Paulo Franco & The Freightliners at The Beacon Theatre’s Secret Stage
Fundraising Events and Promotions
Pet-Friendly
Saturday, May 9, 2020
7 to 10 p.m.
Virtual Show – enjoy from the comfort of your home!
Broadcast live on The Beacon Theatre’s Facebook page
Paulo Franco & The Freightliners will be taking part in the Beacon Theatre’s Secret Stage Concert Series! The band will perform at the Beacon Beacon Theatre in Hopewell, on their stage, broadcasting live.
The Freightliners will have Venmo: @peflmusic and PayPal.me/peflmusic to raise money for the Richmond SPCA!
Watch and listen from the safety and comfort of your own home, with your four-legged friends by your side.
Paulo, the band’s lead vocalist, describes himself as a crazy cat lady reincarnated in the body of a 56-year-old guitar-playing lawyer. His Americana musical style is infused with a Latin American flair.
The Freightliners’ virtual tip jar:
Venmo: @peflmusic
PayPal: PayPal.me/peflmusic
About Paulo Franco & The Freightliners
Born to Colombian immigrants and raised in Washington D.C., Paulo Franco embraces his heritage as a first generation American and his songs and style reflect that. As a child, his father turned him on to the country music of the United States via the Johnny Cash Variety show and on his own he discovered a love for rock n roll through the Stones and the Beatles. At the age of nine, he picked up a classical guitar and a musician was born. After years of playing in various cover bands and honing his chops, Franco began writing his own material in earnest in 2010.
Paulo’s songs are steeped in storytelling, often drawing from his own life and those around him. The sound is a seamless blend of the myriad of influences that have shaped both his everyday life and his musical tastes. Listeners will find glimpses of Los Lobos eclectic style, Robert Earl Keen’s storytelling, John Prine’s wit, The Stones’ rock n roll heart, and the fluidity of The Grateful Dead often times infused with the rhythms of traditional Latin and Colombian music. He has recently included original Spanish songs into his songwriting as well, bringing a depth and a love of two cultures seldom seen during the same show or album. Paulo switches his voice from country twang, to rock anthem, to Spanish troubadour. His vocals are so authentically Spanish that it’s easy to forget you just heard him effortlessly sing a country tune in English.
In the last few years, he has shared the stage with the likes of Los Lobos, Robert Earl Keen, Driving N Crying, Rhett Miller (Old 97s), Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, Walter Salas Humara (Silos), Chris Knight, Adam Carroll, Cris Jacobs, Cory Branan, Austin Lucas and many others. In 2016, Franco released The Last Card, an album Paste Magazine hails as possibly the most sincere album of the year. No Depression’s Emily Hinde called The Last Card “a phenomenal sophomore record.” She listed the record No. 2 on her list of the best of 2016, which also included releases from The Avett Brothers, Sara Watkins, Drive By Truckers, Sturgill Simpson and more.
Drawing their name from the legendary song by Townes Van Zandt, the Freightliners are Paulo’s backing band. They are Jimmy Slagle – Lead Guitar and Vocals, Dave Hess – Drums and Vocals, Doug Thompson – Bass and Chad Bennett – Bass.
They bring intensity to each performance, utilizing blistering guitar solos and crisp vocal harmonies between Paulo and Dave. They provide the accompaniment and groove to Paulo’s original music, bringing a fresh and unique interpretation to the songs you hear on the albums. The band floats easily between the differing genres that weave together to form the tapestry of Paulo’s sound. The Freightliners are a band that find themselves at home as a country, rock, alt+country or blues outfit. In addition to Paulo’s original music, The Freightliners bring a catalog of covers from artist that influence their sound including The Dead, The Stones, The Drive By Truckers, Bob Dylan, Uncle Tupelo, Slaid Cleaves, blues classics and a whole bunch more.
