50K MUSIC: For all those, who haven’t heard about you yet (in case there is someone at all), please tell us something about you. Where do you come from? What are your roots?
Francis: Roots lie in New York, but grew up also in Italy and the last years have been in London.

50K MUSIC: Quite a while ago your album „Circles and Squares“ was released. What happened since then?
Francis: Since then, I’ve been working with a new band lineup, playing less, but more larger scale shows in London, and of course, recording and releasing my new EP!

50K MUSIC: Your going to release your new EP on September 2. Are you satisfied with the result of your work? Please tell us something about the album production.
Francis: It was produced by George Shilling and indeed was a very different product to Cirlces & Squares. We had a tighter budget and timeline so we made sure we were well practiced and basically recorded the band as it was. It’s a very different sound to C&S, but it’s also about trying different recording techniques and processes to see what you end up with.

50K MUSIC: You financed this EP again with the help of your fans on Pledgemusic. Was it different to your fan funding project on SellaBand?
Francis: Not too different, although, I think the people who contributed to the EP fund were more hard-core fans. There is not misleading process of return on investment (like the SAB model was) so nobody can complain. For me there was a rhetorical question posed to my fans: do you want to hear any more music? And for some, the answer was “yes”, so using Pledge was the way I could raise some funds for the project.

50K MUSIC: What are your plans to promote the EP?
Francis: We are doing a big live show to mark the CD release (London, October 16th) . Other than that I have no plans to promote the EP. I’ve released it to my fans and that’s the way I’m going to make music for now.

50K MUSIC: How can we support you?
Francis: By coming to see us play at the launch show! Tickets here: (http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=399508)

50K MUSIC: Will we see you on stage soon … in the UK?
Francis: See above
… and in the rest of Europe?
Francis: I play when there’s demand. If we had enough fans we could play anywhere!

50K MUSIC: And last question: Is there anything you’d like to tell your fans?
Francis: My fans have heard it already. If you’ve contributed to the CD recording, than I thank you from the heart. If you haven’t, come see a show.

www.francisrodino.com

The Bill:-
Tamanda Walker
Jetson
Chasing Ora
The Brays (bought a CD)
Francis Rodino
Kubla Kahn

Francis’ Set List:-
Other Side
Don’t Say Never
Burn
Walk With Me
Science
Drink
More Than Before
Any Day Now

So we’re on the tube schlepping to The O2 Arena and bump into Nik Hollis, which is nice. Never having been to the O2, or indeed the smaller IndigO2 venue, before it’s great to have Nik leading the way … and what a way! I knew the place was massive but was still bowled over by the scale of it. It’s a large town in a tent!

We let Nik wander in and we go grabbed a bite to eat at one of the very many restaurants which unfortunately meant we missed Tamanda and most of Jetson (jazz funky). Chasing Ora had a great sound with a good female lead vocal. The Brays were really great and worth a look for sure. After Francis, and headlining, were Kubla Kahn and it’s a good job it’s a big stage as there were load so them, including a brass section. They put on a good show and would make a good night out!

As many of you may know, Francis has been working with Ruth Lorenzo, of X-Factor fame, and it was great to see Ruth and Diana Vickers in the crowd, not to mention Jen Delaney who I’d seen the previous night singing with Dan Ward-Murphy.

The Boys came out to much cheering from the crowd and with a much shorter wait than usual, Francis runs out to join them and they kick it with one of the new ones, Other Side. This is fast and furious and doesn’t fail to grab the attention of the crowd. Fran pulls the crowd in, always giving us the usual 110% and the crowd gives it right back as Don’t Say Never takes over, followed by Burn. All these Circles and Squares tracks are so great to hear live and they continue with Walk With Me, Science, and Drink always fires the crowd up, and tonight is no exception, and the crowd are jumping.

The lads leave Francis to play More Than Before on his own on his acoustic guitar. I love this song and even though this set seems shorter than usual (though I don’t think it was much shorter, just time flies at an FRB gig!) it’s great to break up the tracks in this way.
The boys return for the last one as Any Day Now closes the FRB Show. Good Job guys! Great songs, but then we already knew that. Huge presence and energy on stage, and again, anyone who’s see you live already knows that too!

As some of you may know, Francis Rodino has setup a FanFunding page on PledgeMusic to get them back into the studio to record an EP. He’s been lucky enough to secure Steve Bush (Stereophonics, Corinne Bailey Rae, and of course our very own Francis!) as producer again. I say “lucky” but I’m sure Steve wouldn’t be doing it if he hadn’t enjoyed the making of Circles and Squares.

Best of luck to Francis on that, and as I write this he’s around half way to his target already. I’ve got my CD already paid for and I can’t wait to hear the results and I’m just so happy to have the opportunity to continue being ever so small a part of his journey!

UBG

The Bill:-
Lee Broderick
Robert McCracken
Francis Rodino

Francis’ Set List:-
Don’t Say Never
Walk With Me
Burn
Any Day Now
Science
Drink
Eternity
Blood (Acoustic++)
One Love

Yet another night at The Bedford in Balham and yet again it’s a great night out. Great to see Dave The Esthameian out to play, and taking loads of photos too! As usual, a quick chat about the other Artists – Lee Broderick was awesome and well worth checking out whereas Robert McCracken’s acoustic guitar/violin/cello set didn’t really do it for me, but maybe that’s because it was the first time for the violin/cello or maybe I was just so keen to get Francis on stage that I didn’t pay enough attention?

From the very beginning Francis and the boys foster the air of a full on stadium rock band, although maybe some of the extended breaks between tracks to tune, etc, could be worked on – I guess that’s where the full on stadium rock band scores with pre-tuned “spare” guitars, etc. Oh roll on that day for Francis and the boys!

Allan, sans shoes, and Andrea kick it off with Matt giving an extra long keys intro to Don’t Say Never, letting Nik come onstage and plug in. A further wait as the intro continues to build tension before Francis struts onstage and the crowd cheer. Not as big a crowd as I’ve seen here for Fran before (but this was a Tuesday remember!), but all seem to be in the mood to be ROCKED! Francis continues through the well picked set of songs from his excellent Sellaband album Circles and Squares and the crowd listen intently (a marvelous “Bedford” tradition), even joining in when enticed to do so! Finishing off with an interesting version of Blood which comprised the usual cut-down acoustic version usually performed by just Francis, Nik, and Allan but with Matt and Andrea coming in at the usual place on keys and drums, but with a lighter touch (Andrea playing for much of the time with just his hands). I heard them discussing it at the bar beforehand and it’s a fascinating insight into the world of the accomplished musician that a 5 minute chat over a bottle of beer and bags and bags of haribo is enough to put together something new, and a glimpse into the relationships they have fostered amongst themselves to have a crack just for the craic!

Muggins here on Merch & Email list duty at the end is swamped by FRB newbies clamouring for copies of the CD, and some even hunting out the culprits to get their copies signed. Such was the enthusiasm for all things Rodino that I even had some interesting offers for my FRB t-shirt, but NO SALE!

Thanks Fran, Allan, Nik, Andrea, Matt – another great night out! Cheers.

… Anyway …

A few highlights worth a quick mention:

Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds : Folk/Celtic versions of punk classics – Excellent

The Lancashire Hotpots: Comedy Folk Band, again, folk versions of classics, and some original stuff too

Nerina Pallot : DWM texted me to catch this girl and she was/is awesome.

6 Day Riot : Check ‘em out

Seth Lakeman : Violin singer with band … hmmm now who else do we know like that? [cough-Lunic-cough]. More folky than Kaitee but it was ideal for a damp Cumbrian festival!

OK, so tell us about Francis Rodino’s encounter at The Bar Stage I hear you call:

A few words about The Bar Stage: It’s a bar (whoo hooo) with a stage (yer baby!), so all’s well so far. It’s also in a big tent at a Cumbrian music festival with a large depression off the west coast and the tail end of hurricane something-or-other throwing all sorts of unpleasantness our way. A lot of people seek refuge in the Bar Stage Tent and sit at the tables leaving little room for those there to see the bands.

Francis takes to the stage with his newly full lineup and wows them from the start, but still the tired and damp remain seated until Drink! kicks in and there’s an honest to goodness charge of drunken dancers wading through the tired and hopeless to form an impromptu mosh pit at the front. This really is a ‘stomper’ of a track and so well matched to the atmosphere in the Bar Tent that everyone takes notice!

Ending with Eternity brings the crowd back down to Earth with Nik Hollis coaxing such ethereal sounds from his guitar like he’s away with the faeries! Beautiful and wonderful.

Thanks Fran, for making the effort to find a festival and for driving all the way up to play – Did you know how far away Cumbria was when you booked? LOL.

Francis and the boys hooked up with us afterwards, but I was pretty shot by then and could only manage a beer before wandering back to my tent – and they all escaped the rain and wind by driving home on Sunday morning.

It was a V. long Weekend but definitely worth it. SolFest is one of those small, intimate, family type festivals with a really friendly feel and the, now de rigueur, fancydress Saturdays, which makes it all the more pleasant!