I still remember it vividly. It was a chilly January. A gray day at the office, I imagine I was tearing through some meaningless, remedial task in PowerPoint or Excel and then I heard it…Julie Rhodes’ voice. From the very instant it came through my blue Klipsch earbuds I was a fan and enthralled that someone was out there, not just out there but in my city, singing this way. Well, time has passed since then and Julie has become not just a colleague in songwriting but a dear friend to me. She has been included on a Red Line Roots Locals Covering Locals compilation and played at Red Line presents shows…the gal never lets you down when it comes to that voice. Each time it knocks you over. Well, she has been busting her tail on a new record and from what I have heard, its a damn fine one. But, she has gone above and beyond to get the best product possible right out of the gate and needs a little help from her friends. I caught up with Ms. Rhodes to talk about the music, the recording process, and what the future holds. Check it…
1) For the fine folks who may not be as familiar with your work, how would you sum up your sound in a short phrase (10-15 words)?
JR: Hmm! My influences are pretty diverse, but I’d say we dig mostly into soul and blues.
2) In this day and age, everyone has a pledge/kickstarter/etc, give us the low down on yours and what its going to help you do as an artist.
JR: Haha yep! It totally makes sense. It’s tough to get your music out there—especially for new, independent artists. It’s easier than it has been in the past, but it still takes a lot of hard work and a lot of money to do it. So, it’s really no surprise that so many of us are turning to crowdfunding. To be able to get our music out there with the help of our friends and fans, without necessarily needing to rely on a record label— It’s a pretty amazing thing!
I launched my IndieGoGo campaign to help raise money to master, press, and promote my debut full-length album. This record is huge milestone for me, and something I’m really proud of. It features 11 original songs, recorded live with some of my closest friends and some very special guests. With the help of my IndieGoGo supporters, I’ll be able to put the finishing touches on the album itself, as well as get it pressed, duplicated and distributed on CD and vinyl. Even more importantly, the support that I receive from this campaign will go toward a PR and radio campaign that will help get the music to reach more people than I ever could on my own.
3) What’s 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and 1 ‘lesser known’ record or artist that you are now/are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about?
JR: Oh boy! It’s hard to pick just one. I didn’t start playing/writing until pretty recently, and there are so many records that inspired me as a songwriter long before I ever started making music, but one record that was pretty heavy on my rotation at that time (and still) is Hope and Desire by Susan Tedeschi. Which I guess makes sense, cause it’s an album by one of my biggest influences, doing covers of so many of my other influences. If you catch me and the Union Band live, you’ll probably hear a song or two from that album. As for what’s on the rotation right now… I can’t stop listening to the new Andrew Combs record. He’s a hell of a songwriter. Also, The Muscle Shoals Sessions that Anderson East just put out is killer. Neither of those guys will be ‘lesser known’ for long!
4) This record seems like a very collaborative effort with different studios, musicians, etc all involved. What has the collaborative process been like or what has it taught you?
JR: Yeah! This record was definitely a collaborative effort right from the start, which is something I really love about it. Jonah Sky (my good friend and producer) and I wrote many of the songs together. We brought the rough demos to the band and gave them some freedom to play what they were feeling. I couldn’t be happier with the result. Every single person involved added a little of their personalities to the songs.
We did do some travelling to different studios around the country, which was a great experience and allowed us to collaborate with even more amazing musicians. We set up shop at Dirt Floor Studio in CT to record the basics. All live, many of them recorded outside in the backyard which was super fun. A few tracks were done with Sheldon Gomberg at The Carriage House in Los Angeles, with the help of some amazing guests, Sara Watkins on fiddle and Greg Leisz on pedal/lap steel (just to name a couple). We also had the honor of recording at FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals. That was a dream come true for us! To get to record with Spooner Oldham was just incredible. He has sat in that same room and backed up so many of my heroes.. Etta James, Mavis Staples, Aretha Franklin… Even just being in that room with all of that history – There are no words for it.
5) Anything else you want to push, plug, talk about.
JR: Thank you for reading, thanks Red Line Roots for supporting me and this wonderful community of musicians, thank you to everyone who has contributed to the campaign already, and thank you in advance to any future contributors. Your support means the world to me! The campaign will be up until May 17th and I would be so grateful if you all could check it out, share it with your friends and contribute if you’re able. Love you guys!
Check out the indiegogo campaign at THIS LINK!!!: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/julie-rhodes-debut-album
And check Julie out online: http://www.julierhodesmusic.com/home.html