Frank Shankly (Tim Buckwalter) grew up outside of Philadelphia, where he developed an appreciation for the music of artists such as Jean Carn, Shirley Scott, John and Alice Coltrane, and the incredible sounds produced at Joseph Tarsia’s Sigma Sound Studios.

Since 1983, Frank has been a DJ. He started by hosting a 40-minute segment featuring various musical styles, mornings on his high school radio station. Shortly after, he co-founded Special Forces, a DJ crew that lit up the gymnasiums of school dances with crowd favorites. Like every DJ at the time, they ended with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird and sometimes Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven.

Nowadays, with a deeply honed love of mid-tempo pop, his sets focus on an uplifting blend of disco, soul, new wave and contemporary cuts alongside lesser-known covers of classic grooves with some rare songs tossed in as glitter. It all adds up to a soulful vibe with an intimate feel. Oh, did we mention, he still only plays 45s and 7 inch records?
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Residencies:
Ghost Town Brewing West Oakland | 2018-2019, 2020 to the present
Armistice Brewing Richmond | 2017-2018

One Offs:
Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack Late Nights San Francisco | 2025, 2026
Ocean View Brew Works | 2022
Headlands Brewing’s Opening Lafayette | 2021
Gilman Street Brewing’s Hallowe’en Party Berkeley | 2018
SFMOMA’s SECA Awards After-Party San Francisco | 2019