The Selenite Tour with Carol Hodge & Julia Othmer

Across the Atlantic Ocean, from the unlikely locations of Huddersfield, Yorkshire and Kansas City, USA, artists Carol Hodge and Julia Othmer have been holding a unique correspondence. The two piano-playing, singing songcrafters have struck up a pen pal relationship of songs, bringing light to what divides and unites us, geographically, politically and personally.

Julia and Carol met on tour in 2018, opening up in the UK for Welsh legends The Alarm, and quickly bonded over their shared love of all things heart-centred and magickal. They toured together again in 2019, and vowed to make it a regular occurrence, until the pandemic hit. The Selenite Songs Project sees these two powerful women joining forces once again, to reflect light and create connection.

Since December 2023, Carol and Julia have ritualized a songwriting commitment to one another. Each month, they challenge themselves to write a song on the first new moon of each month.

A few strict rules apply:

1. Write in response to the songwriting prompt (prompts are brainstormed by the artists and their audiences on supporters of social media)

2. Spend a maximum of 2 hours writing the song

3. The resulting recordings are to be only piano, voice, and found sounds.

The Selenite Songs tour will feature songs Carol and Julia wrote during the six month project and include conversation about the process and the story behind each song. There will also be an element of audience participation, including a live co-creation with the crowd, ensuring each night of the tour will be a magically unique experience.

With over 40 years of live touring and recording experience between them, this is a unique invitation to explore the artistic alchemy of two veteran performing songwriters. Openly sharing their process, these artists hope to cultivate a warm and humorous dialogue of collaboration, inspiration and craft at each performance. This tour is the only time these songs will be performed together live, in an intimate environment. At the end of the tour, every ticket holder will be gifted a limited edition recording from these two songstresses.

“This process is a way to find a bit of focus and stillness. We created a game, a musical conversation. A way to support each other and hold each other accountable in our commitment to creating original music.” - Julia Othmer

“I’m excited to take some deep emotional dives together on this project. Women supporting other women in music is incredibly important to us both, and I’m confident our emotional honesty will create some really special songs. Plus we get to perform them live together, which will be buckets of fun!” - Carol Hodge

Carol Hodge: Yorkshire-dwelling singer-songwriter Carol Hodge is a wonderful musical dichotomy. With her roots and ethics firmly set in punk as a long-term collaborator with Crass frontman Steve Ignorant, Carol is currently touring the songs of Crass around the world with The Ignorant Band, on keyboards, BVs and lead vocals. Yet as a solo artist, Carol is also a uniquely gifted songwriter and as able to conjure up lyrically honest, pop-infused, heart-wrenching melodies as she is screaming into the face of authority and injustice.

Described by Classic Rock as “A real talent in the realm of smart, on-the-money melodies and bittersweet storytelling through song”, Carol describes herself as a ‘seven-fingered pianist’. She was born with a rare condition called cleft type symbrachydactyly, which means Carol has just two fingers on her left hand. This hasn't held her back as her impressive CV is testament to. Carol also performs as a keyboardist/backing vocalist with various established artists, including Ginger from The Wildhearts. She has released four solo studio albums since 2018, to critical acclaim, and tours relentlessly across the UK and Europe. She was recently awarded Track of the Week by Classic Rock magazine readers, and has recently supported Spear Of Destiny, TV Smith, Space and Ginger Wildheart. 

Julia Othmer: Julia Othmer’s voice is vibrant and emotionally potent. Her piano-driven performances are mesmerizing fusions of raw power, vocal artistry and joy. Passionate and engaging, Othmer creates intimate warmth with her audiences. The child of refugees, Othmer draws from a richly cultured palette of experience to inspire her intensely human yet otherworldly songs. Using music to connect to people and social issues inspires her.

Othmer is one of seven artists selected to represent the USA for Global Music Match and an Official Showcasing Artist at Folk Alliance International. Her award-winning music has been featured on NPR and the BBC, in film, TV, and video games. Songwriting awards include the Billboard World Song Contest Finalist and the International Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalist. She tours internationally and has shared the stage with a range of artists including Emmylou Harris, Sarah McLachlan, Heart and Regina Spektor.