Vocalist
More than most American vocalists, Julie has danced around issues of idiom, convincing us of her commitment to the musical moment, whether it be twangy post punk in the ‘80s L.A. band Divine Horsemen or as a longtime ally/singer in the poetic world according to Leonard Cohen. On her own two feet as a solo artist, Christensen has been quietly creating a vocalistic aesthetic based on the idea of a simple and liberated American style, granting herself license to visit turfs of pop, soul, punk, country and yes, Jazz.
A Hawkeye state pharmacist’s daughter, Iowa is the place where Julie grew up, in that generation between Boomer and Gen-X (some call it “Generation Jones.) “One of the great things Mom and I did together was sit at the piano and play and sing through the Judy Collins songbook, which of course had a lot of Leonard Cohen songs in it.
Julie Christensen
Christensen sometimes categorizes her style as roots rock, but she’s fluent in blues, folk, punk and even what she calls “Great Plains soul.” That versatility allows her to explore a broad range of other artists’ work. Her 2018 album, A Sad Clown, includes Tom Waits, Darrin Bradbury and Tim Easton covers; she’s also covered Jim Lauderdale, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Webb and of course, Cohen, most notably in the 2005 documentary, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, in which she and vocalist Perla Batalla accompany Nick Cave, the McGarrigle Sisters, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton, Linda and Teddy Thompson and others.
Julie accompanied Joe onstage for “Just an Ordinary Man”
Find out more about Julie and her extensive background on her web site.