Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines are building something that sits somewhere between contemporary Americana and the energy of a punk show. What began as Jonas trying to find an honest way into songwriting has grown into a full band shaped by Nashville writing sessions, outdoor acoustic sets, and the kind of live performances that invite the audience to become part of the show.

We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Franklin ahead of their Phoenix headlining show. Check out our full candid conversation below.

Uncut Collective: What is the origin story of Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines? How did the project come together, and when did it start feeling like something you wanted to seriously pursue?

Franklin Jonas: Well it’s a long story but… in 2017 Ruston Kelly put out Dying Star, and that changed my life. It made me want to write songs because maybe if he did it and made me feel seen, I could use songwriting to do the same thing. That led me down the path of Americana greats like Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, John Prine, ETC. I never pursued writing Americana music, though, because I felt like a poser, to be honest. That’s how Sewer Rat came about and all the music that came before this. It was what came out of me when I was afraid to write the other stuff. Some of what we do now is in there, songs like "Cocaine" or "New Girl." Then after that period I was nearing the end of my wits with music and debating a hard stop. I had a writing session scheduled with Ruston Kelly, though, so I had to see that through.

We wrote a song called "Theadora," which means everything to me now. He told me, "You just found your lighthouse. You have to go climb Mount Everest.” After that, I stayed in Nashville writing and couch-hopping for 6 months. That’s where I met the two other real beginning members, Tim Bruns and Aidan Harbeson. After making some demos, I was asked to open for my brothers on their Greetings from Your Hometown tour. We had 15 minutes, no budget, no tracks, no autotune, and no crew. That being said, we gave it our all and stood at the end of a catwalk in front of more people than we ever should’ve been in front of, busking for thousands of people. We used that time to cut our teeth and find our sound. We knew we were there by nepotism, so we wanted to make the most of it and play more, so we started doing acoustic, unplugged, outdoor sets, and that became a really important part of what makes us who we are.

Fast forward to now; we've got an amazing crew, having added our incredible drummer Nick Harrison and bassist Ben Wood, rounding us out and making us whole. There have been SO many ups and downs, almost implosions, and moments of absolute highs, and through all of it we just know that we are lucky that we found each other. No matter what, even if it’s just pop-up sets in East Nashville, we’ll be playing together for the rest of our lives. 

Uncut Collective: How would you describe the sound of Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines, and what do you think makes the project stand out within the current indie/alternative scene?

Franklin Jonas: I think it’s a fascinating challenge to genre us. At our heart, we are a contemporary Americana band. We have influences of bluegrass, Appalachian folk, 2000s/2010s pop and alternative music, and also there’s a synth element that does play an important part to it all. All that to be said, we put on a punk show and we’re proud of that. We like to party and we want our shows to feel that way. 

Uncut Collective: What artists, albums, or live shows have been particularly inspiring to you lately, either musically or in how you approach your own live performances?

Franklin Jonas: Well, my first concert (that wasn’t my brothers') was Florence + the Machine at the Hollywood Bowl. She went out into the crowd and sang/danced with the crowd. That left such an effect on me that I try to always be communal with the crowd at every show I play now. Besides that, we’re always coming back to Dijon’s line “Absolutely” as an inspiration to say, "How do we do this but bluegrass?” As far as concerts, we’re always seeing shows that inspire us; recently I went to a Snooper show in Nashville that blew my mind. I want to have mosh pits at our shows so bad. I think opening for The Maine really affected us and inspired us, too. They’re the kind of people we hope to be if we ever are lucky enough to break through, and the relationship they have with their audience is so special and communal. They also F***ing ROCK!

Uncut Collective: How collaborative is the songwriting process with The Byzantines? Do songs typically begin with lyrics and a concept, or does the instrumentation lead you toward what the song eventually becomes?

Franklin Jonas: It is different EVERY SINGLE SONG. I usually come with something, whether it’s a full song with melody and lyrics, or one line without melody, or a melody with no lyrics. Regardless, we build it out as a family and make it special. Having so many songs, though, that aren’t out makes it fun because we get to develop them and change them in real time. 

Uncut Collective: Your music balances humor and personality with some genuinely vulnerable moments. How do you approach that balance?

Franklin Jonas: I think I gotta start thinking about that hahaha. There isn’t really a balance, to be honest. I think I just want to be myself, and I’ve learned this last year of showing my most honest self that the more transparent I am, the more accepting and welcoming people have been. Whether it’s me sobbing through a song or being a jokey-jokey guy.

Uncut Collective: Every band that spends enough time together develops its own quirky habits and inside jokes. What’s the most ridiculous or uniquely “Byzantines” thing that happens when you’re all together?

Franklin Jonas: We have A LOT of jokes. We’re a pretty heavy-bit crowd. I think the nicknames are the biggest ones. We all have very niche nicknames that we introduce ourselves as on stage. They all have very funny stories behind them. I like to believe the nicknames are earned. Listed below: Trailer park Nick, Ringus, Timmy T-bone, 8-ball, and Demonhead (that’s me).

Uncut Collective: You’ve already built a reputation as an incredibly energetic live act and seemed to quickly become a crowd favorite while supporting tours with bands such as The Maine this past spring. Now that you’re stepping into your first headlining tour as Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines, what are you most excited about being able to do with a full show of your own?

Uncut Collective: Dude I mean, there are soooooo many things that I could say for this. I think it’s really special what we’re doing with the album we made. It’s not out, and we don’t know when it will be released, but we’re still on tour, and if you’re kind enough to come to our show, we want to share it with you and give you the first opportunity to hear it before anyone else. Front to back, in track order. If you come to our show, you’ll be the first people to hear this album we put everything into. 

Uncut Collective: As Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines continue to grow, what are you most excited to explore next—whether that’s new music, touring, the live production, or something completely different?

Franklin Jonas: I think we have a lot of dreams and a lot of aspirations. We are so excited to play Bristol Rhythm & Roots, that’s our first festival. Also our headline Americana fest show!!! Last year we couldn’t get anywhere to let us play besides the incredible people at AEA, and I crashed Tim's labels showcase in a backyard. That’ll be a huge moment for us. I think we just more than anything want to continue to grow this community we’re trying to build. A friend of mine said early on that I need a "culture" around my music. Without meaning to, we've started to build a culture around gratitude and celebrating the music-going experience, so we’re most excited to continue building that.

Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines play with the kind of loose, communal energy that makes the room feel involved from the start, pairing unreleased songs with sharp musicianship and a sense that anything could shift in the moment. With more dates ahead this fall, the tour offers an early look at the band’s next chapter before the record behind it is officially released.