In the sports world, teams are allowed to designate their best athlete as a “Franchise Player”, the best-of-the-best and the backbone of their organizations future. In 2008, from the suburbs of Northern Virginia, seven musicians from different walks of life came together to form The Franchise Players. Blending dub, ska, reggae, blues, fusion and rock under the umbrella of underground hip-hop, they are on the brink of shattering the molds that have plagued modern music for the past decade.
To break down an athlete’s performance one must check the statistics. The same holds true for The Franchise Players’ all-star line up.
Point guard, Kris Gerheauser, the monster behind local rock bands Spilt and Deacon Brodie, controls the tempo of the rhythm section. The forwards of the team are Aaron Fowler, Lenny Pinnix, Bruce Holz and Dek Wrecka Omen 111. Small forward, Aaron Fowler also of Spilt and Deacon Brody drives along the bass lines, setting the foundation to the music. Lenny Pinnix, one of three power forwards, brings an unconventional sound to the team as lead/rhythm guitarist. His avant-garde style of blues, jazz, and rock, paired with percussive playing, is reminiscent of Tom Morello's unusual approach to songwriting. Bruce Holz of Jimi Sin, Oranguhead, and God is Dead adds distinctive range and musicality into The Franchise Players string section. Dek Wrecka Omen 111, a true turntablist, completes the trio and brings a piece of New York to the mix by adding vinyl scratches and break beats that flawlessly glue the groove together.
As the shooting guard of the team, Ian Lafferty keeps the ball moving through the art of tribal percussion. His beats stem from many of his influences including the Brazilian tribal/metal bands Sepultura and Soulfly. Captaining the all-star ensemble is the 6'9”, dreadlocked force that is Johnny 3 Legs. He gained national attention as front man for the nu metal band Spine, who performed on USA Network's Farm Club television show for Interscope Records and toured nationally playing with acts such as Kid Rock, Queens of the Stone Age, Disturbed, and Kittie before forming God is Dead with guitarist Harley Davidson of Scream (Dave Grohl) in 2002. Taking a turn from his solo career, he brings soulful presence with a conscientious hip-hop sensibility to the microphone.
The result is nothing short of breathtaking. The Franchise Players have picked up where Sublime left off and are filling in the gaps with a Roots-style presence. They are playing their way to Hall of Fame status.