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New England folk legend Lui Collins calls "Baptism of Fire" by Julie Snow "the most universally encouraging and enlightening song I've ever sung." Julie now emerges as a powerful interpreter of her own material with her new CD, IF WORDS WERE STONES, a collection of 12 songs, almost all of which were written since her move to New Hampshire in 1992. As Julie describes it, she has had several incarnations as a singer or a songwriter. During her "younger years," Julie sang in an a cappella group, The Black Queens, performing original satirical songs, and she played guitar and washboard in the Bennington Ladies Jug Band, the infamous all-ladies college jug band whose pinnacle was reached at an open mike performance at Gerdes Folk City in New York. Under the guidance of Peter Siegel from the Even Dozen Jug Band, they recorded a demo on vinyl, which now hangs on Julie's wall. During the next period, in the 70's and 80's, Julie lived in Cambridge, performed locally (including a number of visits to the beloved Folkway in Peterborough, NH), worked in human service programs with children, went to graduate school, and started a family. It was during this time that she and Lui Collins were introduced by a mutual friend, who thought they might hit it off. Not only did they hit it off, Lui went on to record six of Julie's songs, including "Baptism of Fire", "The Endless Mile", and "Love's Losin' Hold". During this period, "Baptism" was also recorded by Pat (Swimming to the Other Side) Humphries, and "The Endless Mile" was performed by Kate Wolf and recorded by several other folk artists on both the East and West coasts. With the arrival of her two children, Julie put her guitar down and turned her attention to family and her career as a clinical social worker. Her most recent incarnation began in 1992 when Julie and her family left Cambridge for the green spaces of southwestern New Hampshire. There she discovered that although she hadn't performed in years, people remembered her music - Lui's fans, and those who remembered her earlier performances at the Folkway. Acoustic musicians seemed to grow on trees in her small town. Opportunities to create music were everywhere. So Julie began to write again. With three other women musicians, Julie founded The Rolling Crones, a group of 8 women singer/songwriters from the Monadnock region, who have performed to sell-out houses at the Nelson Town Hall and the Peterborough Players Theater. In 2000, The Crones recorded a compilation CD with two of Julie's new songs on it. In their monthly gatherings, Julie often shared her longing to finally make her own CD. This dream has come true with the recording of IF WORDS WERE STONES. It is a collection of 12 songs, including both "Baptism of Fire" and another early song, "Just by Lovin". The rest have all been written since 1995 and reflect Julie's growing need to address the erosion of our American culture and the need to stay human in an inhuman world. Julie celebrated the release of her CD, with a CD release performance to a packed house at the Peterborough Players Theater this fall. She also entered the WRSI Singer/Songwriter Contest this fall and was one of six Grand Prize finalists, performing her new songs at Mulino's Restaurant in Northampton, MA twice during the selection process. As the current incarnation continues, Julie is actively pursuing a mix of songwriting and performing, along with her work as a college counselor at Landmark College in Vermont. QUOTES FROM THE EARLY YEARS "The
combination of your moving melodies and the perfection of your
lyrics make a Julie Snow songs a hard act to follow. And they
seem to touch so many people!" "…a
challenge to any of the pop-folk songwriters from Livingston Taylor
to Joni Mitchell…." "Julie
is simply the best unrecorded songwriter I know…" "And
yet this album really takes fire (metaphorically as well as musically)
from her cultivation of close working relationships with other
New England and Canadian songwriters. The album's title track
is in fact its knockout punch: "Baptism of Fire," by
Cambridge-based singer/songwriter Julie Snow, is quite simply
as haunting and as eloquent as American popular song is ever likely
to get - virtually leaping across all genre boundaries to take
its place alongside the finest vocal writing of the past two decades." WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING TODAY "I've
been meaning to let you know how very much I have enjoyed your
CD. On my recent tour of the Northwest, I took it with me in the
car and listened to it several times, desperately wanted to call
you while I was driving and speak with you in person about it,
but didn't have your #…….I LOVE IT, I love your writing,
I love your singing and how you stay within yourself, I think
the production is excellent. It's really an excellent record and
deserves to be heard by music lovers everywhere….and you
may quote me on any of this. "I
was first introduced to Julie's work years ago through a cover
of her powerful "Baptism of Fire". What a pleasure now
to hear a full recording of fine songs by an outstanding writer." "Wow,
you made a wonderful album! Of course the Money song is one of
my favorites, but they've all got their charm. I love"Circle
the Wagons" and "Just by Lovin"'…and…and…and
everything else. One great thing about your songs is that it's
easy to start singing along right away. CONGRATULATIONS! Worth
the wait." "Julie
Snow singing her own songs - wow! I've waited years for this!
The title song, "If Words Were Stones", is a standout,
typical Julie Snow writing, with her use of atypical metaphor
to bring new insight into the human condition….The album
showcases Julie's range of writing, from tender love song, to
family matters, to astute political commentary. The new songs
are in keeping with her tradition of fine writing, and happily
she's inserted a couple of her earlier songs for those of us familiar
with them. My favorite track has to be Julie's own rendition of
"Baptism of Fire". She has recorded it with piano and
sultry sax, for a whole new feel, but what is most stunning is
Julie's gentle reshaping of a melody line here and there - it
gives me chills, the perfect combination of gorgeous writing and
intuitive interpretation. The album's production is perfect for
the songs, as is her choice of musicians, to make a clean and
elegant sound. Well worth the wait!" AFTER THE CD RELEASE CONCERT: "Girl,
you really hit a home run!!! Everything - the music, the band,
and especially you! I wondered, as you quipped and goofed on stage
- are these bits premeditated, or should she be considering a
career in stand-up comedy?…..That show is a lot of fun and
people go away feeling good! Do you have an agent?" "Julie,
you are infused with the Holy! I was so moved by the way in which
you are so completely and fully you with a guitar in your arms
and a song in your heart. I am in awe. Thank you for a wonderful
afternoon of music." SELECTED RECENT PERFORMANCES/VENUES TO DATE: Summersongs Songwriting Camp/ Saugerties, NY |
