Francois began his surf career in Saguenay, Quebec playing rhythmic guitar in a band in 2000 called "Les Merveilles Masquees" which later became "Les Sunburst" in 2002 after a big change in the line-up. Francois eventually moved to Alberta in 2003 but continued to work on his surf sound. Eventually he replied to an ad in the local paper about a surf punk band called "Teenage Surf Invasion" looking for a lead guitarist. This is how he came to meet Dimitri and Tyrell, who had been playing together for some time and had been in numerous projects before they met Francois.

They played together as part of "TSI", thrashing around and playing in one of the more outrageous surf/grunge/punk bands in Edmonton at the time. Times were good and they played many shows. But Francois was researching something more vintage and musical. He wanted a sound that was to be more authentically surf and was to make tribute to the lost legend of the surf guitar. †His influences included Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Surfaris and earlier band as Brooker T and The MG's to name few. So with these ideas in mind Francois didn't have to work hard to convince Dimitri and Tyrell to join him in his quest for a purer surf sound.

In the two years that The Burnin' Sands have been together they have played over 50 shows, including one of the bigger New Years 2007 shows in Edmonton opening for the other successful local groups Social Code and Ten Second Epic. In 2006 the group opened for the well-known gypsy punk band from New York named Golgol Bordello.

This summer the band embarks on its first Canadian Tour June 2007, the highlight of which is a surf showcase in Montreal on June 9 where, in addition to playing their own set, the Sands' will be the back up band for a master guitarist Arthur Cossette, who is well known for songs such as Mer Morte by Les Jaguars.

Currently, The Burnin' Sands have been steadily writing new original material in preparation for their new album coming out at the end of May 2007. Their new style pushes the three-piece sound to new levels of complexity while still retaining the grooves and melody that surf has become so well known for. With huge reverb and twang, delicate melody with intense harmony, lead bass riffs and energetic percussion as their tools, The Burnin' Sands hope to break out of their hometown scene and become established and recognized worldwide as a groundbreaking band with an innovative spin on something well routed in our musical history.