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YULAN & BLAISE
Yulan & Blaise is the Australian-American experimental pop duo of Yulan Jack 杰克玉兰 and Blaise Garza (Violent Femmes). Their sound features electronic instruments alongside ethereal vocals and folk instruments unmoored from their traditional contexts.
Yulan, whose name is derived from her grandmother Mulan, is "a true triple threat in the performance world", a classically-trained vocalist, Harvard-educated actor and a prolific interdisciplinary artist who has lived and worked across four continents. Her screen credits include the Emmy-nominated comedy ‘Deadloch’. In 2022 she was recognised as one of Asialink's 40-Under-40 Most Influential Asian-Australians for her work highlighting diasporic narratives.
Blaise is a Mexican-American former child star turned acclaimed saxophonist who has been touring with folk punk band the Violent Femmes for two decades since he was 15. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for playing a 6ft tall contrabass saxophone. He has shared the stage with Barenaked Ladies, Colin Hay (Men at Work), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), and Mike Watt (Foo Fighters), playing iconic venues including Hollywood Bowl, Sydney Opera House, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The duo met, fell in love, and recorded their debut EP at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Their upcoming debut EP invites you to enter cinematic worlds where their romance is reimagined in extreme, yet strangely nostalgic, scenarios.
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PRAISE FOR YULAN & BLAISE
“Blaise Garza is an engineer on a musical Mercedes. His music is profound on its own, but he is also a great collaborator. I first encountered him in the rock group The Violent Femmes, a band that is as old as he is, but one that he has made himself an essential element of. I've also heard him solo, and that's an exquisite treat as well.”
David Walsh, Owner, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
“Yulan Jack is a true triple threat in the performance world”
The Hobart Magazine
"No rock band has ever played with one of those (saxophones) on stage. [Blaise] just rocked. I told him to just wing it. [...] Anybody who owns 17 saxophones doesn't suck."
Zip Zembinski, The San Diego Union-Tribune (2004)
“[Yulan] was able to be both commandingly strong and touchingly vulnerable. She’s just naturally appealing on stage. She has a unique combination of traits that makes her work very engaging to watch.”
Marcus Stern, Director and Harvard Faculty
“...Blaise Garza from the Violent Femmes who at one stage flies through the air while playing his saxophone without missing a beat.”
Limelight
“[Yulan is] a creative and cultural force. I believe we are lucky to have her ambition, vision and artistry in Tasmania.”
Maeve MacGregor, Former Artistic Director, Tasmanian Theatre Company
“The record includes a special moment when Barenaked Ladies accompany Colin Hay to perform his #1 hit “Who Can It Be Now”, joined on stage by Blaise Garza of Violent Femmes to cover the famed saxophone solo, recognized around the world!”
Concord Records
“No one has a sax as big as Blaise Garza!”
Gordon Gano, Violent Femmes, OC Music News