Spring Break
Francis in Paradise, Anarchy in the Church
Gifted lyricist Robert Francis is well worth seeing
Kate Andrews
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
At eight years old, Robert Francis was invited up on the stage at The Mint Club in L.A. to perform with actor Harry Dean Stanton and singer Chaka Kahn. Ry Cooder, number eight on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," gave Francis a vintage National guitar at age nine. When Francis was 16, John Frusciante, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, took him on as his only student. The youngest in a family of musicians that includes his sister Juliette, who is currently on tour with the Foo Fighters, Francis was destined to storm the music scene sooner or later.
That time is now. Last year Robert Francis was nominated for The Shortlist Music Prize in 2007 for his debut album, One by One.
"The Shortlist Music Prize is a music award given annually to an album released in the United States within the last year, as chosen by a panel of musicians, producers and journalists, known as the 'Listmakers,'" according to the press release.
The 20-year old has just embarked on a U.S. tour with Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins and will be making a stop in Boston at The Paradise on March 14.
With a voice reminiscent of Damien Rice and a mix of acoustic sounds and echoing twangs, this indie-pop musician's work has the making of a star on the rise.
By painting pictures of America's heartland with lush, poetic lyrics and mimicking the cover of Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin' right down to the typeface style, it is clear the image Francis wants to project.
"If I could model my life after 'Sign on the Window' by Bob Dylan, I'd be very happy," said Francis in an e-mail interview with The Beacon.
However, if he wants to be the next Dylan, he has quite a way to go-but One by One is a step in the right direction.
Categorizing his own music as "a small monsoon of emotion," the Brentwood, Calif. native who, as a young boy, would sneak into clubs to watch his sisters perform, recorded One by One in a friend's living room and on the second floor of his parents' house. He says that when it comes to recording, he has no specific procedure, but, "I've always wanted to have rituals."
That time is now. Last year Robert Francis was nominated for The Shortlist Music Prize in 2007 for his debut album, One by One.
"The Shortlist Music Prize is a music award given annually to an album released in the United States within the last year, as chosen by a panel of musicians, producers and journalists, known as the 'Listmakers,'" according to the press release.
The 20-year old has just embarked on a U.S. tour with Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins and will be making a stop in Boston at The Paradise on March 14.
With a voice reminiscent of Damien Rice and a mix of acoustic sounds and echoing twangs, this indie-pop musician's work has the making of a star on the rise.
By painting pictures of America's heartland with lush, poetic lyrics and mimicking the cover of Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin' right down to the typeface style, it is clear the image Francis wants to project.
"If I could model my life after 'Sign on the Window' by Bob Dylan, I'd be very happy," said Francis in an e-mail interview with The Beacon.
However, if he wants to be the next Dylan, he has quite a way to go-but One by One is a step in the right direction.
Categorizing his own music as "a small monsoon of emotion," the Brentwood, Calif. native who, as a young boy, would sneak into clubs to watch his sisters perform, recorded One by One in a friend's living room and on the second floor of his parents' house. He says that when it comes to recording, he has no specific procedure, but, "I've always wanted to have rituals."
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