Chicago native Neal Francis will bring his evolutionary soul-funk sounds from a bygone era to Charlotte with a stop at Heist Brewery on Sunday, January 19th.  He’ll be playing in support of his critically acclaimed full-length LP Changes which was released on Ohio-based Karma Chief Records (a subsidiary of rising soul label Colemine Records) in January 2019.  Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Neal will make the stop in Charlotte in between his nine date stint with funk band Turkuaz this winter.

Liberated from a self-destructive past and born anew in sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms, Chicago blues, and early 70s rock n’ roll.  His music evokes a bygone era of R&B’s heyday while simultaneously forging a new path on the musical landscape.

There is a deep connection between Francis’s childhood—his obsession with boogie woogie piano, his father’s gift of a dusty Dr. John LP—and the songs he’s created. The result is an astonishing collection of material without parallel in the contemporary funk and soul scene.

The influences are unmistakable: the vocal stylings of Allen Toussaint and Leon Russell; the second line rhythms of The Meters and Dr. John; the barroom rock ‘n’ roll of The Rolling Stones; the gospel soul of Billy Preston; the roots music of The Band. Francis pays tribute to the masters but has his own story to tell: “It’s the life I’ve lived so far.”

Charlotte rock/jazz/soul quintet the Colby Dobbs Band will be in support on the 19th.