Sea of Bees' Passion Conquers the 'F---ing Guitar' -- Top 100 Acts at SXSW 2011
Julie Baenziger of Sea of Bees didn't give up on music, even when nobody thought she'd ever be any good at it. "I wanted to prove it to myself," she tells Spinner from a tour stop in Belgium.
Good choice: Sea of Bees' debut LP, last year's 'Songs for the Ravens,' garnered rapturous reviews that included special mention of her distinctive voice. Baenziger -- Jules, as she's known -- has come a long way from teaching herself to play on a one-stringed, out-of-tune guitar and puzzling her way through the intricacies of songwriting.
Before her first trip to SXSW, she spoke with Spinner about her development as a musician and the crush on the girl from church who inspired it all.
Download Sea of Bee's 'Wizbot' (MP3) off 'Songs for the Ravens' Free
How did you pick your band name?
Nobody can pronounce my name, Baenziger, so around town I just called myself Julie Bee. I'd mostly do stuff on my own, at house parties and I'd announce myself as, "I am a sea of bees!"
When did you realize music was your life?
I was 16 years old. It was hard, because I didn't know music. I wasn't raised with it. I didn't know how to play, didn't know how to sing, didn't know s---. People said, "What are you thinking?" but I just had to do it. There was nothing else I wanted to do.
What gave you that feeling?
It was a girl, actually, in church. She was singing with her brother and it was so angelic and pure. I was like, "I have to do this," because I wanted to sing with her someday. And
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