Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, The Rolling Stones, Allen Ginsberg, Phil Ochs, Lenny Bruce, Muddy Waters, Robbie Robertson, Tom Waits, William Burroughs, The Jayhawks, Jeff Buckley, Walt Whitman
Singer-songwriter Jim Baron is best identified by his haunting vocals, his evocative lyrics and his elaborate but catchy songs that he welds out of folk, pop, rock and blues. Jim is primarily a soloist and has always allowed his instincts to guide him through adventurous changes throughout his musical career, exemplifying his image of creative freedom and independence. Jim has spent several years busking the streets and subways of New York, Boston and Montreal, he has performed at folk festivals as well as having teamed up with cowpunk bands, rock groups, latin rock and power pop acts.
Jim's first solo EP, Not For Nothing, featured live studio takes of Jim on vocals and guitars, accompanied only by piano, organ, harmonica and percussion. The sparse arrangements of Not For Nothing and its cohesively dark mood were notably punctuated by Jim's haunting vocals, his evocative lyrics and his intricate guitar playing. The Musicians' Exchange wrote: "Jim Baron is a singer-songwriter who has really come into his own." Not For Nothing garnered regional recognition for Jim in the Northeast as he soon became an established solo act to take notice of.
Soon afterwards, Jim began supplementing his income from live performances and CD sales by busking street corners and subways in New York, Boston and Montreal. Inspired by his personal experiences, he soon became a local musical icon for the satirical and sociopolitical material that he put forth on his next release, Now!, and he became a regular guest on New York's WBAI radio station. The title track from Now! displayed a new vibrantly upbeat feel, and the inside connection noted Jim for "...a melodious, ruminating vocal range and a clear new evolved spirit".
The following year Jim was a featured performer at Pennsylvania's annual Burn Fest music festival and was prominently included on a compilation CD of the event.
Since then, Jim has played regularly both as a soloist and with backing musicians. Many of these new musicians helped shape the power pop edge of Jim's latest release, Chameleon. In reviewing Chameleon, CDBABEL.com described Jim as: "unabashed and sharp...he's got the spark of a rebel in him." Amplifier Magazine called Chameleon: "...a smorgasbord of sub-genres strung together by Baron's love-struck melodies and wry wordplay", elements of Jim Baron music from its beginnings.
Most fittingly, Amplifier also wrote: "Baron has the goods to compete with any star on the contemporary singer-songwriter scene and then some." Jim Baron is the quintessential underground treasure. Discover him now.
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