AUSTRALIAN MUSIC STANDING ON TWO FEET
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‘I travel life at 40 k’s to keep a family life, so you hear me from your speakers or I see you at a show,
but let’s just realise one thing, 'white line fever keeps me and the music in tow’.
but let’s just realise one thing, 'white line fever keeps me and the music in tow’.
My name is Justin Francis, founder of Corney Music, a label promoting musicians who chose the ticket in life to record and share their original music. For twenty five years I have been working with different musicians, recording & presenting live music in Australia with time having been spent performing in Ireland & the U.K. I began playing drums in bands from the age of fourteen when my brother and I found a way in life to express ourselves with music. We listened and jammed out to the vinyl records our parents shared and discussed with us in fine detail being the catalyst for my passion in developing a craft, taking up the calling to express myself on drum kit through song as this is what sang to me best.
At fourteen I bought my first Star drum kit off a mate for $30, only to be stuck on foot half way home in the middle of the road during peak hour traffic. It was a heavy load and a mile or so to walk and like any craft it takes time from learning & teaching, making sacrifices for the commitment of reaching your goal. It is without a doubt that everyone is to be kicked in the guts at some point in music where you decide to walk away or dust off, testing your passion to keep playing with a smile the size of a country mile. This all became apparent at sixteen years of age when i became expelled from music in high school, told to give up for being no good at playing while learning the ropes and having a dream.
My band mate ‘Scott Kearval’ shared the same fate as clearly there was no support for our original band ‘Refusal’ and couldn’t really share Janice’s passion for music theory. With our music educator getting the Ian - Joplin’s, the doors opened for my musical journey, highlighting the words urban & mainstream. Thankfully they left my soul and in working for the family goal of purchasing our first independent home, I was to learn the meaning of ‘from little things big things grow’. I was sixteen going on seventeen, moving out from government housing in Adelaide to a home on five acres in country Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
This was the early nineties and the soundtrack to this time was music from the 60’s – 90’s in the rock n roll blues and roots genre. I would soak up the Alternative grunge rock surf tunes of that time watching bands perform at country parties and music venues in Adelaide. This paved my way socially & musically, with country teenage friends providing a good resilient attitude for life with the city boy having to adapt into the country tone. It sat right for me being a reprieve from the crime and hassle that Gilles Plains had to offer in an environment not feeling too right. There was always music around along with street theatre and good social times remembering that skate boarding is not a crime.
With a new start in a broader world I could now immerse myself deeper into music while trying to remaining interested and complete high school. It was the social side getting me into class day by day arranging my then band ‘Unevolved’ for parties on the weekend. I kept myself out of trouble realising that I was being handed a ticket for a life in music, which I travel today as a professional musician. To earn this I was out of home at eighteen, off to Adelaide where the lure was to be with my mates travelling in cars playing live music in country towns. We would have a great time getting paid to play music and set up for a few days to rehearse and film in remote farm houses or friends sheds all in the name of music.
I began to learn about gigs and what it takes to be a gig hustler and performer, earning the right to say you’ve been around the traps with a catalogue of recorded work and stories to share. The people and their attitudes are what made a good time and live music was the soundtrack to those moments just like today. The forging of many new & lasting friendships has weaved a global thread of people who keep music and stories alive today among us and many other musicians who also take their own path. I am proud to have worked with the following musicians who are still good friends today.
Chris Matthews, Lightning Jack, Scott Bassham, The Velvet Archers, Jeane Proude, ill Starred Captain, Kev Lymn, Philippe Four String Phil, The Seaside Drifters, Shane Labady, Stu Harcourt, Ben Evolent, Rafa Gody, Shannon Haapenen, Tania Nally, Mick Bennet 'Rusty Bonnet' The Sunday Roast, Armadillo, Kev Lymn & The Pragmatics, Rohan Lyndsay, Rowan Daw, Lesley Gentillin, Greg Bakers Blues Party, Coloured Stone, Ed Kuepper, Scott Glazbrook, Unevolved, Gravel Road, Mark Vincent, Van Walker, Liz Stringer, Will Thomas, Dave Mann, Smile and the Wooden Indians to name a few.
Corney Music and the musicians have created a network of people known as our road family from being truthful & professional entertainers. It is paramount to earning any respect in a dog eats dog game and for us it’s always the best song and attitude wins. We like to keep it real at Corney Music whilst hype is changing weekly to be part of another one’s scene to fit in with. The future for Corney Music is looking positive, priding itself on retaining the cottage industry feel by manufacturing and managing all the work projects in-house. It’s an exciting time to be involved with new models of business available for musicians to branch out into other ventures.
At fourteen I bought my first Star drum kit off a mate for $30, only to be stuck on foot half way home in the middle of the road during peak hour traffic. It was a heavy load and a mile or so to walk and like any craft it takes time from learning & teaching, making sacrifices for the commitment of reaching your goal. It is without a doubt that everyone is to be kicked in the guts at some point in music where you decide to walk away or dust off, testing your passion to keep playing with a smile the size of a country mile. This all became apparent at sixteen years of age when i became expelled from music in high school, told to give up for being no good at playing while learning the ropes and having a dream.
My band mate ‘Scott Kearval’ shared the same fate as clearly there was no support for our original band ‘Refusal’ and couldn’t really share Janice’s passion for music theory. With our music educator getting the Ian - Joplin’s, the doors opened for my musical journey, highlighting the words urban & mainstream. Thankfully they left my soul and in working for the family goal of purchasing our first independent home, I was to learn the meaning of ‘from little things big things grow’. I was sixteen going on seventeen, moving out from government housing in Adelaide to a home on five acres in country Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.
This was the early nineties and the soundtrack to this time was music from the 60’s – 90’s in the rock n roll blues and roots genre. I would soak up the Alternative grunge rock surf tunes of that time watching bands perform at country parties and music venues in Adelaide. This paved my way socially & musically, with country teenage friends providing a good resilient attitude for life with the city boy having to adapt into the country tone. It sat right for me being a reprieve from the crime and hassle that Gilles Plains had to offer in an environment not feeling too right. There was always music around along with street theatre and good social times remembering that skate boarding is not a crime.
With a new start in a broader world I could now immerse myself deeper into music while trying to remaining interested and complete high school. It was the social side getting me into class day by day arranging my then band ‘Unevolved’ for parties on the weekend. I kept myself out of trouble realising that I was being handed a ticket for a life in music, which I travel today as a professional musician. To earn this I was out of home at eighteen, off to Adelaide where the lure was to be with my mates travelling in cars playing live music in country towns. We would have a great time getting paid to play music and set up for a few days to rehearse and film in remote farm houses or friends sheds all in the name of music.
I began to learn about gigs and what it takes to be a gig hustler and performer, earning the right to say you’ve been around the traps with a catalogue of recorded work and stories to share. The people and their attitudes are what made a good time and live music was the soundtrack to those moments just like today. The forging of many new & lasting friendships has weaved a global thread of people who keep music and stories alive today among us and many other musicians who also take their own path. I am proud to have worked with the following musicians who are still good friends today.
Chris Matthews, Lightning Jack, Scott Bassham, The Velvet Archers, Jeane Proude, ill Starred Captain, Kev Lymn, Philippe Four String Phil, The Seaside Drifters, Shane Labady, Stu Harcourt, Ben Evolent, Rafa Gody, Shannon Haapenen, Tania Nally, Mick Bennet 'Rusty Bonnet' The Sunday Roast, Armadillo, Kev Lymn & The Pragmatics, Rohan Lyndsay, Rowan Daw, Lesley Gentillin, Greg Bakers Blues Party, Coloured Stone, Ed Kuepper, Scott Glazbrook, Unevolved, Gravel Road, Mark Vincent, Van Walker, Liz Stringer, Will Thomas, Dave Mann, Smile and the Wooden Indians to name a few.
Corney Music and the musicians have created a network of people known as our road family from being truthful & professional entertainers. It is paramount to earning any respect in a dog eats dog game and for us it’s always the best song and attitude wins. We like to keep it real at Corney Music whilst hype is changing weekly to be part of another one’s scene to fit in with. The future for Corney Music is looking positive, priding itself on retaining the cottage industry feel by manufacturing and managing all the work projects in-house. It’s an exciting time to be involved with new models of business available for musicians to branch out into other ventures.
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I have the likes of Seawitch Music, a record label for folk/punk/surferdelic, two piece band ‘ill Starred Captain ‘ that is still active since the year 2000 with many projects laid out on the board for the future. Five Rivers Music runs a national tour presenting the grass roots level of recording musicians, founded in 2012 with a return for 2016. Since becoming a father the time has come to open the doors for drum kit teaching after a decade off the books. It’s a way of passing on my knowledge to those who are interested in drumming as a way of life and to inspire the next generation. Currently there are live shows & album sessions in motion with a new area of exploration going into soundtrack work. Having co produced several studio albums in Australia for commercial release I am going to expand into drumming sessions for other musicians who are doing recordings also.
Often musicians spend long periods of time meeting people out on the highways while heading to the next show travelling through all kinds of situations with some being life threatening. It’s that resilience in tow, one that the partners and families have at home while they wait patiently for a happy & safe return. Let’s not forget these special people as they are there for us more often than not and in return we all appreciate mutual respect for one another. For myself when I go on tour leaving the drive way, I’m then heading home to be with my family who I respect dearly.
It is via the places I visit, meeting the people I get to perform music with & too that we share stories of life in many different communities. This world is full of inspiration if you’re open to it and life is no rehearsal with only one take of it till? As I share music and honesty in the wider community in return I get the satisfaction of knowing I can be trusted to make a record in the studio, book more shows and to be employed professionally as a musician. With support from the greater community I’d like to thank you for the continuing appreciation that is shown at our live shows
night after night. Safe travels everyone and give time to your life, family & music as you have the right to be yourself and happy at home.
Cheers
Justin Francis
24th June 2015
Often musicians spend long periods of time meeting people out on the highways while heading to the next show travelling through all kinds of situations with some being life threatening. It’s that resilience in tow, one that the partners and families have at home while they wait patiently for a happy & safe return. Let’s not forget these special people as they are there for us more often than not and in return we all appreciate mutual respect for one another. For myself when I go on tour leaving the drive way, I’m then heading home to be with my family who I respect dearly.
It is via the places I visit, meeting the people I get to perform music with & too that we share stories of life in many different communities. This world is full of inspiration if you’re open to it and life is no rehearsal with only one take of it till? As I share music and honesty in the wider community in return I get the satisfaction of knowing I can be trusted to make a record in the studio, book more shows and to be employed professionally as a musician. With support from the greater community I’d like to thank you for the continuing appreciation that is shown at our live shows
night after night. Safe travels everyone and give time to your life, family & music as you have the right to be yourself and happy at home.
Cheers
Justin Francis
24th June 2015
Photography
