Jon Fratelli
Encyclopedia
Jon Fratelli is a Scottish
musician and songwriter best known for his work with the band The Fratellis
. He has also played in a band called Codeine Velvet Club
but is currently performing as a solo artist.
-esque.
Jon's role in the band is songwriter, lead vocalist and lead guitarist. He was initially accompanied on guitar by Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory), but Mince switched to drums after the initial drummer did not work out. Writing credits for the first album are for The Fratellis, however, for the second album, they are solely credited to him.
After playing the Coachella festival in California in 2007, during promotion of Fratellis' debut album Costello Music
, Jon decided to flee from the US tour and return to Glasgow, stating that he was too tired to continue the rest of the tour. He later saw this as a mistake, but it allowed him to be even more grateful for the success of the band. The band are currently on hiatus while the band members pursue other projects, although Jon has started confessing it seems unlikely the band will ever reform.
, Jon stated that he wished to create a solo album to keep himself busy once the band were done touring the album, with the band scheduled to take a break. It later emerged that he planned on teaming up with singer-songwriter Lou Hickey, who he met due to her friendship with Jon's wife, and creating an album. NME reported in an article that the band was set to be called Codeine Breakfast Club, however, on August 23, 2009, it was confirmed that the band had changed its name to Codeine Velvet Club.
While playing in this band Jon reverted to using his proper surname, Jon Lawler. The band's debut album
was to be released on November 16, 2009 (however, this was later pushed back to December 28, 2009). Jon shares songwriting duties with Lou for about half the tracks on the album, penning the other half by himself (one track, "Nevada" was co-written by Jon and Will Foster
). The duo took a live band (consisting of Ross MacFarlane on drums, Will Foster on keys and guitar, Lewis Gordon on bass and various horn players known as 'The Velvet Horns') for a tour of the UK in 2009 and the US in 2010, playing UK dates in 2010 also. However, Jon decided that he could not commit to the band anymore and called an end to the band, finishing off what live dates they had and announcing his solo career, with Lou returning to her solo career also.
with Tony Hoffer
, who produced the first Fratellis' album. The title is a reference to the Fratellis' song "Nina", which is featured on the Whistle for the Choir CD single. During February 2011, Jon released a free track via his website called "Rhythm Doesn't Make You a Dancer" which is to be on the album and also gave away a free EP called The Magic Hour EP. Jon stated that these songs couldn't fit on the album but he "still had a lot of time for them". The first single from the album was "Santo Domingo" which was released on 28 February 2011. The second single, 'Baby We're Refugees!', was released on 12 June 2011.
In February 2011, Jon stated that:
After embarking on a Scottish tour in March/April 2011, Jon added 2 new tracks to Psycho Jukebox, which pushed it's release date back to late July 2011. In a live podcast, Jon stated that he is no longer able to add anymore tracks to the album due to the label's schedule, but states that they were worth adding to the album.
, Jon mainly used a Fender Telecaster
, with the exception of a few songs in which he used a Gibson Les Paul
and a Gibson ES-335
. With their second album Here We Stand
, he used a Fender Telecaster
, Fender Stratocaster
, Gibson Firebird
, Rickenbacker
12 string, Gibson Les Paul, and an ES-335 for his electrics. For the acoustic performances, he used a Gibson SJ-200, a Gibson Hummingbird
, and a Gibson J-45
. During promotional performances of the album, Jon was mainly using a Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty with Bareknuckle Mississippi Queen pickups (humbucker sized P-90's)
While playing in Codeine Velvet Club, live performances tended to use a red Fender Stratocaster
and a rosewood Fender Telecaster
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
musician and songwriter best known for his work with the band The Fratellis
The Fratellis
The Fratellis were an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli , bass guitarist Barry Fratelli , and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli .The band released 2 albums during their career, Costello Music in 2006 and Here We Stand in...
. He has also played in a band called Codeine Velvet Club
Codeine Velvet Club
Codeine Velvet Club was a Scottish alternative rock band formed in 2008 by Lou Hickey and Jon Lawler. The band's debut album Codeine Velvet Club was released on 28 December 2009 in the UK and on 6 April 2010 in the US....
but is currently performing as a solo artist.
Early years
Little is known about Lawler's life before he joined the Fratellis. He attended St. Maurice's High School and went to college before dropping out within 3 hours. Before joining the Fratellis, he played in an Oasis and Blur cover band and he released a solo album (under the name 'Jon Lawler') entitled Free Urban Clown, an album which is very DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
-esque.
The Fratellis (2005 - 2009)
In 2005, Jon responded to an advert placed in a music shop by drummer Gordon McRory, which stated "Opportunity of a lifetime ... seeks band to make our mark on the music industry". On this advert he put his name as "Graeme" to avoid detection of his then current band mates finding out he was seeking a new band. After calling the number, asking for "Graeme" he got told repeatedly that he had the wrong number, he nearly gave up but tried one more time and got a hold of McRory and the band started to form, with Barry Wallace joining the band on Bass.Jon's role in the band is songwriter, lead vocalist and lead guitarist. He was initially accompanied on guitar by Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory), but Mince switched to drums after the initial drummer did not work out. Writing credits for the first album are for The Fratellis, however, for the second album, they are solely credited to him.
After playing the Coachella festival in California in 2007, during promotion of Fratellis' debut album Costello Music
Costello Music
Costello Music is the debut album by Scottish rock band The Fratellis. It was released on 30 October 2006 on Fallout Records and was a moderate success, peaking at #2 in the UK Albums Chart and spent 83 weeks in the Top 100. It debuted behind FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake and stayed in...
, Jon decided to flee from the US tour and return to Glasgow, stating that he was too tired to continue the rest of the tour. He later saw this as a mistake, but it allowed him to be even more grateful for the success of the band. The band are currently on hiatus while the band members pursue other projects, although Jon has started confessing it seems unlikely the band will ever reform.
Codeine Velvet Club (2009 - 2010)
During promotion of Here We StandHere We Stand (The Fratellis album)
-Deluxe Edition:As well as containing the entire album on a CD with bonus track "Moriarty's Last Stand", the deluxe edition also contained a DVD with the following:* The Year of the Thief...
, Jon stated that he wished to create a solo album to keep himself busy once the band were done touring the album, with the band scheduled to take a break. It later emerged that he planned on teaming up with singer-songwriter Lou Hickey, who he met due to her friendship with Jon's wife, and creating an album. NME reported in an article that the band was set to be called Codeine Breakfast Club, however, on August 23, 2009, it was confirmed that the band had changed its name to Codeine Velvet Club.
While playing in this band Jon reverted to using his proper surname, Jon Lawler. The band's debut album
Codeine Velvet Club (album)
- Personnel :Codeine Velvet Club* Jon Lawler – Guitar, Bass, Vocals* Lou Hickey – VocalsFeaturing* Ross McFarlane - Drums * Affy Ahmad - Drums * Helen MacLeod - Harp...
was to be released on November 16, 2009 (however, this was later pushed back to December 28, 2009). Jon shares songwriting duties with Lou for about half the tracks on the album, penning the other half by himself (one track, "Nevada" was co-written by Jon and Will Foster
Will Foster
Will Foster is the keyboardist for the English rock band The Tears.Previously, he played with UK art rock band Delicatessen before forming Lodger - alongside Delicatessen singer Neil Carlill, Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey, and Goffey's wife Pearl Lowe....
). The duo took a live band (consisting of Ross MacFarlane on drums, Will Foster on keys and guitar, Lewis Gordon on bass and various horn players known as 'The Velvet Horns') for a tour of the UK in 2009 and the US in 2010, playing UK dates in 2010 also. However, Jon decided that he could not commit to the band anymore and called an end to the band, finishing off what live dates they had and announcing his solo career, with Lou returning to her solo career also.
Solo Artist
Jon started hinting towards a solo career when he set up a new MySpace page, with the track "Bonnie & Clyde" streaming on it, it was also noted that he began using the name Jon Fratelli again. While discussing the end of Codeine Velvet Club, Jon confirmed his intentions of going solo, taking the backing musicians with him due to them playing well together. Since announcing he is going solo, Jon has given away some tracks in demo form, including "Dead Street Affair", "She's My Shaker" and "Sometimes You Just Can't Win". For live shows in 2011, Jon announced that Mince Fratelli would be joining Jon on the tour, sharing drumming duties with Ross McFarlane.Psycho Jukebox (2010 - Present)
Jon played some solo shows before heading to LA in late 2010 to record his debut solo album, Psycho JukeboxPsycho Jukebox
A Scottish edition of the album was released with the following extra tracks. This version is also avaliable on iTunes as the deluxe version, which also includes "Aeroplanes" as a pre-order bonus track and doesn't include "Sometimes You Just Can't Win"....
with Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer is an American producer, guitarist, and music mixer who is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air...
, who produced the first Fratellis' album. The title is a reference to the Fratellis' song "Nina", which is featured on the Whistle for the Choir CD single. During February 2011, Jon released a free track via his website called "Rhythm Doesn't Make You a Dancer" which is to be on the album and also gave away a free EP called The Magic Hour EP. Jon stated that these songs couldn't fit on the album but he "still had a lot of time for them". The first single from the album was "Santo Domingo" which was released on 28 February 2011. The second single, 'Baby We're Refugees!', was released on 12 June 2011.
In February 2011, Jon stated that:
After embarking on a Scottish tour in March/April 2011, Jon added 2 new tracks to Psycho Jukebox, which pushed it's release date back to late July 2011. In a live podcast, Jon stated that he is no longer able to add anymore tracks to the album due to the label's schedule, but states that they were worth adding to the album.
Solo Band
Jon's band includes musicians from his previous bands. This is the current live setup:- Jon Fratelli - Vocals / Guitar
- Lewis Gordon - Bass / Backing Vocals
- Will Foster - Keyboards / Guitar
- Allan James - Drums
- Mince Fratelli - Drums / Backing Vocals / Guitar
Gear
For The Fratellis' debut album, Costello MusicCostello Music
Costello Music is the debut album by Scottish rock band The Fratellis. It was released on 30 October 2006 on Fallout Records and was a moderate success, peaking at #2 in the UK Albums Chart and spent 83 weeks in the Top 100. It debuted behind FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake and stayed in...
, Jon mainly used a Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
, with the exception of a few songs in which he used a Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
and a Gibson ES-335
Gibson ES-335
The Gibson ES-335 is the world's first commercial thinline arched-top semi-acoustic electric guitar. Released by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its ES series in 1958, it is neither hollow nor solid; instead, a solid wood block runs through the center of its body...
. With their second album Here We Stand
Here We Stand (The Fratellis album)
-Deluxe Edition:As well as containing the entire album on a CD with bonus track "Moriarty's Last Stand", the deluxe edition also contained a DVD with the following:* The Year of the Thief...
, he used a Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
, Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
, Gibson Firebird
Gibson Firebird
The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present.-History:The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's instruments, such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. After success with the Les Paul in...
, Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
12 string, Gibson Les Paul, and an ES-335 for his electrics. For the acoustic performances, he used a Gibson SJ-200, a Gibson Hummingbird
Gibson Hummingbird
The Gibson Hummingbird is an acoustic guitar model/series produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.Unlike the other flat-top Gibson acoustics, the Hummingbird was Gibson's first square-shoulder dreadnought, similar to the dreadnoughts produced by C.F. Martin & Company...
, and a Gibson J-45
Gibson J-45
The Gibson J-45 is an acoustic guitar model manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. It is part of Gibson's round-shoulder, dreadnought acoustic "jumbo" line, begun in 1934 with the Gibson Jumbo Flattop which was to compete with C.F. Martin & Company's "D" line.The J-45 is generally regarded...
. During promotional performances of the album, Jon was mainly using a Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty with Bareknuckle Mississippi Queen pickups (humbucker sized P-90's)
While playing in Codeine Velvet Club, live performances tended to use a red Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
and a rosewood Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
.
With The Fratellis
- Costello MusicCostello MusicCostello Music is the debut album by Scottish rock band The Fratellis. It was released on 30 October 2006 on Fallout Records and was a moderate success, peaking at #2 in the UK Albums Chart and spent 83 weeks in the Top 100. It debuted behind FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake and stayed in...
(September 2006) - Here We StandHere We Stand (The Fratellis album)-Deluxe Edition:As well as containing the entire album on a CD with bonus track "Moriarty's Last Stand", the deluxe edition also contained a DVD with the following:* The Year of the Thief...
(June 2008)
With Codeine Velvet Club
- Codeine Velvet ClubCodeine Velvet Club (album)- Personnel :Codeine Velvet Club* Jon Lawler – Guitar, Bass, Vocals* Lou Hickey – VocalsFeaturing* Ross McFarlane - Drums * Affy Ahmad - Drums * Helen MacLeod - Harp...
(December 2009)
Solo
- Free Urban Clown (2004/05)
- The Magic Hour EP (February 2011)
- Psycho JukeboxPsycho JukeboxA Scottish edition of the album was released with the following extra tracks. This version is also avaliable on iTunes as the deluxe version, which also includes "Aeroplanes" as a pre-order bonus track and doesn't include "Sometimes You Just Can't Win"....
(July 2011)