Broke-Ass of the Week

Broke-Ass of the Week – Lee Ferris from Freddy and Francine

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Every week we feature a different person from the community shedding a little light on their life of brokeitude.  Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about the human spirit'probably not.

Wanna be a Broke-Ass of the Week?  Holler at us here and we’ll send you the questionnaire.

I’m kinda hurting from last night’s Still Broke as Fuck party, so being clever just isn’t gonna happen for me today.  Instead I’ll let the press blurb explain a little about Lee’s band Freddy and Francine:

'œThe new king and queen of an emerging folksy funky countrified alternative hard-to-define music scene'' Freddy & Francine is the result of a multitude of late-night writing sessions between Bianca Caruso and Lee Ferris. Drawing from influences like Ray LaMontagne, The Swell Season and The Rolling Stones, Freddy & Francine is building their story behind beautiful vocal harmonies, a solid writing style and a captivating live set.

Freddy & Francine will release their sophomore album, 'œThe Forest and The Sea', in the Fall of 2010. For more information, please visit www.FreddyandFrancine.com

Also:

-Their song “Brownstone Alley” from their first full length record “The Briar Patch” was featured as TOP TUNE on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.

-Freddy & Francine has new album “The Forest and The Sea” which will be released this Fall. A few tunes from the album can be heard on their myspace page.

-People can catch them for free in the Bay Area this Thursday and Saturday at the following shows:

Thursday 9/23: Emeryville Farmers Market 12-2PM
Saturday 9/25 Phat Beets Farmers Market in North Oakland 11AM-1PM

And without further ado:

Name: Lee Ferris

Age: 29

Occupation: Musician

What neighborhood do you live in?: Just moved from Silverlake (expensiveville) to Van Nuys…The glorious San Fernando Valley.

What are you listening to these days?: The final mixes of my band Freddy and Francine’s latest record, 'œThe Forest and The Sea.' Other than that Blake Mills, Dawes, Joe Pug, Sam Phillips, The Swell Season, Ryan Adams'

Best money saving tip: Well'each month when I get the money I need for rent I usually put it into my savings account and transfer it at the end of the month after I write my rent check. This way I don’t touch it, even if I need a meal.

What do you refuse to spend money on?: Uh'freon for the AC in my car.

Most expensive thing you’ve ever bought: Probably the ’87 Volvo station wagon I bought when I was living in Hawaii for a bit building guitars.

How’d that feel?: Horrible. I have buyer’s remorse about every purchase I have ever made. I hate spending money '˜cause I don’t have it.

Favorite cheap eat: Tacos Por Favor

Favorite dive bar: The Cinema

Best deal you’ve ever gotten: A guy I was giving guitar lessons to in Hawaii said that he and his wife had been praying a bunch and they felt that God wanted him to give me this amazing handmade Eastman archtop guitar'crazy!! Definitely, the best price for any instrument ever.

Favorite free thing to do: Write and perform music with Bianca Caruso my bandmate and best friend in Freddy and Francine. I also love to surf.

If you woke up a millionaire, what’s the first thing you’d buy?: A trip around the world for at least a year.

Despite not having money, do you still love your life?: Money has never really effected the quality of my life. I have always enjoyed the aspects of being human that are simple. Music makes me very content'a little cash wouldn’t hurt though 🙂

Do you own my book?: I had no idea you had a book! I’d love to read it.

Best hangover cure: Ocean. Sleep. Ocean. Sleep.

Are you a hipster?: Sure. Aren’t we all?

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.