JW Francis currently lives in a Zen monastery in the middle of Los Angeles. And really, it was walking the Appalachian Trail — I made it from Georgia to Vermont — and living outside for four months (that) just rewired my brain,” Francis said in a recent interview. Francis, a lo-fi indie-folk-pop artist originally from Oklahoma, set out on his 123-day walk along the Appalachian Trail in search of a meditative experience. It also delivered him a lot of songs, as did the Appalachian Trail. Francis, who plays in Bend Aug. 15, didn’t take the trips for songwriting inspiration, to be clear.