Ivan Julian has been one of music's most celebrated players and most in-demand collaborators for more than four decades.
Indeed, Ivan Julian has spent his life soaking up a wealth of experiences, musical and otherwise. The son of a Navy officer, he grew up in such exotic locales as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nurturing a sensitive, creative streak that quickly manifested itself musically. At the age of 13, while living in Washington, D.C., he became the singer in a Led Zeppelin cover band; the...
Ivan Julian has been one of music's most celebrated players and most in-demand collaborators for more than four decades.
Indeed, Ivan Julian has spent his life soaking up a wealth of experiences, musical and otherwise. The son of a Navy officer, he grew up in such exotic locales as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nurturing a sensitive, creative streak that quickly manifested itself musically. At the age of 13, while living in Washington, D.C., he became the singer in a Led Zeppelin cover band; the following year, he began playing guitar. Having already studied bassoon and saxophone, Julian spent his high school years studying music theory as a part-time student in a college program. At 19, his wanderlust led him to London, where he joined U.K. R&B hitmakers The Foundations, (Build Me Up Buttercup) with whom he toured throughout Great Britain and Europe. It was during one of these tours that he decided to stay on in Macedonia to absorb and study the musical scales and rhythms that would have a major influence on his playing.
Then Julian returned to the U.S. and settled in New York, just in time to become part of the emerging punk rock movement. A founding member of the seminal Richard Hell and the Voidoids, he was now playing alongside trend-setting punk poet Hell, fabled guitarist Robert Quine and drummer Marc Bell (a.k.a. Marky Ramone). Julian’s instrumental and songwriting contributions to the band’s classic album Blank Generation established him as one of the scene’s most acclaimed and influential axemen.
After the Voidoids disbanded, Julian stepped out to form the Outsets as a vehicle for his own vocal and songwriting efforts. Combining rock, funk and African rhythms, the Outsets became a beloved fixture on New York’s burgeoning club scene, winning considerable critical acclaim for such releases as the debut single “I’m Searchin’ for You”/”Fever,” a self-titled EP produced by Garland Jeffreys and the posthumously released The Punk/Funk Voodoo Collection. Teaming up with Bush Tetras singer Cynthia Sley Julian’s next band, the Lovelies, won substantial attention with the release of the Mad Orphan LP. Also, during this time he regrouped with former bandmate Richard Hell to do an extensive tour of Japan.
By this point, Julian’s abilities as a collaborator had become sought after by a wide array of acts. He plays on “The Call Up” and “Ivan Meets GI Joe” with The Clash (on their Sandinista album), collaborated with Afrika Bambaataa and Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic. He also joined England’s Shriekback for two tours of North America and Europe. Julian spent much of the 1990s touring and recording with Matthew Sweet.
In recent years, Ivan has concentrated mainly on studio work, producing and/or recording artist such as Sean Lennon and producing three albums by The Fleshtones. He’s also developed his recording studio, SuperGiraffeSound into one of New York’s hottest new recording facilities, working with numerous local, national and international bands.
His solo LP, The Naked Flame was named one of the best records of the year by several trade magazines in Europe and the states including Trouser Press. Soon after came The Fauntleroys EP, Below the Pink Pony, a collaboration with Alejandro Escovedo, Nick Tremulis and Linda Pittman.
His newest album ‘Swing Your Lanterns’ is available on PRAVDA Records. The songs encompass his experiences of the past five years and more; Some of which, we have all lived through.
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