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So why are you called Georgia Wonder?
Stephanie: Georgia Wonder was a vaudeville act that toured the US in the late 1800's and was the nickname given to a girl called Lulu Hurst who was also known as The Magnet Girl. She became very famous for the apparent ability to attract and repel members of the audience at will, as well as demonstrating feats of strength which appeared impossible to the general public. She disappeared after a few years and was never seen again.
Julian: We like all that kind of weird stuff, and also think the name Georgia is quite romantic, so the name conjures up lots of images for us. And of course we're magnetic.
If you had to put a label on your sound, how would you describe it?
Stephanie: Kind of 70's songwriter rock with a bit of angst, and occasionally tongue in cheek.
Julian: With some country thrown in for good luck.
What do you write songs about?
Julian: I like songs to be about something that I have experienced or something that has moved me. That can be anything from something I see on TV to something inside that's gnawing away at my brain. I don't like words for words sake and I'm deeply critical of everything I write, so I try and say as much as possible in as few words as I can, and if I've said it, I stop.
Stephanie: Sometimes I think that Julian has reached inside my brain and pulled out what I was thinking! We're both very different in many ways but emotionally there is definitely some understanding there.
Who would you most like to support live?
Stephanie: Elvis! Every time. Ok, he's not around anymore, but you didn't say if they had to be alive or not.
Julian: I'd like to support AC/DC but it's never going to happen, as we're not that kind of band!
So what bands have you been influenced by?
Stephanie: Country music (but not Country And Western!) and anything with a good lyric. A song has to get me emotionally; I'm not into music that is clever for its own sake. I love all the old rock of the 60's and 70's, sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era!
Julian: Most of it comes from the 70's melodic rock thing. The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, but lyrically we try and have a slightly harder edge than some of those bands. I guess some of the moodiness of 90's grunge must have crept in, although unlike those bands, we actually have some fun too!
There's a bit of a country sound in what you do. Where did that come from?
Stephanie: I like Country music, which came from my love for Rock 'n Roll. I loved doing that southern drawl accent, and I've always admired the story telling in those songs. I'm also a huge fan of Dolly Parton, in fact I was lucky enough to go to her only UK gig last year. She's incredible.
Julian: I have no idea how we got a Country sound. I bought a mandolin once, perhaps that's it.
How did you guys meet?
Stephanie: I asked my vocal coach to get me some auditions for some more bands, and after going to some rather terrible auditions and making a complete fool of myself, I turned up at Julian's house and I was so shy that I had to sing from behind a curtain! We then went to the pub to calm down, and had so much fun in the pub that we kept meeting up to do it again. Eventually music was made, and I'm proud to say that nowadays I don't need a curtain to sing behind.
Julian: I felt I needed to work on a different kind of music, so I phoned around a few friends to see if they knew any good singers. One of them knew Stephanie and we hooked up. I had a bunch of songs that I'd written and tried to sing myself, but my singing really sucks. Using those songs as a basis for starting something, we moved on and developed songs that we were both happy with. We pretty much write in 'Georgia Wonder' style automatically now. It wasn't always like that! Many songs have fallen by the wayside.
What are you dreams/goals/ambitions?
Stephanie: I'd invent a time machine and go back to when I was a kid and teach myself to dress properly.
Julian: Find a cure for the common cold and be the first band in space.
How long have you been doing this?
Stephanie: We met about 4 years ago, but the first couple of years were very on and off. We were both tied to other commitments which both involved making money to survive, and it wasn't until a year and a half ago that we 'got serious', which involved Julian moving out of London and myself spending more time on the music.
Julian: We just couldn't get enough done with other commitments. Actually, now we've got no other commitments we still have problems getting things done!
What did you do before Georgia Wonder? Were you in any past projects or bands?
Stephanie: I was in a Radiohead covers band 'cos I was the only person in the auditions who could hit the high notes! The band were really annoyed that they had to let a girl in! It didn't last very long and I decided it was a good time to leave when the manager spent all the gig money on T-shirts!
Julian: I played in a few bands before, but as a keyboard player! It was really boring standing there filling in all the gaps. At one point I was playing in three bands at the same time, and within a year I'd played pretty much every venue in London. It was crazy, and I was broke, but I learnt a lot.
Did you both grow up in London?
Stephanie: I grew up in Fulham, although my Dad is from New Zealand and my mum's French. In fact, I only found out the other day that I am in fact French and don't even have an English passport! I've spent a fair bit of time as a kid travelling because of that, so although I've spent most of my time in England, I don't feel particularly English, apart from my terrible tea habit!
Julian: It was always just my mum and me and we moved around a lot when I was a kid, and I ended up living in Los Angeles and France for a few years, before my mother settled back in England. I think up until I was 16 I'd never lived in the same place for more than a few years, so I was always in and out of different schools and stuff, although I was always the kid who 'played the piano'.
So what bands are you listening to now?
Stephanie: I like Keane because of the melodies and the sentiment, and Snow Patrol has a couple of great songs, and Goldie Looking Chain, because there's nothing more ridiculous than a Welsh man rapping!
Julian: I quite like all the new stuff that's flying around like Franz Ferdinand and Scissor Sisters, I'm glad that some fun has been injected into the mix as I was getting pretty bored of most bands songs consisting of a four minute moan! I like that these bands have more showmanship and actually get out there and do it for the crowd!
Who are your heroes?
Stephanie: Janice Joplin. Dusty Springfield. John Lennon. Carole King.
Julian: Igor Stravinsky. Oscar Peterson. Jimmy Hendrix. Freddie Mercury.
Where do you hang out?
Stephanie: Wherever it is there has to be music, and I hate those sports bars where they have those huge TV's, even though I can't stand football I always end up watching it! It's got to be cosy and if there's somewhere to dance when you've had too many then that's a bonus.
Julian: I'll hang out anywhere where there's good company, I'm pretty eclectic in my tastes and like to mix it up. You can find me in any location from heavy metal bar to posh restaurant, and anywhere that serves a good Martini or cheap beer. Or Guinness. Actually I'll drink anything.
Worst gig moment?
Julian: I was in a band a few years back and we were doing a gig in a small venue with quite a high stage. There were a lot of us in the band so we had to come on from the audience side. While I was hoisting myself up onto the stage I thwacked my head full force against the corner of a hanging amplifier. I played the gig with near concussion, and when we came offstage the whole of one side of my face was a lump, as I'd hit myself on the temple. Apparently I played a good keyboard solo although I don't remember it.
Stephanie: (laughing) I can't beat that!
Songs you wished you'd written?
Stephanie: Bobby McGee. Love that song! Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, it's just so cool. Jealous Guy by Lennon, because we all know how that feels.
Julian: Hotel California, great story and terrific playing. Bohemian Rhapsody, completely silly and irrelevant but brilliant because of it. Say A Little Prayer, and in fact most stuff by Carole King.
What are the silliest things you guys have done?
Stephanie: I think that one of the silliest things Julian's ever done was when we were in a late night drinking bar in Soho. We were chatting with a girl at the bar who had run out of cigarettes. Julian, taking a twenty pound note from her, said he'd go and find some. After a very long wait he finally returned and proudly presented us with five Kinder eggs and a packet of cards, and no cigarettes. To this day he still doesn't know where he got them from, and still owes the girl twenty quid!
Julian: One day I popped up to London for an evening out with Stephanie and her mates. It was agreed beforehand that I would be staying at her place that evening. However, in the early hours of the morning she lost me, assumed I'd left her, got really upset, and then went home without me. She took my mobile phone with her by accident, making it impossible for me to call her or anyone else for that matter. I had to use a phone box to call the only friend whose number I could remember off the top of my head who lived just outside London, and then get there by night bus, carrying a slide guitar all the way!
What is your favourite song that you perform?
Stephanie: My favourite is probably 'Carnival'. It has a beautiful melody and the words mean a lot to me. It's actually about suicide bombers, although you wouldn't know it from first listening.
Julian: My favourite song is probably 'Two Weeks To Live'. Stephanie gets to sing her heart out, and I like the idea of the story. Incidentally, the name 'Mr Macaloon' who the song is about isn't about anyone in particular, but as it was an involved kind of song to write we used the name of Paddy Macaloon from Prefab Sprout. No offence.
What would you be doing if it weren't music?
Stephanie: I'd be a mechanic of some sort. I love fixing things! When I was a kid I used to break things just so I could fix them, but don't let my mum know that, she'd kill me!
Julian: I was really into programming games as a kid, so who knows, I could have ended up being a games designer. I love computer games. Either that or psychologist, I've always been into the ways of the mind and all that stuff.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Julian: When I was very young I wanted to be a magician. Then I wanted to be Fred Astaire. However, music was always around and eventually it won.
Stephanie: I wanted to be a Mermaid! I used to swim as much as I could and practice holding my breath under water. I was convinced that if I practiced enough I could become one. I blame it on the book 'The Water Babies' My record was two minutes.
