Over the last four months Julian Lynch has received accolades from the indie music blogosphere for his ethereal work. Pitchfork gave his latest album “Mare” 8.5 out of 10 on their infamous rating scale, praising Julian’s creative growth from his previous release. And just when you think it couldn't get any better, Stereogum listed Julian Lynch along with former Madison resident, Nika Roza Danilova (aka Zola Jesus), as the best new artists of 2010.
Lynch is already talking about releasing a third album called “Terra” in the coming months and has planned a listening party at The Project Lodge in Madison for fans to preview his latest work. As someone who is helping put a national spotlight on the Madison indie music scene, we wanted to check in with Julian and find out more about this listening party and what it’s like to suddenly be buzz-worthy.
Julian Lynch (photo by Erez Avissar)
The last time we spoke you were just about to start your summer tour with the first show at The Gates of Heaven in Madison. Any tour high points or interesting stories you would like to share?
Yep, that's right. The whole tour was really amazing, and I met a lot of great people but also got to see some folks I knew from my tour last year. The one place that has stuck with me the most from this summer is La Lucha Space in Conway, Arkansas. La Lucha is a house-cum-cafe run by two very kind and enthusiastic people. They make really delicious meals, using a lot of local food, and they've even got their own hens to provide fresh eggs. They also put on fun music events. Lots of people showed up, some great local musicians played. I had a blast.
You’ve received a lot of good press via indie music blogs since “Mare” came out in June. How does it feel to get positive reviews from Pitchfork and then making Stereogum’s best new artist of the year list (along with Zola Jesus)? Madison seems to be a hotbed for indie artists as of late.
It's really nice, I feel very flattered and excited. And yeah, it is nice that some Madison musicians have received national attention. Obviously, it is sad that Nika/Zola Jesus has moved away to Los Angeles. But, as you know, there are lots of other talented people in this town.
How did the idea for the listening party come about?
I did this show in Madison last month. I've been playing most of my live shows recently with Joel Shanahan on synth. I asked him if it was a good idea to just not play the show, and instead just play the record that I had just finished. He told me it was not a good idea, that is was kind of a rude thing to do since all these people would have expected to see a live concert. I agreed; he was totally right.
But, I talked to Bessie from the Project Lodge and we thought that maybe that kind of thing could work if people knew what they were getting themselves into. Honestly, I don't know how this will go, I've never done something like this before. What I'm hoping for is just a very casual type of event, we will drink some beers and hang out before the night-time show following the party, and then we can stick around and see more music at the Project Lodge (or move on to somewhere else, if you are inclined).
The new album will eventually come out on Underwater Peoples. Any particular reason why you’ve changed labels since the last record?
I have a deep love and appreciation for both the labels I work with, Underwater Peoples and Olde English Spelling Bee. In my mind, the ideal situation would be alternating between the two for each of my releases. It seems like they are okay with that? I'd never done a full-length with Underwater Peoples, so I figured it was about time.
Any hints on the new album title or when it will come out?
It is going to be called "Terra," but I'm not sure when it will be released. As soon as possible, I guess. I know Underwater Peoples has quite a few other things in the queue right now, so as soon as all of those get released then this will come out. It should be another few months at least.
Join Julian Lynch and Rock of the Arts for the “Terra” listening party at the Project Lodge in Madison Saturday, October 16th from 4 – 7pm. Here is a link to the Facebook invite. Stop out and meet Julian while listening to the much anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed “Mare” album. A sampling of "Terra" can be found on Julian's web site Space Mountain.
