Immediately after the release of this third studio LP, Strangers In The First Place, singer-songwriter Robert Francis shaved his head, got into drugs, moved to Michigan with a girl he barely knew, and almost quit the music biz for good. Somehow he avoided having a total nervous breakdown and is (thankfully) back with a new LP, Heaven. Out June 3, Heaven finds Francis newly invested in the process of writing and recording songs, thanks in part to some tracks that apparently kept showing up in his dreams. Below, A.V. Club readers can get a first look at the music video accompanying one of those tracks. “Love Is A Chemical” is a little bit Ryan Adams and a little bit Pete Yorn, and fans of both should definitely feel what Francis is laying down here.
Francis is touring North America this summer, and dates for that run are also below.
June 11—Hi Dive—Denver, Colorado June 12—Record Bar—Kansas City, Missouri June 13—7th Street Entry—Minneapolis, Minnesota June 14—Vaudeville Mews—Des Moines, Iowa June 15—Space—Evanston, Illinois June 16—The Drake—Toronto, Ontario June 17—Middle East—Cambridge, Massachusetts June 18—Café Nine—New Haven, Connecticut June 19—Rough Trade—Brooklyn, New York June 20—Mercury Lounge—New York, New York June 21—Boot & Saddle—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 22—DC9—Washington, D.C. June 23—The Mothlight—Asheville, North Carolina June 24—Vinyl—Atlanta, Georgia June 25—High Watt—Nashville, Tennesee June 27—Fitzgerald’s—Houston, Texas June 28—Stubb’s Jr.—Austin, Texas July 1—Urban Lounge—Salt Lake City, Utah July 2—The Crux—Boise, Idaho July 3—Tractor Tavern—Seattle, Washington July 4—Mississippi Studios—Portland, Oregon July 5—Cosmic Pizza—Eugene, Oregon July 8—Constellation Room—Santa Ana, California July 9—SoHo—Santa Barbara, California July 10—Independent—San Francisco, California July 11—Harlow’s—Sacramento, California July 12—Slo Brew—San Luis Obispo, California July 16—The Casbah—San Diego, California July 17—The Troubadour—Los Angeles, California
