My name is Frankie V. (Frans Vriens) and I live in the south of Holland. I’ve been on the road for quit a few years and I feel myself entirely at ease behind my own Hammond A100 or Hammond SKX.
However I wasn’t always a keyboard player. I started off as a guitar player and studied classical guitar for a few years. It was my teacher who brought me on the path of the Hammond. During one of these lessons he told me that he also liked blues and jazz, and most of all that he liked the Hammond. I’ve also always liked the characteristic sound of the Hammond. Such as in the music of Deep Purple and Procol Harum. But when I was inspired by my teacher to listen to records of Jimmy Smith I made a definite decision and went over to the organ. A real Hammond was only a Dream at that time. That was about 36 years ago.
I started to take lessons on the Hammond organ. First from Pieter van Boageart and later from Pascal Lanslots.
Pascal became a very good Friend of mine. I concider him one of the best Hammond players in Holland. If you don’t believe me check out You Tube and find out for your self. He’s got his own compagny now in which he does all kind of things regarding Hammond.
After playing with the band Counterfeit for some years I made the switch to other bands in other parts of the country. I played Utrecht with A27 en in The Hague with Bully Beef. In Breda with Charlie and the Welfare. For several years I played with the Irish blues musician and singer song writer Barry McCabe. With Barry I played all over Europe. With Charlie and the Welfare I played almost fifteen years.
Currently I play with BellaBlues, Foul Play, GrammyLou, Black Opal Blues, Headquarters and also in the band The Providers from Belgium. Besides that I’m available for accompany other bands if they want to have a gig with a Keyboard or Hammond.