About The Name

On Axis is inspired by the Jimi Hendrix tune Axis Bold As Love.
I was astonished to read a biography about Jimi Hendrix to learn
that the man was much, much more than Foxy Lady. I read about how
he used to wait until closing time at a neighborhood hamburger
stand where his friends worked to get the extra food they would
have otherwise thrown away, poor and no different than an alley cat.
I learned how he was never even given the opportunity to see his
mother after she passed away- his own father prevented him from
attending his mother's funeral. This sadness he may have carried
around surely gives the song Angel ("Fly on..sweet angel") depth
I had not anticipated on first listen, as I am now convinced he
was singing, in a way, a lullaby to his mother's spirit.

It is this writing about Mister Hendrix that made me see both him
and his music in a new light. It gave me an appreciation for the music
and I welcomed it. However, behind it came a strange wind at the door.
It was a bittersweet recognition of the forces that water down and
simplify music into consumer soundbites where celebrity eclipses the
real life of musicians.

This is not to say I don't write hype. The music industry needs it to live,
it's like that. Trust me, I make sure everybody cleans up good. That's my job
to put the best foot forward. But on my best days, I want to bring out
the life of the musician.

I have a journalism background but realized that I don't have an interest in
reporting fires or school PTA meetings. To be a journalist you need
years and years of life experience, as well as a deep understanding of society
and its dynamics. As a guitar player and poet of sorts, I find the energy required
to understand "current events" depressing. Let's live a little. Let's make our own
reality. I want to write about it. I always learn something. I hope you do, too.

Hannah Frank
Lead Writer
On Axis Music