Michigander by birth, Minnesotan by migration, Frank Spencer has been involved in the Twin Cities music scene in one way or another since he first arrived. Educated in American Literature and Creative Writing, he struggles between his passion for the pen and the plectrum.

Frank is a self-taught guitar player, banjo picker, and admirer of the ukulele’s dulcet tones. Despite any shyness or reservations he may have about his own playing, he’s extraordinarily enthusiastic about the instruments – particularly banjos and resophonic guitars. He also knows a fair bit about microphones, preamps, compressors and other kit used to “make records”. The words Telecaster and Moog have been heard in passing, but a man has to be allowed a few bad habits.

A fan of many acoustic music genres, Frank has a particular fondness for the banjo stylings of Dock Boggs and Roscoe Holcomb, Piedmont style country-blues, close harmony singers like the Delmores and the Louvins, and that delightful combination of fiddle and button accordion that graces (albeit in very different ways) Cape Breton, Québécois, and rural Cajun music.

Currently a graduate student in Public Policy at the University of St. Thomas, Frank enjoys the balance between his creative life, academia, and working at The Podium.