Événement

James Blackshaw

James Blackshaw performs celestial and spirit-lifting guitar-led compositions. Meditative in quality, cinematic in scope, his music spirals gracefully across complex patterns, motifs and harmonics. He made his name as a 12-string acoustic guitarist, and his relationship with the instrument is near perfect. With an extensive back catalogue to his name on labels like Young God Records, Tompkins Square and Important, he has developed a unique playing style that takes Takoma school finger-picking into an entirely new place. Swirling overtones, cascading notes and a thousand points of light cascade from his guitar and create ever-shifting textures that bear the influence of contemporary classical composition, post-rock dynamics and invisible soundtracks as much as the American folk guitar tradition.

2015 sees James find his voice. Out in February, Summoning Suns is his tenth studio album and the first recording to feature vocals and lyrics. Drawing inspiration from 60's and 70's singer-songwriters, baroque/orchestral pop and folk music, while still sounding contemporary, Summoning Suns is Blackshaw's foray into more traditional forms of songcraft. He sings in a gentle but assured voice, occasionally reminiscent of Harry Nilsson, Jim O'Rourke and Elliott Smith, while his words combine his personal experiences, neuroses and fantasy through many layers of abstraction, poeticism and dark humour. While the deft fingerpicking acoustic guitar style of Blackshaw's previous recordings is still a prominent part of the sound, the songs are lushly and intricately arranged for drums, bass, piano, violin, flute and pedal steel guitar and features contributions from Simon Scott (Slowdive), Annie Nilsson and Japanese musicians Mori Wa Ikiteiru and Kaoru Noda (with whom he duets in Japanese on one song).

Listen to new track 'Confetti': https://soundcloud.com/jamesblackshaw/confetti

Despite his transcendental music James is a grounded and earthly fellow who has been written about with reverence and has played churches, festivals, folk clubs and large concert halls on his many travels in the US, Europe and Japan. These have included extensive touring with the reformed Swans, as well as collaborative performances with Hauschka and Nancy Elizabeth. He performs and records as a member of Current 93 and has worked with Jozef Van Wissem as Brethren of The Free Spirit.

In October 2013 James was commissioned by Yann Tiersen to perform a live soundtrack to the fifth episode of Fantomas, the classic silent film cycle by early 20th century French
director Louis Feuillade. The resulting work was a striking ensemble piece featuring Simon Scott (Slowdive), Duane Pitre and Charlotte Glasson, and will be released as an album by Tompkins Square in summer 2014.

James's most recent solo guitar album Love is The Plan, The Plan Is Death was released on Important Records in 2012. Written at a time of great emotional disquiet, it's a beautiful and bittersweet new chamber work containing six original pieces whose titles are lovingly misappropriated from those of short stories by the great science fiction author James Tiptree Jr AKA Alice B. Sheldon.

Last summer saw the release of The Watchers, a collaborative record with Ukranian pianist Lubomyr Melnyk, also on Important, which saw the two composers foreground their improvisational skills that 'finds the style of both instrumentalists dovetailing perfectly' (Pitchfork).

Website

http://jamesblackshaw.tumblr.com/

Video links

'Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death' live session:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1S9mF8Ns5Q

Video for 'We Who Stole The Dream': https://vimeo.com/46877940

Audio links

'Her Smoke Rose Up Forever':
https://soundcloud.com/ssgmusic/ssg-music-premiere-james-blackshaw

'Haftorang' with Lubomyr Melnyk:
https://soundcloud.com/importantrecords/haftorang-by-james-blackshaw

Press on 'Fantomas: Le Faux Magistrat'

"Considerably broadens the composer's palette" - MOJO **** Four stars

"We heard bits and pieces that suggested Blackshaw was capable of a more expansive work, but nothing that hinted at the exquisite juxtaposition of tension, texture, tone, and harmonic color that Fantômas: Le Faux Magistrat delivers"
- All Music Guide **** Four stars

"Blackshaw's new music is the sound of someone actively pressing against the boundaries of expectation. 'Fantômas' is Blackshaw's most audacious attempt yet" - Pitchfork

"It may be Blackshaw's most ambitious work yet, and another variation on his ever expanding repertoire of talents" - Popmatters

"An incredible melody writer and musician in a tradition that existed long before him; he writes guitar and folk music as well as Robbie Basho or Leo Kottke, but he does not copy them"- Tiny Mix Tapes****Four stars

"A massive, gorgeous accomplishment" - Secret Decoder

"Blackshaw's application of a wide variety of instrumental textures (including flute, piano, saxophone, bowed bass, electronics) is admirably assured"- WIRE MAGAZINE