A packed house at Schuba’s (Chicago) for the release of her release, "Big Charade" was a great start to a great year and a glimpse into the future of Julia Klee.

…"Every once in awhile, we see a live show that's so transcendental in its scope, that takes the live venue and transforms it into a singular experience, where the voices of the crowd drops away, and the artist becomes a singular focus.”…

-The Real Big Rock Candy Mountain-

Being featured on Chicago’s key radio stations, WLUW & WXRT and highlighted in The Chicago Tribune & Time Out Chicago, the word was out.

…"She's got pipes that rival Neko Case and Kelly Hogan."…

-Timeout Chicago-

Prior to her full length debut- "Big Charade", Julia made waves in the Chicago music scene as the female counterpart of critically acclaimed songwriter, Joe Pug. In 2009 she was invited to sing with Pug and his band at Lollapalooza and several sold out shows at Schuba’s, The Hideout and also the album "Messenger". Then, after being invited to sing on the record, "The Best of Times," with Austin native Colin Gilmore, amongst country greats Willie Nelson, Rhett Miller, Shawn Colvin and The Flatlanders put her on the map and into the studio to make her own record.

"Big Charade", is a brilliantly crafted collection of piano driven songs with a cast of alt-country musicians that have a tour history ranging from The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Head of Femur, Merle Haggard and ZZ Top.

 

Her song, "Overpass," a haunting duet recorded with Jim Becker of Iron & Wine, was a bizarre twist of fate, being that it was a live performance by Iron and Wine that inspired Julia to drop out of school years earlier to make music.

"We've never heard it's like before. As much as we love the rockers, Klee truly shines on the slower tunes on “Big Charade”. A rarity for us to love the slow songs, it's true, but that's the power of this record"

- The Real Big Rock Candy Mountain-

" By this time I thought I’d just be globbing on to a Julia Klee frenzy. But no. Seems like everyone else is still missing out on this great record. A great record, if you like songs about lost love, being used, left, hurt, or heartbroken. Or, if you’re a fan of singers like Dolly Parton, Kelly Hogan, Emmylou Harris, Neko Case… and yes, the album stands up to those comparisons.”

-No, Your Product-