Based in Cardiff, Sometimes Julie features the singer-songwriter duo Monica Sorenson and Rick Walker. A self-taught musician on guitar, bass, and keyboards, Walker's musical career began in the mid-1990s playing in clubs on the north side of Chicago. Sorenson, a self-diagnosed karaoke addict, found herself looking for that next fix, craving gutsy rock songs and powerful ballads. She grew up in Denver, in a household of talented musicians, and appreciated all types of music.
Joined by Andy Graham (drums), Andrew Yurman (bass), and Fred Barden (lead guitar), the band established itself with Americana/alternative rock originals, with the occasional classic rock/current pop cover tossed in for fun. Their album Head First was released in April 2014.
Bassist Andrew Yurman left the group in summer 2015. Then, in early 2015, "We've just learned that we've won the Akademia Music Award for Best Americana Album for our CD Head First," said guitarist Rick Walker. "The Awards are determined by an expert panel of six judges, who are all former senior executives and industry veterans from some of the largest record companies."
By 2016, the band had expanded the lineup to now feature Monica Sorenson, Rick Walker, Bruce Paul Allen, Al Moreno, and Dave Bailey. Their Bright Side of the Line EP was released in April 2016, produced by Jackstones frontman Andy Machin (owner of Escondido’s Bigrock Studios).
“The sound with our new band members is a little harder-edged,” says Walker. “Our first CD [Head First] had a singer-songwriter aesthetic. Bright Side of the Line is more of a rock record, while still being reflective of our Americana roots. One new thing is that Al is a really talented backing vocalist, so we’re now doing three-part harmonies in our performances, which we couldn’t do with the old band.”
Their 7-song Breaking EP, produced by Patricio A. Pickslay of Pacific Records and engineered by Rolling Stones producer Alan Sanderson, was released in summer 2018. Guest musicians on the record include Rebecca Jade, George Nelms (the Jackstones), and Michael Stell (the Surrealistics).
"With our first two releases, we were still exploring who we were as a band and what exactly our sound was," Rick Walker told the Reader. "Breaking represents our maturation and evolution into the band we want to be: a straight-ahead rock 'n' roll sound, with a hint of Americana." The album's lineup featured Sorenson and Walker with Bruce Paul Allen (bass), Al Moreno (lead guitar, vocals), Anthony Sarain (keyboards, saxophone, flute), and Michael Heater (drums).
A new album dropped on New Year's Eve 2020/2021, Where Are You?, featuring new drummer Dave Fuller.