If you missed the sad news last month, the music world has lost Gary Smith after a long illness.

As Fort Apache studio owner, producer, and manager, Gary had a huge role in Juliana’s career as well as working with Pixies, Throwing Muses, and more.

There’s an obituary and condolences page at legacy.com

John P. Strohm posted on Facebook:

If anyone ever really ”discovered” a band, Gary discovered Blake Babies. We were struggling when we met Gary. We’d made an album, but had no idea what to do with it. Months after getting 1,000 LPs delivered to our apartment, we still had about 900 copies and no clue what to do with them. It was a struggle.

Gary came to our show one night at The Rat, strode right up to us when we came offstage and said, ”I love your band. I own a studio. Would you like to make a record?” Storybook stuff. We went to Fort Apache that night, and it instantly became our favorite place on earth.

Read John’s full words below:

Billy Bragg, also on Facebook:

The Fort was an amazing place where young bands making challenging music could find in Gary a sympathetic ear and a lot of good advice. He produced the Accident Waiting To Happen single which I recorded there with the Red Stars, as well the b-side 'Sulk' which was written during the session.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @julianahatfield

So much to say (but can’t today)💔
I ✨love✨you, G pic.twitter.com/aAhs3rsKLx

— Tanya Donelly (@TanyaDonelly) January 17, 2023

We’ve got a new ‘Juliana Hatfield Sings’ project to look forward to as not so subtly hinted by Juliana including ELO covers in her summer shows!

The album has been officially confirmed by American Laundromat Records on a flyer in their shipping of the Become What You Are reissue:

View fullsize

Thanks to Eric for the info and while I’m here a big seasonal thanks to everyone who has been in touch and particularly Carlos Lopez for helping with many of the links for these pages. Best wishes to all in Jules’ fan community.

If this proves to be my last post of the year, I’ll see you in 2023.

View fullsize

Juliana Hatfield - Instagram

Juliana has been opening for the Lemonheads at US gigs this past week, performing a solo electric set and at some shows joining Evan on stage for a few It’s A Shame About Ray tracks.

Juliana’s sets across the week included performances of Everybody Loves Me But You, Candy Wrappers, June 6th, Somebody Is Waiting For Me, Make It Home, My Sister, Simplicity Is Beautiful, Spin The Bottle, Wonder Why, Bad Day, Backseat, Ugly, Feelin’ Massachusetts, Poor Man’s You, Bottles and Flowers, Everything’s For Sale, and I Got No Idols.

Mike Engleson has a review of the Washington DC show and some photos at Parklife DC, and Jay N. Miller reviews the final Boston date at The Patriot Ledger.

There’s also a brief interview with David Mosca for The Jersey Journal where Juliana comments on her work on the Ray album in the early 90s:

“When I was playing with them in Boston, Evan Dando, David Ryan, and I had an idea to practice about an hour a day,” recalls Hatfield. “So, we would do that, and I loved that kind of short, regimented schedule. Then we went to LA to make the record I did with them. And we knew all the songs pretty well at that point that we didn’t have to hash them out in the studio.”

Although no longer on Twitter, Juliana still has an official Instagram and posted some awesome photos all week including shots from Stacee Sledge and David Doobinin:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @julianahatfield

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @julianahatfield

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @julianahatfield

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @julianahatfield

There’s plenty of fan footage on YouTube. Here’s a selection of solo and Lemonheads songs, with thanks to Carlos for the links:

View fullsize

From an interview by Warren Kurtz for Goldmine on Juliana’s cover of “Lotta Love”:

JULIANA HATFIELD: When I was a kid, I grew up on the Nicolette Larson version, which is what I heard first. For the longest time I thought it was her song and didn’t discover the Neil Young original until a bit later. I wanted to approach the song differently because it has already been successfully covered.

GM: Your guitar introduction and your solo remind me of The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” which gives the recording an added dimension.

JH: I wasn’t thinking of that, but that makes sense to me now. I wanted my version of “Lotta Love” to be a little tougher. I was trying to counteract the sentiment of the song which I think is emotionally demanding where one person wants the other to attend to that person’s needs which I interpret as, “It is going to take a lot from you to give me a lotta love.” I was fighting against that with my electric guitar.

goldminemag.com/columns/juliana-hatfield-and-emma-swift-discuss-covering-neil-young-for-record-store-day-black-friday

Juliana, via Twitter:

i just opened a new online art shop in case you are interested in checking out/acquiring any of my drawings on paper.. here is where it is:

julianahatfield.myshopify.com

View fullsize

American Laundromat Records:

We are stoked to reissue "Become What You Are" on vinyl to celebrate its 30th Anniversary. This exclusive reissue is limited to 2,500 units worldwide.

Reissue artwork prepared by Aaron Tanner at Melodic Virtue from the original art. Our good friend Sean Glonek at SRG studios handled remastering, Levi Seitz cut metal, and the fine folks at Furnace pressed the vinyl. It looks and sounds amazing! We are very proud of this reissue and hope you enjoy it.

The release is planned for January 2023, with pre-orders up now for 3 variants and a further yellow splatter variant to be available from indie stores.

www.alr-music.com/collections/catalog/products/jh3-become-what-you-are

View fullsize

As trailed by American Laundromat Records last year, a new Juliana single is coming for Black Friday Record Store Day this November:

Juliana Hatfield and Emma Swift cover Neil Young for charity on this exclusive RSD Black Friday 7" single. Side A features Juliana covering the classic "Lotta Love" and side B features Emma covering the deep cut "Give Me Strength." Mastering and lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Pressed in the USA at Gotta Groove Records on beautiful virgin black vinyl for an optimal audio experience. Spins at 45 RPM with a large hole. Original artwork and design by Casey Burns. Includes high profile callout sticker and digital download card.

One dollar from the sale of each record is lovingly donated to Casting for Recovery, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of women with breast cancer through a unique retreat program that combines breast cancer education and peer support with the therapeutic sport of fly fishing.

As was the case with 2020’s Christmas Cactus single, this release is restricted to US stores only at launch.

Juliana has covered Neil Young before, most notably Only Love Can Break Your Heart for her 2002 Gold Stars compilation, and in 2011 she sang Barstool Blues as part of a PledgeMusic campaign and performed a duet of Cinnamon Girl with Evan Dando for a benefit show in New York.

via Magnet Magazine:

Longtime MAGNET contributor Hobart Rowland takes a deep dive into the influential albums championed by the magazine over the years, with exclusive, in-depth interviews with the artists, producers and other key players. For episode five, Rowland gets the real story behind the making of Blake Babies’ 1990 classic Sunburn, college rock’s last great statement.

This one features contributions from Gary Smith and the Babies trio.

Available in the embed above or the usual places including Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Spotify.

The Lemonheads have announced that their It’s A Shame About Ray tour will come to the US this winter. Juliana is scheduled as one of the openers for the final 8 dates in December.

Aug 18, 2022 UPDATE : it’s now 9 dates with an extra Boston show on December 18:

December 2022

9 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10 Chicago, IL - Metro
11 Detroit, MI - Saint Andrew's Hall
12 Washington, DC - 9.30 Club
14 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
15 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
16 New Jersey, NJ - White Eagle Hall
17 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
18 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

not playing in Lemonheads band--playing a solo set of my own https://t.co/L76OVgXmLJ

— Juliana Hatfield (@julianahatfield) August 12, 2022

From the latest edition of Paul Myers’ Record Store Day podcast:

Stars' Torquil Campbell looks into the rear view mirror at the events leading up to Stars' lovely and melancholic new album, From Capleton Hill.

All three Blake Babies - Juliana Hatfield, Freda Love Smith, and John Strohm celebrate a new reissue of their 1990 indie classic,Sunburn.

Bill Kopp talks about his new book Disturbing The Peace, which provides the 411 on legendary SF indie label, 415 Records.

Record Store Day co-founder Carrie Colliton praises a new RSD reissue of Linda Martell's Color Me Country.

The 30 minutes Blake Babies section begins at around 25:30.

As posted by Chris Anzalone on Instagram, here’s Chris (and Freda!) on drums, together with Ed Valauskas, Kay Hanley, Scott Luck, a horn section and more soundchecking before the Hot Stove Cool Music event in Chicago over the weekend.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Anzalone (@chrisanz4)

And here’s a bit from the show with even more on stage:

Don’t Bring Me Down (ELO) -Hot Stove Cool Music Chicago @MetroChicago …
Kay Hanley @kayhanley …
Jennifer Hall …
Juliana Hatfield @julianahatfield …
Scott Lucas @LocalH …
Ed Valaskus @qdivisionstudio pic.twitter.com/8Log2ErQsN

— Great Lake Jumper (@TheRealDtox) July 2, 2022

Other things of note you may have missed from Juliana’s shows this week:

• A preview feature on the Chicago event by Jim Ryan for Forbes including comments from Juliana:

  “Art, music and sports are all really important to children and adolescents. They were all really crucial and interconnected for me. I had access to all of these things while I was in school and I made use of all of them. And I really feel like without them, I would’ve been completely lost,” she said. “I was a very shy adolescent. I didn’t really know how to communicate. But I was able to be with my peers while playing music or sports or in art classes. And I think it’s a tragedy when those things are taken away from kids. Because there are kids who have no place to go or their home environment is bad. So having a place to go to play music or draw or kick a soccer ball around, that’s crucial. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think it’s tragic,” said Hatfield.

• Vicky Salipande’s photos and set list from The Burren show in Somerville as posted to the JH Fan Facebook Group and elsewhere.

• Juliana performed 2 ELO songs - the aforementioned Don’t Bring Me Down plus Can’t Get It Out Of My Head.

Freda performing with the Blake Babies in Allston, MA, 2016. Photography by David Young.

This week has seen Freda perform on drums for the last time.

If you missed her retirement announcement on the Sunshine Boys’ Facebook back in April here’s a snippet:

Lately I’ve been saying to the folks around me that baseball players don’t play forever. Bodies change. And mine is just about finished playing drums. I’m speaking here on behalf of my wrists, back, elbows, shoulder, knees, and hips, among other parts. And speaking on behalf, too, of the writer and teacher in me. I’m currently writing two books and teaching writing more than I ever have, and I feel strongly compelled to make more space in my life for these endeavors.

Freda performed her last show with Sunshine Boys a couple of weeks back. This last weekend saw her final drumming appearance at the Hot Stove Cool Music event in Chicago where she guested with several artists which included playing Some Girls songs in Juliana’s set.

Freda has given us so much joy over the years in her various projects. For many of us it is the music she made with Blake Babies that will be the most special legacy from her brilliant career.

Best wishes for the future Freda and thanks for everything.

Freda Love Smith performing on drums with the Blake Babies in Allston, MA 2016. Photography by David Young

JPS, writing for Talkhouse on the legacy of Sunburn and “what it was like to be a “college rock” band on the verge in 1990”:

Happily, Freda, Juliana, and I have rekindled our friendship several times over, and we made what I personally consider our best album, God Bless the Blake Babies, in 2001. We’ve periodically done shows together and supported one another in all of our mostly successful post-band pursuits. It’s wild to think that was over 30 years ago. It’s even wilder to listen to the music with the knowledge of what indie music sounds like today, and realize it still sounds contemporary. With the exception of a few dated production touches, Sunburn could fit in with what we call Indie Pop today.

An excerpt from Juliana, John, and Freda interviewed by Warren Kurtz for Goldmine Magazine:

GM: That vocal blend is also on “Train” which I really enjoy and reminds me a bit of R.E.M.

JH: They have train songs too, “Driver 8” for example. It is an American tradition.

JS: I think with that song it was a dual lead vocal. I was struggling as a new singer, trying to find my voice. I was learning how to sing in front of a microphone in a studio, which is not the best place to learn. It is the quickest way to improve but most people who sing in a studio have sung in a school choir, at least.

JH: I was also a bit new. I studied piano at Berklee and then started studying voice, so I was also learning techniques on how to strengthen my voice.

JS: Juliana had already sung on two albums before this, so she had great experience, compared to me. “Train” has a pretty demanding vocal with an active melody. Juliana’s guide vocal helped me to nail the pitch. The lyrics were ambiguous, so having the male and female vocal was not a conflict.

JH: While this song doesn’t sound like the band X, John and my voice are so different that it reminds me of John Doe and Exene Cervenka’s voices being different in X. When we sing together it is a cool tension that blends well.

Peter Chianca, writing for Boston.com:

You’ve heard about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities? This is one of those. Coming off arguably the most prolific and creatively productive stint in her long career, Duxbury native and Berklee grad Juliana Hatfield has scheduled “A Last Minute Local Tour Kick Off Show,” complete with her band, in the intimate confines of The Burren in Somerville.

The show is on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Ticket info:

24hourconcerts.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=313

From Freda, John, and Juliana’s interview with Dave Rayburn for Alliance Entertainment to mark this month’s vinyl reissue of Sunburn:

JOHN: We have a couple more albums to reissue in the future, EARWIG and GOD BLESS THE BLAKE BABIES. We also have a set of demos for SUNBURN that are really strong. I don’t see why we wouldn’t make those available at some point as well.

JULIANA: There is one demo-ed song called “Radiator”, from the way early days, and there are maybe some live things we could share. As for other unreleased songs, I do remember one long multi-sectioned prog rock song we created and practiced, and I recorded us playing it live into a boom box in our rehearsal space in I think 1987 and I think I still have that cassette.

View fullsize

Juliana will play a Hot Stove Cool Music benefit show at Metro in Chicago, IL on July 1 2022, appearing on a bill with Mavis Staples, Ted Leo, Kay Hanley, and many more.

Foundation To Be Named Later - ftnbl.org

Juliana will appear at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI on the afternoon of Thursday, June 30, 2022.

summerfest.com