SINGING ALONG AS A FAN IN CONCERT CROWD GIVES JULIE RHODES IMPETUS TO GET UP ON STAGE AFTER LIFE-CHANGING CONVERSATION

SINGING ALONG AS A FAN IN CONCERT CROWD GIVES JULIE RHODES IMPETUS TO GET UP ON STAGE AFTER LIFE-CHANGING CONVERSATION

Julie Rhodes wasn’t singing along to get anyone’s attention. She was swept up in the songs of Yep Roc Records artist Jonah Tolchin at a house show in Providence, RI and sang along. When support artist Dan Blakesleee approached her after the set to tell her that he’d heard her stunning voice and to ask if she was an artist, she admitted to him that she was just a fan. He challenged her to write her first song, which she did on the drive from Providence back to Somerville. Julie recalls, “When I got home, I recorded it on my phone and sent it to Jonah and Dan the next day with the message, ‘thanks for the inspiration.’ The two of them listened to the song out loud in a Staples. Jonah reached out immediately. He was really impressed and encouraged me to keep going.” In fact, he went one step further, mentoring her as a musician.

After hearing the second song she wrote, Tolchin began to mentor her,, at first having her guest on his sets and later producing her debut album ‘Bound To Meet The Devil.’ Tolchin says, “Julie Rhodes is the future of soulful music. She holds in her heart, mind, and vocal chords what the world needs to hear. I think that it will mark the first chapter of an awe-inspiring career for her.”

In under two years, that journey has taken her to the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, to record debut album as well to the stages of CMJ and Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right. Pop Matters recently hailed the LP as “the arrival of a significant new Americana/blues talent.”

STUNNING NEW VOCALIST TRAVELS TO MUSCLE SHOALS TO CUT DEBUT ‘BOUND TO MEET THE DEVIL’ OUT FEB 26

SPOONER OLDHAM, SARA WATKINS, GREG LEISZ, AND YEP ROC ARTIST JONAH TOLCHIN AMONG GUESTS ON REMARKABLE DEBUT ALBUM

‘Bound To Meet the Devil’ (February 26, 2016) marks the arrival of a powerhouse new vocalist on the Americana scene: Julie Rhodes. Just two years ago, she hadn’t yet graced the stage, though she was an ardent fan and working at an ice cream parlor. Yep Roc Records artist Jonah Tolchin heard her singing along to one of his songs in the audience; after the show, they talked and Tolchin was shocked to learn that Julie wasn’t (yet) an artist with the vocal talents that she possessed. Less than a year later, Tochin was co-producing and playing guitar on ‘Bound To Meet the Devil.’

Already, she’s earned a northeast fanbase, has performed at venues like NYC’s Baby’s All Right, and has played CMJ. Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz said, “Get ready to be amazed by Julie Rhodes.”

Recorded in her native New England as well as at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, the 11-song full-length studio LP also includes heavy hitters such as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Spooner Oldham, Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins, and Greg Leisz (Paul Westerberg, Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams). It was mixed by Grammy Award-winner Sheldon Gomberg and mastered by 1809 Studios.

The resulting album has an immediate, visceral impact from first listen onwards, bearing the influences of singers like Irma Thomas, Shovels & Rope, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt. The longing of album opener “In Your Garden” to her knowing vocals over the Muscle Shoals groove of “Collector Man.” The band provides ample support behind her, from the relaxed behind-the-beat “Hey Stranger” to the pure soul of “Hurricane.” Though the writing is uniformly strong, one of the album’s highlights is a spine-tingling cover of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face.”

Look out for concert announcements coming soon.