Julia Othmer

Piano Woman

Story by Pete Dulin, Photography by Pam Taylor.

Published: Thursday, February 1, 2007

Julia Othmer

Julia Othmer moved to the Kansas City area with her immigrant parents a year after she was born in Kentucky. She grew up in Overland Park and Parkville within a family of teachers and tailors that did not regard music as a viable career. As a child, Othmer sought music primarily as a personal outlet for expression. As a 7-year-old, she began training as a classical pianist and also studied flute, violin, and piccolo. By age 17, Othmer moved to Columbia University in New York to continue her academic studies and performed in bands on the side. Her mother suggested that Othmer graduate early to complete her degree and then focus on her lifelong interest. Othmer took the advice and taught music for a time.

The singer, composer, and pianist steadily refined her style and sound while living in Philadelphia. Early in her career, Othmer cut a demo with the song “Mission Control” which gained notice as the Best Rock Song in Philadelphia and also earned honorable mention in a Billboard World Song Contest. Fortuitously, “Mission Control” was selected as the theme song for Vision Videogames’ Space Station Sim and offered growing exposure for her talents. Since then, Othmer has shared the stage with artists ranging from Amos Lee to Regina Spektor and earned nominations at the Philly Music Awards as Best Female Entertainer and Best Female Vocalist.

The music compositions on her full length self-titled CD shift nearly as much as her quicksilver facial expressions and enigmatic smiles. Othmer’s music reveals myriad nuances in her personality as a performer from sultry lounge balladeer to jazz-inflected pianist to sensual soul-stirring chanteuse. Lazy comparisons could be made between Othmer and other women that feature piano as a central element of their sound. “Because two women play the same instrument doesn’t mean they play it in the same way. Because two women have the same hair color doesn’t mean they sound the same. And, I love to play shows with other women,” Othmer said.

Othmer adapts her set list and performance style based on her audience, mood, backing musicians, and other variables. Depending on the night and the city, she will perform at The Jazzhaus in Lawrence, bar Natasha in Kansas City, or clubs in New York or Los Angeles. For fans unfamiliar with her live performances and unsure of what to expect, Othmer stated, “It all depends on their expectation. I often defy expectation.”

Ever on the move, she considers Kansas City, Philadelphia, and her current home of Los Angeles as her home bases. Othmer was in Kansas City briefly for some recording sessions.

Excerpts from Julia Othmer's remarks about her music and career:

Home
Some people might say I like to run away, but I would rather say I’m motivated to move. All of this roaming about gives me a better understanding of what home is. I’ve been homesick before in my apartment and yet perfectly happy in some hotel room on the road. I realize that home for me is wherever the people I love are. I moved rather unexpectedly and suddenly to Los Angeles. So I started spending time there last summer and my stuff arrived in a truck in November. Los Angeles has been my “mailing address” since then, but I’ve been in and out of town a lot. I’m definitely not the expert tour guide for the city.