Daryl James

Daryl James

Hailing from Snowdonia on the dramatic North Wales coast, gritty psych-blues/raw acoustic roots musician Daryl James was playing guitar and drums as far back as he can remember. Having toured UK and Europe with many top bands including Buffo’s Wake and The Junk, in 2012 he hit the road with just a ruc-sac and guitar, to pursue an exciting new solo career. After travelling around Asia and making the now highly acclaimed debut solo EP 'Here, There and Everywhere' entirely on the road, he ended up in Brisbane, Australia where he began performing in the streets as a busker. Following the release of his second EP ‘DJMT – Daryl James Music Train’ - a full band gypsy/ska/folk flavoured carnivalesque offering, Daryl James entered the Australian festival scene, playing Nimbin Roots Festival, Airlie Beach Festival of Music, Mitchell Creek Rock N Blues Fest, Blues in Broadbeach to name a few.. Following the release and tour of his 100% crowdfunded debut single ‘27’ in 2017, Daryl has just finished a 6 month international tour, promoting the release of his debut album ‘Insofar’, which has had airplay on Triple J, ABC , 4ZZZ, Rebel FM and many other stations. It saw him play packed out shows and festivals across Australia, UK and Europe alongside acts like The Beautiful Girls, Ash Grunwald, Mama Kin Spender, Leo Sayer, and Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols. Daryl James’ passionate live performances evoke everything from introverted retrospection to wild untamed dance-floors. With an earthy blend of pure acoustic and gritty overdriven guitars he plays with innovative tunings, intricate finger-picking and body percussion, to all out driving blues/rock riffs and soaring solos. Topped off with haunting, smooth yet husky vocals, whether it's with his homemade full foot drum set and live looping, or with his full band, he guarantees a live show that will have your feet and jaw on the floor!

Profile

Instruments

Genres

Influences

What is music to you? What does it give you?

Its everything to me, the one real constant in my life.

What is your music dream?

To keep playing it.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

Being a good person.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

No idea

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Jeff Lang, John Butler, PJ Harvey

What inspires you to make music?

Existence

What is the message you want to send with your music?

Lots of different ones

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

Good, mostly

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

Its perhaps a little harder to make a living, innovating new ways to make revenue is a way to improve that.

What do you think of Drooble?

Great

What frustrates you most as a musician?

Not having money to but the gear I need

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

Go to gigs, buy the merch you can afford, contribute to crowdfund campaigns, spread the work by mouth and internet..

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

Whatever they feel is a true expression of themselves. I don't think they 'should' have any particular qualities as music is so subjective, it's up to them. As it's up to the audience what they choose to listen to.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

The Long Johns, Phil Barlow, Grim Fawkner, Byron Short, The Urban Chiefs