Rough Francis

Bio:

In the early ‘70s, three brothers—Dannis, David, and Bobby Hackney—begin playing quick-tempo, high-velocity, hard rock as the revolutionary Detroit band, Death. Heavily influenced by the wild on-stage antics, political-tinged lyrics, and kick-in-the-face raw rock of fellow Detroit bands MC5 and the Stooges, as well as the high energy of more mainstream bands such as The Who in England, Death unknowingly helped create the genre of punk rock that later hit the music world full-force. Ahead of their time, Death, unfortunately, never had their moment in the spotlight. After changing musical directions; the three brothers moved to Burlington, Vermont. The Hackney’s continued to develop their musical interest and eventually settled down and raised families of their own, the days of Death seemed only a memory of the distant past. 30 years after the group disbanded and after the passing of David Hackney, sons Julian, Urian, and Bobby Hackney Jr., unearthed the original Death recordings in their father’s attic. Already well steeped in the hardcore and punk scene since youth and inspired by the power and magnitude of their father’s recordings, the boys along with friends Steven Hazen Williams and Dylan Giambatista created Rough Francis as a way to help spread the word of Death and the newly re-discovered music. The bands name, Rough Francis, was in tribute to David Hackney, who created the moniker for himself years earlier. Shortly after forming, Rough Francis began playing and developing their own style and sound while sharing their own form of punk rock to select audiences. Although the loud howls, high-energy stage presence, and raw, gritty rock of Rough Francis echoes Death, they are exploring a musical style unique to them.  Their sound has appealed to a wide range of fans, from the most core punk enthusiasts to backpacker hip hop kids. Fueled by their wide spread appeal but anchored in their core roots, Rough Francis has had a great year. They’ve performed at the annual Joey Ramone memorial Birthday Bash and opened for hip hop heavyweight Mos Def. The band has been steadily gaining acclaim for their energetic performances from critics all over, which has included a feature in the New York Times in March of 2009 and mentions on Spin.com, to name a few. They are currently in the studio recording for a release set for early 2010 and getting out on the road performing at various clubs in select cities. The sons of Death are born; Rough Francis is inviting the world to take part and bare witness as a new generation evolves from a family story made for movies. (okay-okay.com) Read more about Death and Rough Francis here: ..

Member Since:

December 29, 2008

Members:

bobby hackney jr., urian hackney, jewels isum sparks hackney, steven hazen williams , dylan giambatista, Paul Comegno

Influences:

Death/The Who/The Damned/MC5... and Bob Ross

Sounds Like:

..

Record Label:

Drag City / None