Artist description 21-year-old OUT singer/songwriter

Music Style Alternative/Pop/Rock

Musical Influences Tori Amos, Freddy Mercury, Janis Joplin, Joan Osborne, The Cure, Otis Redding, George Michael, Sublime, Dar Williams, Meatloaf, Tommy James and the Shondells, REM, Sarah Mclachlan, Fiona Apple, Tiffany.....

Similar Artists REM, Sarah Mclachlan, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple,Tori Amos, Freddy Mercury, Janis Joplin, Joan Osborne, The Cure, Otis Redding, George Michael, Sublime, Dar Williams, Meatloaf, REM, Tiffany

Artist History Mike James, a fresh talent from Connecticut, has released his first full lengh album "finding." Whether he's singing a rock song or a light track, Mike James brings an innovative style to music. The 20-year-old is already a seasoned performer - acting, singing and modeling since he was 11. He began his career on television and in videos. James also performed in a Christian music group. He went on to a modeling agency in Manhattan.Soon after, James took a new path toward becoming a singer/songwriter. He performed original songs at night clubs, coffee shops, colleges and festivals, including numerous gay pride events and equal rights rallies, appearing before audiences of thousands. He has taken top male vocalist awards at national talent competitions. James worked as a session vocalist for years. He played many benefit concerts, receiving a community service award for soing Boys and Girls Club benefits. He also performed in the New England Carousel Museum benefit concert. And when he was offered a solo in a Broadway production, he declined, dropping the "boy-next-door" image to persue his love for rock music. Mike James is also well-known among radio listeners. "Take Me Whole," the first song on the CD, has been played on college and major market stations in New York and Connecticut. The soulful, raw edge of James' voice is captured in this first release. A firm believer in artistic freedom, James started his own label, RedSiren Records. This has given him the chance to showcase his range of musical influences and styles. In "Seventeen," James creates a rhthym that fuses mainstream alternative with a classic rock sound. HIs lyrics reach out to young listeners, addressing the hard choices and confusing emotions that come with adolescence.The album is produced by Mike James and progressive rock vetran Scott Sebastian. James also takes the role of piano man, joined by several solid artists, including Ken Cormier on guitar, Matt O'Reilly on bass, and drummer Megan Gilbert. Each song is different. Each is unique. In an age when one song on the radio sounds much like the one before, and many bands sound like those who preceeded them, James' style is a revolutionary change.

Instruments Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Drums, Synth Drums, Synth

Albums Right Aligned (EP), finding (LP)

Press Reviews Radio Stonewall -Curie got blasted when she discovered radium; Einstein stopped time when he discovered relativity; and somewhere in the universe a star exploded when Mike James opened his mouth to sing. "J.R." is a beautiful ballad with Joni-like piano and vocals that can't be compared to anyone. Don't let his age prejudge- "J.R." is not jr. and when it comes to songwriting, James is no kid.(RedSiren Records)Mike James works his way around a variety of different musical styles and discovers he likes the down-on-one knee, fist-raised, rock voice the best. --- Jon P. (2000, listen.com) -Oasis Magazine (Cover Story September - 2000)Mike James – Doing Things His WayBy Troy N. DiggsOasis Staff Writer Out blues/funk/alternative artist Mike James may not have the star power of, say, the Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, or Britney Spears… but unlike many of the commercially made pop artists flooding the airwaves today, James' music comes from the soul. "I’m hoping that people can appreciate a youngster that actually has some substance, as opposed to a youngster who’s just a hooker," he jokes. "There’s a lot of stuff out there that’s just there to sell records to 11-year old girls." James' background is, ironically enough, based in what he describes as the "Manhattan modeling scene"; the well-groomed, pre-fab, ready-made pop icons. "They wanted really different things for me. They wanted for me to be very rustic and outdoorsy, and very boy next door… and that’s not me. I’m just going to do my thing, and I don’t want to do pop commercials or go on TV pushing Jell-O. I went home, gained a lot of weight, took some time for myself, and started writing music, and playing out of coffeeshops and colleges. I was doing a whole different thing." James' "whole different thing" has gotten him some positive results. His music is freely available to listeners through http://www.mp3.com/mikejames/ , and James says he feels like it’s a benefit, because his sound is being heard. "It’s tough when you’re a small label… and it’s tough when you don’t have a lot of money to push out with… it gets really expensive. That’s one thing I’ve learned by doing this." The "small label" is James' company, RedSiren Records. He says he started up RedSiren because he wanted to have complete freedom over what he did. "Right before I recorded the tracks (on the "Right Aligned" EP), I was working on a dance project. It sounded OK, but it wasn’t what I was into, and I had no control over it… it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing at the time. I wanted to do something real, especially for a first release project. I wanted to do something that was me."James says that one of the reasons he’s starting out on his own musically is because gay youth, sometimes, don’t have good artists to have as role models. "I went to the record store (when I first came out) and wanted to get something I could relate to. There wasn’t really anything that said ‘this is what I’m going through.’ There were really no youth role models that were really positive. I mean, there’s like Johann Paulik… and you don’t want your role model to be a porn star when you’re 15 or 16."As inspiration for his music, James likes to draw from the likes of Tori Amos, George Michael, and even 80’s pop phenom Tiffany. "It was the first music that I picked out on my own. Her songs were really stupid and fluffy, but when you’re 10 years old, who cares? You know, I think we’ve got similar backgrounds as far as the whole ‘dysfunctional childhood and getting out of the house as soon as possible and trying to make some money’ thing." While the inspiration comes from a varied blend of artists, James adds that many times, "you get people that say ‘You sound just like so-and-so’, and I try not to sound just like anybody; I try to sound just like me. I just run into the brick wall where you get compared. I wanna be my own sound. I wanna do my own thing." James' first hint of radio airplay, "Take Me Whole", is, essentially, about talking to a brick wall. "It’s something that you see, especially in the gay community… a lot of one-way affection. You’re either being the admirer or the admired. It’s not always a two-way street, and it’s frustrating. It’s kind of the same way with ‘Snowman’ (also available on the Right Aligned EP). You’ve got some people who aren’t looking for anything serious, and you’ve got the other side that’s really looking for something deeper, and there’s a big gap in communication there. I think most people can (relate), and I think it’s pretty common. At the age of 16, I thought it was just me… but 5 years later, I think it’s part of the human experience." The future for this young artist looks rather promising. He’s currently working on a degree in mass communication, and a full-length album is on the way. James is also working on new original stuff, and an album called "Crayons". "It’s of songs that I really liked growing up that I didn’t write… it’s just a cover CD for fun."James believes in doing things "his way", and the result is an EP that relates to the young gay male experience. Above all, James says "I just try to be a good person and hopefully, I’m setting a good example." --- Let Troy know if you liked his article on Mike James mgcvoice@aol.com

Location Waterbury, CT - USA

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