Whether performing with her full band, or as a solo artist with her ever present piano, Julia Othmer is one of those larger-than-life performers who can instantly command a room and captivate an audience.
Julia is a first generation American, as her parents immigrated from Europe. A Midwest native, Julia grew up in Kansas City. Eventually making her way to school in New York and then on to San Francisco, she now makes her home in Los Angeles. Her mother put great importance on wanting Julia and her siblings to learn a musical instrument. Very early on Julia wanted to learn piano. Her mother’s love of opera was a huge influence at an early age. Julia’s grandfather who passed away before she was born, had a musical background, and she inherited his accordion.
Early influences included Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and other classical music composers as well as joining her mother to listen to opera on the radio. Her brothers, who are all older, also contributed with the music they brought into the house from such artists as The Cars, The Beatles, Neal Young, and The Who. None of her siblings pursued music as a career, however, she says, “Having older brothers who have excellent musical taste is a wonderful thing.” She played mostly classical music for many years and only later did she start to explore music of her own.
Today, Julia is more influenced by writers, conversations, and the people she meets rather than by other musicians. She is always striving to turn these ideas and conversations into songs. Mentors include Cathryn Beeks, John Ramsey, all the musicians she has played with, and of course the audiences themselves who are so influential on how her performance ensues on any given night. Club owners who have vision and give artists a gig when they don’t yet have a fan base become huge mentors for musicians. “These are the people who make the music scene happen,” she added.
“At any given moment, I hope I am giving all I have to give and continue to grow as a person, because I feel I have more to give.”
“All music has a message, but the message is what the audience takes from the music rather as opposed to the songwriter delivering a specific message” “I consciously write my lyrics in a way to allow space for the listener to hear themselves in the music.” “When the songs become theirs, then I have done my job well.”
Julia feels that the audience is an integral part of any show and hopes that everyone can come together to have a cathartic experience, enjoy one another, and find a sense of community in her music, in whatever way that happens for them.
Her goal for the future is to “keep going”, “and to surprise myself, more and more.” She is eager to see how the future unfolds.
Julia has also had success in getting her music into the mainstream. Her music has been featured on Witches of East End, Army Wives, The Lying Game, as well as Degrassi: The Next Generation. Print media credits include The Deli and Billboard. She has headlined at many venues including Ford Amphitheatre, Knuckleheads Garage, The Folly Theatre as well as the All About Music Festival in Philadelphia. She recently wowed the audience at a Six String Society show in La Jolla, California.
James T. Lundie is her main collaborator right now and he produced the video “Purple and Gray” as well as the new upcoming album “Sound”. They pushed each other in uncomfortable ways during studio and production time and her hope is that it results in impactful imagery and songs. The video is shot in black and white and blurs the lines between illusion and reality in a haunting cinematic style.
I was fortunate to get an advance copy of the new album and it is chock full of intriguing and personal songs. One of the most impactful songs is “Purple and Gray” and the lyrics reflect perfectly the mood and emotional message created in the video.
Currently, Julia is packing up to travel over the pond in support of “The Alarm” tour through the U.K. The first single off the new album will be released on November 30, 2018 but you will have to wait for the full album “Sound” in February, 2019. You can pre order the video for download and or streaming.
Here are the places you can follow Julia and keep up to date with her music and shows when she returns from the tour.
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