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\u201cI started playing in bands when I was 13 years old, and that\u2019s when I decided that music would be my life,\u201d states Ivan Julian. \u201cIt\u2019s always been important to me to be what I do, and not leave it behind at 5 o\u2019clock.\u201dAlthough his new release\xa0The Naked Flame\xa0is his first album under his own name, Ivan Julian has been one of rock\u2019s most celebrated players and most in-demand collaborators for more than three decades.\xa0\xa0The album, Julian\u2019s first collection of his own songs in more than 20 years, finds the veteran guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer effortlessly stepping back into the role of frontman/bandleader.\n\n\u201cI look at this record as a harvest of everything that has come before,\u201d Julian says.\xa0\xa0\u201cAll of us are the sum of our experiences, and these songs are the product of mine.\u201d \xa0The Naked Flame\xa0features a dozen compelling new songs that benefit from Julian\u2019s commanding performances as well as his seasoned studio skills, which give the tracks a timeless warmth and immediacy. \u201cI\u2019ve had my share of triumph and heartbreak,\u201dhe concludes. \xa0\u201cEveryone goes through that, no one escapes. \xa0It\u2019s all about how you ride it. \xa0And I think that if you\u2019re a musician, it\u2019s your obligation to put the joy, the sorrow, the laughs and the tears into the writing and playing. \xa0You have to take it all. \xa0And one day you realize: this what I do and this is who I am. \xa0That\u2019s when the ride starts to make sense, and you just relax and do it.\u201d