Juliana Sparks

Artist Information

Biography

Born in Montreal, Canada, singer-songwriter Julie Sparks knew at an early age she was going to be a musician. Born into a creative family, she was nurtured by parents who supported her artistic leanings – her Dad, a talented artist who worked for the National Film Board as a rep, provided the visual.

“My earliest memories are of my Dad taking my brother and I on Saturdays to work, and then we’d run to the screening room, where would pull anything we wanted off the library shelves and thread the projectors ourselves. I was watching Norman McLaren, Ryan Larkin and Charlie Chaplin before I knew how important those filmmakers were. When I write songs now, I’m always thinking in terms of film, so the visual had a strong impact on my work…”

Julie’s mother was the writer in the family – “My mother’s family was unusual, because my Grandmother was a single mom in the Depression years. What was interesting was her love of words – my mother tells of her mother pushing the stroller down the street with kids in tow, reciting poetry from memory. Because the library in Wallaceburg was limited, my grandmother would order books by mail-order – Thomas Hardy, Yeats,…the classics. I was encouraged to read anything and everything, so the writing came very naturally...”

After discovering the coffeehouse scene in Toronto, Julie began her career as a singer-songwriter, working in small rooms with an acoustic trio. “When I first started writing, I realized that I was much more influenced by the folk music I had grown up listening to – women like Joni Mitchell and Ellen McIlwaine. So I decided to put together a band with that kind of sound – and I discovered open tunings. I became obsessed with going to Telluride to see the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. So I got on a bus with a friend, and we went all the way to Colorado. When I heard that music, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. A musician friend at the time, heard my stuff, and thought I should meet Justin Abedin. He really got it, and so we started playing together. One day, I was talking to him about doing a record, but how I couldn’t find the right producer. And he just said, why don’t I produce? And it made so much sense…and then all the jigsaw pieces fell into place…”

With the support of Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts, “Juliana”, Julie and Justin’s CD collaboration, was released in September, 2007. “It’s been a long road, but it’s been worth every bit of heartache and hard work. I have been very blessed, no question, and I’m so happy to be surrounded by so many supportive and talented friends and musicians. It has been a great year…sometimes it’s hard to believe, that we really did it…and it’s everything I’d hoped for.”

Instrumentation

Juliana Sparks - Vocals, guitar
Justin Abedin - Acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro
Drew Birston - Acoustic bass
James MacGregor - Dobro, mandolin, electric guitar
The full concert band is four members.

Discography

In Present Tense - 1999 - Independent
Simon Says - EP - 2003 - Independent
Juliana - 2007 - Independent

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Ourstage.com
• Martha's Vineyard Radio - Local MusiCafe
• MySpace

Audio

• Lately
  Listen  
• Lost to You
  Listen  
• Cross Your Fingers
  Listen  
• Key to the World
  Listen  
• Rain
  Listen  
• In Your Arms
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Lately
• Lost to You
• Cross Your Fingers
• Rain
• Key to the World
• In Your Arms
• Cool Ride
• Good to Me

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Adam's Apples [+ Show ]
  

  This young Canadian singer/songwriter has many of the qualities of Alsion Krauss and much more besid...This young Canadian singer/songwriter has many of the qualities of Alsion Krauss and much more besides - she really is that good. The songs are all simply beautiful and are taken from her recently released indie CD. She aptly describes her music as "sounding like 3am on a Greyhound bus in a thunderstorm", and if you're searching for the real thing, look no further.
  -Adam Sieff

• Album Recommendations [+ Show ]
  

  Great vocals and stirring music. Think Janis Ian meets Paula Cole. Emotional performance. --- zhgu...Great vocals and stirring music. Think Janis Ian meets Paula Cole. Emotional performance.
  --- zhguitar

• Featured Artist [+ Show ]
  

  "Though April is her first month on OurStage, it didn’t take long for this Montreal native to reach ..."Though April is her first month on OurStage, it didn’t take long for this Montreal native to reach the top of the Acoustic and Americana charts. With smart lyrics, lush production value, and a radio friendly sound, it’s no wonder she’s won over the OurStage fans. “Cross Your Fingers” has held strong near the top of Americana/Alt Country with it’s mid-tempo, finger-plucking authenticity. But “Lately” is her strongest track and clearly the fan favorite, holding strong at #1 for more than a week. The down-tempo, nearly haunting intro (“I Keep on digging. I need more dynamite. None of my clothes fit right.”) is tempered by an uplifting chorus that makes you think things might change...."

Setlist

Good to Me
As the Wind Blows
In Your Arms
Rain
Being Human
Lost to You
Lately
Cross Your Fingers
Rocking Horse
I Bless You
Key to the World

Opening act - set length 30 min
Concert set - 45-50 min

Basic Requirements

Calendar