You’re standing in a room that feels like it’s vibrating at a frequency humans aren't meant to hear. The air is thick with the smell of cheap beer and overheated vacuum tubes. Then, the first riff hits. It’s not just loud; it’s a physical assault that somehow feels like a warm hug from a distorted sun. This is the world of Frankie and the Witch Fingers, a band that has spent the last decade mutating from a DIY basement project in Bloomington, Indiana, into a global psychedelic powerhouse.
Honestly, if you haven’t seen them live yet, you’re missing out on one of the most frantic, sweat-drenched experiences in modern music. They don't just play songs. They detonate them.
The Evolution of Frankie and the Witch Fingers: From Basements to Data Doom
The story started back in 2013. Dylan Sizemore, the band’s frontman and rhythm guitarist, was just a guy with a kick drum and an electric guitar playing solo shows in Indiana. He met Josh Menashe (lead guitar/synths) and Glenn Brigman (the original drummer), and things escalated quickly. They moved to Los Angeles in 2014, a city that basically eats bands for breakfast, but Frankie and the Witch Fingers didn't just survive—they thrived.
People always try to pigeonhole them. "Oh, they sound like the Osees," or "They’re just another garage rock band." That’s kinda lazy. While they definitely share DNA with the LA psych scene and the frantic energy of John Dwyer’s various projects, they’ve evolved into something much more complex.
Their 2023 album, Data Doom, was a massive turning point.
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They traded some of the hazy, "stoned-ape" vibes of earlier records like Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters for a sound that’s sharper and more aggressive. It’s got this weird, intoxicating mix of Afrobeat rhythms, German Krautrock, and straight-up 70s proto-punk. Tracks like "Empire" and "Mild Davis" (a very clever nod to Miles Davis’s electric era) show off a band that is obsessed with technical precision but refuses to lose its soul to the machine.
The Current Lineup: A Five-Headed Monster
As of early 2026, the band has solidified into what might be their most potent form yet. It’s not just the core duo of Sizemore and Menashe anymore.
- Dylan Sizemore: Lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and the guy usually drenched in the most sweat.
- Josh Menashe: The sonic architect. He plays lead guitar, synths, and even handles much of the recording and mixing.
- Nikki Pickle: She joined on bass in 2019 and brought a heavy, melodic groove that anchors the chaos.
- Nick Aguilar: The drummer who joined in 2022. He plays like he’s trying to break the floorboards.
- Jon Modaff: The "new limb." After filling in on drums previously, he officially rejoined in 2025 to handle synths and "mystery gadgets."
Adding a dedicated synth player has changed their live dynamic completely. It allows them to lean into the sci-fi, dystopian themes they’ve been exploring lately without losing the raw power of the guitars.
What Really Happens at a Frankie and the Witch Fingers Show?
If you go to a show expecting a chill, "sit-and-nod" psychedelic experience, you’re in for a shock. It’s loud. It’s fast. It’s chaotic.
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The band is known for using some pretty specific gear to get that signature "ripping" sound. Dylan is almost always seen with his 1965 Silvertone 1484 amp—a gift from his girlfriend—which he calls his "baby." It’s that old-school, slightly unstable tube tone that gives their music its grit. Josh often leans on a Gibson SG, channeling his inner Angus Young but twisting it through a massive board of pedals like the Death by Audio Fuzz War.
The energy on stage is infectious. They’ve shared bills with legends like ZZ Top and Cheap Trick, but they still feel like a DIY punk band at heart. In 2025, they released Live at KEXP, a Record Store Day special that captured their July 2024 performance in Seattle. If you want to know what they sound like without actually standing in the mosh pit, that’s the record to spin.
The Myth of the "Copycat" Band
There’s this persistent narrative that Frankie and the Witch Fingers are just "Osees-lite." It's a take that hasn't aged well.
Sure, the influence is there. You’ve got the SG strapped high, the motorik beats, and the high-energy stage presence. But if you actually listen to a track like "Syster System" or "Futurephobic," you’ll hear a level of funk and disco-infused groove that most garage bands can't touch. They are much tighter and more "locked in" than the loose, improvisational chaos of some of their peers.
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They are architects of rhythm. Every note feels intentional, even when it sounds like the whole song is about to fly off the rails.
How to Get the Most Out of the Frankie Experience
If you’re new to the band or a longtime fan looking to go deeper, here is how you should actually engage with their work right now:
- Listen to Data Doom on Vinyl: This isn't just hipster talk. The production on this album, handled largely by Josh Menashe, is incredibly dense. The "Oculus Split" or "Magma Opal" vinyl variants are beautiful, but the real win is hearing the separation between the dual guitar tracks and the synth layers.
- Catch the 2026 Tour: They are currently hitting spots like Fresno, Mexico City, and Barcelona. Their schedule for the first half of 2026 is packed, including a stop at the Stop/Time Festival in Iowa City this April.
- Watch the "Mild Davis" Video: It’s a 7/4 time signature mind-trip with animation that perfectly matches the "techno-dystopia" themes they’re currently obsessed with.
- Check Out "Trash Classic": Their most recent output on Greenway Records continues the trend of industrial grime mixed with new wave. It’s darker, heavier, and proves they aren't done evolving.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers are one of those rare bands that actually work for their audience. They tour relentlessly, they obsess over their gear, and they keep pushing their sound into weirder, more uncomfortable places. In a world of "safe" indie rock, they are the high-voltage jolt we actually need.
To truly understand the band's current direction, start by spinning the live version of "Empire" from their 2025 KEXP session. Pay close attention to how the new synth arrangements by Jon Modaff interact with Dylan's fuzz-drenched rhythm sections; it's the clearest indicator of where their next studio album is headed. From there, track down a copy of the Trash Classic single to see how they've integrated industrial textures into their garage-rock foundation. If they're hitting a city near you in 2026, buy the ticket early—these shows are increasingly selling out as the "secret" of their live power continues to spread.