JULIE ODELL AND “CLIMACTIC MOMENTS IN THE POTATO CHIP AISLE”

INTERVIEW WITH JULIE ODELL by Morgan Hermiston

A couple of weeks ago, I got to ask American artist Julie Odell some questions. Odell creates a sense of serenity through her songwriting, providing a soundtrack to experiences and emotions that many will resonate with. Read on to learn more about her recently released EP, learning lessons, and her approaches to creativity.

I started by asking about Julie’s most recent EP, “Disappearing Act“. Released on October 17th, I was curious to know how the name or concept for the release came about. “I was pretty desperate for some major life changes“. She continued, “the whole EP has a baseline thread about digging my way through postpartum brain fog, learning what a loving home can be like, [and] trying to understand grief“. Julie added that the EP also surrounds, “learning to love myself as a mother, learning to give myself grace as a mother, blocking out shame and guilt handed to me by other people, trusting people when they show their true nature, recognising my own flaws, and being at peace with leaning into accepting it all“.

“Disappearing Act” is a four-track production, packed with picture-painting portrayals and beautiful melodies. I asked Julie if she had a favourite track or lyric from the EP. She quoted a lyric from final track ‘Human As Hell‘, “it might be ‘I miss cookin’ y’all food’“. She elaborated by explaining, “I used to have a secret speakeasy called The Pepper Lantern in New Orleans with my friend Vanessa Degrassi. We set up a dining area once a month in our backyard. All the ingredients were collected from local farmers; we had a band play, friends made up our staff, and mulberry trees glowed in the Christmas lights“. Adding to this, “no one really made any money, but we fed hundreds of people delicious food on plates and bowls we got from the thrift stores. The menu was different each time. It was a massive labour of love“. Concluding, Julie said, “lockdown obviously made it impossible to cook for large groups of people in the way we were doing it, so I missed it“.

From her debut EP, “Phlmsy“, in 2021, and throughout the making of “Disappearing Act“, I was intrigued to know if the songwriting and overall creative process was different. “I guess the process was a little calmer and hushed,” she started, “I was dealing with more heartache than I realised at the time“. Julie continued, “I didn’t intend for these songs to ever get recorded, so they were more edge-of-the-bed, door-closed documents of the time for myself“. She also added, “my dear friend and forever musical companion, Tif “Teddy” Lamson, is the one who convinced me to come in and record them. Luckily, she’s an engineer, producer, musician and hype lady with an expansive imagination. So the songs had a trusty foundation, and it was the gentlest recording experience of my life“.

Staying with the songwriting topic, I asked Julie Odell if she has any set idea of what she aims to create in a session, or if it’s perhaps a mix of this and simply going with whatever happens. She began by saying, “I typically go with the flow of how I’m feeling in the moment. I don’t ever sit down with the intention of writing a song – it doesn’t work for me that way“. She did say, “I wish it did sometimes, so I could be one of those productive songwriter people, but there’s a wall there. Usually, when I’m affected by a person or an event, that’s when the words start to form, and then it’s a rush to get something written down or a melody started before it leaves me“. Julie ended her answer by saying, “it’s always a long-winded column of words that needs revising, it’s a process of letting go and then letting go some more“.

When she’s not creating art for others to consume and enjoy, Julie Odell works in an art gallery near Asheville in North Carolina. My penultimate question to her was about if the art she’s consumed herself, both in and out of work, has influenced her own work. “Most certainly,” she started, “I lean pretty heavily on collecting the feelings that other people’s art gives me to learn how to express myself more accurately“. Elaborating, “the first print I ever got was ‘Beasts of the Sea‘ by Matisse when I was about six years old. I still have it. That piece gave me so many moments of reflection that I still end up with bits of it in songs here and there“.

Julie also explained that with, “growing up in an artist household, there were so many craft fairs my family showed at where I could explore and trade my dad’s pottery for other pieces I fell in love with across the country. The tiny sculptures, collages, paintings, and photographs I got defined those early years for me in a magical way“. In terms of musical consumption, “then I discovered listening with headphones to cinematic soundtracks in grocery stores. If you haven’t done this, please try it. It turns everyday tasks and interactions into epic, sweeping, climactic moments in the potato chip aisle – sometimes hilarious, sometimes shockingly dramatic and sad“. Concluding, she states that, “those are setups for creating feelings in alternate environments, and it’s fun to experiment with that“.

For the final part of the interview, I asked Julie Odell if there’s a lesson or something she’s learnt throughout her career so far that she’d share with other musicians and artists. “I guess this is officially year 20 of performing and writing“. She added that, “the main thing I’d say is to never claim writer’s block. You have to go through the peaks and valleys. You’re not a machine“. Explaining further, “the valley is where the feelings and ideas collect; the peak is where you’re primed, rested, and ready to turn those ideas into a living, breathing. ever-expanding being“.

Julie furthered her wisdom by saying, “both sides have their own season, and you can’t expect it to be the same each time. You just have to nurture it all the time and remember that it’s always there. It’s part of your identity and purpose and really is all about patiently finding the connection while trusting your gut. Then always document it as accurately as possible with whatever tools you have“.

It’s rare to find an artist with as much inspiring insight as Julie Odell. Check out “Disappearing Act” for more emotion escapades, and for further delving into her meticulous mind. It was an honour to ask her these questions, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.