Franz Ferdinand honored for musical ability

Marcella Veneziale Guest Writer

Franz Ferdinand, the Scottish indie band made up of Alex Kapranos (lead vocals/guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), Nick McCarthy (guitar/backing vocals), and Paul Thompson (drums), has finally crossed the pond to land on the U.S. charts and has begun to gain recognition both here and abroad. This talented foursome was awarded the Mercury Prize in England. This distinction is given to the most outstanding album of the year and differs from other awards as it claims to recognize true musical ingenuity, not record sales. The awards ceremony was held two weeks ago in London. Past winners have included PJ Harvey, Dizzee Rascal, and Primal Scream.

The band faced some stiff competition, with The Streets, The Zutons, Keane, Basement Jaxx, Joss Stone, Belle & Sebastian, Ty, Robert Wyatt, Jamelia, Amy Winehouse, and Snow Patrol all nominated in the same category. The award came almost as a shock, as the band only began to be widely recognized about a year ago. Most of the other nominees have enjoyed the luxury of a strong fan base for years.

The American equivalent of the award is known as the Short List Prize, which pits musicians of various genres against each other for its highest award. It bills itself as “Today’s most creative albums as selected by the world’s top musicians.” The panel, which includes such familiar names as John Mayer, the Dixie Chicks, Jack Black, Jim Jarmusch, and Robert Smith of the Cure, decides the nominees and the winner.

Franz Ferdinand is nominated for the Short List Prize this year along with New York natives TV on the Radio, Loretta Lynn, Air, Nellie McKay, The Streets, Wilco, The Killers, Dizzee Rascal, and Ghostface Killah. More than half of the nominees are represented by independent labels and there are many more British acts than previous years. There is a Long List as well, with a wider range of international artists. The ceremony will take place on Nov. 8th at the Wiltern in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on MTV2 and XM Satellite Radio.

Franz Ferdinand had humble beginnings, with the band mates using an abandoned Glasgow jail as a practice studio. The group was organized in 2001 after several members met at the Glasgow School of Art. They had previously held a series of odd jobs—Alex Kapranos and Bob Hardy were chefs before taking up their respective instruments. The band is now represented by Domino Records and has come a long way in a very short time.

Before Franz Ferdinand was well-known in the United States, I was able to meet the band and hear them play live at a record signing in Union Square’s Virgin Megastore. Only about 450 people were allowed in, so I considered myself fortunate to get a spot in line. While playing through “Auf Achse,” “40,” and “Michael,” as well as their singles, “Take Me Out” and “The Dark of the Matinee,” the band asked the small audience cheeky questions and encouraged listeners to make song requests.

The band members were very down-to-earth while signing records, but security was tight: no photographs were allowed and the group was only permitted to sign their CD jacket photos. Despite this, some eager fans snuck in magazines and promotional postcards from their early beginnings to sign, to which the band eagerly complied.

As for the Mercury Prize, Kapranos was pleasantly surprised at this great honor and is not too stressed about the upcoming Short List Prize: “We’re truly gobsmacked, it’s fantastic and we’re very chuffed.”