If ever a CD title told the wrong story, it's Julia Dawn's new EP, "Falling."
Dawn -- the current darling of Fresno's female singer/songwriter circuit -- is, without a doubt, on the rise.
This week she's releasing the aforementioned eight-song CD, and next she's embarking upon her first tour, a six-week trek where she'll play in coffee shops and bars throughout California, down to Arizona and Texas, then up through Colorado, Utah and Idaho.
And right now, she's somewhere in the middle of fear and elation.
"I'm scared because I'm doing it by myself and not with my band," she says. "Financially, I'm a little scared. But I'm excited because I love to travel, I love to meet people, and I love to play music. It's the first time I'm going to be doing all of that by myself."
She was anything but alone on "Falling." Jason Jurzak and Jeff Simpson helped her in the studio, while local guests Eva Scow, Randy Stindt, Sam Rocha, Robert Ruffner and Nathan Ketner dropped by to lend a hand.
The result is a beautiful collection that should make her upcoming tour the first of many.
Sales pitch: "It's definitely a very original piece of music," she says. "It could make you dance, and there's some really sad songs on there. It's got a wide range of interests and feels."
Influences: Ani DiFranco, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and the Diddy-Bops.
Check her out live: At 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Studio Itz, 370 N. Fresno St. $5 cover. Tommy Delgado joins her for this benefit for her upcoming tour.
Key tracks: "Falling," "Darwin's Fall" and her cover of "You Are My Sunshine."
Buy it: For $10 at her shows, and soon at cdbaby.com/ juliadawn.
Listen online: At myspace.com/juliadawnmusic.
Julia Dawn: Press
Julia Dawn's sophomore album has been highly anticipated on the streets of Fresno, to which I have been keeping my ear. She's an amazing performer (her Rogue show was decidedly remarkable), an absurdly gifted songwriter, and, consequently, a much-loved favorite at the various venues around town. I myself have often been among the awestruck fans at one of her shows, and was psyched as all hell when she handed me a copy of the album about a day and a half ago. It is called Falling and it is beautiful. After listening to the thing some 26 times between then and now, here are some observations.
"Beautiful Lie" opens the album with an almost house feeling, like it's about to open up into some glowstick trance anthem, but then Julia's voice rolls in, followed closely by some fresh horns, and suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of some seriously funky and chill stuff. The title track, "Falling," carries a subtle and almost hiphopish beat beneath some pleasant and jazzy keys, and is really a phenomenal track, the lyrics of which concern a metaphor about fruit. "Target Practice," in which Julia shows us that she has a flirty (and, uhh, downright filthy) side as well, is an irresistibly raucous jam that makes you want to shake your ass, and I'm not just talking about dancing.
The album's "final" track ("You are my Sunshine") is a subdued, strained, dark, and gorgeous version of the classic song. As a friend of mine commented, it's almost as if the song, which was written around 1940 and has been recorded hundreds of times by myriad folks, was meant, all along, to have been sung this way. The album also has a new and simply beautiful version of her classic tearjerker of a masterpiece, "Darwin's Fall." Also, be patient after the final track ends; there's a hidden track that is well worth the wait. Eva Scow, Jeff Simpson, Randy Stindt, Nathan Ketner, Sam Rocha, and Jason Jurzak all also appear on the album.
Julia, who will undoubtedly hit it big someday soon (as soon as whatever talent scout that hasn't noticed her yet pulls his head out of his ass) has blessed us yet again with this serious, pained, and sexy album that reinforces her stature as the genuine article, as an earnestly inventive, thoughtful, and natural musician.
Julia will be setting off on tour this month, traveling through Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon. The album release party will take place on Saturday 7 April at Studio Itz (370 N. Fresno St.) from 8 to 10pm. For more information, check out www.myspace.com/juliadawnmusic.
Julia Dawn at Tokyo Gardens Post ArtHop
I remember clearly David Byrne in the early eighties saying that 'talking about music was like dancing about architecture.'
Then folks like Twyla Tharp and Catherine Wheel actually started dancing with movements that portrayed architecture. So much for that.
Jag feels my writings are known for two things: Length and Vehemence… (This is amazing to me.. I so rarely am irritated when I write.
The Length thing… well, that leaves me guilty as charged.)
Vehemence was not seen as a positive nor negative, just a straight, and fair description…
I think I'm relieved in this… (It gives me things to consider… thanks Jag, every once in a while considering things are important…)
Much like the dark chocolate given by DJ Proff… there needs to be sweet with the bitter.
(Thanks for that too.)
To write about music, more importantly this morning, is to write about Julia Dawn.
Yes, I know there were other performers there at Tokyo last night… (And they were good, very good.)
But to not comment and focus upon Julia's set would be a crime.
(I try whenever possible to obey the law.)
I will say names, and it's up to you to make the connection, (though this will be very easy.)
Rickee Lee Jones, Ani, Nico Case, Victoria Williams, Margot Timmins, Karen (lead of Over the Rhine,) Edie Brickell, Lyle Lovett, VanMorrison, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, EmmyLou Harris, Chan Marshall, Bjork.
-and
Julia Dawn.
All of these people belong in the same room.
While we're at it, I'll throw in Maria Callas, Edith Piaff, Billie Holiday, and Robert Smith of the Cure.
Blowing sunshine and simply dropping names?
Hardly.
First off, all of these performers specifically share one thing.
Even if they have voices that are 'less than perfect,' (and they all have perfect voices, in this man's opinion,) They also are death-defying and have no known inhibitions that we can find, (particularly Bjork.)
They all are extraordinary musicians who will not only bare their souls, bones, and feelings to the public, -but will do so in a way that you will never, ever forget, -if only for their honesty and beauty.
Last Night Julia Dawn, who has one of the most achingly disarming, strong, and penetrating voices I've heard in a long, long, time, stood in front of a packed club, backed by an extraordinary band, (Violin, Bass, Drums, and keyboards,) weilding a smile, guitar and ponytails, and proceeded to completely own the place.
I have never seen so many people at one time, so captivated, and simply begging to do whatever a single person would ask, -and all she asked is that they'd listen, be themselves, and enjoy her work.
(My father told me of seeing Judy Garland sit down on the edge of a stage and sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' not long before she passed away, how there was not a dry eye in the house, and the house held hundreds… I now have my own experience such as this.)
Julia has both maintained and raised the barre.
This is musicianship at it's finest.
This is someone who has studied, knows what she's doing, is all business (though nicely), is simply dripping with soul and emotion, and delivers a set that rivals the work of people who've done it professionally for decades.
She's on time, she's tuned up, her band backs her and goes into the next song while she's telling us a thing or two, move as a couple that has danced together for dozens of years, and they make it look so easy, you'd think you happened to be on someone's porch with fireflies all around, and folks in socks.
There is no excuse to be made, This was no 'not bad for Fresno,'
no lame-assed 'this is a scene, this is supposed to be cool.'
Nope, the official time of death for that era of music in the town of Fresno was the moment this girl opened her mouth. It's been called, somebody write it down.
This was Stunning and Amazing.
Pay your three bucks, (which should be thirty,) come in, sit down, and watch how it is to be done.
Julia calmly took the stage, fronted a finely crafted group of serious musicians, and charmed the daylights out of everything in the room –including the paper lanterns, (those lanterns have seen a lot of performers, and ain't easily charmed, lemme tell ya.)
If you didn't feel something?,
they'd best throw dirt on you, because you too were no longer breathing.
Why the references to both male and female performers?
-some hint at androgyny?
Oh, hell no.
It is simply that when art this good is done, when music this good is done, when something this honest takes place, it is the human spirit of each person in the room that is romanced, brought to undivided attention, and danced glistening in the glow of it all.
Julia has this effect on both men and women,
-because men and women, both are lovers, and passionate, and not afraid to adore beauty, sincerity, vulnerability, and that which is done so well.
There is no known defense to this.
It's not just innocence, (no, sports fans, some of those songs are far form innocent.)
But it's an honesty and depth.
It's '...did she just say THAT, to 'could she please say THAT just one more time?..'
It's everything from the first real dance where bodies finally give in to each other, to the last time someone in their nineties steps up to the mic, and sings the Ballad that they sang their lover 70 years ago, the lover standing and swaying to the final chorus.
All of these performers I've mentioned are not afraid to take risks.
They are all unique, death defying, unforgettable, and will forever be seen as gods, for being so human and divine at once.
They step up, undrape and go into full song and dance the wires above, illustrating whatever their hearts feel.
There can be nothing but respect and the returning of the gesture, opening oneself, and giving full heart over.
That is the effect that Julia has on a person.
Last night, this young woman picked up the lot of us, birds of so many different builds, backgrounds, and temperaments, raggedy and weird, dusty and tired at the end of the day, held us in her hands, talked to us in her singing little half wavering voice, blew on to us, and then let us go, and we took to the night air around the darkened trees and neon signs, knowing that this experience would happen only once.
-Or simply until the next time that she took the stage, be it with her many talented friends, -or all by herself.
It has been said that there really is no answer to true love. It can only be received or denied,
Last night at Tokyo was love declared from a stage the size of side porch, out into the glare of an ancient polished wooden room,
-and what returned was ecstasy, trust, and adoration.
Julia, I hope you and your friends felt this wash over you moment by moment.
It was so well deserved.
Brilliant Set.
where to begin? i 'discovered' Julia on myspace, and bought the cd because i liked a couple of the songs on her profile. it came, i listened, and i was surprised - nay, astonished - by how much i liked it. "darwin's fall" opens proceedings beautifully, a song that just gets in your head and stay there. the rest of the album manages to live up to such an opener. on some tracks, she gets (as one of my friends put it) 'a little bit katie melua, a little bit nashville..' which is normally not to my tastes at all, but the strength of the songs shines through (the arrangements are all superb, even if they are a little on the country side of the spectrum). highlights for me (the creme de la creme) include: fragile - a beautiful piece, nick drake-like rippling guitars, stunning vocals (comparisons with bjork just dont do ms dawn justice) just a little - amazingly tight, fraught with tension, a groove to die for. if i hadnt scrapped my car id be driving around aimlessly listening to it, like one of the other reviewers. a song that struts like mick jagger, without making a fool of itself. the peak of cool. judges and burning bibles - julia shows off her songwriting skills, crafting a lyric so evocative you find it hard to believe shes not already internationally famous. and a lovely harmony from mr thomas delgado. champion smile - like the cranberries, but much much much better. no, that doesnt do it justice. too good for words. the rest of the album is similarly brilliant. 'all killer, no filler' springs to mind. in short, this is one of the best new albums ive heard in a loooooong time. ive not listened to an album so much in the week after buying it since regina spektor's soviet kitsch. buy it now. buy two (or more) copies, get the discount and give a copy to a friend as a present. if they like music theyll love this.
this album takes me to that solemn harmonious place i use to accomplish things while singing....like driving,sewing,cleaning,writing. I have listened to it more times than i am at liberty to disclose. (It is kind of embarassing) Her blatent sensuality mixed with a girl next door approach gives her lyrics that unique blend of passionate angst and cynical charm. The book of Good Intentions is humbly honest, un-deniably catchy and brilliantly designed. She uses pages from old journals to demonstrate the evolution of poetry to music which gives her that cozy coffeeshop feel. For any occassion Julia Dawn's music offers progressive motivation ,casual insight, and emotional stimulation. This is a stunningly beautiful recording. A must have! You wont be sorry you bought it.
The hand-bound cover filled with scanned journal pages and illustrations is only the beginning of the endless treat that the CD inside is. It hasn't left my car stereo since it arrived. I hit repeat on Just a Little about 15 times yesterday while aimlessly circling the wrong one-way streets in SF, and every accidental turn was an excuse to hear its grooving bass line and wispy throaty silk-growling vocals again and again.
Dawn of Hope--Rogue Review by Daniel Chacon
On March 9th, 2007 mateo says:
Julia Dawn, Fresno’s Secret --by Daniel Chacon
Julia Dawn may very well be one of those locals who hit it so big that Fresno will be proud to say it all started here. Her performance at the Rogue Festival last night was powerful stuff. First of all, she writes her own songs, and they are not only poetic and sensual, but highly intelligent. Her images are vivid, from her love being like a fruit cut in half--juices running down the hands of her lover--to a song about a man with wandering eyes, who she has to keep warning “Look in my eyes before you look at my #2*^. .”
Well, you get the point. Dawn has a folksy-bluesy, rock-and-rolly voice that rides a river of emotions, from depressing to mystical to humorous to sensual. The one cover song she performed, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine” she sung very slowly, like Billy Holiday in a trance of sadness, and it was heartbreakingly beautiful. You would think the song was meant to be sung that way, and by her.
With the back up of bassist Sam Rocha, and Dawn on guitar, the music evoked a lot of response from the crowd, some of who yelled out their requests. She played some songs from her current CD and some from the new one, due out in April, when she starts a tour throughout the southwestern United States, culminating with an appearance in Austin, Texas, one of the greatest music scenes in the country.
Sometimes it’s not hard to see into the future. Julia Dawn will not be Fresno’s secret for much longer. Today we are fortunate to be able to see her play. We get to experience her passion and charisma and intelligence, for almost free. This will not always be the case. She’s going to make it big. She already is big. It’s just that for now, we’re the only ones who know about it.
Band name: Julia Dawn, I am a singer-songwriter. Every album differs. Common Band members include Jason Jurzak, Jeff Simpson, Eva Scow, Sam Rocha, Randy Stindt, Thomas Delgado.
What is your MySpace?
www.myspace.com/juliadawnmusic
What genre is your music?
Its really a mix of folk, jazz, pop and even punk. Often its put into “singer-songwriter” when I perform alone but w/ the band its hard to classify.
What are some of your shows coming up?
I am on tour as of now. I will be going through Flagstaff, Tucson, Austin, San Antonio, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Pocotello and Portland.
What is music to you?
A very good friend.
What venue would you like to play the most that you haven't played at?
Honestly, all venue’s big or small really depend on the crowd. I played the Fillmore in SF and thought that would be the tip of the iceburg, but the crowd made the show, the venue was a room w/ nice sound and lights and history.
When, Where and How was your first show?
I guess my first show would have been at Coffee Roasting Club in Morgan Hill, CA. It was 2 hours long. I don’t know how I got through it. I had barely been playing and writing songs for 1 year or so.
How have you seen yourselves get better since then?
Lets hope! I defiantly think I have matured as a songwriter and as a musician since then.
Where was your best show?
The Fillmore was pretty dope, biggest crowd, but I think the first time I played w/ my band at Tokyo Garden in Fresno would have to be what I would say was the BEST.
What makes a show the best?
The crowd’s energy for sure mixed w/ one’s own energy. Especially w/ a band… looking at each other while your playing… feeling the movements …
Who do you one day want to play a show with or open for?
Ani Difranco, Bjork or Martin Sexton
What inspires most of your lyrics?
Sexual tension and change
Why would anyone want to hear your music?
Its different and honest and brutal and thoughtful.
When was your band formed?
Ive been seriously writing songs since 2000 or so. I starting playing and recording with others since 2004 or so. The folks I play with now? We’ve been playing for about 8 months or so.
Where do you wish for your band to be in 5 years?
Making enough money to live off of.
What do you think its going to take to get there?
Lots of publicity stunts.
Where have you been playing lately and how has your response been?
Ive been playing in my hometown Fresno and around the bay area. The response has been convincingly strong. People seem to be drawn to the music and lyrics. Either they like to lie, or they really like me.
What religion are you?
Agnostic, if that is a religion, which its not. I use to be Christian like most Americans.
Does your religion effect your music?
I think my Christian past and how I interpret those feelings of loss greatly effect my writing.
Any funny or interesting stories?
I streaked my High School on a motor cycle.
What do you think about UFOs?
I have one.
What do you guys do for work right now, other than playing music?
I don’t have a day job right now, I just play. But I often resort to waiting tables.
Does being involved in playing music make you miss out on anything?
Its hard to go to a show or hang out w/ out feeling like you need to be promoting something all the time.
What advantage do you have above other people because you play music?
I get a lot of play.
What were some of your favorite bands growing up?
Loved Jan and Dean, Paul Simon, New Kids on the Block and Debbie Gibson
What would you saw if you saw yourself as a 10 year old kid playing at
the park? (words of advice)
Grow up slower
How old were each of you when starting to play instruments?
I started goofing of the guitar at age 17 or so
Do any of the members of the band play in any other bands?
Some play in the World Famous Blue Street Jazz Band
Every bands music changes over the years, but do you like playing and
the style of the old stuff?
Yeah, I still play very old songs. I think they make my set more interesting to have a variety of writing styles.
Anything you would like to say to your fans reading this interview?
Do what you love, live for it.
Is this your first tour?
Yes, I am embarking on my first tour.
How does it feel to tour with the band members?
I am doing it all alone, and its very challenging and very rewarding.
What do you do on the road to keep busy?
Drive, Read, Sing, Talk to myself… Go insane and then regain sanity.
Do you have any advice to bands about to go on their first tour?
Not yet, but I’ll hit you back up.
What's your latest cd?
Falling 2007 ep
How did you come up with the title?
It seemed at the time that all I had I was letting go of. The title track “falling” has a lyric that goes “the fruit ripenes and falls from the tree”… and I felt like that. Like all I use to be was changing.
How long did you wait from start to finish making the CD and how did it
feel? (did it take to long, or go by fast)
Its started by just playing around. Jason Jurzak and I hadn’t thought it was the beginning of a new cd, but eventually the songs starting pilling in. The first 3 songs took 4 or 5 months, the second 4 songs took a little more than 1 month.
What do you guys think about it?
It’s a nice little ep.
Where can we get it?
www.cdbaby.com/cd/juliadawn
What do you want people to get out of listening to "Falling"?
What they are use to, try something a bit different on and see how it makes you feel.
What did your fans say about it?
That its produced more than their use to, and it is, that’s the point. Also they say it “bumps”.
Any advice for anyone thinking about making a CD?
Recording music is important. Its as important as writing and performing it. It’s the only way to stop time.
Top 20 ~ Online Radio Station WOT90
Julia Dawn's "Sweet Lord" made the top 20 (as chosen by listeners) on WOT 90
week: 7/22, 6/24
This is a women's online radio station found at
http://www.live365.com/stations/yngemcee
check out their myspace site and read thier blogs!
http://www.myspace.com/wot90
Fresno songbird flies home sometimes
Julia Dawn expands her horizons, but her heart is here.
By Mike Osegueda / The Fresno Bee
07/27/07 04:44:36
More information
SHOW INFO
Julia Dawn in concert with Rademacher, Ron Hexagon and more, 9 p.m. Thursday at Tokyo Garden, 1711 Fulton St. Tickets: $3. Details: (559) 268-3596.
Quick Job Search
Last we saw local singer/songwriter Julia Dawn, it was April, and she was departing Fresno with a new CD and a tour ahead of her.
Music, however, didn't bring her back to Fresno. It landed her in Portland, Ore.
Dawn -- who organized the all-female "Songbirds and Spoken Word" showcases and had a regular stint at Veni Vidi Vici -- is coming back to Fresno for a week that culminates with a post-ArtHop show Thursday at Tokyo Garden. We caught up with her on the train ride home.
Question: Are you still a Fresno artist, or have you gone on to bigger and better?
Answer: That's a big one. I don't know if I'm going to be living in Fresno for the next year or so, but I still consider myself from Fresno. I feel like I developed musically in Fresno. I think I'm going to try as hard as I can to come down and play shows every few months. So in that sense, yeah. But I also want to expand my horizons.
What happened? You went on tour, it went really well, and you decided you weren't going to live in Fresno anymore?
Well, I ran out of money at the end of my tour, which I knew was going to happen. But my sister lives in Portland, so I was just going to stay there and save money. Portland's a really cool place, and musically, it's just took off. I'm getting shows all over in Portland, which is kind of nice. With my tour, I never knew what I was going to do afterward. I was leaving all my options open. I found myself in a really good spot in Portland.
How were you able to go there, get immersed in what was going on and get things going in the right direction?
I started going to a lot of open mikes and making friends with a lot of musicians. It's not really a hard city to get in the music scene, I've noticed. There are places to play everywhere.
There are a bunch of Fresno people who have moved up there. Have you crossed paths?
Totally. Rademacher came up here and played, and the whole bar was full of Fresno people.
After this, when do you think you'll be in Fresno again?
I'm planning to come in March for sure. If I can, I really want to play the Rogue Festival again. And I definitely want to do "Songbirds and Spoken Word" again. I'm hoping I can grab some girl musicians from Portland and go down to Fresno.
How has your live show progressed since we've seen you last?
Well, I was on the road for two months by myself. As a musician and as a person, I feel like I really got comfortable with myself and with my music.
The reporter can be reached at mosegueda@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6479. Read his blog at www.fresnobeehiv
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ulia Dawn’s 2nd Annual Non-Denominational Holiday Extravaganza
December 25th, 2007
CLUB FRED
1426 N. Van Ness (559.237.4026)
8:30door/9:00show
If you’re like me, spending time with family is like a trip to the dentist: painful, messy, and expensive. So, for those of you ultra-cool folk (and even those who aren’t so) who feel like escaping to a land of drinks, music, jokes, and FREE GIFTS, come join us on the 25th.
Fresno’s very own songstress—Julia Dawn,settled in Portland now—will be here for one magical night of jubilee and jungle juice. Hosted by Nick Nocketback (The New York Times says, “Mr. Nocketback is the new and unfortunate face of comedy…I’ve never laughed, cried, and bled so much in one room before”), the lineup includes Julia Dawn and her OG Hump Band, Thomas Delgado (T Digglezworth—as he’s known in Firebaugh), and hip hop’s Newt Gingrich, Ibid.
Gifts from the likes of Fresno shops including Valentino’s and Yoshi Now will be raffled, so bring your magic and your kettle corn. Sure there’ll be plenty of delicious alcoholic beverages and Fresno’s most eligible bachelor making under $30,000 there, but how’s the music? Okay, I thought you’d be thinking that in your head while reading this, so here it is. Julia Dawn (like Jewel but talented and better looking), Thomas Delgado (singer, songwriter, and voice of Same Shape—not to mention that Redbook Magazine called him Fresno’s Luke Wilson), Ibid (rhyme slinger with more philosophic simile slandering metacognition than the Mediterranean’s MC Plato, known to friends as the one man bachelor party), The OG Hump Band (Nate Ketner [sax, from LA, more blow than Boston George], Jeff Simpson [keys, from Islamabad, tickles more ivory than a Kenyan poacher], Jason Jurzak [bass, from Rangoon, slaps strings like Ike did Tina’s face, and more dangerous than Tonya Harding at an ice show], Eva Scow (mandolin, from America, known affectionately as “Fiddle Sticks” in the hood], and Randy Stindt [drums, from Indo-China Proper, the New England Herald has called Randy one of the top 150 drummers with the softest hair in North America…If you can find a single split end during the show, we’ll refund your money].
Basically, the show will be so good, Club Fred will have to register as an historical landmark…or, at the very least, be condemned. As an added bonus, because of Nocketback’s clout, there very well could be a taping of the show for national broadcast—are you familiar with Dateline’s “To Catch A Predator”?
The cost for all this fun and noise is a mere 7 US dollars—stocking money. Plus, all money raised goes to humanitarian efforts. Come, eat, drink, be Mary, if you’re into cross dressing and the like. If not, just wear regular clothes. Slacks look good in blacklight. Czech out what’s in store at www.myspace.com/fresnoextravaganz
Julia Dawn
Bio: To pigeonhole Julia Dawn would be to call her a coffee-shop folk singer, which she very well could be, but she has more to offer than that. She includes elements of jazz, roots rock and funk, all with a little indie attitude. She made a name for herself around Fresno open mikes and weekly gigs at Veni Vidi Vici.
Greener pastures: In April, Dawn left Fresno for a tour that eventually led to her resettling her life and career in Portland, Ore.
Lately: Since calling the PDX home, Dawn has quickly made her name there on the same indie/open mike circuit while making a few return trips to Fresno. Her music, meanwhile, has been earning good reviews on Internet radio.
The show: Dawn has organized her second JD's Non-Denominational Holiday Extravaganza, set for Christmas night at Club Fred, 1426 N. Van Ness Ave. It starts at 8:30 p.m. Cover is $7.
Christmas cohorts: The show features a wide variety of local talent, ranging from support acts Ibid and Thomas Delgado to her "O.G. Hump Band," which used to back her up Wednesday nights at Veni. It includes a number of fellow Fresno natives who have moved away: Nate Ketner, Jeff Simpson and Jason Jurzak. Mandolinist Eva Scow also is scheduled to appear.
Listen: At juliadawnmusic.com and myspace.com/juliadawnmusic.
The first opener was Julia Dawn . . . . . this girl came on stage with her blonde hair in braids all around her head and a green halter top dress . . . her arms were skinny but her fingers when she played the guitar were strong, and told of a long love affair her hands have had with that instrument. She is the kind of person who will walk into a room and you will automatically shift a little towards her, hoping the glow she gives off will shed a little light in your life. The kind of person who doesn't even know that they are brighter than everyone else around them . . . they are just that good. She is beautiful in that extremely human, raw, graceful way that so few people are blessed with.
And when she sang . . . she never started singing. It was as though she was singing the whole time but her voice faded in and out of earshot . . . it was beautiful. She was folksy and original and playing at the Fillmore. The spell she cast over the crowd with that voice of hers was most apparent when she broke between songs and the screams and yells filled the air. She invited two of her friends to play with her: a boy named Thomas detached himself from the crowd and harmonized with her so seamlessly that it sounded like one incredible voice, then he and another girl played hand drums to Julia Dawn's singing . . . they are such normal, everyday people, people who you will pass on the street and yet who have this amazing talent and these beautiful memories that you know nothing about.
New! Featured on Kink Portland Local Music Sampler.
Julia Dawn * Beautiful Lie
A little funky, a little jazzy, Julia Dawn’s sound is a fusion of ear-pleasing elements. “Beautiful Lie” highlights her angelic voice. You can catch her in local clubs with a 3 piece band.
Today's in-studio guest is Fresno, CA-based singer-songwriter Julia Dawn, in Pocatello for a performance tonight at Portneuf Valley Brewing. The up and coming artist recently released the Falling EP, an effort that features a disparate mixing of sonic elements that led one reviewer to compare her sound to Bjork if she performed in the 1930's. Indeed, Dawn's music is easily described as genre-shifting, moving between pop, folk, americana and speak-easy jazz to create emotionally-charged numbers like "Darwin's Fall." Also included on her latest is a rare minor-key take on the classic "You Are On My Sunshine," slowed to a crawl and utterly changed in meaning. Julia Dawn's been out on the road for the past month, playing solo dates in California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah before being joined by Joe Simpson on keys and trumpet for remaining dates in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
If you’ve never seen Liani Moore perform, shame on you! Whether performing solo or backed by drummer Alexa Golden, this local singer-songwriter is a consummate performer. An interesting blend of rocker and folkie, Moore could easily be the love child of Joan Jett and Ani DiFranco. Don’t miss it when she plays this Sunday as part of the Mercantile Saloon’s 30th anniversary party. As for her Playlist, here are some track’s she can’t get enough of. Check ’em out.
1. “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”
by Sly & the Family Stone (from Anthology)
2. “Darwin’s Fall”
by Julia Dawn (from Book of Good Intentions)
3. “Sweet Thing”
by Chaka Khan and Rufus (from Rufus featuring Chaka Khan)
4. “Precious”
by the Pretenders (from Pretenders)
5. “Quick To Fox A Trot”
by Alas, Alak, Alaska! (www.myspace.com/alasalakalaska)
Julia’s sound is reminiscent of the late great Janis Joplin’s with her unique vocals and folk/blues sound with an attitude. She is very good at capturing your attention with her solid witty lyrics. She’s been performing live now for at least 8 years and she is finally starting to get noticed because of her latest tracks. Because she mixes old folk and blues with new rock and funk, her music appeals to a wide variety of audiences.