And it's free.
Freda Love Smith, with high praise for 'Get There':
I have known Juliana Hatfield for 28 years. We have worked together in two bands, toured together countless times, and well—I love her. But even if I’d never met the woman who put the babe in Blake Babies, I would admire her agile guitar playing, ambitious songwriting, and gorgeous, unmistakable singing voice. Juliana’s productivity is staggering – she has released 19 full-length albums, and her current project, Minor Alps (a collaboration with Matthew Caws), is just about the best thing she’s ever done.
I caught Juliana before she leaves for a string of European tour dates with Minor Alps. My longtime vegetarian friend recalls the time that Denny’s slipped her a meat burger, and shares a recipe for her virtuous, tasty go-to dinner at home.
Read the article, which includes a Juliana recipe (!) at Paste.
And another date for the European Minor Alps tour:
May 14, 2014 - Sala Sidecar, Barcelona
The Minor Alps European dates now include a Scottish show:
April 23, 2014 - O2 ABC 2, Glasgow, Scotland
Juliana has covered Elliott Smith's 'Needle In The Hay' for a forthcoming Wes Anderson tribute album.
'I Saved Latin!' also features contributions from Kristin Hersh and Trespassers William and is due for release in the US by American Laundromat Records on May 13, 2014.
The label's homepage currently has all sorts of extravagant pre-order options.
The Minor Alps European tour as announced last month now includes 3 shows in England.
3 more Minor Alps shows (UK)!
April 24 Manchester--The Roadhouse
April 25 London-- Shacklewell Arms
April 26 Brighton--Bermuda Triangle
— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) March 4, 2014
i'm bringing back my song-to-order project (commissioned song portraits) for a short time (info at http://t.co/y9O5fIuQKD in blog and news)
— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) March 2, 2014Juliana:
For the price of $1,000 I will write an original song tailor-made just for you, to you, and about you, and I will record it in a mostly acoustic style.
More info and the ordering details at Juliana's official site.
Yes, a Minor Alps 2014 European tour.
Juliana and Matthew are to play the following shows around our continent:
April 28 Rotown, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
April 29 Kantine Berghain, Berlin, Germany
April 30 Prinzenbar, Hamburg, Germany
May 1 Vera, Groningen, The Netherlands
May 2 Ekko, Utrecht, The Netherlands
May 3 Luxor, Cologne, Germany
May 4 Zoom, Frankfurt, Germany
May 5 Kantine, Augsburg, Germany
May 6 Circolo Magnolia, Milano, Italy
May 7 Bleu Lézard, Lausanne, Switzerland
May 8 Komplex Klub, Zürich, Switzerland
May 9 Spielboden, Dornbirn, Austria
May 10 Acoustic lakeside warm-up, Bad Bleiburg, Austria
May 11 Nu Spirit Club, Bratislava, Slovakia
May 13 La Rodia, Besançon, France
May 15 Sala Sol, Madrid, Spain
May 16 Café Azkena, Bilbao, Spain
May 17 Krakatoa, Bordeaux, France
May 19 Fleche D’Or, Paris, France
More dates to be announced:
UK dates still to be added to minor alps tour, we'll keep you posted!
— MINOR ALPS (@minoralps) February 21, 2014
Just when we thought the Minor Alps promotional period was over, this appears out of the blue.
The video stars French actors Julie Gayet and Philippe Rebbot.
It might get some attention outside of the julianadasurf fanbase, particularly in France, where Julie Gayet has been in the news a bit recently.
Gorgeous video.
UPDATE: DIY says Minor Alps are "set to play their first European shows this spring". So there's that too.
Recorded on November 22 last year, this WFUV session with Minor Alps is being broadcast tonight at 9PM Eastern.
You can listen to the audio including between-song interviews with Matthew and Juliana at wfuv.org.
The photoset is at Flickr.
The first public performance of Minor Alps, from November 8 last year in Seattle.
Outstanding.
If you missed them earlier, make sure you also catch the photos from the session.
Because one video interview for Radio.com is not enough.
New York's Q104.3 has a Minor Alps interview and performance available to view or download.
A roundup of remaining links for the last few shows of the recent US Minor Alps tour:
Black Cat, Washington DC, November 19:
The Vinyl District (Review)
Bowery Ballroom, New York City, November 20:
Impose Magazine (Photos)
World Café Live, Philadelphia, November 22:
iradiophilly (Review)
The Swollen Fox (Review)
The Swollen Fox @ Flickr (Photos)
Phawker (Review)
The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA, November 23:
Johnny Anguish @ Flickr (Photos)
Fruit Fly (YouTube as above)
I Don't Know What To Do With My Hands (YouTube)
BDCWire (Photos)
Musicians @julianahatfield and @nadasurf discuss Minor Alps, Hulk and more: http://t.co/hriWwaop62 pic.twitter.com/YCrIaIkwIk
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) December 3, 2013Juliana, speaking in New York last month in the aforementioned interview:
What’s really strange for me is that I realized I have absolutely nothing planned for after tour. I guess I’m just going to rest for a little while and then start writing again. I’ve been painting and writing and that’s all I have planned.
The final(?) batch of review links for the Minor Alps album:
It could have so easily been indulgent and small but Get There is bursting with energy and ideas.
Gary K, The Digital Fix
Then there’s the formula factor. Minor Alps seem content to peddle pleasant but not particularly memorable pop-rock. Quiet verses lead into louder choruses with big drums and whitewashed guitars as Caws and Hatfield repeat a phrase that, depending on the song, becomes either more meaningful with each cycle (e.g. “Lonely low”) or collapses under the weight of repetition (e.g. “I don’t know what to do with my hands” and “If I wanted trouble I could find it”), 4.9/10
Joel Oliphint, Pitchfork
There are lots of intimate lyrical moments like two lovers exchanging thoughts and memories. We’re lucky they have let us in. We’re all very lucky that they went through so much for us. Start with the rock radio tune then work your way inside their heads and like us we’re already looking forward to the next set of tunes.
David Urbano, Review Stalker
For Minor Alps’ Get There has not one peak, as might one such enumeration, but instead several.
Josh Holliday, Dots and Dashes
Get There suffers from a similar state of limbo to that of a love-stricken teenager. For the most part it wants to be a charming collection of indie-pop songs that are easy to relate to, but still yearns to occasionally break out and start making noise. It feels that in an attempt to control those urges, Hatfield and Caws have made a record that, whilst it has its charm, lacks in any real excitement, 4/10
Robert Whitfield, The 405 Reviews
Watch @minoralps cover The Everly Brothers at the kitchen table!
https://t.co/MCvASg8WIm
— MINOR ALPS (@minoralps) November 26, 2013