Her voice is a crystalline beauty, as emotionally fragile as Karen Carpenter and silky smooth like velvet; it's so clear you can almost see through it, flowing gently like liquid. His voice has the deep timbre of the blues and the gentle spirit of folk. Known together as Brulée, Julie Weiner and Doug Onstad weave a certain kind of magic on their debut album, New Beginnings. On the CD, the Sonoma County duo harmonizes together like two birds in flight, offering especially charming call and response on “Perfectly Flawed." Combining stellar original material with a diverse set of covers, from the cabaret kicks of “Tout Doucement/Ain't Misbehavin'" to the country swagger of the Rolling Stones' “Dead Flowers." Onstad explains the history of the group as well as his own musical roots.
Q: What made you decide to become a musician?
A: I started playing piano when I was eight. I loved the pop and rock music of the time. The Beach Boys (I loved Brian Wilson's melodies and harmonies) and the British and San Francisco sounds were big influences on me. My brother and I used to play 45 rpm records (the ones with the big holes) and have our countdown each week. My first band was in high school was the Fathoms. Julie's mother was a Big Band singer, and Julie was singing from a young age. She liked vocal jazz like the Manhattan Transfer, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross—people like that.
Q: How old were you when you decided that you were going to pursue a career in music?
A: I majored in music in college so was pretty much headed that way early. Julie was a singer at all her peer group's weddings and parties but didn't start singing professionally until well into her 40s.
Q: What did you feel recording a song for the first time?
A: Fascinated and humbled. To have the power to create, shape and alter sound is an amazing feeling. The first time I recorded Julie I was excited to be able capture this exquisite voice in the best way possible.
Q: What are your goals as a musician in terms of your art?
A: To keep evolving as a duo and band. We do sort of offbeat stuff at times, like combining Cole Porter and Mick Jagger in the same song, or doing “Dead Flowers" with jazz harmonies. I also write so creating new songs with different lyricist partners is something I'm working on. We had five originals on the album, and I had three different collaborators. They each bring something unique to the table. So I want to continue to explore this. And we also say that no song is off limits for us since, after all, we do “jazz with a twist." Also, I feel it's important for Julie to be heard by as large an audience was possible.
Q: How did you and Julie meet?
A: I put an ad on a local bulletin board looking for a female jazz singer to team up with. Julie saw it and the rest is history.
Q: How long did it take for you and Julie to develop your style?
A: It's still developing. But right now we've got Julie on incredibly beautiful vocals (on the jazz standards), offbeat stuff I call jive that has lots of scatting, which we sometimes do together, and then straight harmony vocals, which has its own unique sound. We put these styles over a wide range of material. Like I said, nothing is off limits stylistically.
Q: What made you decide to become a musician?
A: I started playing piano when I was eight. I loved the pop and rock music of the time. The Beach Boys (I loved Brian Wilson's melodies and harmonies) and the British and San Francisco sounds were big influences on me. My brother and I used to play 45 rpm records (the ones with the big holes) and have our countdown each week. My first band was in high school was the Fathoms. Julie's mother was a Big Band singer, and Julie was singing from a young age. She liked vocal jazz like the Manhattan Transfer, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross—people like that.
Q: How old were you when you decided that you were going to pursue a career in music?
A: I majored in music in college so was pretty much headed that way early. Julie was a singer at all her peer group's weddings and parties but didn't start singing professionally until well into her 40s.
Q: What did you feel recording a song for the first time?
A: Fascinated and humbled. To have the power to create, shape and alter sound is an amazing feeling. The first time I recorded Julie I was excited to be able capture this exquisite voice in the best way possible.
Q: What are your goals as a musician in terms of your art?
A: To keep evolving as a duo and band. We do sort of offbeat stuff at times, like combining Cole Porter and Mick Jagger in the same song, or doing “Dead Flowers" with jazz harmonies. I also write so creating new songs with different lyricist partners is something I'm working on. We had five originals on the album, and I had three different collaborators. They each bring something unique to the table. So I want to continue to explore this. And we also say that no song is off limits for us since, after all, we do “jazz with a twist." Also, I feel it's important for Julie to be heard by as large an audience was possible.
Q: How did you and Julie meet?
A: I put an ad on a local bulletin board looking for a female jazz singer to team up with. Julie saw it and the rest is history.
Q: How long did it take for you and Julie to develop your style?
A: It's still developing. But right now we've got Julie on incredibly beautiful vocals (on the jazz standards), offbeat stuff I call jive that has lots of scatting, which we sometimes do together, and then straight harmony vocals, which has its own unique sound. We put these styles over a wide range of material. Like I said, nothing is off limits stylistically.
