Whanganui Musicians Club's Club Night Ft GRAHAM JAMES DUO

Description

Internationally acclaimed Kiwi folk artist Graham James folk is back with his first original
body of work in two years, ‘Luminous Times’. After a mammoth year touring Europe, playing
festivals in South Africa and the USA, Graeme is delighted to bring the collection of songs
home to Aotearoa over the months of June and July.

Following a year of releasing adventurous covers of such diverse songs as ‘Harvest Moon’
by Neil Young and ‘You Only Live Once’ by The Strokes, James is excited to bring some
fresh perspective and life to his own new and unheard material. ‘Luminous Times’ is an
exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and the power they have to shape our experience
for better or worse.

With a history of selling out concerts all around the world, and captivating audiences with tall
tales and a dynamic performance, James layers electric violin, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass,
ukulele, percussion, synthesizer and soaring vocals to create his unique indie folk sound.
His tunes have been streamed over 50 million times on Spotify alone, have appeared on film
and television and seen him featured in Rolling Stone.

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer, storyteller … the attributes of folk sensation Graeme James go on and on. His personal story is one of perseverance, serendipity and bravery – performing as a one man band all around the world.
As a child, music was his first love and he had his sights fixed on being a concert violinist. In high school, he became fascinated with various folk and Celtic traditions, and began to perform locally with friends and family. It wasn’t long until he taught himself the guitar and began writing his own songs. A shoulder injury ended up killing his classical music ambitions and fearing that the dangerous freedoms of a musician’s lifestyle would overtake him, he chose 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, he 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, in a desperate bid to fund some car repairs, he took to busking. His one-man band, and his imaginative renditions of cover songs, made him a hit on the streets of Wellington. 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. In 2018 he relocated to Europe where he continued to develop his craft. Now, four albums and forty million streams later, the New Zealand artist is firmly entrenched in this life path.

We welcome him with open arms to the Whanganui Musicians Club at our June meeting, as he kicks off his 13 stop Luminous Times Tour throughout Aotearoa. Joining him on stage is the compelling drummer Ben Dixon, a remarkable personality in his own right. And opening the show will be the Musicians Club monthly open mic session. This will be a fantastic night of musical entertainment. Don’t miss it!

Friday 7 June, 7pm @ Whanganui Musicians Club, Drews Ave
General Admission $15, Members $10, memberships available at the door

BB and The Bullets play at 10pm.

7pm – doors open