Frensche mentors, Bunch vibrates with creativity and Atkinson is keeping the blues red-hot for local audiences. All three make it their mission to tell stories with songs while also shining a light on the legacy of little-known artists and female chanteuses. Their journeys and genres are nothing alike, but their dedication to creativity and making music “their way” is a shared passion. What they also have in common is that they use music to educate, empower and entertain—one note at a time.
Frensche is the trailblazer, who launched the podcast Women of Song, which highlighted female singer-songwriters in 2023 for RSP. Though she ceded that territory to Bunch in summer 2024, she still pops in for live performances and interviews with musicians. She has also nurtured and supported Girls Rock St. Pete alumni who are studying music at such prestigious institutions as Berklee College of Music and the College of William & Mary.
“Whether it’s technical help or songwriting craft, I want to nurture, support and empower young musicians—so they can do what they do best: deliver songs of love, tell stories and nurture our community,” offers Frensche, who previously lived and worked in New York City and toured as a cruise ship performer before settling in St. Pete twelve years ago. An avid reader, lover of art and vintage fashion, she has also created Le Frensche Cabaret, which celebrates the women who made the French cabaret songbook famous.
Bunch, who is a folk musician, visual artist and also works in marketing, events and graphics for The Morean Arts Center by day, is the host of Lyrical Ladies, which airs on Mondays from 4 to 5pm. She performs regularly at Pistil House and also at Sparkman Wharf on Fridays in October. For fans of Billie Eilish or ears raised on Evanescence, Bunch released the song Morrison this summer, an ode to the Morrison Formation around Moab, Utah. Her words, carried in siren-esque tones and accompanied by warbling strings and synth, come clear and close as she sings, “Evaporate who I’d been...Just blood, red rock and wind." The soundscape expands into lilting interjections, featuring bursts of percussion building and falling back into echoes between verses.
Atkinson is a dynamic vocalist, songwriter and bandleader from the Tampa Bay area. Known for her versatile voice—breathy, raspy and soulful—she effortlessly weaves blues, rock and Americana into a compelling musical tapestry. Her Friday 3pm RSP show, Play Me Some Blues, covers Florida and classic blues artists. Atkinson says her influences are many, “Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Howlin’ Wolf, Elvis, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Mahalia Jackson and Ray Charles,” she offers. “But it’s my mom who inspired me through her love for music. She gave me my first guitar at 14 and had me singing a solo in church at age 5.”
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