types
of music that we listen to collectively,” says Nixon. “It’s just kick ass rock, is what we call it!”
What better to go with kick ass rock, than some kick ass tattoos? Still a rather young group, they
haven’t gone crazy with open space yet. However, Nixon admitted that each time he goes to the chair
people warn him that his job options are musician or strip club bouncer. “And I don’t think I have
the body for a bouncer at a strip club so...” he told us. The band as a whole seems to lean more
towards the realistic tattoos. “Och is our boy at Grade A tattoos in Ft.Wayne, and he has done a
majority of all our work. He just has a sense of realism in all his tattoos.” But most of all, they advise
tattoo seekers to choose a tattoo that will haunt them, of course in a good sense. “Every single tattoo
I have is actually something, like our songs, it reflects something from my life. Something I’ve been
through. Every tattoo I have is going to be something that I can look at years from now when I’m all
wrinkly and it still means something to me.”
Most band members carry some mark on their body that is a reminder of FH. A few carry
reminders of past relationships, and others pay tribute to their family with their body art. Wooten
bares a piece with blocks that honor his autistic brother and a diamond that stands for his mother,
while Vest has a piece dedicated to his late fiancée. Nixon describes the heart on his arm as a piece
that stands for a relationship before he rapidly moved onto the next question. McDuffee sports the
familiar light sabers on his back to remind him of his brothers whether they are close or far apart, as
well as another piece of homage to Miss Hanley with the keys on his wrist. With no real harping
sense of regret about their tattoos, Framing Hanley will leave you with one last piece of advice about
getting tattoos, “Don’t be under the influence when you go in there, it’s not fun,” and “Don’t go with
anyone that’s under the influence because then it’s really annoying.”
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