Freshman Francis Azarian can often be found performing live music on the stage. But he’s not alone. His dad, professional musician and artist Ethan Azarian, is right by his side. His dad plays guitar and sings while Francis plays the keyboard. This father-son duo has found a way to combine their talents and spend time together while also bringing joy to others.

Francis grew up in a musical household. His mother, Melissa Knight, played cello and his father played guitar. When he was six years old, he performed with his dad for the first time at the Cactus Cafe.

“I grew up around a lot of music,” Francis said. “My whole family on both sides is very musical in general and I always liked and enjoyed playing music and listening to it.”

When Ethan was young, he played music and performed with his father as well. His father, Tom Azarian, a.k.a. Tom Banjo, is a professional banjo player who has performed with notable bands such as the Grateful Dead. Tom was even mentioned in one of their songs, “Mountains of the Moon.”

“I started playing when I was about 6 too,” Ethan said. “My dad and his friends all played music, so I played with them. It was more just sitting around jamming, but occasionally there would be dances and I would be in the band. That’s kind of when I started performing.”

Francis’s own musical interest increased when he joined School Of Rock almost five years ago. School of Rock is a nationwide music program where students practice and perform at shows. Different members of the program get together and perform as a band with guitarists, singers, drummers, and keyboard players.

“A friend had told us about School of Rock, so [Francis] started to get lessons there and be part of the performance program,” Knight said. “Which is great, because they get introduced to different styles of rock music and lots of different genres.”

Francis’s time with School of Rock prepared him to perform with his father on a semi-regular basis. Ethan performs weekly on Wednesdays at the Hole in the Wall, a bar and local music venue on Guadalupe St. On average, Francis performs with him about once or twice a month, depending on the time of the year.

“I like just having the accompaniment and I’m really happy that he gets to get the experience,” Ethan said. “That’s probably the most important thing to me, that he has an experience playing live.”

Francis doesn’t just perform with his dad. He has also found a stage of his own where he can play by himself and perform his own songs.

“He also likes to write some songs,” Knight said. “Occasionally, when schedules allow, he goes to the open mic at the Cactus Cafe with Ethan and sometimes he gets to perform his own songs.”

Playing live in front of people could be intimidating, but for Francis,  it comes naturally. He makes sure he’s prepared for shows so his talent translates when he’s on stage.

“We practice a lot, so I’m usually pretty confident,” Francis said. “It does depend on the gig and the setting of the show, though. I played a pretty big show one time. It was like two hundred people, and I was really nervous about that.”

Even though he loves to perform and be on stage, Francis has to balance his free time with music, school and baseball.

“Sometimes he’s so busy with school and stuff that he doesn’t do a show, and I just play by myself or with my other friend, Jeff,” Ethan said. “When he can play and there’s no conflict of interest, he almost always does.”

At the end of the day, performing with his dad is a way for Francis to inspire others and to get more experience with music. As he continues his own musical journey, the memories Francis has performing with his father will prepare him to build his own style and make his own mark.

“I think it’s nice to make an impression on people’s memory and evoke feelings,” he said, “whether that be happiness, sadness, or anything in between.”

This story was originally published on The Shield Online on December 7, 2023.