Lunch of Champions

Robert Francis Live @ Epic in Minneapolis, MN on March 7, 2008

(Photo by Toby Cryns)

On Friday I hauled my trusty tape recorder over to Epic (formerly The Qwest) in downtown, Minneapolis to interview Robert Francis, an up-and-coming musician from Los Angeles. Robert is currently in the midst of his first national tour and is opening for Australian phenom, Missy Higgins.

Sitting atop our perch in the V.I.P. section of Epic, I asked Francis about the grind (and excitement) of touring and the influence of Bob Dylan. We even talked briefly about Minneapolis’ best metal band, All the Pretty Horses, over the sweet sounds of Higgins’ soundcheck. Listen to the interview below:

Francis and his 5 bandmates took the stage shortly after that interview to a rambunctious crowd of mostly high school girls and 20-something-year-old women who, presumably, were on hand to see the Aussie pop-rock superstar Higgins perform. But Francis’ silky alto voice and confidence behind the microphone easily won them over.

Moving through a set that included both Francis’s signature upbeat indie-rock songs and acoustic ballads, he and his bandmates were able to give the untested audience something to talk about. The musicianship in the band was solid with Graham Lathrop showcasing impressive depth on his pedal steel guitar while Kati O’Toole’s textured keyboard parts added an interesting fullness to the sound.

(Photo by Toby Cryns)

See more photos of Robert Francis and Missy Higgins from Friday’s show.