Julie Kathryn
New York, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Often credited with a genre label of “Americana Noir,” [Julie Kathryn] eschews mere cinematic melodrama in favor of a more appealing combination of a musical childhood in Lake Placid, NY, influence from the greatest folk-confessional music icons, and lyrics from her own life experiences and imagination.... [Black Trees] is executed beautifully both sonically and lyrically, and with nuanced simplicity, to the point of resonating beyond the individual stories of the songs and more in unison with Kathryn’s yearning persona. […] Black Trees projects Kathryn beyond the top of the trees to the sky itself, reaching out to arrange her songs as stars on the coming night sky, never to be obliterated."
- Relix Magazine Online
"Often credited with a genre label of “Americana Noir,” [Julie Kathryn] eschews mere cinematic melodrama in favor of a more appealing combination of a musical childhood in Lake Placid, NY, influence from the greatest folk-confessional music icons, and lyrics from her own life experiences and imagination.... [Black Trees] is executed beautifully both sonically and lyrically, and with nuanced simplicity, to the point of resonating beyond the individual stories of the songs and more in unison with Kathryn’s yearning persona. […] Black Trees projects Kathryn beyond the top of the trees to the sky itself, reaching out to arrange her songs as stars on the coming night sky, never to be obliterated."
- Relix Magazine Online
Singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn is a bit of a newcomer to NYC's music scene, but if the title track to her upcoming album, Black Trees, is any indicator, she's about to make an impact in a big way. Armed with a delicate, yet gorgeous, voice, Kathryn has a knack for emoting her lyrics perfectly. – Adam Bernard, Arena.com (June 25, 2013) - Arena.com
Singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn is a bit of a newcomer to NYC's music scene, but if the title track to her upcoming album, Black Trees, is any indicator, she's about to make an impact in a big way. Armed with a delicate, yet gorgeous, voice, Kathryn has a knack for emoting her lyrics perfectly. – Adam Bernard, Arena.com (June 25, 2013) - Arena.com
Singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn is a bit of a newcomer to NYC's music scene, but if the title track to her upcoming album, Black Trees, is any indicator, she's about to make an impact in a big way. Armed with a delicate, yet gorgeous, voice, Kathryn has a knack for emoting her lyrics perfectly. – Adam Bernard, Arena.com (June 25, 2013) - Arena.com
Singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn is a bit of a newcomer to NYC's music scene, but if the title track to her upcoming album, Black Trees, is any indicator, she's about to make an impact in a big way. Armed with a delicate, yet gorgeous, voice, Kathryn has a knack for emoting her lyrics perfectly. – Adam Bernard, Arena.com (June 25, 2013) - Arena.com
Here’s a summer road trip song for you: Julie Kathryn’s “Windfall.” Fans of Son Volt might remember it from their 1995 album, Trace, but for this recording, it’s reworked as a duet. You can imagine that she and Ari Hest are singing to each other or that they’re sending out a sweet message to listeners who could use a bit of encouragement.
The track will appear on Kathryn’s album, Black Trees, on Aug. 27.
“I feel really connected to this song, and I’m so glad we included it on the album,” she says. “Jay Farrar’s writing is simple but really poignant. I love all of the details about AM radio and life on the road. As a guest vocalist, Ari Hest brings a lot of depth and resonance to the song. He also adds another personality to the story.”
Kathryn grew up in Lake Placid, N.Y., with an ear for piano and guitar. She received compliments as a fledgling songwriter, but rather than pursue a career in performance, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University and a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. During the day, she’d interview clients in jail. At night, she’d play gigs. Now she’s pursuing a fulltime career in music.
“I always felt this deep calling to help people, and my first response was social work,” she says. “I always wanted to make an emotional connection to people. Social work informed my music because it helped me be in touch with my emotions and be empathetic, but when I stopped feeling spiritually connected to it, I realized I could serve a higher calling through music.”
Enjoy the CMT Edge premiere of Julie Kathryn’s “Windfall.”
- CMT Edge
Here’s a summer road trip song for you: Julie Kathryn’s “Windfall.” Fans of Son Volt might remember it from their 1995 album, Trace, but for this recording, it’s reworked as a duet. You can imagine that she and Ari Hest are singing to each other or that they’re sending out a sweet message to listeners who could use a bit of encouragement.
The track will appear on Kathryn’s album, Black Trees, on Aug. 27.
“I feel really connected to this song, and I’m so glad we included it on the album,” she says. “Jay Farrar’s writing is simple but really poignant. I love all of the details about AM radio and life on the road. As a guest vocalist, Ari Hest brings a lot of depth and resonance to the song. He also adds another personality to the story.”
Kathryn grew up in Lake Placid, N.Y., with an ear for piano and guitar. She received compliments as a fledgling songwriter, but rather than pursue a career in performance, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University and a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. During the day, she’d interview clients in jail. At night, she’d play gigs. Now she’s pursuing a fulltime career in music.
“I always felt this deep calling to help people, and my first response was social work,” she says. “I always wanted to make an emotional connection to people. Social work informed my music because it helped me be in touch with my emotions and be empathetic, but when I stopped feeling spiritually connected to it, I realized I could serve a higher calling through music.”
Enjoy the CMT Edge premiere of Julie Kathryn’s “Windfall.”
- CMT Edge
She’s got Audrey Hepburn’s class, Duffy and Macy Gray’s nasaly-yet-soulful voice and Joni Mitchel’s tell-all introspective lyrics, but singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn has much more to offer than just a laundry list of other artists’ redeeming qualities. This Lake Placid, New York native has been featured on Music Connection Magazine’s annual “Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands” list, and her song “The Coast (Fast Johnny)” recently won third place in the Americana/Country category of the Indie International Songwriting Contest.
Check out the video for “Black Trees,” the first single off her debut album of the same title, due August 27. The album will feature eight original songs as well as covers of Son Volt, Bob Dylan, and Greg Brown.
“‘Black Trees’ was directed by Aaron and Alex Craig (Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond), and is a series of scenes slowed to near stillness – in effect, memories suspended in time,” Kathryn told American Songwriter. “These ‘sliced moments’ eerily illustrate the arc of of a romantic relationship, from its hopeful beginnings through its ultimate demise. The song’s dark lyrical tone stands in stark contrast with its upbeat rhythms and infectious melody, providing the track and video with an understated sense of irony and tension.” - American Songwriter Magazine
"Vulnerable and sweet but tinged with darkness, Julie Kathryn’s Americana noir songs are unavoidably personal.... She exudes maturity and youth all at the same time." - Crushable.com
"On stage Julie shows great skill in relating to her audience and performing finely crafted songs in ways that show an almost visceral sense of rhythm.... Julie sings with an understated intimate style and an exquisite sense of timing that makes you feel that only you and she are in the room." - Sometime In Long Island City
"On stage Julie shows great skill in relating to her audience and performing finely crafted songs in ways that show an almost visceral sense of rhythm.... Julie sings with an understated intimate style and an exquisite sense of timing that makes you feel that only you and she are in the room." - Sometime In Long Island City
Julie Kathryn graced Music Connection Magazine's nationwide "Hot 100" list of unsigned artists in 2011. - Music Connection Magazine
Julie Kathryn graced Music Connection Magazine's nationwide "Hot 100" list of unsigned artists in 2011. - Music Connection Magazine
"[Julie Kathryn’s] solid alto voice is rich in tone, especially in the mid to lower range. Delicate in character, she uses it gently to tell her stories, never pushing or oversinging, which is a breath of fresh air... With her graceful and statuesque demeanor, Kathryn captured the crowd from the onset....Her easygoing style establishes a feeling of immediate comfort with the audience.
- Ellen Woloshin, Music Connection Magazine (Oct 03, 2011) - Music Connection Magazine
"[Julie Kathryn’s] solid alto voice is rich in tone, especially in the mid to lower range. Delicate in character, she uses it gently to tell her stories, never pushing or oversinging, which is a breath of fresh air... With her graceful and statuesque demeanor, Kathryn captured the crowd from the onset....Her easygoing style establishes a feeling of immediate comfort with the audience.
- Ellen Woloshin, Music Connection Magazine (Oct 03, 2011) - Music Connection Magazine
Discography
In the Bucket - EP (2010)
Broken Love - EP (2012)
Black Trees (2013)
Photos
Bio
In a short time, singer-songwriter Julie Kathryn has made an indelible impression on the music community with her sensual Americana noir sound. In 2011, she graced Music Connection Magazine's esteemed annual "Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands" list. The publication enthused: Her solid alto voice is rich in toneshe uses it gently to tell her stories, never pushing or over-singing, which is a breath of fresh air. Crushable.com described Julie as, vulnerable and sweet but tinged with darkness. Most recently, Julie was awarded third place in the Indie International Songwriting Contest in the Americana/Country category for her song The Coast (Fast Johnny), co-written with Brooklyn-based producer and fellow songwriter Felix McTeigue. It is the ninth track on her upcoming debut full-length album Black Trees, due out in August 2013.
Favorably compared to Leonard Cohen, Natalie Merchant, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Norah Jones, Julie has appeared at distinguished NYC listening rooms such as Rockwood Music Hall and the Living Room. On stage, her sultry stage persona reflects the slow-burn beauty of her music, and her uniquely edgy femininity only enhances her artistryan overall aesthetic aptly described as Audrey Hepburn meets Joni Mitchell.
Currently, Julie Kathryn is gearing up for the release of her upcoming debut full-length album Black Trees, due out in August. The album was produced and engineered by Felix McTeigue (Carrie Underwood, Lori McKenna, sami.the.great) and Drew Guido (Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, The Bengsons) at Vel Studios in Brooklyn. Black Trees features an eclectic mix of seasoned musicians, including Byron Isaacs (Levon Helm, Ollabelle, Brazilian Girls), Rich Hinman (Rosanne Cash, Erin McKeown, Justin Townes Earle), Tony Leone (Levon Helm, Carrie Rodriguez, Ollabelle) and John OReilly, Jr. (fun., Rachael Yamagata). Most of the songs on Black Trees were written or co-written by Julie herself and draw from her personal experiences. I wanted to make a record that was fun to listen to, but also really personal. Something that people could connect with on a deeper level, she said about the new album. Julie included one of her favorite Bob Dylan songs, Emotionally Yours, off of his twenty-third studio album Empire Burlesque. Another highlight of the record is Julie's collaboration with critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Ari Hest on the Jay Farrar-penned track Windfall.
The Black Trees album follows Julies 2012 release, the Broken Love EP, an elegant 4-song collection that traverses all intersections of American music: folk, jazz, blues, and soul with a dreamy sprawl thats both earthy and otherworldly. Similar to Julies last EP, Black Trees conveys an introspective melancholy and bold vulnerability. Additionally, the new album blends emotionally raw lyrics with uptempo melodies, such as in the dance-y electro-pop track "Nightingale: Underneath it all / You are broken and you dont know why; and with the hopeful-sounding "Johnny: The crops are gone, the land is dead / And theyre taking all that we have left / The tractor, the horses and the barn. In the slow pop ballad "In My Dreams, the lyrics juxtapose the bliss and misery of a marriage gone sour: In my dreams, we were always understanding / And I could not have guessed youd be my nemesis / In the morning.
While growing up in Lake Placid, New York, Julie began studying classical piano at the age of 6 and took up the guitar at 17. She discovered her innate abilities as a singer during a songwriting course where the teacher quipped, you could sing the phone book. Prior to pursuing music, Julie had a promising social work career enriched by an impressive academic profile, including a bachelors degree in psychology from Cornell and a masters degree in social work from Columbia. I always had two things, playing music and helping people through social advocacy, but I wasnt sure what path to take. I did advocacy work for homeless people, drug addicts, and criminal defendants who didnt have any money, says the singer-songwriter. After interviewing clients in the Tombs [New York jail] during the day, I would go out at night and play gigs.
It was Julies passion for helping people that eventually led her to pursue music full-time. I always felt this deep calling to help people and my first response was social work, she explains. I always wanted to make an emotional connection to people. Social work informed my music because it helped me be in touch with my emotions and be empathetic, but when I stopped feeling spiritually connected to it, I realized I could serve a higher calling through music.
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