Robert Francis

Growing up as the youngest child in a Los Angeles home steeped in music, indie folk singer/songwriter Robert Francis absorbed an eclectic range of sounds from his pianist/producer father, his songwriting sister Juliette Commagere, and his Mexican mother, whose renditions of native ranchera songs filled the rooms. A family friend, the acclaimed stringmaster Ry Cooder, presented Francis with his first guitar when he was nine; seven years afterward, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers took him on as his sole guitar student. That distinctive training yielded results when Francis, at nineteen, issued his 2007 debut One by One, an album whose stylistic breadth reflected the varied influences around him. Dense with layered arrangements, sweeping orchestrations, and a wide array of instruments, the record quickly drew a modest following and secured a deal with Atlantic Records. For the follow-up, Francis deliberately pared the approach down, gathering a compact group of musicians and completing Before Nightfall in a single week under the guidance of Oasis producer Dave Sardy. His next studio effort, Strangers in the First Place, appeared in 2012, and two years later the Aeronaut label released Heaven, credited to Robert Francis & the Night Tide.