A New England native, Francis first came to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of alternative roots powerhouse Dispatch, whose remarkable rise from Middlebury College to Madison Square Garden helped rewrite the rulebooks for modern indie bands. It was the sheer joy of the band’s legendary early performances that helped the band’s fan base swell online. That joy has been recaptured on Pete Francis’ newest solo venture, entitled Neon Light Blind.