SINGER-SONGWRITER
FOLK | ROCK | BLUES
Julia Francis, it’s safe to say, will never be referred to as a shrinking violet. The Seattle-based singer-songwriter proudly wears her heart – and whole dang soul – on her crushed-velvet sleeve. With a voice that KBCS describes as “howling, blistering… like Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe colliding with Slick, Joplin and Tedeschi”, Francis will pull you out of your daily reverie and into her frequency of expanded possibility at the first note.
Julia’s latest album will deliver you.
Pure power, wrapped in a spiritualized voice and ecstatic rock performance.
DISCOGRAPHY
VIDEOS
DRIVE-IN
Written and performed by Julia Francis, featuring Darren Loucas on guitar, Evan-Flory Barnes on bass, Mark Lutwak on keys, and Mike Peterson on drums. Filmed by J Joshua Diltz, lit by Buffaloe Pro at the Royal Room in Seattle, WA on Sept 4, 2020.
THE WELL
Written through Julia Francis by her ancestors during the height of the pandemic, performed in her basement for a livestream in 2021.
PRESS
“Brassy, bold, and boisterous, Francis thinks of blues as a powerful tool to heal and unite. After a decade-long hiatus to focus on family, she’s back with a blast and authentic blues-rock,” – Elmore Magazine
“The best blues musicians roar most fiercely in a live setting. That live muscle partially explains why “Cinderella”, the blistering new single from Julia Francis, is so damned kick-you-in-the-teeth great.” - Artist Home
“When I hear Julia Francis sing I can’t help but think of the murky, howling, blistering place of the great old jump singers, like Big Mama Thornton, Bessie Smith, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, colliding with rock and rollers like Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Susan Tedeschi. There’s a mind-clearing blow to Julia’s voice that does just what music should: it takes you out of yourself.” –Iaan Hughes, Music Director 91.3 KBCS
“Francis’s style of singing, which is deliberate, dynamic, and brandishing a slightly jagged edge similar to 1970s icon Janis Joplin, feels apt, given the very 1970s free-thinking mindset of the music itself.” – American Songwriter
“With painterly lyrics, wistful melodies, and that marvelous rich diamond of a voice, Julia had the style and grace to go fearlessly into whatever musical house we were building at the moment. Miss Francis delivers! I know, I was there.”
–Victor DeLorenzo, Violent Femmes founding drummer
“Interesting voice, it’s almost conversational. But then it goes all PJ Harvey on me.”
-Collected Sounds
“As she “gets intimate in her mind,” Julia Francis radiates confidence, self-love, and truth. Like Janis Joplin, she’s learned to make the feeling work for her.” - Audiofemme
“The sheer force of her voice is quite remarkable, but Francis’ true power comes from her ability to engage and uplift.” - South Seattle Emerald