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Juliana Hatfields inimitable 35-year career has seen her an underground darling, a cultural emblem and a time-tested veteran whose tender singing and exemplary guitar playing is an iconic and enduring pinnacle of indie and alternative rock. In 1986, she co-founded beloved Boston indie-rock trio the Blake Babies with Freda Love and John Strohm, injecting a glassy pop sensibility and keen knack for melody into the East Coasts vibrant underground rock scene, which included peers like Dinosaur Jr., the Pixies and The Lemonheads. After releasing three LPs and an EP with the band, in 1992 her debut solo album, Hey Babe, proved Hatfield a force in her own right. Its 11 tracks of melodic alt-rock portend the explosion of her singular blend of hard and soft (and also the cultural impact of grunge figureheads Nirvana, detailed in the albums song of the same name). Thats not to mention Hatfields crucial contribution as bassist and backing vocalist on The Lemonheads celebrated albums Its a Shame About Ray (1992) and Come on Feel The Lemonheads (1993).But it was Hatfields 1993 album Become What You Are released under the moniker The Juliana Hatfield Three that marked her a star. Its runaway single, My Sister, gave voice to women and girls worldwide, detailing the complex emotional stew of sisterhood and female friendship, and becoming a rare hit without a chorus. It topped the Billboard alternative chart in 1993, and the album was designated a rising phenomenon on the publications heatseekers index, peaking at the pole position. Spin the Bottle, a quirky, rollicking tune written in 5/4, was featured in Reality Bites, one of the eras most celebrated films. Its accompanying video, directed by Ben Stiller, features Hatfield and the band playing the pubescent-favorite game alongside the actor Ethan Hawke and Bellys Tanya Donelly. Its follow-up, Hatfields Only Everything, released in 1995, further highlighted her dexterous guitar shredding against a backdrop of melodic pop structures. It catapulted her fierce-yet-tender outlook to new heights, and produced two more celebrated singles, Universal Heart-Beat and What a Life. The same year, she contributed the original song So-Called Angels to cult-favorite television show My So-Called Life, and made her acting debut on the shows Christmas episode.Since her commercial peak, Hatfield has released 16 solo albums of stirring originals and imaginative covers, delving further into her love of melodic pop and rock frameworks, and fine-tuning her unmatched vision. In 2001 she reconvened the Blake Babies for a new album, God Bless the Blake Babies, and in 2016 she collaborated with The Replacements Paul Westerberg under the band name The I Dont Cares. Shes adorned magazine covers and played the countrys most celebrated rock clubs but at her core Hatfield is an artist and a technician a skilled singer, songwriter and player whose influence and endurance is all but unmatched.
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