| ACCLAIMED CHICAGO SINGER-SONGWRITER-PIANIST HAILED AS TORCHBEARER OF NEW ORLEANS’ MUSICAL TRADITION DURING ELECTRIFYING SETS AT TIPITINA’S AND PRESERVATION HALL DURING NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL EPIC INTERNATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE INCLUDES HEADLINE SHOWS, FESTIVAL APPEARANCES, DATES SUPPORTING FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS, AND MORE THIRD STUDIO ALBUM, RETURN TO ZERO, AVAILABLE NOW VIA ATO RECORDS |
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| Neal Francis Live at Tipitina’s May 3, 2025 Photo Credit: Nick Langlois |
| Acclaimed singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis proved himself as the Toast of New Orleans this past weekend with a series of unforgettable live performances held in tandem with the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. |
 Neal Francis Live at Preservation Hall May 1, 2025 Photo Credit: Steve Rapport Though based in Chicago, Francis demonstrated his deep connection with New Orleans’ musical traditions with a May 1 guest appearance at The Preservation Hall Foundation’s annual Midnight Preserves benefit series that saw him sharing the stage with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for renditions of Johnny Adams’ “Life Is Just A Struggle” and Fats Domino’s “Blue Monday” and “The Sheik Of Araby.” |
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| Neal Francis Live at Tipitina’s May 2, 2025 Photo Credit: Jack Karntaz |
| Francis followed that memorable evening by lighting up Tipitina’s during two sold-out headline shows on May 2 and 3, including a special late-night performance that rocked the historic venue from 2AM until the wee hours of the morning, highlighted by a breathtaking cover version of “What Comes Around (Goes Around),” originally by New Orleans’ one and only Dr. John. Both sets saw Francis and his band offering up fiery renditions of songs from his acclaimed body of work thus far, including his recently arrived third studio album, Return To Zero, available now via ATO Records. Francis also sat in with the Daze Between Band show at Tipitina’s on April 30 that also featured Dave Matthews, Mike Gordon, Duane Betts, and more. |
 Neal Francis Live at Tipitina’s May 2, 2025 Photo Credit: Jack Karnatz |
| Francis’ first full-length studio effort in more than three years and most extravagantly realized collection this far, Return To Zero sees him pushing his original sound forward with a beautifully strange entangling of timeless rock ’n’ roll and ’70s-era dance music. Merging supremely heavy guitar riffs with lush and pulsating grooves, Francis constructed the album completely without digital programming in keeping with his long-standing devotion to all things analog. Co-produced by Francis alongside frequent collaborator Sergio Rios and recorded live in the studio with members of his touring band, highlights include the hypnotically potent “Broken Glass,” the groove-heavy “Need You Again,” the gorgeously sprawling power pop anthem, “What’s Left Of Me,” and the playfully swaggering “Back It Up,” all joined by official music videos streaming now on YouTube. PURCHASE/STREAM RETURN TO ZERO Praise for Return To Zero: “Francis is back with a new album called Return To Zero, where he keeps exploring the rock music of that decade, this time through the lens of disco and funk.” -NPR “Neal Francis brings the musical and cultural excitement of the ‘70s to the present with all the analog warmth, sonic sensibility, and enviable style of the era’s cross-section of icons, from the pinups to the pioneers.” – SPIN “Despite Francis’ proclamations of dread, Return to Zero slaps.” -Chicago Tribune “A sprawling choose-your-own-adventure statement that feels like it could blossom into any style, at any second. The project synthesizes all of the music swimming through his brain…Return to Zero seems to distill all of these influences and all of this life experience into a sonic collage that’s thrillingly tough to pigeonhole.” -Relix “Return To Zero fetches lusher pulsating arrangements around disco and rock and roll.” -American Songwriter “What’s nicest about what Francis is doing on Return To Zero has everything to do with vibe and lean-to-the-bone melody, and nothing to do with glossy production or orchestration, which is the mistake most 21st-century artists tend to make when aping the disco era…Solid gold plated proudly from another time and dimension…” -FLOOD “Francis is back in his element on Return To Zero, unleashing the funk in a feverish embrace of ’70s-era soul and R&B…And while he still knows his way around a hook, Francis gives the arrangements some air as he finds his way to the dancefloor.” -Magnet Hailed by SPIN as “a mesmerizing performer,” Francis is currently celebrating Return To Zero with a stacked international tour schedule that will see him traversing the globe through 2025 and beyond, with a run of US headline dates continuing through the month. Francis will then bring his show-stopping live set to audiences in the US, Europe, and the UK, with headline shows, top-billed festival appearances, a live recording of NPR Music’s Mountain Stage, dates supporting Fitz and The Tantrums, and a much anticipated homecoming event set for Chicago, IL’s The Salt Shed on November 29 – his biggest hometown show to date. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.nealfrancis.com/tour. |
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| Neal Francis Live at Tipitina’s May 3, 2025 Photo Credit: Nick Langlois |
| NEAL FRANCIS – RETURN TO ZERO TOUR 2025 MAY 8 – Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether 9 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall 10 – Stateline, NV – Harrah’s Lake Tahoe 13 – Chico, CA – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. 15 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub 16 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall 17 – Seattle, WA – Neumos 25 – Paw Paw, MI – Warner Vineyards 31 – Denver, CO – Outside Festival * JUNE 6 – Jackson, MS – Cathead Jam * 12 – Albany, NY – Alive at Five Summer Concert Series † 14 – Columbia, MD – All Good Now Festival * 19 – Victor, ID – Music on Main † 20 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge 21 – Stanley, ID – Sawtooth Valley Gathering * JULY 10 – Snowmass, CO – Snowmass Village Summer Concert Series † 20 – Charleston, WV – Culture Center Theater ^ 22 – Deerfield, MA – Tree House Brewing Company ~ 25 – Marshfield, MA – Levitate Backyard 26 – Westerly, RI – United Theatre 28 – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse 29 – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse AUGUST 10 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands * 12 – Buffalo, NY – ARTPARK + 14 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17 + 21 – Ann Arbor, MI – Sonic Lunch SEPTEMBER 12 – Bayfield, WI – Lake Effect Music Fest * 14 – Asbury Park, NJ – Sea.Hear.Now * OCTOBER 4 – Huntsville, AL – Tangled String Music & Arts Festival * 31 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje NOVEMBER 1 – Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival * 2 – Hamburg, Germany – Bahnhof Pauli 3 – Berlin, Germany – FRANNZ Club 6 – London, United Kingdom – Islington Assembly Hall 7 – Leeds, United Kingdom – Brudenell Social Club 8 – Manchester, United Kingdom – Manchester Academy 3 9 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Stereo 11 – Bristol, United Kingdom – Thekla 13 – Paris, France – La Bellevilloise 14 – Ghent, Belgium – Ha Concerts 15 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Tolhuistuin 29 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed # * Festival Appearance † Free Show ^ Live Recording of NPR Music’s Mountain Stage ~ w/ Lucius + w/ Fitz and The Tantrums # w/ Special Guests The Heavy Heavy and The Dead Bolts NEAL FRANCIS RETURN TO ZERO (ATO Records) |
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| Tracklist: Need You Again Don’t Wait Broken Glass Back It Up What’s Left Of Me 150 More Times Dance Through Life Dirty Little Secret Already Gone Can’t Get Enough Return To Zero CONNECT WITH NEAL FRANCIS NEALFRANCIS.COM TIKTOK YOUTUBE |