1st FEB 2017
YO! So... been a while. I got a manager, went to LA, wrote some songs, learnt I had lots of work and development to do, decided to move back home and build a home studio in my old bedroom and record my first EP, which I've now DONE!
I'm going to be adding some Guitar on it with my friend Charlie Allen next week. I'm currently trying to decide if it needs two more songs (thinking the two I wrote in LA, they're a similar story) and whether the drums need re-recording (I think I like em...)
Being back at home I've had more time to practice drums and singing again as well as get back on the fitness in a really consistent manner so, YES! I now want to write more regularly and develop my songwriting and my SOUND! So that's underway...
Going to be on the hunt for a producer/beat maker with experience in electronic music, programming, sequencing & triggering and obviously, MPC techniques! If you're reading the and that's you or someone you know, shout me. (DM, Email, FB blah blah blah)
I just did my first YouTube cover in AAAAAAAges and uploaded it and got it mixed by the marvellous, Will Reeves (www.willreevesmusic.com). Going to be working with Will a lot more. Go check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKL41mVkbpI and if you like it, please LIKE it (and share it)
So yeah, here we are! Message me with any thoughts, comments, what you'd like to see/hear from me or anything related. I love to hear from people.
Also, lets not leave it so long next time, hey?
Alright, PEACE! X
Feb 1st 2015
Not heard anything from ‘Glastonbury Emerging’ yet, but fingers crossed! I wanna see the Foos!
Saw my hero, D’Angelo at the O2 in Birmingham this month. Absolutely blew me away. Dee sounds like he does on the record and more, such an awe-inspiring performer. His BAND the Vanguard! Oh my goodness! Chris Dave, Pino, Jesse Johnson… need I say more? I particularly enjoyed the backing vocalists actually. The two dudes to the left were really getting into the vibe and having a proper boogie. They sounded dope too. Managed to bump into one of them afterwards. Was nice to express my gratitude face to face and seal the deal with a good handshake.
First gig with Geovarn went well at Under The Bridge on Thursday. Met some lovely new people and what a wicked venue. Would love to play there one day!
Finally got my first demo recorded; three new originals and one cover. Going to carry on writing and start putting tunes together for my first EP. I want to produce it all myself. I’ve managed to gather just about enough gear to do a decent job now I think. Just need to brush up a bit on my production skills, hello YouTube tutorials!
My First solo gig went well as mentioned before and I’ve got four or so dates lined up in Bristol and Bath for some more support slots with Saskia Maxwell. Check my Gig Dates section for details. I’ll be posting about them soon on my Facebook and Twitter pages too.
Couple of my originals are now up on Sound Cloud for your listening pleasure along with some YouTube videos that I’d love people to check out!
Had a go at Busking for the first time today and absolutely loved it. Going to invest in a power pack and a loop pedal to take care of the beats because I can’t wait to get out there and do some more! Got some pretty heavy verbal abuse from a pretty grotty looking dude in a wheel chair, brandishing a penny whistle, which was character building to say the least. All good fun though!
See you on the scene! Here’s to the next month. What you SAYING March?!
4th February 2015
So that was the busiest January, probably of my life so far.
The first live Hip Hop Cypher this year (DeCyphers) down at The Canteen, Bristol was one of the busiest yet, which certainly bodes well for the future, given this was a Monday night in early January!
I had my first ever solo gig down at The Canteen. It was great fun. So good to see so many friends, many of whom I've not seen for a while! It included my debut at rapping live. I think I remembered all the lyrics, which is good. Good job it was such a familiar crowd, they were very forgiving.
Time to hit some proper gigs where I don't know a sole and I get heckled and someone throws up and gets blood on me. Thats a proper gig. Especially if the blood comes from you whilst playing really hard. That'd be hard on a piano though, they're not very abrasive. Better get some live drums in there...
Speaking of drums, I had an audition to be the drummer to back a new artist on Sony a couple of weeks back. I had a recall audition this Monday which, seemed to go really well and I got the gig!
So, I'm excited to be playing with Geovarn James and a really great band of talented musicians, on a couple of dates over the next couple of months. Not sure If I can disclose much more than that as of yet, but shall keep updating on whats happening!
I uploaded some of my stuff online recently and a friend mentioned me to a great Drum n Bass producer she knows from Glastonbury, now London based, Nathan Loko of Ram Records. I'm set to be working with him over the next month, possibly to feature on one or two tracks, which is exciting stuff!
On top of all that, I entered the Glastonbury Emerging talent competition this year. I'm not expecting to get a call as its very early days, but it'd be very nice!
So, think thats everything! Safe for dropping by and having a quick skim through!
Catch you soon,
James
January 13th 2015
Since my last post 'Groove-ist' has become 'DeCyphers' and we've done 7 shows at Bristol's Canteen. We're a live Hip Hop Trio, in which I play drums and do a bit of singing. Last night (Jan 12th, 2015) was one of the busiest yet, which is very encouraging for a Monday night in early January!
I've been busy writing more of my own stuff and I'm preparing for my first solo gig. On January 29th I'll be supporting the enchanting Ms Saskia Maxwell at Bristol’s No.1 Harbourside, in the City Centre next to the Watershed.
Saskia moved to Bristol late 2014 and we met when she came down and sang at my monthly jazz residency at The Steam Crane on North St, Bristol.
She put her own wonderful spin on Lullaby of Birdland, playing her beautiful Kif Wood custom electro/acoustic guitar, one of a couple given to her by the man himself!
Seeing Saskia live at the Fleece & Firkin later in the year playing her own stuff blew both me and the audience away. I was delighted when she later invited me to support at No.1 Harbourside. We'll each be doing our own set but are also planning a few collaborations that night.
In other circles, I've been playing a few gigs under James Paton & Friends along side a handful of Bristol's absolute finest musicians. James Morton, now Bristol’s Musical Ambassador on Alto Sax, Dan Waldman on Electric Guitar, who much to my delight, moved back from London to Bristol having spent around ten years in the States playing and hanging with some of my musical idols, who just so happen to be his good mates... And Johnny Henderson. A man who is constantly in demand and happily brings a full Hammond B3 & Lesley Speaker to every gig he can.
Needless to say playing with these guys is a joy and an honour as well as a great lesson, every gig. I filmed and recorded some of our latest performance together, just before Christmas and I'll be uploading some clips to my YouTube channel in the next week or so.
So here's to a new year, a fresh start. I've already got my self some new photos courtesy of the incredible Mr Louis Smith, which you can now see embedded in my website. The full album is on my FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/jamespatonmusic
My Brother has just launched his own live music channel for acts and artists in Bristol and he'll be interviewing me and recording a couple of my original tunes in the next two weeks. Check out his page for details: https://www.facebook.com/TheBristolSessions
Cheers everybody. I hope you can make it down to The No.1 Harbourside gig on Thursday 29th January, . Come say hi if you do!
James X
What I've Been Up To... (07 April 2014)
I've been very busy since moving into Bristol almost three months ago, working predominantly with a new young Bass player on the Bristol scene going by the name of Ben Tunnicliffe. Together we've been setting up a couple of projects for both work and pleasure. The first of which, was a live Hip Hop project, currently under the name 'GROOVE-iST' but set to undergo a name change imminently. I'll be uploading some videos of our sessions together soon and we've already had some incredible feedback and response from right across the globe! We focus mainly on classic american Hip Hop as well as some fresh new artists on the scene today including Falside and EOM. Check back for more on this later, or check us out on YouTube under GROOVE-iST and let me know what you think! We'll be writing our own stuff soon too so stay tuned.
We're also working on an exciting live act to start gigging on the local Bristol scene very soon, more to come on that later!
In other news, I've been working away on my own material, whilst I gig some of my favourite cover songs with some local musicians under the name of 'JPs'. My new solo project will be on the way very soon and I'm very excited to show you all what Ive got going on. I've some really exciting ideas for a really fresh new project. You'll just have to stay close for more news. In the mean time, I'll be uploading some clips of me performing some cool new covers by some of my favourite artists in the next coming weeks.
Check out my 'Gigs' section for my up and coming performances, some very exciting stuff on the way! In the mean time, keep supporting live music and enjoy what ever your doing!
Peace & love, JP X
07 April 2014
Hi and welcome to my new website! Today feels like the first official open day, as I've finally been able to get a few of last finishing touches done and dusted. So hear we are, I'm James Paton and on this website you'll find all there is to know about me and my music, both as a Drummer and Singer and as an Artist. I'll keep you up to date with all thats going on and Invite you to join me along the way on my musical journey, if you so wish! So come on in, it's going to be a blast!
18th March
New Website up and running.
Stay tuned for more updates.
