Article Contributed by Win-Win PR
Published on 2026-10-13
How do you spend a brief two-week hiatus between massive arena tours? If you're Derek Frank, you gather a seven-piece funk-fusion powerhouse, pack out Studio City’s legendary jazz haven, and roll the tape — completely unrehearsed.
The result? One of his favorite performances, and a new live album, In Case You Missed It, Volume 2 – Live at The Baked Potato, arriving November 7, 2026.
The bassist, composer, bandleader and company took the stage at the legendary Los Angeles club The Baked Potato during a brief break in his touring schedule. “Rehearsal is overrated,” Frank joked after the first set.
With conflicting schedules leaving no time for the band to rehearse, Frank relied on a familiar approach among LA’s top session and touring musicians: send the set list, charts, and recordings in advance, then trust everyone to “do their homework.” This time, the challenge included several songs the group had never performed together, as well as substitute keyboardist Michael Bluestein, the longtime Foreigner member who was tackling most of the material for the first time.
Frank had every bit of confidence in the musicians around him, and that confidence paid off from the opening downbeat.
“One of my favorite shows we’ve ever played,” he said.
Fortunately, the cameras and multitrack recording system were running at “The Spud” that night. House recording engineer Jeremy Krull captured both sets, preserving the interplay, spontaneity, and energy that made the evening stand out.
Founded in 1970 by keyboardist Don Randi, a member of the legendary Los Angeles studio musicians collective known as “The Wrecking Crew,” The Baked Potato has long been a gathering place for the city’s finest session musicians and fans of jazz and fusion. The intimate Studio City venue gives artists room to stretch out while offering audiences a close-up view of the musical conversation, which is an ideal setting for Frank’s groove-driven originals and the spontaneous interplay captured on the album.
“There’s something in the energy of the first take… the freshness of playing something for the first time with no formal rehearsal, that often results in some magical musical moments,” said Frank.
The evening’s repertoire drew from Frank’s three studio albums — Let the Games Begin.. (2009), Eleven Years Later (2020), and Origin Story (2024) — alongside more recently released singles and select covers. The opening medley, “Da Break/Breakout,” paired fellow bassist Oskar Cartaya’s “Da Break” with Frank’s original “Breakout,” setting the tone for the set that followed.
“When I listened back to the board recording a few days later, I decided that the first set deserved to be made into a live album,” said Frank.
Narrowed down to eight tracks, the resulting collection features five original compositions and three covers: The Meters’ “Give It What You Can,” Tower of Power’s “Squib Cakes,” and The Greyboy Allstars’ “Happy Friends.” Together, the tracks showcase Frank’s blend of funk, blues, soul, jazz, and seventies soundtrack influences, with room for each musician’s personality to shine.
Joining Frank on the recording are Matt Hankle on drums, Anthony King on guitar, Demian Arriaga on percussion, Dan Fornero on trumpet, George Shelby on saxophone, and Bluestein on keys.
For his fifth solo album, Frank reunited with frequent studio collaborator Jim Scott, whose credits include Tedeschi Trucks Band, Tom Petty, Wilco, Sting, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Scott mixed the record with assistant mixing engineer Benjamin Knapp, while fellow bassist Whynot Jansveld of The Wallflowers handled mastering.
Known for his touring and session work with Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder, Air Supply, Orianthi, Kelly Clarkson, and others, Frank has increasingly devoted time to his own instrumental project. His solo work channels decades of experience into what he describes as “seventies-inspired funky instrumental jams” — music built on deep grooves, strong melodies, and the chemistry of a band playing together.
Much of 2026 has found Frank on the road with Melissa Etheridge and Don Felder (Eagles), balancing a busy touring schedule with his own creative work. He squeezed in the Baked Potato performance during a two-week break between a run of shows with Etheridge and another with Felder, trading arena stages for the intimacy of the club. The evening gave him a chance to reconnect with his own band and step back into his role as a composer and bandleader, with the results now preserved on record.
In Case You Missed It, Volume 2 – Live at The Baked Potato — Release date: November 7, 2026 on all major streaming platforms.
Follow Derek Frank:
Instagram: instagram.com/derekfrankbass
Facebook: facebook.com/derek.frank.9
Spotify: Derek Frank on Spotify
Bandcamp: derekfrank.bandcamp.com
YouTube: Derek Frank on YouTube
Website: derekfrank.com
