rock

Framing Hanley

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Nashville rock band from the late-2000s post-grunge wave, back after a hiatus with the same big-chorus instincts intact.

Framing Hanley started in Nashville in 2005 under the name Embers Fade, built around vocalist Kenneth Nixon alongside guitarists Tim Huskinson and Brandon Wooten, bassist Luke McDuffee and drummer Chris Vest. The band posted early demos on its Myspace page and built a following around Nashville before settling on the Framing Hanley name.

Those demos reached Brett Hestla, formerly of Creed's touring lineup, who recorded a two-song demo with the band in his Florida studio and played it for producer Jeff Hanson, known for work with Creed, Sevendust and Paramore. Hanson signed the band on the spot, reportedly drawing up the deal on a napkin, and became their manager as well as their label boss.

Framing Hanley released its debut album, The Moment, in 2007. The original single "Hear Me Now" drew little response, but a rock reworking of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" became the record's defining moment, pulling the band onto radio and touring bills alongside other post-grunge and alternative rock acts of the era.

Guitarist Tim Huskinson left in 2008 because of ongoing back problems and was replaced by Ryan Belcher. The band's second album, A Promise to Burn, followed in 2010; Nixon said the record was meant to prove Framing Hanley wrote songs it cared about, not just the band that covered a rap hit. The single "You Stupid Girl" led the record, and the band won Best Modern Rock Band at the Top In Rock Awards in December 2009.

The group later stepped away for several years before reconvening, keeping the same approach: mid-tempo, guitar-driven rock built around large, clearly sung choruses.

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