Jeremiah James Gang

Some people play music their entire lives. Some stumble into it along the way. Others have it ingrained in them, but live years, sometimes decades, before finding it within. And when they do, their star rises fast.

Jeremiah James falls into the latter category. His mother played guitar, but Jeremiah was well into his twenties before he bought one of his own in 2004. Only five years later, he’s one of Idaho’s top-selling musical talents, a working singer-songwriter with a deep baritone croon who long ago eschewed a day job to dedicate himself fully to his craft.

And what does one call Jeremiah’s craft, exactly? That depends on the set of ears. Honky tonk, outlaw country, old-school country, alternative country, country folk, country rock, roots rock, Americana ... many people have called his music many things, but no one ever hits it right on the head. But they — and “they” includes everyone from ten-gallon old-timers to alt-country hipsters — all agree that the Jeremiah James Gang wrangles up a boozy good time, whether on an open-air mountain stage or crammed in the corner of a dank city bar.

It’s “a new take on an old style,” as Jeremiah likes to say, and it’s the sound of a young man who has studied his record collection and connected the dots — one who understands why the Clash were into Cash, why Hank Williams I, II and III all kick ass in their own way, and why the Stones were at their best when they were hanging out with Gram Parsons in the early ’70s.

Jeremiah gravitated toward traditional music at an early age. Growing up on the North Dakota prairie after his parents divorced, he received two very different but equally influential musical educations. His father walked on the wild side of country music among the Waylons and Williams, and Jeremiah remembers listening to (and eventually emulating) his dad singing along in the pickup. His mother favored gospel, singing in local churches to help pay the bills. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always listened to country music,” Jeremiah says. “And singing was something that was always around. I always sang along in the car, but I never thought you could make a living doing it.”

That said, it took a while for Jeremiah to find the music inside of him. Coming of age in the cold North Country, where “there was nothing to do but drink,” Jeremiah was in and out of trouble, bouncing from job to job and back and forth between saint and sinner. (He grew up in a Baptist family and at one point considered becoming a youth pastor.)

Musically, Jeremiah was out of step with his peers. “I’ve always been drawn to country music — it was what my dad listened to. When I was 18, I had apartments with guys who listened to Stone Temple Pilots and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Meanwhile, I had Merle Haggard’s Greatest Hits on the stereo.”

After rambling around for a few years in his early twenties, Jeremiah found himself in Idaho, where his parents first met. A series of personal tragedies followed, but rather than breaking his spirit, these events left Jeremiah determined to make something of his life.

Jeremiah enrolled at Boise State University, but college life was not for him — attending open mic nights quickly became more important than tending to his studies. Jeremiah had tinkered with guitar before, teaching himself a few chords, but he hadn’t been interested in taking it any further until now. “I got into it,” he says, “and it felt more normal than anything I’d ever done.” Jeremiah dropped out of school, used his financial aid to buy a guitar and set out on the path that he’s still walking today.

Along the way, Jeremiah met a kindred spirit who would play a large role in the formation of his musical identity. That man was Pinto Bennett, the Idaho native and Rocky Mountain country music legend. The two crossed paths in Stanley, Idaho, in the summer of 2006, and Pinto took a shine to Jeremiah after hearing him perform. “I got the Pinto blessing,” Jeremiah says. “That was the turning point.” With Pinto’s encouragement, Jeremiah formed a full band, started performing his mentor’s songs and tapped into his fan base. It was the boost Jeremiah needed to get serious about his career.

Which brings us to Nashville. Pinto had tried it, only to find himself a true outlaw among the well-manicured “outlaws” populating the country music capital. Nonetheless, Jeremiah thought he would see what the famed city had in store for him. “I went down there and got my ass kicked,” Jeremiah says.

Jeremiah lived in Nashville for six months, enough time to pick up some songwriting tips and realize he didn’t want to live in the same town as Kenny Chesney. His own lesson, coupled with Pinto’s, got him thinking about place, and he realized it wasn’t about being where the action is, but being the action where you’re at. “Nashville is it, the center of the country music machine, and there’s value to that,” he says. “But not for what I wanted to do.”

Since moving back