Jump to content

Brendan James

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 72.208.80.108 (talk) at 19:11, 23 August 2011 (→Early life). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Brendan James
Brendan James
Brendan James
Background information
Born (1979-07-17) July 17, 1979 (age 45)
Nashua, New Hampshire
OriginDerry, New Hampshire, United States
GenresSoft rock, pop rock, folk rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active2007–present
LabelsDecca Records
Websitewww.BrendanJames.com

Brendan James is an American singer-songwriter originally from Derry, New Hampshire,[1][2] who started in New York City but is currently residing in California.[3][4][5][6] His music is primarily based around the piano and he has released two albums, The Day Is Brave and Brendan James, with Decca Records.

Early life

James was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on July 17, 1979, to parents Patricia and Randy. He is of Irish and German descent. He moved to Derry, Hampshire at a young age and lived between Derry and nearby Manchester, New Hampshire after his parents divorced[7][8] when he was 4. He attended Pinkerton Academy in Derry for high school and performed in plays and musicals during school.[9] After the death of a friend's mother, he sang at her funeral and from there met Kevin Kandel, who played the piano at the funeral for James. Kandel, a local music teacher, would help spur James' interest in music.[4]

After high school he went on to attend college at the University of North Carolina, beginning with a major in Voice before switching to Communications. During breaks from school James would head back to Derry and meet up with Kandel, who persuaded James to take up an instrument.[9] James began piano lessons at the age of 19 and also started to write songs. [6][9] Back at the University of North Carolina, James joined the Clef Hangers, an a capella music group.[5][9] During his Junior year of college he wanted to visit Los Angeles to try to pursue a career in music. He was able to travel to Hollywood and earn school credits on the condition that he accepted an internship at a business related to his Communications degree.[10] In his time living in Los Angeles,[3] he played at the venue The Crooked Bar underneath the Coconut Teaszer, working on songs and performing.[11] When his internship was over, he returned to the University of North Carolina and finished his Communications degree in 2002.[1][2][5]

Music career

2003-06: Early New York & Capitol Records

After graduation from school James moved to New York City to pursue his music career and got a job at Urban Outfitters[2][7] to support himself. He held the job for the next three years[9] and began performing at various open mics across Manhattan and the East Village.[4] Around this time he also would break into various hotels, ballrooms and schools in order to use a piano to practice.[6] In 2003 he acquired his still-current manager Ben Singer,[12] a former student James had met at UNC.[11] His manager helped him record a demo that eventually made its way to Carly Simon,[2][5][13] who heard the demo and then invited James to come and record a song with her that would play at the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

In 2005 James would record another demo, this time with Tony Bruno in Woodstock, New York[14] at the Millbrook Sound Studio. The demo caught interest of major record labels, getting James a chance to play for Capitol Records CEO Andrew Slater.[11] Slater signed him to a record deal and James spent the next year and a half working on his debut album, working with producers Tony Bruno and Patrick Leonard. The album was almost finished when James was dropped from Capitol Records following the merger and takeover of Capitol by Virgin Records.[15] James was let go from the label[5] along with many other artists, but was allowed the keep his master tapes and was paid severance.[4]

2007–08: The Ballroom Break-In, The Day Is Brave and Decca Records

Still living in New York, James used and built upon the music he developed and recorded at Capitol, working to release the album himself. Working with producer Mikal Blue he turned the Capitol material and some new songs[16] into the self-released EP, The Ballroom Break-In, in 2007.[17] The title of his EP was based on his early days in New York City, when he broke into venues in order to practice playing and writing songs on a piano.[17] After the release of the EP, Tomas Young, a paralyzed Iraq War veteran, heard "Hero's Song" from The Ballroom Break-In on iTunes.[18] Young picked the song to be on a soundtrack of a documentary of his life, called Body of War.[2] Music from his EP was also used in television shows, "The Sun Will Rise" appeared on the ABC drama Private Practice in 2007, and the episode "The Bone That Blew" in the FOX series Bones.[19] His EP earned interest with record labels and afterward James signed to Decca Records.

Decca Records released Brendan James' debut album, The Day Is Brave on June 3, 2008, in the United States, and on June 17, 2008 in Canada. The album was also produced by Mikal Blue.[8] It debuted on the Top 10 Billboard Heatseeker Charts, with Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly,[20] and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton[21] praising his debut effort. James toured regionally then nationally supporting the album, headlining his own shows and also opening for artists such as Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend, Susan Tedeschi, The Fray, and Robert Cray. At the end of 2008 James toured with the MTV SoundTRACKER Tour.[17][22]

2009-now: Brendan James

Writing for James' sophomore album began in 2009. Writing and production lasted for the next year and James called the act of the writing the second album "very difficult". During the creation of his second album James embarked on two distinct tours, John Mayer's Mayercraft II[13] and a tour sponsored by scooter-maker Vespa, calling attention to green living.[17][23] Brendan James, James' self-titled sophomore album with production by Warren Huart,[4] was released on September 7, 2010. James was also getting his songs on a wider range of television shows, being used on different series like So You Think You Can Dance and Army Wives.[4]

Musical Styles & Influences

James is a singer-songwriter with a style based around the piano and only began composing and writing songs and playing the piano at 19. He's cited taking inspiration from 1970s artists James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder as well as more current artists like Ryan Adams and Death Cab For Cutie.[16]

Discography

Albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
U.S.
Billboard 200 		U.S.
Heatseekers 		U.S. Digital U.S. Rock
2008 The Day is Brave

— 9[24] — — —
2010 Brendan James

93[25] — 21 33[25] —

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. Heatseekers Songs
2008 "Green" — — The Day Is Brave
2010 "The Fall" — — Brendan James

EPs

  • The Ballroom Break-In (2007)

References

  1. ^ a b Christa Fletcher. "Brendan James info". Channel One News. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rachel Syme (13 July 2008). "Who's That: Singer Brendan James Is a Hometown Hero". Page Six Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b Andrew Leahey. "All Music bio". All Music Guide. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Brendan James bio". Decca Records. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e David Menconi (25 February 2011). "Persistence is Brendan James' virtue". NewsObserver.com. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Ashley Iasimone (26 October 2010). "Brendan James Becomes One of 'The Lucky Ones'". PopEater. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  7. ^ a b Joel D Amos (20 May 2008). "Brendan James Talks". She Knows. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Brendan James bio". music allies. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Better late than never". The San Francisco Examiner. 30 August 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  10. ^ "Back Stage Live: Brendan James' Delinquent Past". CBS. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  11. ^ a b c Evan Amos (20 May 2011). "Evan Amos interview". Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  12. ^ David Bergman (3 June 2008). "Breaking In and Breaking Out". {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  13. ^ a b "20 questions for singer-songwriter-pianist Brendan James" (PDF). Western Herald. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  14. ^ Brendan James (9 November 2005). "Brendan James blog". myspace. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  15. ^ Jeff Leeds (26 January 2007). "EMI Merging Record Labels and Ousting Capitol's President". New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  16. ^ a b Ben Rhudy (27 May 2008). "M&C Interview: Brendan James talks The Day is Brave". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  17. ^ a b c d Emily J Ramey (1 June 2009). ""On a Bold Horizon" with Brendan James". American Music Channel. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  18. ^ Jim Farber (19 December 2008). "Soul-searching singer Brendan James hits the Blender Theater". NY Daily News. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  19. ^ Rebecca Creamer (15 September 2010). "Brendan James interview". Static. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  20. ^ Leah Greenblatt (21 May 2008). "Guys on the Rise: 8 Emerging Singer-Songwriters". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  21. ^ Perez Hilton (20 May 2008). "Listen To This: Primary Colors". perezhilton.com. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  22. ^ Arun Kristian Das (23 December 2008). "Music Journal: Brendan James Ends a Journey at the Blender Theater". My Fox New York. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  23. ^ Josh Jackson (21 April 2009). "The Vespa Experiment". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  24. ^ "The Day Is Brave chart history". Billboard 200. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Billboard Brendan James info". Billboard Music. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brendan_James&oldid=446364305"