Singing from the heart

Looking at Robert Francis’ life, it’s easy to tell music would be his destiny.

Francis grew up in a musical family and was always immersed in the art form. In anticipation of his performance at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, he discussed his early start, current success and future goals.

“When I was about three years old, my dad used to lay me across his lap and play piano for hours on end,” Francis said. “Music was embedded in my mind from a really young age. It was the one thing that I could understand. It was something I was really passionate about, and when it came time to choose a career, music was the only thing I could see myself doing.”

At an early age, Francis mastered a variety of instruments, including the guitar, drums and piano. He used his talents to record his first album, One by One, which was released in 2007. That homemade debut album required a good deal of hard work and commitment.

“I was about 17, and I had a good friend who had a lot of recording equipment,” Francis explained. “We set up in his mom’s living room while she was out of town. We turned the whole place into a recording studio, and we did a few songs there. We finished at my parent’s house. I played most of the instruments and produced it.”

The response to One by One was highly positive, resulting in comparisons to Townes Van Zandt and eventually a deal with the label Atlantic Records. With the resources to embark on a major project, Francis was able to release Before Nightfall in October.

“I think people were expecting me to make a record similar to One by One,” Francis said of his second album. “I wanted to go a different route, so I teamed up with Dave Sardy, a producer I met up with in London when he was doing Oasis’ record at Abbey Road.

“Our band got into the studio and recorded everything live with minimal overdubs. We tried not to overthink while we recorded the album. There was one week of live tracking, one week of vocals and overdubs and one week of mixing. So the whole thing was done in three weeks.”

Consisting of a reflective mood and contemplative narratives, Before Nightfall is overflowing with emotions stemming from a broken relationship to personal loss. Francis believes in capturing the emotions he feels in a particular moment, and his method of writing lyrics reflects this aspect.

“Something will start coming out of me,” Francis said. “Anytime I’ll try to sit down and write, I won’t be able to come up with much. It’ll always be when I’m playing guitar. It just starts coming to me, and I just jot down my thoughts.”

Other musicians, such as Bob Dylan, have also had some influence on Francis’ lyrical style.

“I’ve always been inspired by the cinematic songwriters,” he said. “Those people are the artists that connect with me at a deep level. But there’s so much music in my life everyday all the time, and I don’t actually like to listen to music regularly.”

Francis, however, does not value comparisons to other artists. For him, it is important to break away from stereotypes and avoid having his music labeled as a certain brand or style.

“I’m just following my heart," he said. "Part of what’s wrong with music these days is that artists don’t have time to grow and to make records and so that’s what I hope to do. Keep growing and making records every year.”

Robert Francis will perform at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday with Brett Dennen and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Tickets are $25. Doors open at 7 p.m.

diversions@umdbk.com