VIDEO PREMIERE: Wilkes-Barre rock band Portland Frank remembers ‘Buck’ in heartbreaking tribute
With a name that can be found on Urban Dictionary, it may be hard to imagine that Portland Frank would produce a poignant, sentimental song that tugs on the heartstrings, but when that violin comes in and the story plays out in sincere lyrics and an emotional music video, there’s not a dry eye in the house.
Since last year, the Wilkes-Barre rock band – guitarist/vocalist Paul Young, lead vocalist/bassist Johnny Jones, guitarist/vocalist Martin Monahan, and drummer Chad Wescott – has released six songs, each ready to be the next national rock radio hit.
“We are a rock band with some great vocals, in the vein of Foo Fighters with some twists and turns. We all bring some different elements to things, so it’s a pretty diverse pool of ideas to pull from when working on the arrangements and such,” Young described.
Released on July 15, “Buck” is their latest single, a personal piece that slowly eases in and builds up to tell a more vulnerable story.
“At the time, my dad was not doing well health-wise. He had been struggling with health issues throughout most of his life, but he knew and we knew that the end was coming. The song is about what I felt through the whole process of losing him and the whole grieving process. We all deal with loss differently, right? Some cry. Some go on vacation. Some run off and join the circus. I grieved with the song,” Young shared.
“I still have yet to be able to perform it live, other than the original demo that the guys got from me. It’s a deep tune that I know everyone will be able to relate to in some shape or form.”
The music video, premiering today exclusively on NEPA Scene, heightens those emotions as Jones appears next to his own real-life father, Butch, to face mortality and the memories that come with the inevitable passage of time.
“I really wanted Butch to be in the video since the song was about my dad. Obviously, he’s not here, but to be able to have him and Johnny ‘sit in my place,’ if that makes sense, was a close second to me. It completely tied everything together. If the video doesn’t stir up some kind of emotion, you probably have no soul.”
It was directed by Sarah Novroski of Novro Studios in Swoyersville and primarily filmed in the Rose Theater at the Art Academy of Milton, which added character along with production value.
“The video concept was the brainchild of Sarah. She got the song from us and came back with the ideas you see. She ran with it and nailed the whole thing. The video mirrors the song’s sentiment perfectly. We all knew it would be good because her work speaks for itself, but we didn’t expect it to be that good, so that’s a testament to her and her craft. Cannot praise her enough,” Young emphasized.
“[At the Art Academy], there was a painting and sculpture room. Another room was setup like a wedding venue. Where we performed was set up like an old speakeasy with a cool vibe. We were fortunate to be able to use that room. It was perfect. The other part of the video with Johnny and his dad was actually done at Sarah and [her husband] Eric’s house. Shooting with them was great. They are very patient, as we are quite a handful. Then again, they have a 1-year-old, so they know what it’s like to deal with a baby – only this time it was four babies. Sarah kept the train on the rails and pushed us to get it right. It was nice to work with people who care as much about their craft as we do.”
Like a lot of music heard in the last few years, the story of Portland Frank began during the downtime of the 2020 global pandemic.
“I had begun working on some new original tunes and decided that I’d like to put a band together. I reached out to Johnny Jones, who I’ve known for probably 20+ years. His and my old bands always played shows together in the past. We had become friends and always stayed in touch. I was always a huge fan of his musicianship and songwriting. Plus, it was his voice I heard for these songs, so we got together and started working on songs,” Young recalled.
“Of course, we needed a drummer. Earlier that year, I had done some work with The Boastfuls when they were working on some music. Chad Wescott was the drummer, so I had known him through that. He wasn’t playing with anyone full time at the time, so we reached out and asked if he would be game. Obviously, he was! We worked as a three-piece for a few months until the songs actually pushed us to add another guitar player and a voice also. I had played with Marty Monahan in an offshoot of Graces Downfall and did some work with his band, The Boastfuls. We also play a lot of duo shows and such. He was always the first choice to fill the spot. It took a little coaxing, as he’s a busy guy, but eventually he caved and hopped on board. And here we are.”
Perhaps best known locally as the lead guitarist of hard rock band Pan.a.ce.a, Young is delving into new songwriting territory with this project, which made its live debut in December of 2022 and released its first original song, “Murder in a Small Town,” by February of 2023.
“Most of the songs themselves were mostly written before the band got together, so it was just a point of making it all gel together. ‘Buck’ was actually the first song we did as a unit. We were just messing around and Johnny played that initial riff and off we went. It took about 45 minutes to have the structure of the song. The complete lyrics were finished that night. Less the strings part, the song is basically as we wrote it that day, no changes or edits, which is pretty cool. They always said Neil Young never does a rewrite – all his songs are first draft, so that’s where my mindset was with that song. Guess it worked out OK,” he said with a smile.
“I feel we are just about to hit a good stride in writing. We have so many different ideas from myself, Johnny, and Marty. There’s at least 20+ different ideas floating around, so it’s exciting since it’s all coming easily, not forced. Really look forward to the new stuff we are working on.”
From the onset, they’ve been collaborating with other well-known names in the area, including producer Bret Alexander, who has recorded, mixed, and mastered all their songs at his studio, Saturation Acres in Dupont, and most recently violinist Nyke Van Wyk on “Buck.”
“[Bret] is the unsung fifth member of the band, and we appreciate all his wisdom, guidance, and good times,” Young noted.
“Nyke and I have been buds for some time. He played on a Pan.a.ce.a track back in 2006 called ‘Additive.’ It was actually his first music project in NEPA and also with Bret Alexander. We had the song and Bret recommended trying it out, so we did and it took the song to another level. So when we were working on ‘Buck,’ I already had it in my head that I wanted strings on it. It fits the song perfectly. He again took the song to another level – I’d say to opus levels! Nyke is by far one of the most talented people I’ve ever been around, and also an amazing human being. It was an honor to have him on this and in the video also. We do plan on doing more together in the future.”
The group’s plan is to continue to create more streaming singles that will stay with listeners like “Buck” inevitably will.
“I’m old school, so I love EPs and records. But times have changed, and it makes more sense for us right now to release singles. You never know, though, what could happen, so no door is closed,” Young said.
“We are all really busy playing in other projects and also busy with our lives, but we would like to get a new song or two out before year’s end since we have a stockpile of ideas and material, so stay tuned!”
In the meantime, those who don’t know what a Portland Frank is can go figure it out.
“We all have a sick sense of humor. You can look it up yourself what it means.”
