DATE: JUNE 23, 2022

FROM: LYNDIE WENNER/MITCH SCHNEIDER, SRO PR

 

PAMELA McNEILL:
MINNEAPOLIS-BASED SINGER/SONGWRITER AND PERFORMER
TODAY SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO, “HOLLYWOOD RAIN”

FROM UPCOMING ALBUM ‘NEON LIGHTNING’
LISTEN TO “HOLLYWOOD RAIN” (HERE),

OUT TOMORROW AT ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS
VIEW THE HIGH VOLTAGE VIDEO
“HOLLYWOOD RAIN” HERE

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Description automatically generatedImage Credit: Rik Cannon

“Her voice has a certain quality about it that you just like her immediately. Her songwriting, on her own, strives for new territory–it’s not the same clichés over and over–it’s actually very beautiful language.”
–Jim Peterik- Grammy Award winning songwriter of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and founding member of the band Survivor

Singer, songwriter, pianist and performer PAMELA McNEILL today (June 23) has shared the video for her new single “Hollywood Rain” on indie label Farm To Label Records. Watch the lush, Hollywood-style stage production video, which was premiered June 22 at Vents Magazine. “Hollywood Rain” will be released tomorrow via all streaming platforms here. The song will appear alongside seven other tracks on the raised-on-classic-rock artist’s forthcoming album NEON LIGHTNING due out August 5, marking her seventh album.

“Hollywood Rain” was written by McNEILL and inspired by her longtime musical influences from Tom Petty to Pink to Sir Elton John; with its “80’s tribute anthem” sound, the track shimmers with youthful innocence and a lush Elton-esque production. “It’s epic and it’s joyful,” says McNEILL. “It’s kind of looking back. It’s just powerful.” The single was arranged and produced by longtime friend and bandmate, Minneapolis producer and guitarist, Matthew Kirkwold (Quietdrive, AM Taxi). McNEILL’s vocals and piano work light up the song, with John Richardson (Gin Blossoms) on drums, Adam Ollendorff (Kacey Musgraves, Will Hoge, Katy Perry) on acoustic and steel guitars and Adam Keafer (Kacey Musgraves, Matthew Perryman, Brooks and Dunn) on bass.

“This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” elaborates McNEILL. “Because of how it makes me feel—it’s my ‘Elton John’ song! Tommy Barbarella wrote the string arrangements for this song. I’d asked for ‘Elton John’ strings and he delivered that in spades! Tommy worked with Prince so he’s truly amazing!” She continues: “10 months into the pandemic–I was sitting at home playing ‘Pearl’ (our white baby grand)–and I was so depressed. Not being able to go anywhere. No gigs. It was very hard for me. A strong feeling hit me–‘I miss the Madonna Days.’ The 80’s. The colors. The way it seemed we all got along better (whether real or imagined). Then, thinking about how different life feels now. I wanted this song to be a joyful celebration of those times.”

The video for “Hollywood Rain”–directed by Rik Cannon and edited by Michael Luebber, both of Redline Creative Group–was filmed at Vū Technologies in Nashville. MCNEILL shares: “the vision I had in my head was big and cinematic and very colorful–like the skies in the “Oklahoma” (musical) movie–which we used for reference. I also wanted it to be a performance video. We immediately searched for a BIG soundstage.”

McNEILL, who more than casually flirted with Nashville’s songwriting community, traveled there often through the years leading up to NEON LIGHTNING. A few of her favorite co-writing sessions were with ACM, CMA and Grammy-winning artist Pam Tillis and Grammy-winning songwriter Bobby E. Boyd. Artists who have recorded her songs are Buffy Lawson: “Rainy Night in Memphis” soley written by MCNEILL (from Lawson’s 2012 album “I’m Leaving You for Me” on Wrinkled Records), Yanni: “Love is All” (from his 1997 Tribute album, Virgin Records), plus “The Promise” and “Almost a Whisper” (from his 2003 Ethnicity album, Virgin Records). She also co-wrote, with Jim Peterik, “Coin of the Realm, recorded by Pride of Lions (from their 2012 Immortal album on Frontiers Records).

Photo Credit: Jessica Hegland Photography

PAMELA McNEILL’s vocals and keyboard skills extend from Minneapolis to London to Nashville and back. She’s played iconic venues and stages from London’s Royal Albert Hall to Nashville’s Bluebird Café and she’s released six previous albums. https://www.pamelamcneill.com/music

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For press inquiries, please contact:

Lyndie Wenner, SRO PR
lwenner@sropr.com
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615-973-4160 (office)