Juanita Stein
Encyclopedia
Juanita Stein is lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in indie rock
band Howling Bells
. She has younger twin brothers Joel and Ari. Joel Stein is lead guitarist in Howling Bells
.
, Australia
and moved to Sydney
at an early age. Her father Peter Stein is a songwriter and musician; mother Linda Stein is a former stage and television actress.
Stein obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Literature at university in Sydney
, where she also studied Theatre Performance and an electronic music course. Her first time in a music recording studio was when she was five years old and contributed vocals to one of her father’s songs. The experience shaped her life as she later said; "From then on, innately I knew that's what I would do." Brother Joel remembers her dedication to learning songs even in childhood: "She would sit in her room and learn old Beatles songs with the door shut until three in the morning. This was when she was about twelve. I would hear her voice at night."
Juanita Stein was brought up listening to all kinds of music but the first song she remembers hearing was Bob Marley
's Buffalo Soldier
. She said; "It’s strange out of all the songs in the world that that was the one that I distinctly remember connecting with at a very, very young age. It was a really great moment. I just remember that song sounded different to me than every other song that was playing on the radio." Her own early favourite artists were Nirvana
, Juliana Hatfield
, Bjork
, Portishead and Jimi Hendrix
.
Her adolescence was different to that of many other teenagers: "There wasn't a lot to rebel against, my parents were cool and listened to cool music. Dad told me about all his experiences back in the days, so I couldn't rebel by doing that."
, the name chosen by picking a random word out of an encyclopedia. She said, "We’d been playing in different formats for a while, and that was when I felt like it was possible for me to play music with a bunch of people. He’s a brilliant guitarist. I feel very lucky to work with him all the time."
They then advertised for a drummer to join them. Their advertisement read: "Original band looking for drummer. Our influences are Mazzy Star
, Radiohead
and the Beatles." Glenn Moule joined the siblings to record and release a five-track EP Presents in 2000. Juanita Stein used the pseudonym Kikisun on the EP, on which she sang lead vocals and played bass.
The trio were later joined by second guitarist Jimmy (or Jimmeh) Brandon and released an album, I'm Already Home
, in 2002. Brandon left the band in 2003 and was replaced by bass player Brendan Picchio, at which time Juanita Stein moved to playing rhythm guitar.
disbanded, the group members moved to London
and re-formed as Howling Bells
, who have released three albums: Howling Bells
in 2006, Radio Wars
in 2009 and The Loudest Engine
in 2011. Juanita Stein said the change of name and relocation was part of a natural musical progression: "Waikiki
is almost part of my childhood. I was 16 when I wrote some of the songs. It was time to move on." She added; “At some point you kind of leave school, if that makes sense. I felt like I’d grown up a little bit. The music I was listening to and the music I was writing behind closed doors was so vastly different from [what] I was singing at the time and I just felt like it was to time to take a bit of a risk and make something different.”.
When asked if she now considers London
as ‘home’, she replied; "Sydney
is our sentimental home — it’s where we grew up, had our first kiss, first cigarette, first band. However, London
feels like our musical birthplace. It inspires art in a way no other city has." She enjoys her returns to Australia: “It’s really good. It’s really nice and warm and comforting. You know, to come back to a place and it’s sunny and it’s friendly and your friends and family are all there – it’s a really nice combination.”
Juanita Stein's songwriting is inspired by many other artists and also by films and dreams. She said, "I have insane dreams, that’s very much a part of who I am. The visual realm is very important, as are films, to me and they have inspired a lot of [my] music.” Her musical influences have included Bjork
, Kate Bush
, Air, Siouxsie Sioux
, The Slits
and Magazine
. She cites the films Leon
, Frankie and Johnny
, Jaws
, Edward Scissorhands
, Chinatown
and Vivre Sa Vie as amongst her inspirations.
In March 2009, Gigwise
voted her "the sexiest woman in rock." She was also selected in the top ten of Clash
magazine's "Top Woman of 2009" list.
page for a time. She performed backing vocals on two tracks on father Peter's album Tear It Down: "What Would It Take?" and "Still Waters". She also contributed vocals to The Sleepy Jackson
's 2006 album, Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird
. In September 2010, she performed a duet with Australian singer and songwriter Steve Smyth live on stage at The Days of Decadence in Shoreditch
, London and also contributed to his forthcoming album. Juanita performed backing vocals on "Up With the Birds", which features on Coldplay
's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
. She has younger twin brothers Joel and Ari. Joel Stein is lead guitarist in Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
.
Early life
Juanita Stein was born in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
at an early age. Her father Peter Stein is a songwriter and musician; mother Linda Stein is a former stage and television actress.
Stein obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Literature at university in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where she also studied Theatre Performance and an electronic music course. Her first time in a music recording studio was when she was five years old and contributed vocals to one of her father’s songs. The experience shaped her life as she later said; "From then on, innately I knew that's what I would do." Brother Joel remembers her dedication to learning songs even in childhood: "She would sit in her room and learn old Beatles songs with the door shut until three in the morning. This was when she was about twelve. I would hear her voice at night."
Juanita Stein was brought up listening to all kinds of music but the first song she remembers hearing was Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
. She said; "It’s strange out of all the songs in the world that that was the one that I distinctly remember connecting with at a very, very young age. It was a really great moment. I just remember that song sounded different to me than every other song that was playing on the radio." Her own early favourite artists were Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield , is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies and Some Girls. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Portishead and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
.
Her adolescence was different to that of many other teenagers: "There wasn't a lot to rebel against, my parents were cool and listened to cool music. Dad told me about all his experiences back in the days, so I couldn't rebel by doing that."
Waikiki (1999-2003)
Juanita Stein wrote and played music while at university, mainly "[a] kind of folk music, in duets and trios." Then "at one point I really wanted to stop playing other people’s music" so in 1999 she and Joel Stein formed WaikikiWaikiki (band)
Waikiki were a rock group from Sydney, Australia, consisting of sister and brother Juanita Stein and Joel Stein , and Glenn Moule and Jimmy Brandon . A new bass player Brendan Picchio joined the band in early 2003, replacing Brandon, with Juanita Stein moving from bass to rhythm guitar...
, the name chosen by picking a random word out of an encyclopedia. She said, "We’d been playing in different formats for a while, and that was when I felt like it was possible for me to play music with a bunch of people. He’s a brilliant guitarist. I feel very lucky to work with him all the time."
They then advertised for a drummer to join them. Their advertisement read: "Original band looking for drummer. Our influences are Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and the Beatles." Glenn Moule joined the siblings to record and release a five-track EP Presents in 2000. Juanita Stein used the pseudonym Kikisun on the EP, on which she sang lead vocals and played bass.
The trio were later joined by second guitarist Jimmy (or Jimmeh) Brandon and released an album, I'm Already Home
I'm Already Home
I'm Already Home is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Waikiki, released on 29 September 2002. The album reached number 43 in the ARIA Charts.- Charts and certifications :- Track listing :# "New Technology"# "Lucky"# "Did I?"...
, in 2002. Brandon left the band in 2003 and was replaced by bass player Brendan Picchio, at which time Juanita Stein moved to playing rhythm guitar.
Howling Bells (2004-present)
In early 2004 WaikikiWaikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
disbanded, the group members moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and re-formed as Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
, who have released three albums: Howling Bells
Howling Bells (Album)
Howling Bells is the self-titled debut album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Bella Union in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2006...
in 2006, Radio Wars
Radio Wars (album)
Radio Wars is the second studio album by London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. It was released through Independiente in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2009 to mixed reviews...
in 2009 and The Loudest Engine
The Loudest Engine
The Loudest Engine is the third studio album of London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. The album was released through Cooking Vinyl on 9 September 2011 to mixed reviews...
in 2011. Juanita Stein said the change of name and relocation was part of a natural musical progression: "Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
is almost part of my childhood. I was 16 when I wrote some of the songs. It was time to move on." She added; “At some point you kind of leave school, if that makes sense. I felt like I’d grown up a little bit. The music I was listening to and the music I was writing behind closed doors was so vastly different from [what] I was singing at the time and I just felt like it was to time to take a bit of a risk and make something different.”.
When asked if she now considers London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as ‘home’, she replied; "Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
is our sentimental home — it’s where we grew up, had our first kiss, first cigarette, first band. However, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
feels like our musical birthplace. It inspires art in a way no other city has." She enjoys her returns to Australia: “It’s really good. It’s really nice and warm and comforting. You know, to come back to a place and it’s sunny and it’s friendly and your friends and family are all there – it’s a really nice combination.”
Juanita Stein's songwriting is inspired by many other artists and also by films and dreams. She said, "I have insane dreams, that’s very much a part of who I am. The visual realm is very important, as are films, to me and they have inspired a lot of [my] music.” Her musical influences have included Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Air, Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
, The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
and Magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. She cites the films Leon
Léon (film)
Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...
, Frankie and Johnny
Frankie and Johnny
-Films:*Frankie and Johnny , 1936 film co-starring Lilyan Tashman*Frankie and Johnny , a film starring Elvis Presley*Frankie and Johnny , a 1991 film based on McNally's play-Other:...
, Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
, Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter...
, Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
and Vivre Sa Vie as amongst her inspirations.
In March 2009, Gigwise
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
voted her "the sexiest woman in rock." She was also selected in the top ten of Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
magazine's "Top Woman of 2009" list.
Other work
Juanita has performed with several other artists. She sang on two songs for Australian group The Givegoods' album, I Want To Kill A Rich Man: the title track and "Black and Blue". She also sang with Australian group On Inc, on a song entitled "Spooky", and performed a duet with brother Ari on a song called, "LA To San Fran", which was played on Ari's MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page for a time. She performed backing vocals on two tracks on father Peter's album Tear It Down: "What Would It Take?" and "Still Waters". She also contributed vocals to The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele...
's 2006 album, Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird
Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird
Personality - One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird is the second album by Australian band The Sleepy Jackson, released in July 2006. The album was recorded at Big Jesus Burger Studios in Sydney, and was produced by Scott Horscroft and Luke Steele...
. In September 2010, she performed a duet with Australian singer and songwriter Steve Smyth live on stage at The Days of Decadence in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
, London and also contributed to his forthcoming album. Juanita performed backing vocals on "Up With the Birds", which features on Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto.