The Front are two brothers -- lead singer Michael Anthony Franano and keyboardist Bobby Franano -- and three other rockers -- Mike Greene, Randy Jordan, and Shane -- from Kansas City, Missouri. But, somehow, there's very little Middle America in the Front. A little Jim Morrison, lotsa Eric Burton, some Cult, etc. But not much from Kansas City -- just the boys themselves. Currently opening for Enuff Z'nuff, after some dates with Bonham, BLAST! caught up to lead singer Michael in New Haven. Here's the beginning of his slant on Kansas City, music, principles, Sebastian Bach and Axl Rose...

BLAST!: Michael, are you the sole songwriter for The Front?
MICHAEL: Pretty much so, yes. Bobby helped a little bit with some of the music on the song "Violent World." But it's pretty much my writing, yes.

BLAST!: And Bobby, the keyboard player, is your brother?
MICHAEL: Yeah.

BLAST!: You're all from Kansas City?
MICHAEL: Yeah.

BLAST!: How has Kansas City shaped you, made you different, made the band different?
MICHAEL: I don't know if Kansas City -- other than the fact that I grew up there -- has that much to do with our music. I don't really take my writing from things like that. It's a little more introspective than that. Do you know what I mean?

BLAST!: But don't you think there's a certain tone to any city, that all of the worldly information filters thorough?
MICHAEL: Oh, yeah, certainly...

BLAST!: I don't know anything about Kansas City, Missouri.
MICHAEL: Yeah, well, like, Los Angeles has such a thriving club scene and subculture that's happening with music and so forth. Kansas City doesn't have anything like that. So, in reality, when it comes to music, there's just not a lot to draw on there. That's why The Front doesn't sound like your typical Midwestern band. We had to draw on other places than Kansas City to get our information. I don't think our music is very representative of what we would call the standard Midwestern sound.

BLAST!: Some of the controversy other lead singers are getting into today -- like Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach -- is bringing both good and bad things to the surface of rock 'n' roll. As a lead singer yourself, what do you think about these disturbances?
MICHAEL: Well, here's the thing. I have to sympathize with Axl. The minute you start to compromise your music, you become mediocre. I mean, the minute you compromise your feelings or ideals, you are a candidate for mediocrity. So, I don't blame him for what he did. Maybe how he handled it! But I don't know. I'll tell you what my genuine feeling on Guns N' Roses is. Anybody who says anything bad about that band -- f--k you! Trade places with them for a week! Do you know what I mean? They had a lot of success very quickly. That's a very difficult thing to handle. I wouldn't know how to react in a situation like that. So, I can't say one way or another what I would do. Whether it's right or wrong??? Because of how quickly they achieved success, probably has a lot to do with how Axl handles himself. With Sebastian?? Sebastian is Sebastian! Anybody can say anything they want about him, but he's Sebastian Bach 24 hours a day. I like to think that myself and everyone else in this group is the same way. We don't run onstage in spandex pants and yell: "Hey, we're rock stars", and then go back and put on our Banana Republic shorts and Polos and play a round of golf. We're not into that. We're us, 24 hours a day.