For Immediate Release
September 21, 2021

NEAL FRANCIS RELEASES NEW SONG AND VIDEO FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

"ALAMEDA APARTMENTS" STREAMING NOW –

FIRST SINGLE, "CAN'T STOP THE RAIN," #1 MOST ADDED AT TRIPLE A AND NON-COMM

SHOWS WITH BLACK PUMAS

BROOKLYN BOWL APPEARANCE TOMORROW NIGHT

FESTIVAL APPEARANCES AT
AMERICANA FEST, SHAKY KNEES, AND OUTSIDE LANDS

NEW ALBUM, IN PLAIN SIGHT, OUT NOVEMBER 5
Photo credit: Liina Raud / DOWNLOAD Hi-Res Image
“​​What do Dr. John, Leon Russell, and boogie-woogie piano have in common?
Neal Francis is the answer.”
- KCRW

Chicago singer, songwriter, and pianist Neal Francis releases his second song from his soon-to-be-released album. "Alameda Apartments" is available now at all DSPs, and a companion video filmed in the church in which Francis lived as well as wrote and recorded the album is streaming on YouTube. "Alameda Apartments" is the opening song on In Plain Sight, mixed by the Grammy-winning producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, MGMT) and out via ATO Records on November 5. The song makes for a majestic introduction to the album's unveiling of Francis's inner demons.

“I started writing that song maybe six years ago, before I got sober,” Francis says. “I was going through another breakup and getting kicked out of my place, and I had a nightmare about moving into an art-deco apartment that was haunted, where the walls were all shifting around.”

A prime showcase for Francis’s piano work, “Alameda Apartments” simulates that dream state in its untethered melodies, luminous grooves, and lyrics that drift from despair to detached curiosity (e.g., “It remains to be seen if the ghosts are all right”).

“The craziest thing is that I’d never encountered the name ‘Alameda’ at any time in my life prior to that dream,” says Francis. “It’s bizarre that I even remembered it, especially since you don’t dream very often when you’re getting fucked up.”

WATCH "ALAMEDA APARTMENTS"

LISTEN TO "ALAMEDA APARTMENTS"

PRE-ORDER IN PLAIN SIGHT

Last week, Francis shared a live in-studio performance video of In Plain Sight's first single, "Can't Stop The Rain." Recorded at Shirk Studios in Chicago, the clip truly captures Francis' infectious live-show energy which started the word-of-mouth chatter that's growing louder every day.

WATCH "CAN'T STOP THE RAIN (LIVE)"

In Plain Sight was heralded last month with the release of the studio version of “Can’t Stop The Rain,” which features the Grammy-winning guitarist Derek Trucks. The song was premiered on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic and was #1 Most Added at Triple-A and Non-Comm Radio.
 
WATCH “CAN’T STOP THE RAIN” (ALBUM VERSION)

# # #

ABOUT NEAL FRANCIS AND IN PLAIN SIGHT:
After returning home from touring on the back of his 2019 debut album Changes, Neal Francis went through a breakup and found himself living in a church, where he ended up writing a series of new songs about honesty and resilience.

“I’m owning up to all my problems within my relationships and my sobriety,” Francis says. “So much of it is about coming to the understanding that I continue to suffer because of those problems. It’s about acknowledging that and putting it out in the open in order to mitigate the suffering and try to work on it, instead of trying to hide everything.”

Francis and his bandmates recorded In Plain Sight entirely on tape - and mostly in that same church - and the resulting songs are dreamlike and reflective, anchored in the rock and soul sound that has led critics to compare him to legends like Allen Toussaint and Dr. John.

Neal Francis is currently on a massive U.S. tour that includes dates opening for Black Pumas, a sold-out headlining show at New York’s Mercury Lounge last night, an appearance at Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow night, and festival appearances at Americana Fest, Shaky Knees, and Outside Lands, among others. Francis just received rave reviews for his hometown performance at Lollapalooza - “There are hints of ’70s Brit Rock (including a very visceral touch of Elton John) as well as New Orleans jazz-funk, gospel soul, and some lighthearted Randy Newman — and the amalgamation felt like a time-stamped treasure,” wrote the Chicago Sun-Times. All dates are below and tickets are available at nealfrancis.com.
 
Neal Francis
IN PLAIN SIGHT
(ATO Records)
Release Date: November 5, 2021
DOWNLOAD Hi-Res Image

Tracklist:
1. Alameda Apartments
2. Problems
3. Can’t Stop The Rain
4. D’Artagnan
5. Prometheus
6. Sentimental Garbage
7. Asleep
8. BNYLV
9. Say Your Prayers

# # #
 
NEAL FRANCIS ON TOUR
* w/ Black Pumas
 
9/21: Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
9/22: Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
9/25: Americana Music Fest – Nashville, TN
9/30: Union Craft Brewery – Baltimore, MD
10/1: Tuck Fest – Charlotte, NC
10/2: Parks Fest – Evansville, IN
10/7: Railgarten – Memphis, TN
10/8: The Parish Room at House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
10/15: The Sylvee – Madison, WI *
10/16: 20 Monroe Live – Grand Rapids, MI *
10/20: Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
10/21: The Blind Tiger – Greensboro, NC
10/22: Purgatory at The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
10/23: Shaky Knees Festival – Atlanta, GA
10/24: The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
10/27: Bourgie Nights –Wilmington, NC
10/28: The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
10/29: Suwannee Hulaween – Live Oak, FL
10/31: Outside Lands – San Francisco, CA
11/4: El Club – Detroit, MI
11/6: Canopy Club – Urbana, IL
11/11: Ballroom at Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
11/12: Kenny’s Westside Pub – Peoria, IL
11/13: The Back Room at Colectivo – Milwaukee, WI
11/18: Old Rock House – St. Louis, MO
11/19: Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY
11/20: Hi-Fi – Indianapolis, IN
12/8: Antone’s Nightclub – Austin, TX
12/9: Antone’s Nightclub – Austin, TX
12/10: The Heights Theater – Houston, TX 
12/11: Stanley's – Tyler, TX 
12/12: The Kessler Theater – Dallas TX 
1/5: Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
1/8: Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
1/9: The Crocodile – Seattle, WA
1/12: 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
1/13: High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
1/14: Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL
1/17-1/21: Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky – Puerto Aventuras, QR
 
UK & Europe 2022:
1/23: O2 Academy2 Islington - London, UK
1/25: Merleyn - Nijmegen, NL
1/26: Vera - Groningen, NL
1/27: Bitterzoet - Amsterdam, NL
1/28: Metropool - Hengelo, NL
1/29: TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht, NL
1/30: Bird - Rotterdam, NL
1/31: Haldern Pop Bar - Haldern, DE
2/1: Privatclub - Berlin, DE
2/2: Häkken - Hamburg, DE
2/4: New Morning - Paris, FR
2/5: L'Ouvre Boite - Beauvais, FR
2/6: De Zwerver - Leffinge, BE

CONNECT WITH NEAL FRANCIS:
 
# # #
 
Press contacts:
Ken Weinstein
 
Harper Beattie