David Francey Page

Saturday night, May 10, (talking 2008, here!) my friends Stacy Lynch (a fiddler) and Pat O'Brien (a great singer/songwriter) and I headed up to Moody Mountain Farm in Wolfeboro for another splendid David Francey concert. Stacy had only heard him on CD and Pat had never heard David's music at all so, acolyte that I am, I invited them to accompany me and they were very impressed with what they heard.

The barn was packed, and we were very lucky to have seats right in front of the stage! David's latest CD "Rite of Passage" (with NH musician Craig Werth backing him up) just won him another Juno. He sung many songs from the new CD ("Kansas" and "A Conversation" being two of my favorites!) and in the second set many of the audience's favorites from the earlier ones, including the haunting "Torn Screen Door" and the gorgeous "Breaking Glass". The audience sang along to the choruses a sound that just gives you the chills with the beauty of David's words ringing through the rafters.

And for those who have never seen him live, David Francey is an absoultely captivating story teller. He can keep the audience mesmerized listening to him for hours if that is what he chose to do. He is a natural and engaging performer, and always has time for his fans off-stage. What more can I say, it was a memorable evening. Check his tour schedule http://www.davidfrancey.com/gigs.html
and don't miss him if he plays in your town!

About a year ago (2007) (takes me FOREVER to update!!!) Grace and I attended the New Hampshire Folk Festival in the Unitarian Church in Portsmouth. It was a rainy night, the room was packed, there were a number of musicians, but we were there to see David Francey. No matter how many worthy performers were on the stage that night... the audience was most attentive to David's music and lyrics. They are jewels captured in song.

Last night, March 18, my friend Grace Peirce and I attended a delightful David Francey sold out concert at the Wolfeboro Inn, in Wolfeboro, NH, put on by Ben Anderson of Wolfeboro Folk and the Great Waters Festival. Mr. Anderson is doing a great job of bringing the Canadian style folk festivals to New England. And he had the foresight to book David Francey and bring him to the attention of the NH folk fans a couple of years ago.

David was at his relaxed best, told some engaging stories and got the audience singing along to the choruses. He has a way of thoroughly captivating an audience that is rare among performers, and sang a mix of old favorites and lovely new songs from Waking Hour. He was accompanied by a new guitarist, Shane Simmons.

We can't say enough about Mr. Francey's songwriting abilities. Simply... he is the best. See him live, if you can.
And I know people are now covering some of his songs, which is nice and hopefully will help bring people back
to the source.
Check his tour schedule.

Fans of David by now know about his gorgeous new cd, "The Waking Hour".
Backed by 3 new musicians, Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Fats Kaplin
this cd has some absolutely beautiful songs like the title number, and many destined
to become classics of the Francey canon. This one has just been nominated for a juno.
We think David is the best singer/songwriter working today. Find out for yourself, and order this cd!

Congratulations to Mr. Francey for winning the Juno award for best roots/traditional CD!

When we first heard David Francey's music in Calgary, a few years back, it was like hearing music as it was meant to be. His compelling, beautifully understated lyrics and tunes have been steadily captivating audiences here and in Canada.

We just had the great pleasure of seeing David Francey in two venues in New Hampshire, this summer. First, on August 3rd, at Great Waters Music Festival in Wolfeboro, where he took part in several workshops and co-headlined the Saturday night concert. This event was filled with folk musicians from all over, many well known and popular singers in their own right, yet Mr. Francey's music shone, as always.

Though he had a minimum of stage time, overall, in Wolfeboro, many of those that heard him there for the first time, along with loyal fans (like us!) made their way, last night, to the Drylongso Coffee House set up in an old church in Conway, NH. This is the sort of setting that is ideal for seeing David Francey at his finest. Even though he is in the midst of a grueling tour schedule, he was gracious, and relaxed. They did a two hour set with breaks to chat with their fans and sign autographs. His intros to the songs were engaging and perfectly framed each one. His brilliant accompanist, guitarist Dave Clarke, also performed several of his own works. I can't emphasize enough how much Mr. Clarke brings to these performances and recordings. They are one of the most memorable teams working in music.

So, keep your eyes open. Mr. Francey and Mr. Clarke are not to be missed. And if they aren't coming to your town, make it happen yourself. Use our friend, Patricia Walsh, as an example, and organize house concerts or petition your local theater or concert hall to sign them up. In the meantime, order those CDs for yourself, or for your music-loving friends. You won't regret it!

David Francey is the best singer/songwriter we know of. When we first heard him at the Calgary Folk Festival, in 2001, we were riveted by his voice, his words and music. He writes songs about working people, love, and the landscape of Canada - which, in the wrong hands of course, could be a boring bunch of claptrap. The CDs are far from that. Brilliantly accompanied by Dave Clarke, Geoff Somers and others.

His three CDs are beautifully crafted works of art, each a perfect gem, without a false note or an unnecessary word. This is music that you can play over and over, and still be struck by its freshness.

We had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Francey, accompanied by his superb guitarist, Dave Clarke, in concert in Tamworth, NH, in April, and enjoyed his concert so much, we saw him again, at another venue in Kennebunk Maine, as well as in the WUNH studio for a live performance on Roland Goodbody's Ceili Show. If you have the rare opportunity of seeing Mr. Francey perform in your neck of the woods, be sure to get your tickets in advance! Word of mouth is helping to get David Francey the recognition he deserves.

Great News for David's fans is the release of the anxiously awaited new CD "Skating Rink", an absolutely terrifically beautiful CD which includes such stand out songs as "Belgrade Train", "Come Rain or Come Shine" "Streets of Calgary", "Nearly Midnight", "Annie's House", "Grim Cathedral" and the heartbreakingly lovely "Broken Glass". This CD is right up there with the previous two. You will not be disappointed!

Another note of interest, Beth Girdler, Mr. Francey's wife, is a self-taught artist, and her lovely watercolors can be seen on Mr. Francey's site. Several of them seem to illustrate themes from her husband's work.

Thanks to Patricia Walsh for this wonderful picture of David, Dave Clarke, and that's Patricia, in the center (note how she is very fashionably dressed in the famous Strip T's Bayou shirt)