Artist Julia Othmer is launching "Songs of September" - a virtual voter registration drive concert series. Every day during the month of September, Othmer will stream her live performance of a song of change/protest/hope. Partnered with HeadCount, a non-partisan, non-profit voter registration organization, Othmer will share a link for easily accessible voter registration and information as daily encouragement to be a part of the process.
Says Othmer, "Voting is a vital aspect of democracy and this election is incredibly critical. The first step to getting out the vote is making sure everyone is properly registered and has access to all their voting information. The pandemic has hampered many of the traditional ways new voters are registered - at community events, art fairs, festivals, concerts and the DMV. We wanted to use our platform to help. And the Songs of September (SOS) Voter Registration Drive Concert Series was born."
Othmer had laid grand plans following the success of her 2019 release SOUND, but the sudden death of her father shifted her focus to her family. Just as she was re-configuring her studio and touring plans, the pandemic shifted most everything for most everyone. Othmer - ever light on her feet - is adapting and sending her radiant light into the universe. We are all the better for it.
Othmer's second full-length studio album SOUND was the result of a collaboration with UK-based producer/composer James T Lundie. Fueled by a remarkably successful fan-funded campaign, Othmer and Lundie created SOUND during a period of focus and reclusion. Lauded by the Kansas City Star for "soaring dynamics," the album is "rife with layers and textures and melodies and grooves." The first two singles have reached over 275,000 views on YouTube and been played on over 100 radio stations around the world.
Over the 2019 winter Othmer and Lundie holed up in the studio and began work on a series of recording projects slated for release throughout 2020 and 2021. As pre-production was taking place, the pandemic began its sweep across the globe. Othmer's fire and light shifted to a different perspective. "In the studio, I am constantly thinking of how to serve a song, how to serve the music. And now I am asking how can my music serve my fans. How can my being an artist help in the midst of all of this?" asks Othmer.
The answer, it turns out, is to flood the universe with her energy. While Othmer has joined the live streaming masses, she goes beyond the typical, and performs private digital concerts for fans to celebrate milestones and mourn losses. She has found a renewed focus on her most immediate environment - her neighbors. "I held a concert on the front lawn to celebrate a neighbor's birthday," tells Othmer, "and now it is a regular Saturday night socially-distanced date for the neighborhood including an art walk for the kids on our block. How we have come together through this is a silver lining that fills me with immense hope and a sense of community."
Expanding out fractally, Othmer has a full slate of regular virtual performances, often to the benefit of her global community. The ever-growing list of beneficiaries includes the Pachamama Alliance, One Tree Planted, the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, the SPLC, Feed America, and the interUrban Art House. Recent festival performance include VegFest, Stay at Home Festival, Boston GreenFest, and the upcoming Crossroads Music Festival. All this while working hard to create new content to share with the world.
From Kansas City, Othmer attended Columbia University in New York before moving to Philadelphia where she began performing live. She came to Los Angeles to record her debut album, "Oasis Motel," with producer Michael Blum (Roger Daltrey, Madonna).
Her songs have been featured on shows like Witches of East End, Switched at Birth, Army Wives, The Lying Game, and DeGrassi: The Next Generation.
Othmer has graced the stage at Lilith Fair, performed alongside icons Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, and Heart. She has shared the stage with Amanda Palmer, Lisa Loeb, Minnie Driver, Regina Spektor, Amos Lee, John Waite, and opened for The Alarm on a recent US/UK tour.
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