Hello!
My nameās Julie Rhodes and Iām
a soul singer & songwriter from Somerville, MA. Chances are, if you made it
to this page, you might know a little bit about my project already, but hereās
a little back story!
The Story
Just over a year ago, after many years
of supporting the New England music community, I decided to go way out on a
limb and follow my dream of pursuing my own music. Up until that point, I had
been working at a local ice cream shop and was generally unhappy with what I
was spending my life doing. So, after watching a very inspiring performance by
my good friend Jonah Tolchin some evening in September, I took a stab at
writing my first song. With encouragement from Jonah and other friends, I
continued writing and by January, a vision for my first full-length record
started taking shape. With Jonah as my producer, it didnāt take long to get the
ball rolling. The months that followed were dedicated to writing and
pre-production, and by August, we were in the studio!
The Album
The album, which features 11 original songs rooted
mostly in soul and blues, was
recorded at Dirt Floor Studio in Chester, CT-- right on
the outskirts of the Cockaponset State Forest. The band, which was made up of me
and some of my closest friends, recorded all of the songs live. Many of the tracks were even recorded outside! Which I think brings
a certain summer-time energy to the record.
From there we ventured to FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, AL. Where
we got a taste of the history of soul and R&B music, straight from itsā
birthplace! There we had the pleasure and honor of recording with the legendary
Spooner Oldham, member of the
original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section a.k.a The Swampers who have recorded with
the likes of Etta James, Aretha Franklin and countless others!
We mixed the album at
The Carriage House in Los Angeles with Grammy Award-winning
producer (and all-around great guy),
Sheldon
Gomberg. There we also had the
opportunity to record with other unbelievable musicians like
Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) and
Greg Leisz (Jackson Browne, Eric
Claption).
TO BE CONTINUED... with your help!
The story so far has been nothing
short of a dream, but it hasnāt been without its challenges. So far, all costs
have been paid for out-of-pocket. These costs include studio time, engineers,
paying all of the players, mixing costs, and travel. Without support from a
record label, coming up with these funds (though well worth it), has been no
easy feat. Iām so close to being able to get this album into peoplesā hands,
but there are still a few steps that need to be taken (and of course, paid
for), before that can happen. This is why Iām reaching out to you guys for
help.
Any funds that we raise from this
campaign will go directly toward mastering the album, pressing CDs and vinyl,
and publicizing/promoting the record so that it can reach as many people as
possible.
The Perks!
Iāve got
a whole bunch of different rewards for anyone who donates, including CD and vinyl
upon release of the record, limited edition posters, tickets to
an exclusive pre-release show at The Soul Shop, your own personal house show, and much more.
Take a look over yonder! ------------------------->
ā¦and Most Importantly,
THANK YOU! I canāt thank you all
enough for your support! I truly would not be able to do this without you.
All of my
love and gratitude,
Julie
Rhodes
___________________________________________________
note: the album release date is still to be determined, but I will be sure to post updates throughout the process! <3
