Eugene Francis Jr was on the site a while ago for a REALLY catchy single "Poor Me" and I figured it was time we checked out what he was up to again. Normally his "sound" isn't up my alley but I really enjoyed his songs...
I got my hands on a nice *cough* 'new rave' (didn't I say I wasn't going to use that phrase anymore?) mix of his new single... so I'm hoping you iPod folks and the DJ kids get into this one... 'HOBO OCCUPATION' (aka 'Electric Hobo')... this will actually be perfect for fans of Bright Eyes "Digital Ash In A Digital Urn" album...
If you're in the UK cop the album from the link below!
Eugene and 'The Juniors' are playing the following UK/US and European Dates :
23/10/08 : USA : Webster Hall, New York (for CMJ) 06/11/08 : UK : Academy, Manchester : with Todd Rundgren 07/11/08 : UK : Picture House, Edinburgh : with Todd Rundgren 09/11/08 : DENMARK : Amager Bio, Copenhagen : with Todd Rundgren 10/11/08 : FINLAND : House of Culture, Helsinki : with Todd Rundgren 12/11/08 : SWEDEN : Traddgaarn, Gothenburg : with Todd Rundgren 13/11/08 : SWEDEN : Kulturbolaget, Malmo : with Todd Rundgren 16/11/08 : GERMANY : Harmonie, Bonn : with Todd Rundgren 18/11/08 : ITALY : Rolling Stone, Milan : with Todd Rundgren 20/11/08 : FRANCE : Trabendo, Paris : with Todd Rundgren 22/11/08 : UK : Waterfront, Norwich : with Todd Rundgren 23/11/08 : UK : Kentish Town Forum, London : with Todd Rundgren 29/11/08 : UK : Arena, Sheffield : with Coldplay 01/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay 02/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay 03/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay 06/12/08 : UK : SECC Hall, Glasgow : with Coldplay 07/12/08 : UK : Echo Arena, Liverpool : with Coldplay 09/12/08 : UK : SECC Hall, Glasgow : with Coldplay 15/12/08 : UK : O2, London : with Coldplay
Those are pretty big names so I suspect big things in Mr. Francis' future. Once again glad to get in on ground level with his career so that a year from now when he's blown up I can still get an interview lol... Here's the video for "Poor Me"...
Hope you enjoyed... there's probably another post coming today about Roses Kings and Castles, a project from Babyshambles' Adam Ficek, for which I have some dope remixes. Stay tuned...
It's been a while since we've posted something from someone who isn't on a major (or a major indie) so I was figuring it was about time for us to get some fresh talent on the board... after all I've got like a 90% success rate on people I've gotten to before they've gone big and I wanna keep that up lol... and I had one cross my inbox today that made my jaw hit the floor...
Meet Eugene Francis Jnr... now usually if you used the word 'hippy' anywhere in your press released I might seek you out just to slap you... but Eugene's music is this amazing blend of acoustic strumming and tide-like synth washes rushing over the melodies. In this frigid bitch of a winter it took me right back to summer... actually the summer of 2005 driving listening to Bright Eyes and songs from The O.C.... I would have to say that this sits RIGHT in between those two things (and I say that in a good way because I fucking LOVE BOTH... hey The O.C. was a good show asshole!)...
Here's the background...
The history:
On March 8th 1977 at 8.13am Eugene Francis Jnr emerged into our world, for 2 reasons
a. to make music b. so that 'International Women's Day' would be officially recognised
9 months earlier it is believed that a chivalrous, Apache Indian made love to an exquisite, Inuit Eskimo under the timid Welsh sun. The couple were very much in love but also very much in hiding.
They travelled with Eugene from continent to continent, in search of work and enlightenment. They were stubborn nomads, who in turn raised an unshakable hippy…but their taste in music was impeccable
Eugene Francis was raised on Country, Blues and Folk Music, although when he misbehaved his parents made him listen to 80'Synth-Pop or Ambient.
After returning to London to study the stars and the planets at University, Eugene Francis decided to capitalise on being in the nation's capital and got busy playing in as many different bands as possible:
Eugene Francis played and wrote songs in 'the fantastic super foofs' (releasing 3 singles 'bilo boss', 'devan endo' & 'timmy zuckermann' on Floating Toast / Fuzzbox) which were championed by Lamacq and Sir John Peel for there loungey melodies. Their lack of musical depth however, meant that they also lacked record sales.
Eugene Francis played and wrote songs in 'kaptainblack' (releasing one album 'in fertility' on Mighty Atom) which was saluted in Europe as gravel-throated 'Blunktry' music. However, it didn't take long to find its way quickly and surely to the discount bin of most UK independent stores.
Eugene Francis got paid to play and write songs with 'dirty perfect' (releasing one EP and one single 'quarterback hairdo' on Sound Foundation Recordings) which was giving the thumbs up by teenage girls and boys. However, in his own words 'the publishing salary and the novelty of having a GPS in the van outshone the experience itself.'
Bored and fed up. Eugene Francis packed his little, junior guitar, and some threads and headed off to America on a Kerouac. During a late lock-in @ The White Horse Tavern (NYC) under the watchful eye of Dylan Thomas. Eugene Francis was enlightened by a friend who told him to move away from the pop-rock music he had been making and look for something to call his own.
Up to the challenge Eugene Francis headed back home to the Welsh Hills to start work.
Just like the construction of chitty-chitty-bang-bang, he disappeared to work on his project behind locked doors. He emerged 4 months later holding in his hand the proposed album 'The Golden Beatle' and the word 'Folktronica' would never be the same.
Now he needed a band, to reproduce the layers of instruments and percussion…
Not just any old band, an elite band, a concept band: 'The Juniors'
Drawing from some of the best bands / musical individuals of the current Welsh Music Scene (Vito, Broken Leaf) Eugene Francis Jnr has assembled a democracy, which he calls 'a harmonious, beatnik-supergroup'
And now they plan to take over the world, this one and the next
With Poor Me / Kites being the double A-side Ltd Edition Vinyl, due for release in June and with The Juniors currently re-recording the album, this could be the year where even the heavens will hear about 'Eugene Francis Jnr and the juniors' x
I have to say outside the previous two references I made the other thing that sticks out to me... is that he would be right at home on the roster over at Ghostly International... he's vocals are maybe more straight forward than Christopher Willits or something like that but tell me "Poor Me" couldn't be one of Ghostly's 'avant pop' releases?
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