Juliana is a guest on Episode 45 of Mike Hipple’s Lived Through That podcast, which focuses on influential artists of the 80s and 90s.
Juliana talks about her career and how the politics of the music business led her to almost quit entirely and how that journey led her to go back to school to try and get an MFA in fine art.
Available in the normal podcast clients including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Overcast.
Telephone Line is the third single from the upcoming Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO album, available in all the usual places including Spotify and Apple Music.
Juliana:
Some people might not know what a busy signal is and might not comprehend what it means not to be able to leave a message; what it means to feel essentially unable to communicate. But I do and it has nothing to do with technology. ‘Telephone Line’ is really just an expression of an isolation and a loneliness which music helps to make more bearable.
Juliana returned to Garry Foster’s Unchained show earlier this month.
Listen above or at mixcloud.com/garry-foster/unchained-05092023-hour-two/
Juliana, interviewed by Brassneck for the September 2023 edition of Illinois Entertainer on the upcoming ELO album and here on the question of whether she’s been writing new material:
A little bit, yeah. Just little bits and pieces of stuff, but not really putting anything together. So that’s what I’m trying to do now — I’m working on originals more, in a more focused way. So folks can look at (the ELO album) as a palate cleanser or maybe a brain cleanser. And next for me is, I’m going to put together a new album of originals, which I’m writing, and it’s not gonna be uplifting really because I am not in that kind of headspace. So I’m in a place where I’m trying to figure some things out from my childhood and make amends and apologize, just trying to resolve things in my life and work through some long-standing issues. So it’s not really an uplifting moment in my life or a happy, content period — it’s more like a transitional period.
Juliana is interviewed by Steev Riccardo for the latest episode of his Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico podcast.
Some newly announced 2023 live appearances:
Sep 15 House Of Blues, Boston, MA (opening for Lemonheads)
The following are solo headline shows:
Oct 4 City Winery, Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 5 Music Box Supper Club, Cleveland, OH
Oct 6 Rumba Cafe, Columbus, OH
Oct 7 Space - Evanston, IL
Oct 9 Turf Club, St Paul, MN
Oct 10 Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Oct 11 Woodward Theater, Cincinnati, WI
Oct 13 The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA*
Oct 14 POP, Providence, WI*
*The Northampton and Providence shows are billed with a “Pre set conversation with author (and Blake Babies drummer) Freda Love Smith”
There’s also a scheduled appearance at NYC City Winery on Oct 15 for Wesley Stace’s ‘Cabinet of Wonders’ variety show (Juliana typically plays one or two songs in these events.)
Last weekend Juliana appeared with a multitude of artists to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lenny Kaye’s psychedelic Nuggests compilations at City Winery in New York City.
Juliana covered I Won’t Hurt You by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band and I Cannot Stop You by Cherry Slush.
She appeared on stage with Kaye’s house band and REM’s Peter Buck.
Brooklyn Vegan has photos and the set list.
Juliana, interviewed by Aaron Kavanagh for postburnout.com on her choice of artist for her upcoming Juliana Sings ELO LP:
“And I was going to do R.E.M. and I was listening – the process for me starts with going deep into the albums, and all the deep cuts, and relistening, and finding things I want to record – and I just became too overwhelmed with the amount of R.E.M. material that I had never heard, because I stopped listening to them at some point, and there were a bunch of albums after then, and I just felt there was too much study that I was going to have to do, and there were too many songs, and I lost my nerve with that one. And then, I don’t know, I just thought, ‘I love ELO, so let’s do that!’”
Juliana’s new single Can’t Get it Out Of My Head is out now.
The video is directed by David Doobinin who is quoted in a press release:
“I created cutout versions of Juliana to create layered, architectural visuals. I wanted the video to capture that restless, ‘caught between two worlds’ experience we all feel sometimes, while also highlighting Juliana’s raw and poetic nature, and how she embodies both awkwardness and grace.”
Juliana:
“David is really good at capturing my discomfort in front of cameras, and in the world. Making it all into interesting, moving imagery works great in the context of this song about longing to escape reality into some otherworldly realm.”
The song is the 2nd track released from the upcoming Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO album and it’s lovely.
Juliana is scheduled to play a show with Kay Hanley at The Burren Backroom in Somerville, MA on June 16, 2023. UPDATE There are now two shows. After the 7pm event sold out , there’s an extra 4pm performance available.
Ticket info: 24hourconcerts.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=1126
The incredible poster design is by Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative.
Juliana and Kay are also due to play the following day at a previously announced benefit show in Northampton, MA.
Juliana's 3rd album in the “Sings” series following tributes to Olivia Newton-John and The Police is scheduled for November 17, 2023 via American Laundromat Records, titled "Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO"
Here's the first single, "Don't Bring Me Down" :
The song is available now on streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify.
Juliana:
ELO songs were always coming on the radio when I was growing up. They were a reliable source of pleasure and fascination (except for “Fire On High” which scared the heck out of me). With this album of covers I wanted to get my hands deep into some of the massive ‘70’s hits but I am also shining a light on some of the later work (“Ordinary Dream” from 2001’s “Zoom” album, “Secret Messages” and “’From The End Of The World”, both from the ‘80’s).
Thematically, I identify with the loneliness and alienation and the outerspace-iness in the songs I chose. (I have always felt like I am part alien, not fully belonging to or in this Earth world.) Sonically, ELO recordings are like an amusement park packed with fun musical games with layers and layers of varied, meticulous parts for your ears to explore; production curiosities; huge, gorgeous stacks of awe-inspiring vocal harmony puzzles. My task was to try and break all the things down and reconstruct them subtly until they felt like mine.
Overall, I stuck pretty close to the originals’ structures while figuring out new ways to express or reference the unique and beloved ELO string arrangements. An orchestra would have been difficult or impossible for me to manage to record, nor did I think there was any point in trying to copy those parts as they originally were. Why not try to reimagine them within my zone of limitations? In some cases, I transposed string parts onto guitars, or keyboards, and I even sung some of them (as in “Showdown” and “Bluebird Is Dead”).
Recording the album was a kind of complicated and drawn-out process since I was doing all of my tracks at home in my bedroom (drums and bass were done by Chris Anzalone and Ed Valauskas, respectively [in their own recording spaces]), and I kept running into technology problems that would frustrate me and slow me up. But eventually I got it all done. A labor of love
Vinyl, CD, and cassette options are available to order at American Laundromat Records
Juliana previously covered 'Sweet Is The Night' on her 2012 eponymous lp and the credits for this new album suggest that elements of that recording may be in the 2023 version.
Juliana also covered a Jeff Lynne song with 'Xanadu' on 2018’s 'Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John.'
As is traditional I've made unofficial Apple Music and Spotify playlists of the songs Juliana is covering:
Juliana is scheduled to appear with many other artists over 2 nights at City Winery in NYC, on July 28-29, 2023.
City Winery:
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the release of the classic Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1964-1968, Lenny Kaye, City Winery, and The Bowery Presents present a live performance of songs from legendary LP and bonus material from the era. Hosted by Lenny Kaye and the Jubilee house band featuring Tony Shanahan, Jack Petruzzelli, Glen Burtnik, Dennis Diken, and with the help of Patti Smith, Bob Mould, Juliana Hatfield, Jesse Malin, Marshall Crenshaw, Ivan Julian, Peter Buck, James Mastro and more to come!
Tickets:
citywinery.com/newyork/Online/article/NYC-Golden-Jubilee-Part1-7-28-23-8pm
citywinery.com/newyork/Online/article/NYC-Golden-Jubilee-Part2-7-29-23-8pm
Juliana’s cover of Neil Young’s Lotta Love is out today on streaming / download services having previously been a vinyl exclusive.
The second single from The Salt Collective’s upcoming project is released today with Juliana on vocals. The track also features Television’s Richard Lloyd.
Juliana’s other contribution to the album is the song Asylum (with Matthew Caws vocals) released as a single last month.
Juliana, writing on her newly launched Substack:
Some years ago, I wrote a book about my ten days in an eating disorder treatment center. It was never published, but now I feel like sharing some of it. I’m going to post random chapters to be enjoyed in little servings..
The first extract is available now and Juliana says she plans to share some of her other writing on a roughly weekly schedule.
Propeller Sound Recordings, announcing a new album and project:
We are honored to welcome The Salt Collective to the Propeller Sound Recordings Family!!
A collective of artists joined French rock-trio Salt to create an exuberant record full of joy. Using the original demos and song sketches created by Salt in France, 12 new tracks were created in an American studio to help celebrate the very stuff of life, that from which it springs. The Salt Collective was born, connected through art featuring Matthew Caws, Juliana Hatfield, Matthew Sweet, Peter Holsapple, Richard Lloyd, Mitch Easter, Anton Barbeau, The dB's rhythm section (Gene Holder & Will Rigby), Susan Cowsill, Pat Sansone, and newcomer Faith Jones. Produced and guided by Chris Stamey.
We proudly release the first single "Asylum" from the upcoming album 'Life' featuring Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) & Juliana Hatfield.
propellersoundrecordings.com/collections/the-salt-collective-life
Juliana is scheduled to appear on a line-up featuring Gin Blossoms, Kay Hanley, and more at The Pines Theater at Look Park in Northampton, MA on Saturday June 17, 2023. The event is billed as One Roof - A Concert for the Homeless and tickets are on sale at Tixr from Thursday Feb 9, 2023.
American Laundromat Records have confirmed that in April 2023 they will be shipping a new pressing of the split 7 inch single of Neil Young covers featuring Juliana’s version of Lotta Love and Emma Swift’s take on Give Me Strength.
The single was originally released last year as a US Record Store Day exclusive, and as previously posted here Juliana was interviewed for Goldmine Magazine about the release in November 2022.
Pre-orders are now being taken on the ALR site and there’s a new Casey Burns designed t-shirt too.
