The Frampton Brothers

Ed Masley, leader of the Pittsburgh-based band the Frampton Brothers (none of whom, incidentally, are related by blood or happen to be named Frampton), may be the last great unheralded normal man in American rock. Masley writes songs about the annoyances and obsessions of a regular guy -- women, work, the passing parade of popular culture, and why he loves rock & roll (even though it often drives him nuts) -- that are smart without being pretentious, and witty without betraying the serious themes and honest emotions that lie underneath. Masley and his sometimes collaborator an...