Damien Jurado

Damien Jurado
Jurado performing at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri, in February 2015
Background information
Born	(1972-11-12) November 12, 1972 (age 52)
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Indie rock
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Maraqopa Records, Loose, Secretly Canadian, Sub Pop
Spouse(s)	Robyn O'Neil, American visual artist [1]
Website	damienjurado.com

Damien Troy Jurado (born November 12, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington, United States. Over the years, he has released albums on Sub Pop, Secretly Canadian,^[3] Loose,^[4] and is currently on his own label Maraqopa Records.^[5]

Music career

Jurado's solo career began during the mid-1990s, releasing lo-fi folk based recordings on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings. Gaining a local cult following in Seattle, he was brought to the attention of Sub Pop Records by Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk. After two 7-inch releases (Motorbike and Trampoline) Sub Pop issued his first full album, Waters Ave S. in 1997. His second album Rehearsals for Departure, was released in 1999, produced by Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, Big Star, R.E.M.).

He often makes use of found sound and field recording techniques, and has experimented with different forms of tape recordings. In 2000 he released Postcards and Audio Letters, a collection of found audio letters and fragments that he had found from sources such as thrift store tape players and answering machines. Also released in 2000 was Ghost of David, Jurado's bleakest and most personal sounding record to date. I Break Chairs (2002) was produced by long-time friend, Pedro the Lion's David Bazan. It was his last album for Sub Pop, and was a much rockier, electric affair.

After signing for the Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian, Jurado reverted to his trademark folk ballad-based style, releasing four more albums: Where Shall You Take Me? (2003), On My Way to Absence, (2005) And Now That I'm in Your Shadow (2006) and the rockier Caught in the Trees (2008).^[6]

Damien Jurado performing in Denton, Texas, in 2009

In 2009, Jurado teamed with his brother Drake to issue an LP under the moniker Hoquiam, released on February 23, 2010. The album preceded Damien's next solo release, dubbed Saint Bartlett, which was released May 25, 2010, and was produced by label mate Richard Swift.^[7] After touring the album with Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Jurado began work on his next album. On February 21, 2012, he released his 10th studio album, Maraqopa, his sixth for Secretly Canadian.^[8] In January 2014, Jurado released Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son,^[9] an album which marked the third straight collaboration with producer Richard Swift. In March 2016, Jurado released Visions of Us on the Land, and in December of the same year he and Swift released a collection of covers from 2010, Other People's Songs, Volume 1.^[10] In 2016, Damien Jurado released The Horizon Just Laughed, his first self produced album, teaming up with L.A. recording studio Sonikwire. In 2018, Jurado left Secretly Canadian to join Mama Bird Recording Co. and Loose Music and subsequently released the albums In The Shape Of A Storm (2019) and What's New, Tomboy? (2020)

On the 14th of May 2021, Jurado released his 17th full length studio album, The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, his first on his own label, Maraqopa Records.

On the 24th of June 2022 Jurado released his 18th full length studio album and the second on Maraqopa Records called Reggae Film Star, it is a concept album, telling the story of people that are working on a movie.

On March 31, 2023, Jurado released his 19th studio album, Sometimes You Hurt the Ones You Hate, on his own label, Maraqopa Records. Prior to the release, Jurado announced that he would no longer be releasing music on Spotify, citing the company's low royalty rates for artists.^[11] This was his first album that was not available on Spotify.

On October 12, 2023, Jurado released his 20th studio album, Motorcycle Madness, on Maraqopa Records. Physical copies of the album were limited to 200 vinyl records and 100 compact discs.

On November 1, 2023, Jurado released his 21st studio album, Passing the Giraffes, on Maraqopa Records. The release marks Jurado's third studio album of 2023.

On January 8, 2024, Jurado released, Roger's Audition: The "Reggae Film Star" Demos, on Maraqopa Records. Physical copies of the album were limited to 100 compact discs.

Jurado is set to release two non-album singles, "I've Never Known Alice" and "Call Me, Madame", both set for release on August 5, 2024 on Maraqopa Records.

Collaborations and contributions

Jurado appears on the track "Almost Home" on Moby's album Innocents.^[12]

He is also featured in an episode of the BYUtv music documentary series Audio-Files.^[13]

Jurado's song "Everything Trying" appeared in the NBC series The Blacklist (Season 1, episode 12), in the 2013 Best Foreign Film Oscar film The Great Beauty, in the Fox series House M.D. (Season 7, Episode 14), and in the 2011 film The Dilemma.

In the 2014 Joe Carnahan directed crime thriller Stretch, Jurado's song "Let Us All In" plays during the ending scene and into the credits.

He duets with Lotte Kestner on her song "Turn the Wolves" on the 2013 album The Bluebird of Happiness.

In the 2015 romantic comedy, Tumbledown, Jurado contributes to many songs on the soundtrack.^[14]

He has collaborated extensively with Richard Swift.

Jurado's track "A.M. AM" from his Visions of Us on the Land is prominently featured in Episode 3 as well as "Cloudy Shoes" from Saint Bartlett in Episode 6 of the 2018 Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country.

Jurado's song "Silver Joy", from his album "Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son", is featured on the soundtrack to the 2023 Christmas comedy-drama The Holdovers.

Discography

Albums

• Waters Ave S. (Sub Pop – January 1997)^[15]
• Rehearsals for Departure (Sub Pop – March 1999)
• Postcards and Audio Letters (2000, Made in Mexico)
• Ghost of David (Sub Pop – September 2000)^[16]
• I Break Chairs (Sub Pop – February 2002)^[15][17]
• Where Shall You Take Me? (Secretly Canadian – March 2003)^[18]
• This Fabulous Century (Burnt Toast – October 2004)
• On My Way to Absence (Secretly Canadian – April 2005)
• And Now That I'm in Your Shadow (Secretly Canadian – October 2006)^[19][20]
• Caught in the Trees (Secretly Canadian – September 2008)
• Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian – May 2010)
• Live at Landlocked (Secretly Canadian – April 16, 2011)^[21]
• Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian - February 21, 2012)
• Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son (Secretly Canadian - January 21, 2014) UK #100, US #101
• Visions of Us on the Land (Secretly Canadian - March 18, 2016)^[22]
• Other People's Songs, Volume 1 (Secretly Canadian - December 2, 2016)
• The Horizon Just Laughed (Secretly Canadian - May 4, 2018)
• In the Shape of a Storm (Mama Bird Recording Co. / Loose - April 12, 2019)
• What's New, Tomboy? (Mama Bird Recording Co. - May 1, 2020)
• The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania (Maraqopa Records - May 14, 2021)
• Reggae Film Star (Maraqopa Records - June 24, 2022)
• Sometimes You Hurt The Ones You Hate (Maraqopa Records - March 31, 2023)
• Motorcycle Madness (Maraqopa Records - October 13, 2023)
• Passing the Giraffes (Maraqopa Records - November 1, 2023)
• Roger's Audition: The "Reggae Film Star" Demos (Maraqopa Records - January 8, 2024)

EPs

• Motorbike (1995, Sub Pop)
• Trampoline (1996, Sub Pop)
• Vary (1997, Tooth & Nail)
• Gathered in Song (1998, Made in Mexico)
• Four Songs (2001, Burnt Toast Vinyl)
• Holding His Breath (2003, Acuarela)
• Just in Time for Something (2004, Secretly Canadian)
• Traded for Fire/Ghost of David Split with Dolorean (2006, Secretly Canadian)
• Gathered in Song (2007, Made in Mexico; re-release with bonus tracks)
• LEM: Volume 1, January 2010 (2010, Flannelgraph Records/Crossroads of America)
• Our Turn to Shine EP (2010, Secretly Canadian; the Saint Bartlett bonus EP is exclusive to Amazon UK)
• Diamond Sea/Pentagrams (Part of The Maraqopa Sessions) (2012, Secretly Canadian)
• Clouds Beyond/Let As All In (Part of The Maraqopa Sessions) (2012, Secretly Canadian)
• Wyoming Songbirds/Ghost of David (The Return) (Part of The Maraqopa Sessions) (2012, Secretly Canadian)
• The Maraqopa Sessions EP (2012, Secretly Canadian; bonus EP to celebrate the inclusion of Maraqopa on Rough Trade's Best Album 2012 list)
• Recorded Live at Little Elephant (2017, Little Elephant)
• Unissued EP (2020) (2020, Self Release)

Singles

• "Halo Friendly" (1997, Summershine)
• "Chevrolet" (1998, UK only, Snowstorm)
• "Letters & Drawings" (1998, UK only, Ryko)
• "Big Let Down / Make Up Your Mind" (2002, Secretly Canadian)
• "Ohio" (2014, Filous Remix)
• "Exit 353" (2015)
• "Birds Tricked Into The Trees" (2020)
• "Alice Hyatt" (2020)
• "Helena" (2021)
• "Take Your Time" (2021)
• "Roger" (2022)
• "I've Never Known Alice" (2024)
• "Call Me, Madame" (2024)

Tour-only releases

• Walk Along the Fence (2004)
• Untitled 6 song EP (2006)
• The Trees Tour EP (2007)
• European Tour CD-R (2009)
• Tour CD-R (2011)

Compilation appearances

• "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" – Bifrost Arts' Come O Spirit (Sounds Familyre, 2009)
• Badlands - Wages Of Sin w. Rosie Thomas
• Tooth & Nail Rock Sampler Volume 1 - Frustrated (1997)
• "Persuading You Near" (Working Man Records) - Fall Down
• ″'78 Ltd″ - Thirty 6
• ″Songs From The Big Top″ - Ashes
• ″The Unaccompanied Voice″ - An Accapella Compilation - Dance Hall Places
• ″It Goes Without Saying″ - aka Maremont - Kicking Steve Risley
• Like Others Need Oxygen - Mr Brown
• For the Kids Three - Small as Me
• SC100 - Upstate
• Unearthed - The Heron and The Fox
• Live at KEXP Vol 8 - Working Titles
• The Walking Dead Songs of Survival - I Will Still Be Dead
• It Happened Here - Kansas City

Guest appearances

• Lotte Kestner The Bluebird of Happiness - duet on Turn The Wolves.
• Rosie Thomas These Friends of Mine
• Lampshade Lets Away (vocals 2 tracks)
• Thomas Johnsson Denver First In Line EP - harmonica
• Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden - vocals on In The End
• Bosque Brown Plays Mara Lee Miller - backing vocals
• Husbands Love Your Wives - Tender Stories in Song Between Tender Friends / Live At The Triple Door - vocals and guitar.

Producer on other artists albums

• Naomi Wachira - S/T, 2013
• Shelby Earl - Swift Arrows, 2013
• Joel Walter - Nowhere In Fiction EP, 2011
• Joel Walter - Bitter Lake Reservoir, 2015
• Ben Fisher - Does The Land Remember Me, 2018

References

1. "Going Deep with Damien Jurado". March 2, 2020.
2. "Discography". Pedrothelion.org.
3. Huey, Steve. "Damien Jurado | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
4. "Loose - Damien Jurado Announces New Album… On Loose!". Loosemusic.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
5. "The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania / Damien Jurado".
6. Thiessen, Brock."Damien Jurado Gets Personal", Exclaim!, September 2008.
7. "damien jurado | splash". Saintbartlett.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
8. "New Damien Jurado Album, Maraqopa, February 21st! Download "Nothing is the News" MP3 Blog". Secretly Canadian. November 16, 2011. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
9. "Read Father John Misty's Incredible Essay About Damien Jurado's New Album". Spin. October 16, 2013.
10. Heller, Jason (March 10, 2016). "Review: Damien Jurado, 'Visions Of Us On The Land'". NPR. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
11. "Damien Jurado is Leaving Spotify: "I Simply Cannot Continue to Support or Align Myself"". americansongwriter.com. January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
12. "innocents - new album from moby". Moby.com. June 23, 2015.
13. "BYUtv". Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
14. Davis, Edward. "Exclusive: Listen To 'Tumbledown' Soundtrack Cuts From Damien Jurado And Daniel Hart". The Playlist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
15. Reno, Brad (2002). "Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song: I Break Chairs (review)". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
16. Keast, James (October 2000). "Damien Jurado: Ghost of David (review)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
17. Keast, James (May 2002). "Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song: I Break Chairs (review)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
18. Keast, James (February 2003). "Damien Jurado: Where Shall You Take Me? (review)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
19. Ritter, Travis (October 19, 2006). "Damien Jurado: And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (review)". Houston Press. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
20. Khanna, Vish (November 2006). "Damien Jurado: And Now That I'm in Your Shadow (review)". Record Store Day. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
21. "SpecialRelease". Record Store Day. June 13, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
22. Stephen, Thompson (December 15, 2015). "Song Premiere: Damien Jurado, 'Exit 353'". NPR. Retrieved December 16, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Official store
• Loose: Damien Jurado
• Secretly Canadian: Damien Jurado
• Sub Pop: Damien Jurado