“I STARTED DOING BENDS AS A JOKE TO MAKE MY FRIENDS LAUGH!"
Total Guitar|February 2024
Post-punk trio Omni are masters of minimalism, but guitarist Frankie Broyles is having fun with classic rock moves and ZZ Top-inspired tones
“I STARTED DOING BENDS AS A JOKE TO MAKE MY FRIENDS LAUGH!"

Frankie Broyles, the guitarist and leader of Omni, is a titan of post-punk minimalism in the modern era. He just didn't plan it that way.Before he formed Omni with bassist/vocalist Philip Frobos in 2011, Frankie had experienced mild regional success throughout the Atlanta area with indie rockers Balkans, and then served for two years with perpetually genre-confused legends Deerhunter.

It was only when he and Frobos began writing songs together that Frankie began channeling influences from post-punk legends such as Wire, Television and Talking Heads.

"I guess the stuff we were listening to lent itself to a minimalistic approach," he says. "But we never intended to be a post-punk band; it just happened. We were listening to a lot of older bands, and even though we never meant to be post-punk, maybe it was inevitable."

Following three outstanding albums in Deluxe (2016), Multi-task (2017) and Networker (2019), the new record Souvenir is aptly titled - primed to be a memento for the keepers of the flame and newbies alike. At the heart of it all is Frankie's fretwork. And despite his calm demeanor, he is determined to push Omni to greater heights.

"The plan going forward is to keep trying to improve," he says. "We want to improve with every song. That drives me to keep making music. Wanting to improve, and the idea of chasing the perfect song, while never catching it. I'll keep chasing perfection, but I hope I never catch it because what would be the point, then? We'll spread this music to a wider audience, and hopefully they'll dig it as much as we do."

What first drew you to post-punk?

Esta historia es de la edición February 2024 de Total Guitar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición February 2024 de Total Guitar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE TOTAL GUITARVer todo
POSITIVE GRID SPARK 2
Total Guitar

POSITIVE GRID SPARK 2

The sequel to the world's most popular smart guitar amp is here

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
JACKSON PRO PLUS XT SOLOIST SLAT HT6 BARITONE
Total Guitar

JACKSON PRO PLUS XT SOLOIST SLAT HT6 BARITONE

We get low with this fast-playing, all-black modern metal machine

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
GUILD POLARA DELUXE
Total Guitar

GUILD POLARA DELUXE

A’70s staple gets a bit of are-jig, o4 years after it was introduced

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
NEURAL DSP NANO CORTEX
Total Guitar

NEURAL DSP NANO CORTEX

Neural DSP's second pedal might be the ultimate compact all-in-one rig

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
EPIPHONE JIMI HENDRIX LOVE DROPS FLYING V
Total Guitar

EPIPHONE JIMI HENDRIX LOVE DROPS FLYING V

Prepare to kiss the sky with Epiphone's latest 'Inspired By...' model

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2024
JIMMY PAGE
Total Guitar

JIMMY PAGE

\"I was using what was really meaty!\"

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
EDDIE VAN HALEN
Total Guitar

EDDIE VAN HALEN

“You either capture the vibe or you don't!”

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2024
MYTH BUSTERS: THE CABLE DESTRUCTION TEST
Total Guitar

MYTH BUSTERS: THE CABLE DESTRUCTION TEST

Need to know whether gear is worth your cash? Who you gonna call...

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
JOHN FRUSCIANTE'S LETTER FROM AMERICA
Total Guitar

JOHN FRUSCIANTE'S LETTER FROM AMERICA

Our July 2006 issue featured none other than John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the cover, with a line of text promising discussion of meditation, drugs, Hendrix and some chat about the band’s then-latest album, Stadium Arcadium.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2024
CHALLENGE CHARLIE
Total Guitar

CHALLENGE CHARLIE

Ata time when TC's staff were getting, frankly, rather silly, one man stood up to take on the daftest of all our challenges...

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024