Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

Fourteen years ago at the age of 45, Francey began an astonishing journey from manual labourer to award-winning folk troubadour – renowned for writing with heart-wrenching honesty about the struggles of the poor and working class. His new album reflects his own journey through a period of struggle.
“The lesson learned,” he says, “was to celebrate every day spent on this side of the soil and to keep marching no matter what comes our way.”

That spirit of perseverance bursts from each song on the album, from the opening track “Rain” about the failure and rebirth of love to the bittersweet hymn “So Say We All.” Capturing the dark times (“Pandora’s Box,” “Ordinary Man”) as well as life’s shining moments (“Satellite,” “Blue Skies”), the album is a perfect acoustic showcase of what makes Francey’s songwriting so special. Poetic and fearless, Francey draws from his own experiences, delving into his recent depression (“Harm”) and singing about his colorful experiences on the road (“Cheap Motel”).

Now ten albums into his recording career, Francey has demonstrated the kind of consistency as a songwriter that makes even other songwriters shake their head in disbelief. On So Say We All, he shares yet another collection of so-good-they-could-be-traditional numbers marked by the perfectly-stated poetry and stick-in-your-head melodies of the enduring folk song, best exemplified by songs like “Blue Yonder” and “Long Long Road.”

These remarkable songs are brought to life by Francey’s first-rate touring band – including guitarist Mark Westberg and guitarist/banjo-picker Chris Coole.