THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Folk singer-songwriter Graeme James didn’t decide on a life in music until it seemed his very existence depended on artistic gifts. In 2012, circumstances outside his control essentialized his life and he found himself sleeping in his car and busking by day to get by. There and then he made the fateful decision to leap into the unknown and pursue a life as a professional musician.
Rooted in folk’s rich storytelling and musical traditions, Graeme James furthers this lineage with an imaginative textural approach in which he carefully crafts multi-instrumental soundscapes. His dynamically layered compositions feature him playing electric violin, guitar, bass, banjo, baritone ukulele, mandolin, harmonica, piano and percussion. He produces his own albums, and he faithfully recreates his textural tunes live in real time with a loop pedal. Now, four albums and 40 million streams later the New Zealand artist is firmly entrenched in this life path.
Graeme’s story is truly about taking the long road home. As a kid, music was his first love and he had his sights fixed on being a concert violinist. In high school, Graeme became fascinated with various folk and Celtic traditions, and began to perform locally with friends and family. It wasn’t long till he taught himself the guitar and had begun writing his own songs. A shoulder injury ended up killing his classical music ambitions and fearing that the dangerous freedoms of a musicians lifestyle would overtake him, he ended up choosing to study teaching in college.
Fate intervened in 2011 after Graeme impulsively bought a loop pedal, in what ended up being an inspired purchase. At home with his new gadget, Graeme experienced a crystalizing moment when he realized the various instruments he picked up throughout the years, and all the music he explored could coexist in real time. His narrative took a juicier turn when Graeme, in a desperate bid to fund some car repairs, took to busking. His one-man band, and his imaginative renditions of cover songs, made him a hit on the streets of Wellington, New Zealand. With a running car, and a reawakened passion for music, Graeme began to migrate to different regions of New Zealand to perform, building a strong and devoted following along the way.
Reflecting back on the long road, Graeme says “I tried everything to not do music. I think I was looking for something structured like the army to sort me out. What I realized is that I needed to embrace the freedom to fail. If you’re a street performer, you have busk to eat, even if it’s raining. That woke up with this healthy ambition in me, and that set me off on this wonderful adventure.”
In late 2018 that adventure took him far from his native New Zealand as he relocated to Northern Europe. Living in the Netherlands, he was freshly impacted by the very distinct nature of each of the Northern European seasons. These observations inspired one of his richest periods of songwriting, resulting in an ambitious 12 month, four EP project exploring the emotional landscape of each of the four seasons.
Autumn: Old Storms in New Places - Sept 18th 2020
Winter: The Weight of Many Winters - Jan 1st 2021
Spring: A Sea of Infinite Possibilities - April 16th 2021
Summer: Field Notes on an Endless Day - July 30th 2021
The art for the Singles and EPs in this seasonal project have been hand drawn by Graeme James