Fresh off the release of his first solo album in nearly 20 years, Ivan Neville has announced that he will be performing a special one-night concert at The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 27th. Celebrating his incredible career and the release of ‘Touch My Soul,’ the special performance on the Museum’s Rooftop Terrace will include an intimate conversation with Ivan and journalists Steve Hochman (LA Times, SPIN, OffBeat Magazine) about the making of his new album, as well as his creative process, career, musical influences, and more, followed by a very special performance. New Orleans musician Eric Krasno will join Ivan to perform at the show. Ivan and Eric most recently took home a GRAMMY in 2023 for the song “Stomping Ground.” Attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy incredible rooftop views and a cash bar prior to the program. For more information and to purchase tickets, click HERE.
On the heels of the announcement, Ivan has released a new video for the album’s second single “Hey All Together,” featuring vocal contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, Michael McDonald and David Shaw (The Revivalists), with instrumental sparks from Troy “Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and violinist Theresa Anderson. Released today to mark the summer solstice, “Hey All Together” was inspired by an epiphany Ivan had at the beginning of the album’s recording process. “When I was growing up, people interacted differently on the street,” Ivan recalls. “There was a feeling of connection.” Ivan hopes that the song and the album as a whole will help evoke a sense of community-mindedness that is sometimes missing in today’s society. “I wanted familiar voices to bring back a feeling of community,” Ivan explains. “I figured, if everyone said hello to a stranger, spontaneously but within reason, it might make the world a better place. It certainly can’t hurt.”
‘Touch My Soul mesmerized critics and fans alike. Goldmine raved about Ivan's originals, storm-weathered vocals, and catchy cover, while American Blues Scene described it as a life-affirming blast of modern American music. Blues Rock Review praised its groovy, feel-good tracks, and Paste Magazine hailed it as “infectious” and the highest-profile release from New Orleans this year. AllMusic commended the interplay of vocals, polyrhythms, and instruments, while OffBeat Magazine recognized Neville's reclamation of the songwriter mantle. With critical acclaim and an undeniable musical vision, 'Touch My Soul' cemented Ivan’s status as a true artistic luminary.
'Touch My Soul’ exudes an unmistakable New Orleans ambiance while breathing new life into Neville’s singular sound. Additional album singles included “Greatest Place On Earth,” a deliriously Mardi Gras-styled salute to the Crescent City packed with incisive rhythms, booting horn parts, and vocal fireworks, featuring special guests Trombone Shorty along with Preservation Hall Jazz bandleaders Ben Jaffe and Charlie Gabriel. The album also included one cover, a hypnotizing version of the Talking Heads’ “This Must be the Place,” which fits like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
As a standard bearer for the musical culture of New Orleans, Ivan takes his anointing as seriously as the swamp water that courses through his veins. From the ferocious funk he makes with his bandmates in the dynamic funk supergroup Dumpstaphunk to his high-profile gigs over the years with Keith Richards and Bonnie Raitt, Ivan embodies the irrepressible spirit of New Orleans, holding the keys to the Crescent City at his fingertips. Whether summoning the barrelhouse mambo of Professor Longhair, the spidery intricacies of James Booker; or spooky, atmospheric chords like Dr. John; Ivan can riff like Sly Stone with catchy, melodic chord progressions; or throw intense, impulsive jabs when he jams with his musical kin in Dumpstaphunk.
“I haven’t written any new material for myself in a long time,” Ivan explains, “so this project is very special to me. I made it up as I went along, a song here and there, in between my work with Dumpstaphunk and my work with good musical friends. Music is a way to make people feel better, it brings spiritual healing.”
Musically, Ivan constructed ‘Touch My Soul’ around piano pieces that he composed in the portrait photograph-filled “sun room” in his house in Uptown New Orleans. “The drum loops were inspired by the sounds I heard on Sly Stone’s Fresh album,” he says, “which was a big influence on me as a teen.” While vocals on his previous albums have always been tart and sweet, Ivan’s voice comes from a more evolved place on ‘Touch My Soul, which makes sense nearly 20 years removed from his last solo effort ‘Scrape’ (2004).
“People try to warn us about the risks in life, but we want to learn for ourselves,” he says. “And we have a choice whether we want to learn from our mistakes. I believe the more we embrace our vulnerabilities, our imperfections, our insecurities, the better we become. That’s my goal: stay teachable.” The lyrics and compositions in ‘Touch My Soul’ reflect that maturity.
Ivan’s bloodline runs through two of the most influential groups that New Orleans has ever produced, and he grew up playing with them both. His uncle Art “Poppa Funk” Neville was vocalist and keyboardist with the Meters, the seminal New Orleans funk band and one of modern music’s most sampled groups. Art also founded the Neville Brothers with Ivan’s uncles Charles and Cyril, and Ivan’s father, the world renowned balladeer and vocal stylist Aaron Neville. The Nevilles’ musical range not only spanned generations but also idioms like carnival rhythms, pop, soul, R&B, and jazz; their collective identity galvanized Black New Orleans's cultural life to create a musical identity that focused their individual gifts with grace and grit.
As a standard bearer for the musical culture of New Orleans, Ivan takes his anointing as seriously as the swamp water that courses through his veins. From the ferocious funk he makes with his bandmates in the dynamic funk supergroup Dumpstaphunk to his high-profile gigs over the years with Keith Richards and Bonnie Raitt, Ivan embodies the irrepressible spirit of New Orleans, holding the keys to the Crescent City at his fingertips. Whether summoning the barrelhouse mambo of Professor Longhair, the spidery intricacies of James Booker; or spooky, atmospheric chords like Dr. John; Ivan can riff like Sly Stone with catchy, melodic chord progressions; or throw intense, impulsive jabs when he jams with his musical kin in Dumpstaphunk.
And while Ivan Neville grew up playing the music of his family, ‘Touch My Soul’ delivers another chapter of Ivan’s own songbook and musical DNA.
‘Touch My Soul’ is not unlike a good bowl of homemade gumbo, he adds, “very soothing for the soul.” Which is what Ivan strives to bring to the world as an artist and a fellow traveler. “When I think about the way music has touched my soul and all the songs that became special moments in my life, I become very emotional. Music should touch your soul. I hope this record and this music touches someone’s soul.”
An Evening With Ivan Neville
Grammy Museum LA
800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Q & A and Rooftop Performance
Tuesday, June 27, 2023; 7:30 p.m. PT
Tickets On Sale Now:
https://www.universe.com/events/an-evening-with-ivan-neville-tickets-J5…
Tour Dates
Fri 6/23 Louisville, CO - Louisville Street Fair
Sat 6/24 Taos, NM - Taos Mesa Brewing Co
Tue 6/27 - Los Angeles, CA - Grammy Museum *
Wed 6/28 Venice, CA - Venice West
Thu 6/29 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Fri 6/30 Santa Cruz, CA - Moe's Alley
Sat 7/1 Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
Sun 7/2 Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
Sat 7/8 Houston, TX - Miller Outdoor Theatre
Thu 7/13 New York, NY - Sony Hall *
Fri 7/14 Mont-Tremblant, QC - Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival
Sat 7/15 Essex Junction, VT - Essex Experience Green
Fri 8/4 Whistler, BC - Whistler Summer Concert Series
Sat 8/5 Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory with George Clinton, Fishbone
Sat 8/12 Eagle, CO - Block Party Eagle
Wed 8/23 Lewes, DE - Rocking The Docks
Thu 8/24 Virginia Beach, VA - Oceanfront Concert Series
Fri 8/25 Charles Town, WV - Charles Town Classic Festival
Sat 8/26 Harrisburg, PA - XL Live
Mon 8/28 North Truro, MA - Payomet Performing Arts Center
Wed 8/30 Portsmouth, NH - Jimmy's Jazz Blues
Thu 8/31 Portsmouth, NH - Jimmy's Jazz Blues
Fri 9/1 Charleston, RI - Rhythm & Roots Festival
Sun 9/3 Pembroke, MA - Soundcheck Studios
Sun 9/17 Louisville, KY - Bourbon & Beyond
Thu 9/28 Covington, LA - Rockin The Rails Concert Series
10/20-22 New Orleans, LA - Nola Funk Fest *
* Ivan Neville solo performance
