Biography
The collegiate indie circuit embraced several compelling Blake Babies releases from the late 1980s into the early 1990s, yet the group never escaped those circles. Leader Juliana Hatfield finally received notice as a songwriter from broader outlets only in 1992, after the band had already disbanded. Across their four albums the trio’s post-R.E.M. alternative pop grew more forceful while Hatfield’s songwriting and characteristically thin, girlish vocals sharpened considerably, with each release pushing further into both punk and folk directions. On the final full-length outing, 1990’s Sunburn, guitarist John Strohm began establishing himself as a notable songwriter as well. Following a concluding 1991 EP the members parted ways, allowing Hatfield to rise as an alternative star while Strohm and drummer Freda Love launched the well-regarded guitar-pop outfit Antenna.
A decade later, in 2000, the original lineup reconvened to cut God Bless the Blake Babies, issued on Rounder Records March 6, 2001. Freda Love initiated the reunion and persuaded her former bandmates to participate; as a result her first Blake Babies song, “Nothing Ever Happens,” served as the lead single. Now seasoned players, the group traded the appeal of their earlier amateur indie-pop style for a more polished, deliberate approach that felt like a logical continuation of their sound. Individual side projects and solo work had turned the musicians into seasoned industry professionals, lending their new songs a maturity absent from prior material. Throughout spring 2001 the band revisited familiar venues such as Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, along with refreshed incarnations of Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club and New York City’s Knitting Factory, where audiences responded warmly. John Strohm later described the performances as the best the Blake Babies had ever delivered.
A decade later, in 2000, the original lineup reconvened to cut God Bless the Blake Babies, issued on Rounder Records March 6, 2001. Freda Love initiated the reunion and persuaded her former bandmates to participate; as a result her first Blake Babies song, “Nothing Ever Happens,” served as the lead single. Now seasoned players, the group traded the appeal of their earlier amateur indie-pop style for a more polished, deliberate approach that felt like a logical continuation of their sound. Individual side projects and solo work had turned the musicians into seasoned industry professionals, lending their new songs a maturity absent from prior material. Throughout spring 2001 the band revisited familiar venues such as Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, along with refreshed incarnations of Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club and New York City’s Knitting Factory, where audiences responded warmly. John Strohm later described the performances as the best the Blake Babies had ever delivered.
Albums