Francis Dove

When I was 7 years old I had an extended visit to my older sisters. One day she put me between too good stereo speakers and put on the song ”Whole lotta love” by Led Zeppelin on LP. I don’t think I was ever the same again. My love of singing and music grew when I started to play guitar age 13. I had a very good teacher who taught me a system of basics for guitar and I wrote my first instrumental piece age 15. I continued to enjoy playing guitar but did not start writing lyrics or full songs until I was 19. By 25 I was recording my first 21 track recording of my own songs after finding that playing the street was the best way to train out the shaking and sweaty handed business of bearing your soul with original songs in small cafe’s where open stage nights where available.

During this time I was sitting with a friend of a friend, playing him some songs and he said in an inspired voice. ”Your Francis Dove” and that name has stuck ever since.

In 1997 I studied full time for one year and gained a Diploma of Music with Merit at Southland Polytechnical University in Invercargill (closest town in New Zealand to the Antartic.) This was a very practical course, covering vocal training, guitar practical and theory, stage performance, and studio, composition and music promotion.

After this I have travelled all over NZ playing in various bars, clubs, restaurants, hosting jam nights, playing in the streets. (as there is a freedom of expression there that can not be beat.) Then in 1999 I recorded the first track of the planned “Golden Seed” album and by the start of 2000 had recorded about 6 tracks of the album along with many studio musicians and friends in HMS studios Devonport Auckland. Then in mid 2000 I decided it was time to travel to Europe and experience some different cultures. To learn truly what “World Citizenship”means.

See website for "Golden Seed" album with this link { http://goldenseed.fotofrancis.lv }

Staying first in little place called “Notoden” with a local farmer who I had contact with through some friends who shared my passion for motorcycles. My Father was also a farmer and we had many talks and I realised that all the same problems just in different ways were also present in this society on the other side of the world. From that realisation came the song “Shadows of yesterday”. Then I went on to meet Leif Sjoblom, Swedish guitarist living then in Oslo. We found writing and mixing our two styles together (His Steve Vai electric synergy and my steel string acoustic troubadour) very rewarding and so produced a 9 track recording called “Radiance”. We found the name “Utsvevende” meaning “Outflowing” in direct English translation.

When this CD was being finalized (artwork etc) I meet a Latvian lady who became my wife. We lived in New Zealand for two years but then returned to Latvia to live in 2004. Due to there not being any venue that suited my style of music in Valmiera. I started the “Original Music night” series of concerts with the help and support of the Valmiera city council. There were 4 concerts over 2 years and many different original bands, solo acts and duo’s performed. From these live recordings and remastered recordings from the New Zealand Studio in 2007 the “Golden Seed” album was finished. It became a 33 song two disc album including the collaborations of more than 22 different musicians from New Zealand, Sweden, & Latvia. (Too many to thank here by name, but you know how good I feel about those times my friends…)

Wishing to thank those from Rūjiena who formed the band “The Activity” (Profile still available for enjoying on draugiem music) for the help of playing concerts with me when the “Golden Seed” project was released and also very much to Matīss Markovskis and Ieva Dzintare for the cover art and design.

You can see quite a few clips in www.youtube.com by searching for [Utsvevende], [francisdovenzer], & some cover song work searching for [francisdove].

Also I now have a myspace musicians profile : www.myspace.com/francisdove

Since then I have been playing still many concerts in various bars, clubs, etc. There was one new song from 2008 "City Games" First time you can hear it here was recorded with Māris Dronka creating guitar parts (both Bass and electric lead and a nice drum track from the drummer from their group “Flora” helping out in his studio in Valmiera. There is a wish to create a video for this track and record one more single “Shine” latest song written in January 2008.

I have compiled now a DVD Discography that includes 7 tracks from my very first ever recording in 1991 called “Francis Folk Rock” co-written songs with acoustic bass player Nick Pratt. Then the “Golden Seed” double album recordings from HMS studio’s NZ from 1999-2000 and live recordings from Valmiera from 2004-2006. An additional 64 tracks not selected for the “Golden Seed” project and from concerts in 2007 called in half Latvian half English “Livecits”. Also added is the mostly instrumental album “Radiance” by Utsvevende (Outflowing) written and recorded in Oslo, Norway 2000-2001 with Leif Sjoblom and four other musicians from Norway.
With an added 20 Video clips from live concerts and some compilations of songs with video segments and photo slideshows.

2009 and meeting with Āris Ozols <R-is> has given a whole new kick to my love of music. We came up with his music name and the band name "NRG" one day while listening to first recordings from our live Demo. We have since then played concerts in about 18 bars around Riga in the last 8 months. We have a larger format for the band as "NRG+" with Emils Šolmanis, getting to do songs where I don't play guitar but just get to sing, which I consider to be my first instrument is great. We play with different precussionists, and hope to do more concerts in this format in the future.

Had a great time with my dear friend Ugis (Cat from Japan) in the Guitar-Jam "Pavasara Zapte" concert, you can hear the one track (totally improvisation) that I have added as latest song to the profile here. I should also add some NRG version of my original songs. This song "Darkness" features also the guitar work of friend Kaspars Ansons, and he recorded this event.

Live music performance is the only drug I have ever taken that doesn’t have down time and gives to others as much as it does to me. ;) So am always open to some new place to play or for some party or occasion to play for… Contact me for comment or booking  francisdove@inbox.lv