SongVault Artist Profile

A finger style acoustic guitar player using alternate tunings. The style is a bit new age, a bit ambient, and a bit just plain hard to describe. Somewhere back 2001 or 2002 he began to dabble with alternative tunings and quickly headed down the path that has resulted in the CD Borderline Normal. The tunes on this CD have evolved over the past few years and were recorded in at home in various rooms; A homegrown project all the way around with the exception of the mastering by Bill Wolf (Al Petteway, Jim Tozier, Brooks Williams, etc.) and art work by Glenn Wolff, a fellow Traverse City, Michigan resident and well known artist and bass player for the Neptune Quartet. New to the music scene and relatively new to finger style guitar, James’ primary guitars are both hand built, one from Irish luthier Dermot Mcilroy and the other from American Simon Fay.

“... a treat for the ears... very reflective ... His guitar music feels like a continuous flow of inspiration of the deeper layers of the soul.”
Bridge Guitar Reviews

Borderline Normal is an easy listen... soothing music that calms the spirit."
- Jim Tozier, Solid Air Records recording artist

... “Nice finger style acoustic guitar folk that relaxes the soul ... reinvigorates while it coaxes. Definitely a nifty instrumental listen...
-Smother.net

“Quiet, reflective moods dominate ... New Age qualities, notably, effective use of repetition, resonance and silence. Some of the strongest performances include the opener, "Round Lake Leelanau," "Ambient Noise" and "Autrain River," all of which have well-developed themes...the title tune, which has a jazzy tinge and manages to hold the listener's interest without any flashy soloing...”
-Monor 7th