Pittsburgh-based songwriter and producer Mick Francis is making a bold entrance into the solo music scene after years as a session player. Known for his work with touring acts such as Gabby Barrett and The Queers, Mick has seamlessly blended his expertise as a bassist with his passion for songwriting. His upcoming music video for "Cut Off My Head/She Doesn’t Want Me" serves as an electrifying introduction to his knack for crafting radio-ready vocal hooks, witty lyrics, and melodic bass lines.
There’s something extraordinary when an artist finds the freedom to fully express themselves, shedding any previous constraints—be they genre-specific or self-imposed. This sense of liberation and authenticity is palpable in Mick Francis' debut solo EP, fittingly titled EP0. With such a captivating debut, listeners can only hope that this joy of creation continues to inspire more releases from Mick Francis in the near future.
We sat down with Mick to chat more about the EP, his journey as an artist and much more, exclusively for FLEX!
--
Hey Mick, welcome to FLEX! How are you doing?
I’m doing just great! Summer has started and I’ve already got to do a lot of music stuff. It’s going to be a busy one!
What motivated you to transition from session player to solo artist?
I’ve always been a songwriter. I’ve always been a bassist. I figured why not marry the two concepts!? I’ve been into engineering and production for the last 6 years too. I just wanted to get the sounds I hear in my head out into the world!
How has your experience as a bassist influenced your solo music?
Well for one, I can use this music as a place to really let the bass dominate the music. Usually playing bass in a rock band or pop band I’m holding it down and serving the song. Grooving with the drums, enforcing the chord progression, complimenting the vocals but never stepping on the vocals, etc.
In a Mick Francis song the bass is the lead. I make the rules! I can’t get fired from this gig so I’m going to try to rip harder than Primus.
Can you tell us about the process of creating your debut music video for "Cut Off My Head/She Doesn’t Want Me"?
I thought those songs had creative bass performances but also had strong vocal hooks. I figured the general public and not just bass nerds might enjoy the tracks so it made the most sense to put those tunes out with a video. We filmed COMH in the rental home I was living in at the time. The backdrop was set up in my dining room. After we got the takes I just started walking around town with my bass for SDWM. The bed and pool jumps for SDWM and upright bass shots for COMH were done in West Virginia because we needed more footage and I was staying in a hotel for a week there on a gig.
How did the Covid shutdowns of 2020 impact your music creation?
The world shut down when I was working at a concert venue. Obviously I was at home for a lonnnng time. I really cut my teeth as an engineer at this point. Before Covid there was no way in heck I could record band or mix song. Now audio work is something I do on the weekdays in between live gigs for extra dough. (Readers hit me up and let's make a song!)
I got lost in my own world of Pro Tools and 80’s music. I was in a seriously unstable and emotional state yet my appreciation of music felt as strong as it did when I was a 12 year old. I was so moved by synth pop and electronic music and wanted to learn everything I could about it. It was a great change of pace because for the last 6 years I was playing in a pop punk project that did not satisfy me musically. There’s nothing wrong with Pop Punk. I love a lot of Pop Punk bands, it’s just such a divided genre. I love Rancid, NOFX, and Ramones but the brand I was doing was a different flavor that always seemed dishonest to me. I was burnt out and looking for an escape. Covid wrecked all of our tour plans so I spent a year buying Human League records on eBay and learning how to recreate synth patches with plugins. I bought two DX7’s at this point also.
What old Synth Pop records did you listen to during lockdown, and how did they influence your sound?
Dare! by The Human League and Violator by Depeche Mode. Dude that shit gets me so excited like a kid on Christmas. I got so obsessed with most of those two bands entire catalog.
How did it influence my sound? Well, simply I’d say the right time and right place aspect of being isolated and learning something new literally became my entire life.
What did you discover about yourself and your music during the pandemic?
I learned that the kid inside of me is still there. I try to tap into that source and if it wasn’t for the pandemic I don’t know that I would to the extent I do now? Hopefully so, but the pandemic created a turning point for me. It’s a cool balance. Following your truest and most simple desires that have always been there, but learning and growing constantly. I think before the pandemic I was regressing, but I also wasn’t a person 13 year old me would have thought was very cool.
What are your goals for your solo career moving forward?
I want to constantly out-do myself. I want batch 2 of Mick Francis music to make the chorus hooks in COMH and SDWM sound bad in comparison.
And finally, What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope I inspire people to make the music that they want to hear even if what they are passionate about isn’t the most popular thing Don’t do anything that doesn’t come naturally.
Stream 'EP0' in full here:
Comments