Wyndmoor/Glenside resident Julieann Ott is an intentional artist who has grown and nurtured her music right from the day her next door neighbor showed her how to play Stairway To Heaven at age 16. A lover of 60s and 70s acoustic rock, hearing Nancy Wilson’s guitar work on “Dog and Butterfly” in 1978 was the final push to learning how to play, and Linda Ronstadt was always an inspiration to sing. Many, many cover songs have been played on Sunday mornings over the years, in her living room, for dogs, cats, kids, and her husband. Determined to conquer the fear of singing in front of people, she occasionally sang with her brother’s band, did many open mics and on stage invites. The last challenge to conquer was to create her own music. The discovery of two singer/songwriters, Patty Griffin and Aimee Mann, led to her learning their catalogs, then cracking the code to write herself and finding her own voice. She has a lot to say. She describes her songwriting as rootsy pop and likes to jump styles with a sincerity to honor her influences. She is on a quest to find unusual chording and melodies, and to explore unusual lesser-written-about feelings, subjects, and people. There’s an emotional vulnerability and clear-eyed resolve in her words and voice, with echoes of the aforementioned Americana of Patty Griffin and the indi pop of Aimee Mann, but also Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, the Indigo Girls, and Juliana Hatfield. REM and Pete Townshend are huge influences writing-wise. Julie is also a graphic artist/illustrator, a mom, and human to two energetic weimaraners.
Local artist Julieann Ott describes her style as rootsy pop, jumping styles with a sincerity that honors her influences, ie: Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams, REM. Her original songs are melodic and well crafted and her covers, carefully chosen, are sung with tenderness, power and/or an edge, but always with conviction, honesty and intensity. She performs solo, and with bassist Jack Porter and guitarist/mandolin/harmonica player Jeff “Six” Sugzdinis in their band, A Little Forgiveness. Melodic folk rock with unexpected twists and turns. Vocals, music and lyrics sweet and nuanced one minute, the next a punch to the gut, and though you might hear some twang, it won’t hurt a bit.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julieann.musicnoth8
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbwmnhy_0hcLxEQ57sKg7g
The Presbytery of Philadelphia for their initial $9,000 grant in 2015 to help build the coffeehouse ministry. And their follow-on $5000 grant in 2016 and their follow-on $4000 grant for 2017.