Julie Mack
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Julie Mack

Band Americana Singer/Songwriter

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"North By Northeast: (NXNE) Julie Mack"

Even though you sometimes wonder why you keep that Rusty concert T-shirt, with its holes and mystery stains, it's very simple: the familiar brings comfort. And Ms. Mack, hailing from sunny San Diego, certainly brings forth the familiar, with her striking looks, acoustic guitar and strong, able voice. With song subjects ranging from her time in Toronto to odes to her child, it was all very standard fare ably delivered. While no epiphanies were to be had, the oasis of calm was much needed. CW

http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid1=4025
- Exclaim!


"The Great Demo Review Session of 2005: Julie Mack, Songs About You, Extraspecialgood"

Through her smoky pipes Julie Mack croons and codules every word on her debut solo venture. She's surprisingly skilled for a young gal, having already mastered striking self-harmonizing, versatile vocal exercise and keen idealism. Mack is an incurable romantic, but she sings like a wise and weathered one without the gagging ethos of teenage puppies. With echoes of Beth Ortona and Emiliana Torrini, she uses understatement and hypnotizing lyrical tone to lure you in. If you just looked at the cover of this disc - is she sitting on a toilet? - you'd throw it away which is too bad. Somehow, despite the fact that her first impression on the listening world is her on the can, she pulls it off, dropping vocal roses into the john of adult pop. - Caley Cook

(The Great Demo Review Session of 2005 The thrill of discovery and the agony we excrete for San Diego Music By the opinionated bastards at San DiegoCityBeat We opened our doors, and local music flooded in as if we were SriLankaBeat. Two weeks ago, I sat with 10 writers and a few boxes of CDs – some wrapped in college ruled-paper, some in thin CDR plastic cases, some full-artwork CDs, vinyl, even a tape (remember those?). CityBeat’s writers, all music scene junkies who’ve chosen computer keyboards over Stratocasters, dug in. Aside from a handful of submissions we’d heard or seen over the years, most of the names were foreign. Writers chose their albums like your girlfriend chooses ponies at the track. "Oooh, kitty cat lollipop!" on writer proclaimed. "I have to review that one on name alone." Associate editor Kelly Davis would later regret that decision, admitting the music frightened her … like we said in our ad for GDR, we don’t promise to be nice. There are perfectly good publicity firms around town who will speak nicely of you. We promise real opinions from people who listen to a shitload of music and like to think they know a good or bad thing when they hear it. Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t. But my experience is that CityBeat’s writers have pretty well tuned ears. They’re like the friend you have who turned you on to Modest Mouse when Isaac Brock was just a mild psychotic with a funny voice and a new band. Admittedly, the GDR is not a perfect process- when the mailman assaults you with a hailstorm of manila envelopes, you get woozy. Some get buried beneath a copy of SD Music Matters. Some got lost in the seat crack of my truck, I’m sure… The positive result is that we’ve uncovered 14 new, or relatively new, artists that knocked our socks off. We have identified them throughout this issue as EXTRASPECIALGOOD. We encourage you to at least Google them and take a listen. Of the 14 EXTRASPECIALGOODERS, I had personally heard the music of three before this issue. As for another four of them, I had heard the names, not the music. Seven others, however- I had no clue they existed. And that’s the beauty of the GDR….
Troy – Editor SD CityBeat )

- San Diego Citybeat


"Julie Mack leaves an impression at KUSI"

The tall slender young woman on the television screen had a look in her eye and quiver in her voice that may have given away a hint of nervousness, but as soon as the music started, it was apparent; she knew exactly what she was doing and had absolutely no reservations about it.

Along with her three-piece band, local singer/songwriter/guitarist, Julie Mack left an impression among the weekend staff at the KUSI studios this past Sunday as comments about her appearance continued to circulate through station offices throughout the week. Mack appeared as part of the local independent television station’s efforts to promote local music playing songs from her recently released independent CD, Songs About You.

The local music scene veteran, who cites her cousin as her earliest musical inspiration, “She had this guitar that looked so big at the time and a helluva voice,” says Mack, is making a rather impressive push to be the next gem from San Diego’s adult/alternative scene to strike it rich on the national music scene.

Like Jewel, Steve Poltz, and Jason Mraz, all pillars of the San Diego music scene who’ve gone on to national stardom, Mack has an easy going, folk-like quality to her songs and personality which seem to give her an edge over the competition, especially with new listeners. She writes all of her songs with her acoustic guitar before turning them over to her band. It is then they take on the more dynamic and harder edged, if they can be described as such, elements of electric guitar, bass, and drums. However, neither she nor her music is ever deliberately overpowering, yet the precision and quality of her craft along with her presence make it difficult to ignore her.

“The live shows started out pretty mellow as it was just myself and my guitarist in the beginning playing as a two-piece acoustic act. Since we’ve added the full band things have definitely gotten more rocking with a tinge of the mellow still attached,” says Mack.

Mack, whose music has been compared to the 90’s U.K outfit, the Sundays, and whose voice might remind some of 70’s folk singer Melanie, grew up listening to Motown, Country Western, Country Rock, Mack specifically names, Marvin Gaye, the Commodores, Elvis, Hank Williams, Credence Clear-water Revival, and Fleetwood Mac as her major musical influences.

Her songs solidify her self-described hopeless romanticism and unabashedly admit she “believes in the power of love. I believe in faith and hope. I think that comes across in the music,” adds Mack whose songs mostly describe relationships between individuals and lovers, friends, or god.

“I am exactly where I am suppose to be in my life and in God’s eyes and that is reaffirmed with every passing moment. My lyrics are a reflection of that affirmation. Some are happy, others very sad but all are hopeful, like there’s a light… you just have to keep reaching for it,” explains Mack.

But perhaps most compelling about this motivated and complex local artist is her knowledge of both her own goals and of the music business itself. For years, Mack has known exactly what she was going to do and those players in the music business she’d seek out for advice, assistance, and eventually, a shot at a recording contract.

Now that the 5-song Songs About You has been completed, she looks ahead to releasing a full-length album by the end of the year and subsequently “tour, tour, tour. Every time I see a tour bus on the road I go crazy. I’d like to put out a solid 3 albums, have 3 solid tours and then I want to nestle away somewhere, pop up on random recordings, have a loving husband, a bunch of babies and a white picket fence,” adds Mack.

Until then, she’s happy with the coups she’s pulled off including upcoming shows at two relatively high-profile clubs in Los Angeles, usually unheard of for an unproven act, and an impressive opening slot for an upcoming concert featuring the internationally acclaimed Irish band, The Devlins.

The Devlins, Susan Enan, and Julie Mack, $8 Saturday, April 2, 2005, Casbah 2501 Ketner Blvd. 619-232-4355.


- La Prensa San Diego


"Tucson Mar 06' Review"

I like to think of this as doing you a favor rather than blatant solicitation, but I met a gifted musician to find she is even more beautiful and engaging in the flesh than she is on MySpace or CD. I had the great pleasure of catching Julie Mack and (guitarist) Tony Clark play Monkeybox, a small wine bar in downtown Tucson last night.

Julie's voice is deep, warm, and smoky and her songs come from the heart. The performance was easy, warm, intimate, and thoroughly entertaining. It is apparent Tony and Julie have known each other for years; they share an enticing energy on stage and play off of each other well. They effectively engaged the audience in the show and made me feel like a local celebrity. Their awesome sounds filled the room and most folks were rocking back and forth in their chairs as Julie was moved to shake her stuff. Did I mention that she is absolutely beautiful? I brought a couple boisterous, music-loving friends with me; we had a blast. We laughed and shared great conversation and cocktails with Julie and Tony until they shut the place down.

Thanks so much for playing in Tucson. I look forward to seeing you again in the "Old Pueblo." The take-home message, give Julie a listen and add her to your musical repertoire. You will not regret it.

- Eleanor R.


"Starlight Bungalow #37"

CD Reviews

LOCAL

Grade: A

"Starlight Bungalow #37"
Julie Mack
Self-released

Julie Mack's first full-length CD reveals a singer-songwriter whose debut finds her fully developed as an artist: Smart, well-crafted songs that stick in your head; a voice that is simultaneously familiar and new; arrangements that complement both her voice and those songs; and a thick, full sound from the production team that gives this self-released album the polish of a major studio release.

The hope-filled opening track, "Slow Brew," sets the table for the entire album ---- hook-filled melody, memorable refrain ("Tea for you/coffee for me"), an acoustic arrangement that feels full. The piano, guitar and drums are so tightly interwoven the band sounds almost like a single instrument. "Revolutionary Girl," the second track, is even more of a gem: Listen once, and it will run laps around your head for days. The third track, "Integrity," may be even more beguiling than the first two tracks. Then there's the title track, a beautiful love song, and you're left wondering how one songwriter you've never heard of can have created so many beautiful songs for one CD ---- and that wonder lasts for all 10 tracks here.

Yet despite the wonder of so many stunningly lovely songs on one album, the Encinitas singer's real strength is her voice. Gifted with a rangy soprano that can dip into the lower registers as well, she shows a range of delivery that runs from tender, even sentimental, to tough as nails, from folk to rock to touches of jazz. With a rich vibrato coupled to her naturally pure tone, Mack has an utterly unique sound to her vocals; no use comparing her to anyone else, she sounds like Julie Mack.

Match that voice up with those luscious songs she writes, and you've got something as purely enjoyable as it is moving.

Julie Mack holds her CD release show Saturday at the Tiki Lounge in Pacific Beach.

---- JIM TRAGESER
08/02/2006

- North County Times


"End of Year Review"

Year marked by tragedy but also by exciting fresh voices

... it was also a year that saw some truly wonderful new musical talent emerging in the county – Steph Johnson (whom Seigal was championing before his too-soon leaving), Julie Mack, Kim DiVine, Marie Haddad, Paige Aufhammer and Sara Petite all released strong debut albums. Chelsea Flor established herself on the local scene and assembled a new band; Josh Damigo carved a strong local rep for himself, while This Holiday Life and the Wild Truth issued some of the best pop music this county has produced. And the region found itself on the global map when Eric Clapton and Valley Center's J.J. Cale released an album titled "Road to Escondido," much of which the two men reportedly rehearsed at Cale's ...

Following are one music fan's favorite moments and achievements of the past year;

Favorite local songs:
"Slow Brew" – Julie Mack.
If only radio DJs still picked the songs they played, this would have been a major radio hit. Maybe the perfect pop song.

- North County Times


Discography

Julie Mack - Starlight Bungalow #37
Full Length CD
Release Date: Aug 2006

Julie Mack - Starlight Sampler
3 Song EP
Release Date: May 2006

Julie Mack - Songs About You
5 Song EP
Release Date: Dec 2004

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Smoky and thoughtful, Julie Mack’s voice will invite you along a journey into her heart. “Everything I do, I do out of love because when I try to do it for any other reason I’m disappointed 99% of the time.” she explains. Her songs illuminate various facets of relationships, from delirium to despair, from heartbreak to hope.

“Starlight Bungalow #37” is Julie’s debut solo full length CD, having previously fronted San Diego bands Sherman and Skinny in the mid 90’s, then Formula in 1999. The union with Formula produced two EPs, the most recent being Conduit in 2002. After a four year stint with Formula she began to look inward,”... I needed to take a leap of faith and try things on my own.” Mack proceeded to release “Songs About You” a five song EP in December 2004 and “Starlight Sampler” a three song EP in May of 2006.

On her return home after a stint in Canada, Julie alongside fellow band mates Tony Clark and Francisco Ciriza, finished composing the songs recorded on “Starlight Bungalow #37.” In these recent numbers, the listener can hear echoes of her musical influences such as The Jayhawks, Cowboy Junkies, Beth Orton, CCR and Hank Williams.

As she says “There’s something to be said for Hank Williams and a scotch on the rocks at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning.”

Although her influences are strongly Americana, the songs are distinctly her own. Often they display a wry humor and at other times she touches on darker themes, such as mourning the loss of possibilities when love leaves. Together, these 10 songs take the listener through a rich and varied landscape of angst and joy.

“The songs were written over the course of a year but in actuality have taken a lifetime of experience to produce,” Julie states. “My music is just a way for me to give back.”

Julie has been busy performing from Toronto to San Diego, Arizona to San Francisco, from New York to Ireland. With guitarist Tony and bassist Francisco in tow, she's been playing to sold out rooms and rave reviews city by city with the likes of Steve Poltz, Brandi Carlile, Vienna Teng, The Devlins and Susan Enan. The 2006 release "Starlight Bungalow #37" was given a chart toping "A" rating by the North County Times and they've recently appeared on KPRI/NBC's Broadcast of Concert on the Squares in San Diego. The homegrown video of the Julie's single "Slow Brew" also premiered on the CBS Early Show along with just 26 others picked out of over 100,000 submissions.

Look for Julie and her "Partners in Rhyme" to appear in a town near you as she continues on her US and European tour in 2007.