welcome
James Johnson is a talented songwriter, musician, and recording engineer from Santa Barbara, CA. who enjoys working in a wide range of musical styles including Alternative, Folk Rock, Reggae, Adult Contemporary, as well as instrumental music suitable for film and video scoring.
"Johnson
does it all from reggae-inspired piano numbers like Summertime in
December to the guitar-driven Glass Factor Nine evoking a
classic-meets-alternative-rock sound."
... Santa
Barbara Independent, 2010
"James
Johnson's sound is part 1960's keys (think Doors), part '90's modern
rock (Live comes to mind). His music generally aims toward the Stevie
Ray Vaughan type niche, though just when things get all blues
rock, he'll throw a reggae track into the mix."
... Santa
Barbara Independent, 2008
James is an accomplished guitarist in the Pop and Rock idioms and also plays keyboards and bass. On stage, he delivers truly moving live performances with his solid pop vocal style and vibrant stage presence. James has lent his songwriting and guitar playing skills to a number of bands in the Santa Barbara, CA area including WhiteLedge, The Nocturnes, The Tommy Quayle Band, Pangea, and Driftwood.
Performing throughout the Santa Barbara area since the 1980's, James has played many local venues including the Music Academy of the West, Westmont College, the Biltmore Hotel, Bacara Resort, the SBCC Garvin Theater, and countless nightclubs and restaurants. He has participated in a number of studio recording projects for local Santa Barbara bands, and has produced commercial advertising jingles as well as multimedia DVDs for several local Santa Barbara businesses. James is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and an associate member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES).
As a student in the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Music Department James has studied music theory, ear training, vocal technique, composition, electronic music, and sound recording. He has been a featured performer in the musicNow concerts in the Garvin and Marjorie Luke Theaters and continues his involvement in the department in 2013 with SBCC Songwriters.