After hosting an open-mic night for seven years, the acoustic roots performer has established himself as an in-demand solo act across West Michigan. He plays the 40th Eastown Street Fair on Saturday.
Raw Emotion: Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Gabrial James. (Photo/Local Spins)
Coming up through Grand Rapids’ open-mic scene and eventually hosting open-mic sessions for seven years at Billy’s Lounge in Eastown, singer-songwriter Gabrial James certainly knows the trials, tribulations and joys of getting in front of an unfamiliar audience with just a guitar in hand.
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Not only has he himself benefited from that sometimes-daunting experience and valuable exposure, but he’s watched while fellow Grand Rapids artists such as Karisa Wilson and Lynn Thompson blossomed as popular West Michigan performers after cutting their teeth at weekly open-mic nights that James ran from 2003 to 2010.
“Now these guys are really well-known in the local scene and they’re touring. It’s great to see that happening,” James says. “It was a springboard.”
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Add James to that list. The singer and guitarist can be found on almost any night of the week at venues from Grand Rapids to Battle Creek to the lakeshore performing classic covers as well as his own music.
“Open-mic was the start of it all. It helped me build my confidence,” he acknowledges.
On Wednesday, James brought his confident and smooth voice to the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) for my Local Spins Live show, performing his song, “Small Town Boredom,” inspired by the challenges of raising a teenager. Listen to the podcast of the show here, and watch a video of his performance below.
James, born Gabrial James Lundy, credits his mother and guitar-playing father for putting him on the road to his musical avocation, enrolling him in formal vocal training in the St. Cecilia Music Center’s chorale in the late 1980s after hearing him singing “behind closed doors” in his room at home.
EARLY TRAINING AND INSPIRATION AT ST. CECILIA
“They pretty much forced me, I didn’t want to at first. Once I auditioned and had my first couple of practices, it was something I really enjoyed,” James notes, adding that it taught him discipline and the ability to read music. “That was really a fun time. I got to travel and play with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Detroit Symphony.”
He was further inspired by the classic ’70s songwriting of James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills and Nash embraced and played by his parents.
Gabrial James (Photo/Local Spins)
As a teenager he wrote songs for a short-lived rock outfit, Corduroy Kelley, influenced by shoegaze bands such as Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver and others. After returning to his “acoustic roots” and attending Aquinas College “for a couple years,” he “slowly started learning songs” and built up his repertoire for mostly solo performances.
In 2010, he released his debut album, “Around the Block,” and is currently writing songs for a new album with hopes of completing it next year.
“I’m not in a rush,” he insists. “It’s going to be a little more stripped-down than the last record. I want it to be more like my live sound.”
To help build his audience, that “live sound” blends covers of familiar rock, folk and Americana tunes with his own songs. “I often don’t throw in the original material until my second set,” he explains. “I try to get people used to what I’m doing cover-wise and my style.”
Of course, it helps that his original material resonates with a compelling intensity. “That’s how I write, with raw emotion,” says James.
James performs at 5 p.m. Thursday at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek and 8 p.m. Friday at Candlestone Golf and Resort in Belding. And at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, he returns to the Billy’s Lounge stage as part of the Eastown Street Fair in Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood. (Get a full schedule for performances by bands and solo artists on two stages at the Eastown Street Fair in the Local Spins Big List Concert Guide.)
Get more information about James and his upcoming performances, as well as links to buying his music, at his ReverbNation site and on his Facebook page.
Gabrial James (Photo/Local Spins)
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
