Folk multi-instrumentalist Graeme James to perform at Bayou Theater
University of Houston-Clear Lake’s (UHCL) Bayou Theater will be featuring New Zealand native Graeme James’ multi-instrumental folk sound Oct. 12. James discovered his musical interest at the young age of seven and, during a TED Talk, humorously described the first stages of learning his first instrument as “some truly horrific violin noises and some incredibly tolerant parents.”
Alex Malone, managing director of Bayou Theater and responsible for the theater’s creative, artistic and budgetary success, said that James’ segment on TED Talk was a contributing factor in his decision to invite James to perform at UHCL.
“He did a TED talk that I loved, and then heard some of his songs,” Malone said. “When I saw that this was going to be his first US tour, I had to jump on it!”
James’ unique music style has earned him an overwhelming amount of popularity. His songs having been streamed over 15 million times – mostly by fans outside of his native New Zealand.
“I sound a bit like one person playing fiddle, guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin and singing at the same time,” James said when describing his music style. “Broadly speaking it would be folk – mostly the high-energy foot stomping kind with a few quieter more introspective songs thrown in for good measure.”
His passion for music sprouted early in his life but was paused for a short period of time.
“I was seven years old when I started learning classical violin, and I think I might have been 10 when I decided that I wanted to be a professional concert violinist,” James said. “I put in a lot of practice and pursued that goal till I was 17, but unfortunately I had to give up that dream, give it up due to shoulder issues.”
After experiencing the injury to his shoulder, James started learning guitar and writing songs, but just as a hobby. He pursued a college degree in engineering, however, he couldn’t escape his passion for music, and his natural talents could no longer be ignored.
“After a number of years trying a bunch of things that didn’t really suit me, I decided to risk it all,” James said. “I started out putting on street performances in 2012, and after surviving a cold winter I decided that I might just be able to make it work as a full-time enterprise. I resolved to play music for a living and made sure I didn’t have a plan B to fall back on. I really haven’t looked back since.”
James’ performance at Bayou Theater will be a multi-instrument folk concert. He will be performing alongside Alex Preston, the third-place finalist on season 13 of “American Idol.” Each artist will be performing his own music. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Student tickets are on sale for $13, and general adult admission will be $20. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or reserved online.
