Rough Francis at Big Heavy World

Words by Justin Landau. Photos by Juliet Degree.

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Bobby Hackney, Jr. from Rough Francis. Rough Francis formed two and a half years ago and consists of Bobby, his two brothers Urian and Jules, and their two close friends Steven and Dylan. Rough Francis plays "rock and roll or garage rock. Our biggest influence is of course Death (Bobby's father's band), along with 1960s British rock like The Who and The Kinks. Detroit Motown Rock also has influenced us musically."

Rough Francis have played locally in Burlington at many venues, and toured Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit last year with Death, along with playing in Albany, New York City, and have their first show in Boston coming up. "Locally, my favorite venue to play is Nectar's. We feel lucky to be "that band" that bring in a different crowd than Nectar's is normally used to. They also have a great sound system and great overall setup. We also always like to go back to 242, seeing as we grew up there and like to return the love." 242 Main is Burlington's teen center and longstanding all-ages music venue.

The Band have an extremely unique and close relationship with Death, and "see themselves as the descendants of Death. We feed off of each other and get energy from one another." Bobby's uncle David was the influence in the naming of Rough Francis. "David, my favorite uncle, was the primary song writer and brainchild behind Death. When I was ten years old, I went to Detroit and spent the summer with him. He would sing to me and play guitar when I was going to bed, and we had a special bond. David taught me how to draw, and I learned a lot from him. After Death, he wanted to reinvent himself as a country western artist, and called himself Rough Francis. That's where we got the name from."

Bobby with on-air interviewer Ryan Krushenick in Big Heavy World for an appearance on 'Rocket Shop,' Big Heavy World's local music radio hour (Wednesdays 8-9pm on 105.9FM or at theradiator.org).