Okay, so has anyone here ever seen the local (?) band Francis (or was it Frances?). It's been over a year since I've seen them and I'm wondering what happened. Here's what I know:

1) They preached the funk. The lead singer had an evangelist thing going on-- getting sweaty, wearing white suits, and being very interactive with the crowd. He taught us white people to stop counting on the 1 and 3 but to instead count on the 2 and 4. He also preached that there would be no excuses in the 2002.

2) They were a three piece (with a very tall, sexy bass player) and could best be described (by me) as a cross between Jon Spencer and Beck.

3) They were kicked out of at least 2 clubs including 12th and Porter for throwing down the house mic after a 12@12th perfomance.

4) They were associated with a group called the Cut and Paste Collective whose website hasn't been updated in months (and was never very detailed to begin with).

With all the collective minds and connections of this board, I'm confident someone knows what I'm talking about and knows the status/whereabouts of this band.

Anyone?

I've never even heard of them.

carl's smoking the crack again.

word around town is that carl is actually in this francis band
(...and that he just talks up the band in local bars and on message boards so that he might anonomously win public interest for his band.)

but this could just be a rumour...

Yeah, I heard he was a sexy bass player.

Francis was truly badass. Thank you for mentioning them, Carl!! I've really missed this band too. I think the last time we saw them at The End, the singer destroyed his Danelectro guitar onstage and admitted afterward that it was totally unplanned. And yes, his wife/bassist was sexified.

Does anybody have details on their disappearance?

Perhaps it was related to their annihilation of all of their musical instruments after only a few shows? I'll never understand destroying one's guitar for entertainment. Making your body bleed is so much cooler.

i highly agree. since when do starving musicians have the money to pay for a new gishnar everytime they smash one up?
the band sounds radd though.

I've never been to a show where the gear has been totally trashed, but doing some hurting of the equipment can be acceptable--especially when used in the context of using the damage for sound.

Witness Sonic Youth. I love those guys.
Any time they'd play the "Diamond Sea"
Using drumsticks every time they play "Burning Spear"
and of course,
using a baseball bat on David Letterman to play "100%"

Oh well, I tried. I guess no one here other than myself and Ben Matlock have had the pleasure of witnessing Francis. Nevermind.