Sensual Songbook

Singer-songwriter Julia Othmer won’t sit still when she performs at Triumph Brewing Co.

By:Susan Van Dongen
   With her flaming red hair, soul-revealing lyrics and undulations behind the piano keyboard, singer-songwriter Julia Othmer is inevitably compared to Tori Amos. But she says the similarities stop there.
   "It’s just because I don’t sit still when I play," she says, speaking from her car on the road somewhere near Los Angeles, noting the palm trees and balmy temperatures there. "I actually stopped listening to music while I was writing (for the new CD) so I could get a clearer sense of what I wanted to say. But before I was writing, I had been listening to Tracy Chapman, Pink Floyd — I appreciate almost anything. And I’m happy to be listening again."
   With all due respect to Ms. Amos and others in her genre, Ms. Othmer is more likely to draw from jazz, lounge and progressive rock, creating an original and earthy sound to go with her passionate concert performances.
   She’ll bring her sensual songbook to Triumph Brewing Co. in Princeton, Dec. 1, as well as the Tin Angel in Philadelphia Dec. 4.
   Ms. Othmer has gathered quite a following in Philadelphia, playing WXPN’s World Café Live and the Theater of the Living Arts, as well as the Tin Angel. She was recently nominated at the Philly Music Awards for "best female entertainer," "best female vocalist" and "best keyboardist."
   She got a leg up in the City of Brotherly Love thanks to MAD Dragon Records, Drexel University’s student-run record label, when three of Ms. Othmer’s original songs were chosen for the label’s compilation CD, XYX.
   "I hooked up with Mad Dragon records about nine months ago," she says. "I loved working in the school environment, the students were so enthusiastic. It enabled me to do some additional touring and I also got support from WXPN. They aired some of my songs, had me perform live on the air, and they also interviewed me."
   Ms. Othmer was no stranger to the studio, however. She recorded her first demos in San Francisco, when producer Myron Dove heard her work and invited her to lay down some tracks.
   "He played bass with Santana so I loved the idea of working with him, obviously someone with an incredible sense of rhythm," Ms. Othmer says.
   The first of these tunes, "Mission Control," was selected to be the theme song for the Playstation 2 game SpaceStation: SIM. It also won "best rock song" honors in a Philadelphia-based demo review hosted by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
   Originally from Kansas City, Mo., Ms. Othmer crisscrossed the country before settling in Philadelphia. She’s started to test the performance waters in New York City as well, playing at the Knitting Factory, the Bitter End and Fez Under Time Café.
   In Philly, Kansas City, New York and elsewhere, Ms. Othmer has shared the stage with a range of artists, including Phil Roy, John Waite, Amos Lee and jazz greats Bobby Watson and Ida McBeth.
   However, she says so far the highlight of her live career was playing outdoors at Big Sur, Calif.
   "I have fans who are also friends, and they have a ranch in Big Sur, where they invited me to do some private shows," Ms. Othmer says. "It was an incredible experience to be sitting near cliffs, with the ocean waves crashing hundreds of feet below."
   California seems to be calling and Ms. Othmer has established another home base in West Hollywood, which will keep her close to the music scene in Los Angeles. That’s where she recently completed her debut CD, Oasis Motel, set for release in February.
   "I came out to Los Angeles to record at the end of the summer and had the opportunity to work with these wonderful players like Herman Jackson — who’s played with Stevie Wonder and Macy Gray," Ms. Othmer says. "I also had a great producer, Michael Blum, who’s worked with people like Madonna and Roger Daltrey.
   "Coming to them and being here felt like an oasis — it felt like I finally arrived," she continues. "I’m very proud of this record but I also want to move on. I hope this is the first of many records."
Julia Othmer will perform at Triumph Brewing Co., 138 Nassau St., Princeton, Dec. 1, 9 p.m. $5 cover. For information, call (609) 924-7855. On the Web: www.triumphbrew.com. Ms. Othmer will also play the Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., Philadelphia, Dec. 4, 7 p.m. Admission: $12. For information, call (215) 928-0770. On the Web: www.tinangel.com. Julia Othmer on the Web: www.juliaothmer.com