Rough Francis

In the early ‘70s, three brothers—Dannis, David, and Bobby Hackney—begin playing quick-tempo, high-velocity, hard rock as the revolutionary Detroit band, Death. Heavily influenced by the wild on-stage antics, politically-tinged lyrics, and kick-in-the-face raw rock of fellow Detroit bands MC5 and the Stooges, as well as the high energy of more mainstream bands such as The Who in England, Death unknowingly helped create the genre of punk rock that later hit the music world full-force. Fellow Detroit native and rock musician Jack White summed it up best, “Ahead of punk, ahead of their time.” Because of their extremely innovative brand of rock, Death unfortunately never had their moment in the spotlight. After changing musical directions, the three brothers moved to Burlington, Vermont. The Hackneys continued to develop their musical interest and eventually settled down and raised families of their own. The days of Death seemed only a memory of the distant past.

30 years after the group disbanded and after the passing of David Hackney, sons Julian, Urian, and Bobby Hackney Jr., unearthed the original Death recordings in their father’s attic. Already well steeped in the hardcore and punk scene since youth and inspired by the power and magnitude of their father’s recordings, the boys, along with friends Steven Hazen Williams and Dylan Giambatista, created Rough Francis as a way to help spread the word of Death and the newly re-discovered music. The band’s name, Rough Francis, is in tribute to David Hackney, who created the moniker for himself years earlier. Shortly after forming, Rough Francis began playing and developing their style and sound while sharing their own form of punk rock to select audiences. Although the loud howls, high-energy stage presence, and raw, gritty rock of Rough Francis echoes Death, they are exploring a musical style unique to them. Their sound has appealed to a wide range of fans—from the most core punk enthusiasts to underground hip hop kids. Fueled by their wide spread appeal but anchored in their core roots, Rough Francis has been taking the rock world by storm. They’ve performed at CMJ as part of Afro Punk and opened for hip hop heavyweight Mos Def while simultaneously playing local shows at Nectars and Higher Ground, staying true to their Burlington origins. The band has been steadily gaining acclaim for their energetic performances from critics all over, which has included a feature in the New York Times in March of 2009 and mentions on Spin.com, to name a few.

In the winter of 2010 Rough Francis welcomed new member, Paul Comengo, to the band. With the new lineup in place, the group hit the studio and released their debut EP, “Introducing… Rough Francis.” The following Summer and fall found Rough Francis touring New England and making trips to play shows in NY until the group headed back into the studio to record a full-length album, which is expected to drop in late summer 2011. The sons of Death are born; Rough Francis is inviting the world to take part and bear witness as a new generation evolves from a family story made for movies.