“With all of us on board, we’re a seven-piece ensemble,” says Scott Baston of his band Saint Francis. On paper, Saint Francis’ lineup—Baston, Logan Wallis, Jeremy Johnson, Mark van Allen, Greg Cooler, Mason Davis and Rackley Davis—looks more like a sports team roster than a musical group. Although the band began its journey in Macon in 2007, Baston says that its recent activity constitutes a re-introduction of sorts into the Athens scene.
While Saint Francis isn’t Baston’s first rodeo—he fronted the jammy indie outfit Moonshine Still years ago—he says it is the culmination of years of work.
“Like any band of that size, you have to be versatile,” says Baston. “That’s the thing about our band: Having so many members means that you don’t have to sacrifice the integrity of the music. You can still keep your sound. Even if we have to break it down to a four-piece, it is still firing on all cylinders.” And even as a seven-piece, Baston says that the group tends “to look for quality instead of quantity.”
Baston and keyboard player Wallis agree that having such a large membership is a challenge as far as things like touring go. But the hurdles certainly aren’t insurmountable, and the collective makes do—even if that means that the whole unit doesn’t perform together at every single show. “We look at it kind of like an orchestra,” says Baston. “If you’re missing the viola one night, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have three other violins backing you up.”
Although Baston has had more than a little help from his friends in Saint Francis, the singer also notes the number of people who have assisted the band in various ways, including lauded local engineer John Keane. “The interesting thing about John Keane is that he’s not just a producer for us,” says Baston, noting that his bond with Keane runs deep. He says Keane has lent his ear in times of need, and that his generosity far exceeds the typical professional relationship.
Keane isn’t the only Athens-based musician who has collaborated with Saint Francis, whose newly released EP, Revolution Radio, features six tracks of earnest, rootsy folk, heavily indebted to AM radio giants like Paul Simon and The Eagles. Thayer Sarrano, Matt Stoessel, Ike Stubblefield, Sunny Ortiz and many others have offered their services to the group over the past few years. “All of these individuals are extended family, whether they have relationships with one of us or all of us,” says Baston.
Baston and Wallis make sure to note that Saint Francis is more than just a band. It’s also a creative outlet to make manifest the principles they try to adhere to everyday. “It’s not just the name ‘Saint Francis’,” says Baston. “We actually [try to] embody the spirit of what that means. We’re not a religious band, but we’re spiritual… The music is uplifting,” says Baston.
Baston cites the Prayer of Saint Francis, which he says encourages “sustainability… giving back to the community,” as something that inspires his sound. But he clarifies that he would rather have the music do the talking; should a listener read some religious meaning into Baston’s lyrics, so be it.
Saint Francis is also heartened by a recently signed contract with Universal/Famous Records (despite the name, the subsidiary label has few real ties to the Universal Music Group of yesteryear). The group is gearing up to release Cassidy’s Sky this spring. The full-length record was recorded in Nashville and Athens and produced by Keane and Tommy Cooper. In addition to the aforementioned collaborators, the album also features contributions from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the Music City Full Gospel Choir, partnerships that are certainly in line with the band’s collaborative ethos.
Having experienced its share of shady dealings in the realm of management and representation, Saint Francis is also on the lookout for representation as it grows and continues to produce new material. As Wallis notes, the goal is to “find someone to be a part of the family and not just on the sidelines.” Baston adds that he wants those who handle the band’s business to be as comfortable at a friendly family barbecue as in the back of a smoky club.
WHO: Saint Francis
WHERE: Nowhere Bar
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 21, 10 p.m.
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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