Julie Doiron

The Eric's Trip Years...

Julie Doiron began her career in music in 1990 at the age of 18 in Moncton, New Brunswick Canada playing bass in Eric's Trip, (name from a Sonic Youth song title) a folky yet psychedelic band that was to become the undisputed underground darling of Canadian Music. Eric's trip were the first of many maritime Canadians signed to Sub Pop and found international recognition releasing several albums and touring widely. Following 1996's Purple Blue, Eric's Trip announced their break-up.
The Broken Girl Years...

Julie Doiron began to write more of her own songs in 1993 which she released on 7" and performed solo while still in Eric's trip. In 1996 as Eric's trip found it's end she released her first solo album titled "Broken Girl" a temporary moniker Julie adopted to express her feelings at the time. The record was released on her own label Sappy Records. Broken Girl is an intimate record that gave the listener a fuller sense of Julie's personality and vocal style than Eric's Trip did. Following Broken Girl, Julie toured on and off throughout Canada for the remainder of the year.

Back at home, she released records by Moonsocket, Orange Glass, Snailhouse, and Elevator to Hell on Sappy. For her second album, "Loneliest in the morning" Julie decided to drop the moniker Broken Girl, as she began a stronger solo career. She recorded "loneliest" in Memphis with Dave Shouse (Grifters), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Doug Easley, and Davis McCain. Julie used a variety of new instruments on the record, but maintained her earlier sparse arrangements. The record was released in 1997 on Sub Pop.
Now...

Julie Doiron and her husband, artist and painter Jon Claytor moved with their two children from New Brunswick to Montreal Quebec and Julie signed to Tree records in the US. Back in Canada, she maintained her label Sappy and in 1999 she released her EP "Will you Still Love Me?" which gained much praise for a new maturity. The album featured contributions from her friends from Ottawa's the Wooden Stars . In March and April of 1999 Julie recorded three Vocal Tracks for The Wooden Stars "The Moon" full-length on Matlock Records and photographed the cover artwork. Everything Julie Doiron has done in the past came together on her Fall of 1999 Sappy Records full-length "Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars". It is the first album she has recorded with a band since her days with Eric's Trip.The delicately powerful effect of the Wooden Stars has given Julie's songs an intensity and vibrancy that was previously only hinted at. On March 12 2000 Julie won a Juno (Coveted Canadian Entertainment Award, for which Eric's trip was nominated) for "Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars" and in January the album was released on Tree in the US and in Europe.

In late 1999 Julie published a book of her photographs with New Brunswick's Broken Jaw Press entitled "The Longest Winter" with words by Ottawa writer Ian Roy. Julie has long been an avid photographer studying photography at Mount Allison University in Sackville NB, Julie often does and has done her own promotional photos and cover artwork along with her husband, painter Jon Claytor. Jon also wrote and directed Julie's new video for "Dance Music". In 2000 Julie has toured Europe, the US and Canada, and recorded three tracks on the latest Tragically Hip record "Music@Work" as well as working with Hip front man Gord Downie on his latest solo record "Coke Machine Glow". Julie also has three songs on the Shanti projects collection 2 on Badman records. She has recorded a new French record "desormais" for release in october, and an English release for February 2002 on Endearing Records in Canada and JagJaguwar in the USA.

Updates to come...

Julie now lives in Sackville New Brunswick with her family.