There are heroes of all sorts. Some are more famous than others. Effecting lives from ones, to millions. I have a hero of my own. Not very many people know this man. He and his band have gotten me through the hardest of times, but yet I have listened to them through some of the best. I have seen this band five times in concert, and they put on one hell of a show. His name? William Francis, the lead singer/song writer/guitarist of Aiden.

Aiden is a punk rock band that comes straight out of the streets of Seattle, Washington. Other band members include Nick Wiggins (bassist), Jake Davidson (drummer), and Angel Ibarra (lead guitarist). Aiden has been together as a band now for six years. They have four records out (Our Gangs Dark Oath, Nightmare Anatomy, Conviction, and Knives) along with two EP’s (A Split of Nightmares and Rain in Hell). They have been playing shows all over the world. If you were to go see them in concert, you would not be disappointed.

William Francis was born on January 8th, 1982 in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Francis’ life was less then lovely. With a drug addict mother and father nowhere to be found. Will was teased, tormented, and just flat out abused by a good majority of people. He became a high school dropout and consumed, injected, or smoked any type of drug he could get his hands on. He had the unfortunate experience of watching one of his good friends overdose and die, which became one of the bands number one songs, Die Romantic. After a run-in with the cops at the age of eighteen Will sobered up, and turned his life around. This is when he joined his band, Aiden. At first he was only the bassist before their original singer left and Will replaced him. Will just recently became a father to a boy, Phinneas Francis. At the Aiden concert that happened the day before Halloween, he stated that he has never been happier with his life.

I first had gotten introduced to this band in 2007 when I went to the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour at the Everett Event Center. I originally went to see the bands 30 Seconds to Mars and Senses Fail. Aiden performed before both of these bands, and completely blew me away. I instantly fell in love with their music. I still remember the song that stuck out the most to me, the lyrics I first sang along with, “This nightmare won’t last long. Are you scared? Sing this song. I’m right there, by your side. Tonight we’ve got a chance.” From that moment on, I’ve rarely missed a moment they came back to Seattle and put on a show.

Aiden has had a major impact on my life. In my eyes, this band is inspiring. They seem like the type of band who isn’t just in a band for the money and girls. They do this because it’s a passion; it’s what they love to do. They aren’t going to sell out anytime soon. William is looked up too by people all over the world. His story proves that can live through hell, and come back again. And that anybody can be somebody.