INTERVIEW: Julia Blair
You may know of Julia Blair from her singing in the Appleton, Wisconsin country-rock group Dusk, who released their self-titled debut album on Don Giovanni Records in 2018 You might also know of her as co-conspirator in the experimental folk-collective Holy Sheboygan! or even as co-founder of the Crutch of Memory Enterprises label and recording studio. Today, Julia’s releasing her first official full length solo album on Crutch of Memory - entitled Better Out Than In.
On Better Out Than In, Julia proclaims her fondness for self-expression and demonstrates her aptitude for dynamics: from the explosive nature of a pop hook to the firm, comforting grip of a lullaby. She does so at-times anecdotally, while utilizing the marriage of sophisticated arrangements and plain-spoken lyrical language. Better Out Than In touches on punchy, soulful pop on centerpiece tracks like ‘Relax’, ‘Just A Cue’, and ‘Fantasize’; traditional folk-inspired compositions like ‘Wanderin’, and the three lullabies distributed throughout the album; the introverted string and piano ballads ‘Barbara’ and ‘Waste Away’; and baroque-driven pop songs ‘Shy Dry & Dreary’ and ‘Make The Darkness Go Away’.
We had a chat with Julia all about Better Out Than In, what she’s been up to, puppets and more! Read the interview below.
Hi Julia! How are you? What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?
“Hi! Doing pretty well. I’ve been packing my days lately and feeling the after rumbles of covid anxiety so hanging in there. My days go like this: I work in the schools (especially since I haven’t been touring at all these past couple years). I’m in an elementary school and mostly work with special ed. I love it-and it’s crazy. I feel like I’m within a particular ground zero of people affected by this pandemic. With kids that are just learning what emotions are in general who’ve been dealing with these high levels of stress (either from their families, former classmates, everyone around them?). It’s challenging and hopefully helpful.
“After that I often come home, think about food for a while and then work on whatever music or art project is most pressing at the time. This has currently been booking a tour for this record, packing orders, talking to lovely interviewers like yourself, getting a band together, having meetings with our label (that I co-founded), working on our little anti-capitalist food co-op, petting my cat, hanging out with Amos, working on puppets, etc.. Sometimes I don’t do that and I just take it easy, but I’m usually putting one of the aforementioned things off.”
You've just released your debut solo album Better Out Than In. What made you want to strike out on your own and how is this record different from your previous work?
“It was a dream I had for a while before I was brave enough to actually start working on it. I had been writing a lot and thought it would be fun to write music for a project where I had a lot of freedom to go in any direction I wanted. All my bands are very collaborative, which I love a lot. We all write, sing, weigh in on decisions. I think, creatively, I wanted to experience a project where I was just writing for myself. I also love singing (it’s my favorite thing to do), and so I was excited by the idea of getting to sing as much as I wanted and not hold back.
“This record is a little more subdued than all my other projects. There are still upbeat songs on the record but I’ve always been more of a ballad baby so I let loose on here! Haha.”
Please tell us what the record is about/was inspired by and what it means to you.
“This kind of goes along with the previous question. Better Out Than In is more expressive/emotive than the majority of the songs I’ve written for Dusk & Holy Sheboygan and the films I’ve worked on. Since this project had my name on it, and wasn’t going to be part of a shared identity, I think I really just let it rip when it came to writing about my own personal experiences. Almost every song on this record comes from a deep dark corner of my insides. It was a real exploration of expression for me in a way I hadn’t done yet.
“Because of that, I think it means a lot to me. Probably too much! Haha. I’m now in the phase of trying to take a step back from the work so I can enjoy it on its own without being so emotionally invested. But it’ll always be that way for me a little bit. Hence the title- which I love because on one hand I really do mean that I’m pouring my heart out here. But it’s also a known fart/burp joke so obviously I’m being a little lighthearted.”
And what were your musical influences for the album? Who were you listening to around the time of writing it?
“Ooh boy. This’ll be hard to not turn into a huge list. Randy Newman was a huge influence on the chord writing in some of these songs. I wrote a lot of this record at the piano so I think that just came naturally. Around the time I wrote ‘Waste Away’- I found this old Duke Ellington songbook in a free bin somewhere and had been playing through it a lot for fun. I was definitely inspired by the way he voiced chords. That one is half Randy Newman half Duke Ellington.
“Sheryl Crow and Joanna Newsom are two of my modern queens and definitely weighed in on the production of songs like ‘Relax’ and ‘Barbara.’
“’Just A Cue’ is absolutely influenced by these Michael Jackson demos that Amos found at the end of the “Off the Wall: Bonus Addition” CD. If you haven’t heard them, they’re awesome.
“I could go on- but I’ll stop there!”
What was your favourite part creating Better Out Than In? And were there any parts you found particularly challenging?
“Recording the basic tracking was my favorite! I loved bringing a bunch of friends together and playing through these songs! It was a really special time.
“About a year into working on this I got hit by a car while riding my bike and got an intense concussion. That SUCKED for obvious reasons but also fueled some really intense anxiety for me that reared its head during the overdubs- especially the vocals. I think I learned a lot about myself, but I had some really difficult moments and had to end a lot of sessions early.”
What do you hope listeners take away from Better Out Than In?
“There’s no secret message I hope to transmit- but I do hope the same thing I hope with all my music which is that I create a space where people can feel safe to explore the thoughts and feelings I’m trying to convey. We’ve all had breakups, we’ve all experienced death in our lives, we’ve all wanted to have sex with someone.”
If there was one thing you could change about the music world today, what would it be?
“UNIONIZE. Or find a way to pay musicians more fairly. The economics of the music industry right now is leading us down some bad roads.”
Based on your musical journey so far, what’s been your biggest takeaway/piece of advice?
“At all costs- avoid the “masterpiece complex”. This is not the only good music you will ever write and you will always have more ideas if you nurture your creative instincts. Respect yourself, but sometimes its okay to not take yourself so seriously.”
What are you passionate about outside of music?
“Puppets! I’m very obsessed with puppetry and the dreamworld of practical effects. I make puppets as often as I can. I have a few commissions for puppet videos and always want to do more. After touring this summer I’m sure I’ll set aside a little more time for it.
“I love food so much. I love growing food and helping friends with farmwork, I love foraging, I bake and cook a lot. I used to run a restaurant kitchen but that was way too much with also doing music so I stopped.”
Finally, what's else is next for you? Will you be touring the album? If so, what are you looking forward to most about getting back on stage?
“Tour’s coming up! May 3-16 to the east coast and back. I’m also planning a shorter run down to the Southwest.
“Honestly, singing. I love singing and doing it live in front of people is the baseline most important part of music for me. Can’t wait.”
Better Out Than In by Julia Blair
Photo credit: Billy Hintz
