(12 March 2006) Indie artist and Virginia-born Julie Loyd is an acoustic folk singer/songwriter with three CD's in her discography. She relocated to New York City to attend NYU to study gender, sexuality, and performance at the tender age of seventeen. While at college, she performed at university events as well as bars in The Village. She built up a reputation for her solo performances and during her sophomore year, she created her own label, Siren Records, and released her debut album, Self Portrait #94 in 2000. The next year, she released her second independent album Fate Says He's Sorry, and her third CD, Waiting Room came out in 2005.

Her background is in dance and musical theater, and Julie loves to perform. She began songwriting at age sixteen and hasn't stop since. She has a distinctive percussive style when she plays the guitar and creates a vibrant on-stage personna. Julie says, “I’m tired of folk being seen as boring. Just because I’m playing an acoustic guitar doesn’t mean I’m going to be singing about the mountains—and if I am, I’m singing loud.” Any night of the week you can find Julie in front of a crowd wailing away on her guitar— wearing another hole in the finish, weaving a tune with a set of gutsy vocals and stomping out a rhythm with a set of steel-toed combat boots. She uses her movement experience to step inside her songs, contorting, kicking, and undulating to the beat of her own percussive guitar playing.

On Self Portrait #94, Julie has a sultry yet edgy, folky style with powerful and energy driven vocals. Her acoustic guitar is outstanding and Julie's storytelling abilities merge in her music. She incorporates her gifted writing style into sensitive and forceful lyrics, and blends effortlessly with her wonderful melodies. She has great accompaniment with supporting players, Jay Punyanitya on lead guitar on "Crumbling Plaster," Lara Hamilton on flute on "Trouble With a Small Town" and Mark Dennison on cello on both "Maybe Then" and "Have You Been Sleeping." Her music is strong, independent, and has a raw, earthy quality.

In 2001, Julie hooked up with a fellow NYU student, Raky Sastri. He recently had finished training with a former member of the Blue Man Group and added his versatile rhythm's to Julie's music. He appears on her second album, Fate Says He's Sorry. This album shows her growth and features a more folk/rock feel in her songs. Her distinctive percussive acoustic guitar is still prominent, although there is a more innovative pop feel to her music.

Some standout tracks on Fate Says He's Sorry include "Books," "Beautiful Voice" and the title track, "Fate Says He's Sorry." Besides the high quality production of the CD, her lyrics are captivating and touching. Julie's songs let the listener have an inside view to her thoughts, experiences and feelings, which casts a more personal contact to her musical genius. You can't help but feel emotionally touched by the depth of her emotive performances.

Julie describes her music as fusing confessional acoustic-rock with innovative pop production. Her third album, The Waiting Room, continues her expansive journey with her edgy folk/rock. She maintains her gutsy vocals and percussive guitar, showing a driving energy throughout her music. Her aggressive style is powerful and honest, layered with unbridled energy and self-assuredness in her vocals.

There is a haunting air to "Rocket Boys" balanced with the energy-driven pop songs such as "Secret of Your Own" and "The Independent." Some other noteworthy tracks include "Tuesday to Tuesday," "Taste of Copper" and "Normal." In addition to her chunky guitar, she adds the bassoon, French horn, accordion and recorder to add particular flair to her already impassioned music.

Julie seems to be on a perpetual touring schedule, playing more than 170 shows a year. She has performed with notables such as Shawn Mullins, G-love and Special Sauce, Alana Davis, Michelle Malone, disappear fear, Edie Carey, and Chris Barron (of the Spin Doctors), to name a few. Julie's driving talent and musical passion is evident in having independently released three albums in five years.

Julie's music tends to grab the listener and there is an intensity to her style that is captivating. Her music ranges from folk to innovative pop/rock with her wailing vocals and percussive guitar. The high energy is heartfelt and sincere. Her albums are worth listening to again and again.--Audrey Elliot in New York