View fullsize

Today!

Whatever, My Love - the new album from The Juliana Hatfield Three - the kind of follow up to 1993's Become What You Are - is released today on American Laundromat Records.

If you weren't part of the PledgeMusic gang who received the album last week you should be able to find it from your retailer of choice, direct from American Laundromat and as a download on your iTunes in most territories.

American Laundromat are currently streaming the whole thing too.

The Boston Globe have reviewed the record today, not altogether favourably. Juliana has had her say on what they said:

Post by Juliana Hatfield (Official).

And, because we're all 2015 now, here's a video review by The Daily Guru:

There will be a liveontomorrow.co.uk review ™ in due course, but not just yet. I want to give it several more listens.

Lesley Gore, famed for songs such as It's My Party and You Don't Own Me died yesterday at the age of 68.

She recorded those two songs when she was 16 and 17. Extraordinary.

You Don't Own Me has been covered many times but unsurprisingly I love most of all the performances by Juliana (my favourite songwriter) and Poliça (my favourite band).

"If I Could" from the upcoming sophomore release, "Whatever, My Love" by The Juliana Hatfield Three. Out February 17th on American Laundromat Records.

The 4th track from Whatever, My Love to get the pre-release streaming treatment is I'm Shy - another of the re-recorded versions of songs previously released on mp3 a decade back.

The album's out on general release tomorrow of course.

"I'm Shy" is a song about being shy.

— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) February 16, 2015

A bunch of the initial reviews for the new album:

Whatever, My Love arrives with an extra bit of anticipation from Hatfield enthusiasts. And, much like its forebear, the album's 12 tunes are tight, tidy pop-rockers, presented in her characteristic straightforward-yet-slightly-skewed manner. See the needlepoint guitar that tears through the otherwise unadorned power-pop chugger "Push Pin," or how, on "Wood," her voice virtually mimics every twist of the circular chord progression.

4/5

Richard Bienstock, Billboard

 

While Whatever, My Love certainly sounds fresh by 2015 standards, the album still succeeds in bringing longtime listeners back to the time when “Alternative” truly meant something. 

Joel Gausten

Hatfield has always had a knack of taking a simple mid-tempo song and making it infectious.  The group accomplish that with the head-swaying "Now That I Have Found You", and the hook-filled earworm "If I Could".  It's a pop rock song that will stick in your brain well after the album is over.

8/10

Snob's Music

our #PSSF15 line up has been announced! Featuring @citizencope @wfitzsimmons @julianahatfield and @buffalotomband http://t.co/FSRrkjtFIl

— The Music Hall (@MusicHall) February 11, 2015

The Juliana Hatfield Three 2015 US dates move into April.

They are part of a double bill with Buffalo Tom on the 17th in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Details at The Historic Theater.

See the tour dates page for the list of previously announced headline shows in February and March.

Juliana, on the appeal of Guitar-Bass-Drums trios and keyboards:

It’s kind of classic and simple and hard to really fuck it up. It’s like there’s a comfort and simplicity in that sort of lineup, although lately I’ve been playing a lot more keyboards on the recordings. I’ve been getting back to playing keyboards. I just think it’s more fun to play a guitar live, because you can swing it around and bash on it and move. But with a keyboard you’re more rooted to one place. Also, I like how the guitar strings can bend, but the keyboard is more stationary and static, and you can’t … in a live setting, it’s kind of restraining.

Read the whole interview with Len Comaratta at Consequence of Sound.

"Wood" from the upcoming Juliana Hatfield Three sophomore release "Whatever, My Love" available February 17th on American Laundromat Records.

American Laundromat Records are now streaming a third song from the forthcoming Juliana Hatfield Three album, Whatever, My Love.

Wood is one of two bonafide all new songs on the record.

Juliana calls the song "the opposite of 'I Wanna Sex You Up'" and describes it as being "about numbness and dissociation – feeling like a block of wood." Speaking to Rolling Stone, she says:

There are mood swings in both mind and body. Like I've said before in songs like 'I Got No Idols,' sometimes 'I don't like to be touched.' How do you handle it when you feel dead and numb? When your significant other wants affection and you don't? It's complicated and mysterious, biological and psychological and emotional.

It sounds very much like a Juliana Hatfield Three song should in 2015. Good work.

Dates at Solana Beach, CA (tickets), Atlanta, GA, and a second Philadelphia, PA show have been added to the upcoming Juliana Hatfield Three Become What You Are US tour.

Update Feb 4 - There's another show added at the Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC on March 23.

Update Feb 5 - Another one at Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC on March 24.

The updated schedule:

February, 2015
26 Port City Music Hall, Portland, ME
27 The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

March, 2015
1 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
2 Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA
3 Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA
4 Black Cat, Washington, DC
6 Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland, OH
7 Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
8 Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
11 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
12 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
14 City Winery, Napa, CA
15 The Chapel, San Francisco, CA
16 Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
18 Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA
22 Terminal West, Atlanta, GA
23 Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
24 Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC

link to Philly tix: http://t.co/V44gXQ15g7

— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) January 30, 2015

link to ATL tix: http://t.co/53uTtvZ0kQ

— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) January 30, 2015

View fullsize

From Juliana's official site:

Juliana’s 2011 14-song album “There’s Always Another Girl” is about to be back in stock! You can pre-order it here now for the bargain price of $8.00, plus shipping/handling. Please note that there are separate shipping/handling prices and “buy-now” buttons for North American and overseas orders.

Pre-orders: julianahatfield.com/taag.htm

Related: this site's track by track review from 2011.

"Ordinary Guy" from the upcoming Juliana Hatfield Three sophomore release "Whatever, My Love" available February 17th on American Laundromat Records.

American Laundromat Records are streaming another song from the forthcoming Juliana Hatfield Three album Whatever, My Love.

Ordinary Guy is another reworked version of a song previously released in Juliana's 'Honor Download Experiment' a decade ago.

View fullsize

A great set of photos by David Young from Saturday night's Juliana Hatfield Three performance for the Hot Stove Cool Music benefit show at the Paradise Rock Club.

See also David's photos of other artists on the bill including Mike Gent, Jen Trynin and Tanya Donelly.

Click / tap to enlarge, obvs:

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

See also an alternate YouTube video of Supermodel.

From last night's return of The Juliana Hatfield Three for the Hot Stove Cool Music event at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.

Michael Marotta at Vanyaland reports a four song set comprising Supermodel, My Sister, If I Could, and I Got No Idols.

Juliana's soundcheck. Badass B. #HSCM2015

A video posted by Kay Hanley (@kayhanley) on Jan 10, 2015 at 12:22pm PST

Juliana soundchecking for tonight's comeback in Boston via Kay Hanley.

Who'd have thought she'd be playing this song? ;)

Juliana, interviewed by Kenneth Partridge for Nylon:

I’m nostalgic, but I’m more nostalgic for the 1970s, when I was a child growing up...That’s the era I really connect with. The music, the television, the movies, the fashion, the décor: The ‘70s is my favorite era. When I think of the ‘90s, I think of really bad fashion—like, a terrible fashion era. Not great TV. I don’t think it’s the best. I’m not personally nostalgic for it, but I understand that some people are, and if I can go out there and make those people happy while playing some music with my friends and having fun today, then that’s great. Then we’ll all be happy.

Some of you will know that I've pondered pulling the site over the last couple of years. I figure that across the web, Twitter and Facebook, Juliana fans are well served these days. News posted here is often just an echo of what most of us already know and the idea of an unofficial fan site is a bit outdated.

However, people have continued to tell me that they enjoy visiting here and as there have been some great contributors who have helped archive fan memorabilia spanning Juliana's near 30 years of music it would be a shame to see it go. It's a testament to Juliana's longevity that we're all still around talking about her art in our own little parts of the internet.

To continue I've needed to upgrade this site as it was becoming difficult to maintain. For those interested this is now a modern responsive Squarespace 7 site using, for now at least, a largely unmodified template. If it's unusable on low memory devices / slow connections please let me know.

Some of the page header images are adaptations of original photographs by David Young which I've always liked.

To mark the new look, here's a random bit of audio from the archives - Juliana reading Henry David Thoreau's "Contemplation by Walden Pond" for the BBC's Mark Radcliffe show 20 odd years ago.

If any of you are going to see the live return of the Juliana Hatfield Three tomorrow, have a great time. Happy New Year.

Craig - site admin

We are going on tour to play "Become What You Are" in its entirety! Some more dates will be added to those listed : http://t.co/c2kXgThmWr

— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) December 16, 2014

Tour dates!

February, 2015
26 Port City Music Hall, Portland, ME
27 The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

March, 2015
1 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
3 Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA
4 Black Cat, Washington, DC
6 Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland, OH
7 Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
8 Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
11 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
12 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
14 City Winery, Napa, CA
15 The Chapel, San Francisco, CA
16 Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA

Any extra dates will be added to the tour dates page here when announced but you'd be wise to keep track of Juliana's official site and social media for updates.

The Juliana Hatfield Three will return to the live stage for the first time in two decades on January 10, 2015.

They are part of the bill for the Hot Stove Cool Music show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. This is a fundraiser event for Foundation To Be Named Later.

There are general admission and VIP tickets available now.