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Thursday, November 5, 2009
News / Jason Younger / Interviews Robert Francis - new artist, old soul
Posted By Jason Younger on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 3:32 PM
“I know that for some musicians, writing songs is like therapy and the way they get their emotions out,” says Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robert Francis. “But for me it’s more than an outlet — it’s a way to keep me from completely losing my mind.”
Meet Robert Francis. When reading the above quote you might think that this is just another artist trying to sound good in an interview. Not this time. I had the opportunity to speak with Francis before his show in support of Noah and the Whale in Pontiac, Mich., and one thing is for sure - Robert Francis puts everything he has into his music, and he does it well. When speaking with him, I learned that he had just gotten out of the van after driving for six hours to the Michigan show. From there he would be off to Toronto, and then make the drive over to New York City for a 3-day gig. Let’s just say that’s a whole lot of van time.
The first thing you notice when talking with Robert is his humble, down-to-earth view on life and his career. Throughout the interview he repeatedly thanked me for my time and for the praise I gave him for his album Before Nightfall. When I asked him about the theme of the album, looking back on a failed relationship, Francis said, “It’s all about being comfortable in one ’s self. Accepting reality as it is, especially when you’ve been haunted by something for so long. This record puts all that to rest.”
Before Nightfall is Francis’ first major record label release (Atlantic), after his independent debut One-by-One. “With One-by-One, I really wanted to grow as an artist and really let the music grow," he says. "I wanted to be comfortable and not feel contained by a label. With Before Nightfall the pieces came together at the right time. Atlantic understood that for me this is a long term thing – hopefully a career. I really wanted to take it to the next level with the new record and Atlantic helped me do that."
With the tracks on the new album, Francis weaves a haunting tale of love lost, but at the same time offers hope for the future.
To be more comfortable in the studio, Francis tried to replicate his living room as much as possible, including using his sisters as backup singers. He brought his own furniture and posters to the studio to make the scene as real as possible.
When asked how it was to work on the album with his family, his answer shows what’s truly important in his life – “I love my sisters and owe them everything. They introduced me to great music at a young age and I’ve been performing with them since I was six. I couldn’t imagine doing this without them.” This might explain why that he has mentioned in other publications that he wanted to quit school and go on tour when he was only 10 (my bet is he would have made it work somehow).
When asked about what he hopes to leave one day as his music legacy, you again get the chance to see what he truly is about, and that quite simply is the music. “I spend a lot of time in a van driving back and forth across the country” he explains, “and it’s really obvious that a lot of people are struggling right now. What I hope is that somehow I can help someone with one of my songs. Give them hope, lift them up. One day look back and say that the songs I put together helped people feel better and maybe get them through a tough time. I don’t really need or care about the fame and fortune. I want this to be my career and one day settle down on a little piece of land with my dog and just relax. That’s it, I really don’t need much.”
And if a career in music is what he is looking for, at the ripe old age of 21 and with an album like Before Nightfall, he should have no problem doing just that - for as long as he wants.
P.S. Of course, the most important question of the day - when he might make an appearance in the land of Charlotte, Francis said he hoped to hit the road solo at the beginning of the year and Charlotte would be a definite destination – so be on the look-out!
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