Sometimes the best descriptions come from the artists themselves, and in this case we get: “Alec James is a musician and songwriter in the central Illinois area. He plays guitar, harmonica and has a particular affinity for acoustic folk music.” We could stop right there and that should be enough to intrigue a soul, but there’s more. He released an independently made CD on November 14, 2016, called Carried by Cold Water. It’s beautifully complex in its simplicity while brimming with integrity and honesty. All the tracks were produced and mixed by Willie Scoggins and are well-played on guitar and harmonica with fittingly subdued vocals, supported by minor chords and interesting lyrics of longing and hope. Alec played the May Day Festival at Douglas Park last Monday and the Earth Awareness Fair at the Old State Capitol on Earth Day. Check out his website for a good run around town. From there visit his Bandcamp, YouTube and Facebook sites and you may develop a “particular affinity” for the music of Alec James.
Alec James
Friday, May 5, 6-7:30pm
The Card*ologist
alecjamestapes.com
This article appears in May 4-10, 2017.
