Elliott Smith, Beck, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Ryan Adams, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple.
This excursion began back in 1989 in the very small town of Millington, New Jersey. Nothing more than a few friends getting together for some laughs while paying homage to their favorite heavy metal bands inside a cold warehouse. That band, Corroded, didn't last much past high school. But it provided a look into something that would continue to be pursued.
In the fall of 1990, the journey proceeded up to New England where Jim attended New Hampshire College. It was at this point that he started writing his own songs. No longer feeling the need to lug the amp back and forth, he picked up an acoustic guitar. It proved to be a pivotal move as it helped define his sound in the years to come.
After graduating college, Jim moved into the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan. Upon moving in, he took a night job in the graphic arts field. With the job came some funky hours and a condensed working week. This schedule ultimately enabled him to freely spend his days singing and writing.
It was at this point that he began studying the art of Bel Canto singing at the Singer’s Forum in NYC. He studied under Liz Russo and Phil Campanella in the work-study program for more than three years while developing his tone and performance technique. Working with the two very talented teachers helped to enhance his many different influential styles that would bleed into his original material.
Looking for a little more diversity and independence in his city surroundings, he relocated to the East Village and moved into an apartment on 5th Street between A & B. It seemed appropriate to put together an album with similarly contrasting styles and started recording his debut.
Feeling the need to get this music heard, Jim formed his own label, Squatter Records. The name was inspired by the many altercations between squatters and the NYPD in the East Village. The debut album is specifically named for the location and controversial demolition of a squatted building on East 5th Street in 1997. In the winter of 2000, his debut East 5th Street was released.
In the summer of 2000, Jim moved to Seattle to pursue the west coast life style. There was the initial shock of watching people wait for crosswalk signs but that slowly wore off and he eventually started settling into the music scene. During the winter of 2004, he decided to record his latest album Yellow Sky. It is a dark folk record that holds a beauty in its starkness and honesty. It was recorded in just a few weeks time in his home studio during August/September of 2004. In the hopes of capturing the energy of these songs, he decided to record them live.
The lead vocals and guitars were recorded simultaneously and Jim later added other instrumentation. The guitars are acoustic and the engaging story telling lyrics are heartfelt and honest. At times you can imagine a band jamming behind these songs. But he ultimately liked the idea of this album being in a raw and simple form. The album cover was a photo taken by Jim from his old apartment on Capital Hill in Seattle. During one of his many rainy winter day naps on the couch he awoke to a golden glow and rushed to get his tripod and camera. The sun was just sneaking over the Olympic Mountains as it caught a break in the clouds. All that grey just turned into gold. Yellow Sky was born.
After spending most of 2006 playing live in support of Yellow Sky, Jim began working on recording his third album Cold Rain in 2007. While working on Cold Rain, he also began engineering Scott Andrew's album Save You From Yourself in his home studio in Seattle. The two projects kept him pretty busy through 2007/2008. Save You From Yourself was released in February 2008 while Cold Rain finally came to life in October 2008.
Cold Rain has a bigger richer sound with contributions from Scott Andrew, Jerin Falkner, Louie Husted, Alek Vila and Brad Yaeger. The writing process for this album began back in the NYC days and lasted all the way through Seattle's rainy seasons. The album is available as a digital release with a limited edition run of CDs available at concerts.
I hope that all is well with you! I wanted to stop by and let you know about a few new things at Ourstage. We have just introduced a new French channel! It is for songs performed in French! Also, we are now accepting entries for performance in the One Planet Music Festival as well as the John Lennon Song Contest. For more information, go here: www. ourstage. com/go/tim
This specially compiled 4 CD Box Set from Time Life features the best Folk Rock songs from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s! Includes 71 Songs That Defined An Era and Influenced Generations... In Stores September 11
Not just another genre, folk rock was born as a statement—of purpose, of taste, of superiority—the baby boom’s first imprimatur, a musical mission and a personal battle cry in a divisive time of racial tension and escalating war. For a generation of philosopher dropouts and drug-inspired visionaries, it was also the best way to partake in the era’s hippest form of artistic expression, in numbers previously unknown to man.
A 10 CD set showcasing 175 songs from the Love Generation!
Time Life has released a comprehensive musical retrospective of the Flower Power era, featuring 175 songs from such legendary artists as Bob Dylan, The Mamas and the Papas, The Lovin Spoonful, The Byrds, Richie Havens, The Electric Prunes, Janis Joplin, The Kinks, The Band, and Jefferson Airplane, to name only a few.
This specially compiled 4 CD Box Set from Time Life features the best Folk Rock songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s! Includes 71 Songs That Defined An Era and Influenced Generations... In Stores September 11
Not just another genre, folk rock was born as a statement of purpose, of taste, of superiority the baby boom¹s first imprimatur, a musical mission and a personal battle cry in a divisive time of racial tension and escalating war. For a generation of philosopher dropouts and drug-inspired visionaries, it was also the best way to partake in the era¹s hippest form of artistic expression, in numbers previously unknown to man.
There are the leaders and the followers.
Give a shout if you dig it.
Give a shout if you know where you stand.
Give a shout if you're into making the difference.
Online Now!
&l
