James - ORIGINAL MULTIMEDIA ARTIST One Man Band from Phoenix, AZ

If you are looking for someone to play covers at your party then, respectfully, he is not the act for you. James is available anywhere in the world (travel expenses will, of course, apply). If you are looking for something special for your exclusive private or corporate event, you have come to the right place. James is an original artist with world-class skills on 3 instruments and a multi-media presentation. The following is an excerpt from a review of a show last year in New Mexico: "Composer and performance artist 'James' (full name James Michael Gragert) is also a software expert and science-fiction author (pen name 'James M. Clarke' - search this name on Amazon to see some of his books). While in college, he was part of the vibrant music scene in Tempe, AZ, playing with the groups 'equation' and 'Paradise of Lies', among others. Since then, the reclusive artist has made only occasional public appearances while acting as a software consultant and writer. As of 2018, he is making music a full-time thing." - Santa Fe New Mexican Newspaper, Feb. 2018. James uses his tech skills to create a unique sound and synchronized visual imagery. But what makes his shows exceptional are compelling, sophisticated compositions and knock-out skills on guitar, keyboard, bass, and a hauntingly smooth voice. His composition style is unique and defies genre - touching on new-age, blues, jazz-fusion, classical. The only similar artist I can think of would be Enya. James has perfected a two-hands-on-the-fretboard guitar technique that is unlike any other I've seen. The result is a super-fast, legatto sound combined with great improv and feel. When he switches to keyboards, equally exceptional compositions and skills prevail. He also pulls-off solo compositions on the bass. Enhanced with electronics to make a full, rich sound, he turns the bass into a featured, solo instrument - playing chords with one hand and tapping melodic phrases with the other. He also uses a device that layers and loops all these instruments plus an electronic drum set to create the sound of a full band. James lives in a cabin in a remote Arizona mountain forest next to a river. Only modest travel expenses apply for shows within a day's drive of his home - including Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Sedona, and El Paso.