James Vinyard

The lovely lads at MIA Chatter were nice enough to have me out to play a couple tunes and sit down and chat for a bit. Check out the interview at www.myspace.com/miachatter. Thanks again boys! - MIA Chatter

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- Scene Magazine

James Vinyard is a storyteller with a good ear for melody. Six of the London singer/songwriter's songs will come to life on an extended CD entitled, Enjoy the Shakedown.

For Mr. Vinyard, every song has to tell a story, and in today's mainstream pop culture, it seems that writing a four-minute song, with a hook of a melody that tells a story, has become a lost form of art. However, citing Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan as his musical 'Four Horsemen' of inspiration, it is no wonder why the young 24 year-old singer/songwriter is a throw back to the music industry's glory years. "You would pay pretty big bucks to see those guys perform acoustically and up on stage rocking with a full band," said Mr. Vinyard. "I wouldn't qualify them as the greatest singers, but they are great storytellers."

With a catalogue of more than 60 songs, Mr Vinyard said it was a process within itself to narrow the selection down to six. A few of the songs on the CD are older gems that he has reworked, but Enjoy the Shakedown also features some newer songs.

"All of the songs have to stand on their own," he said. "I write it and perform them acoustically, like a rough demo style. Then I start arranging, adding drums, guitars, and hope that they translate into a full band."

The recording of the songs took place at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, also known as the Soundworks Studio in London. For Mr. Vinyard, it was a very comfortable atmosphere, calling on former Hunting for Joseph bandmates for assistance.

"I worked with Mark McDonald before in the band and he is just an awesome engineer," Mr. Vinyard said. "Pat O'Neill is a former bandmate and we are still really good friends. He helped out playing drums. I played, bass, guitar and did all the vocals, but Nick Cavaliere added some drums. So it was mainly us three hammering it out.

"They are two guys who are great musicians and if you give them something, they take it and make it that much better, bringing the song to another level."

According to Mr. Vinyard, he takes a more storytelling approach to his songwriting, and when he performs the songs acoustically, the audience really connects with them. "But the songs are not necessarily about myself," he said.

The first single off the extended six-song CD will be Don't Leave Me Here, which he will perform at the London Music Club, on Friday, June 26, when Mr. Vinyard launches his CD.

"Pete Denomme at the London Music Club gave me my first gig and the Friday Night Open Mic is a training ground," said Mr. Vinyard. "It's a great place to learn to play and get better by doing it."

The release party will take place in the Cellar Lounge beginning at 9 p.m. Jake Ender will open with a set, followed by Mr. Vinyard's acoustic performance.
Now that the CD is complete (except for the finishing touches on the artwork) performing and promoting the CD is the next step.

Locally, Mr. Vinyard has lined up appearances on June 27 and 28 at the London International Food Festival at Victoria Park, as well as London Ribfest on July 31 and Aug. 1.

"The way to make a living in this business is by playing live," said Mr. Vinyard. Promoting on You Tube and MySpace are two venues that allow people to listen to the musician's songs and help to create an interest in seeing the performer in concert.

And once they see him concert, Mr. Vinyard believes he can hook them with his songwriting, singing and melodies, much the same as his 'Four Horsemen' of inspiration.

In the meantime, Mr. Vinyard will be honing his craft by playing live performances, promoting his collection of songs, and putting them on MySpace for all to see and here. At this point in time he doesn't plan on releasing a music video, instead he prefers to leave the interpretation of the song up to each individual.

"The song means something different to me and something different to you. Hopefully, everyone will connect with these songs," he says. - The Londoner

A former member of hard rock band Hunting For Joseph, 24-year-old singer/songwriter James Vinyard is now out on his own. After years of songwriting, the London-based musician has amassed a catalogue of over 70 original songs which he performs at music venues throughout the region. Nominated for a 2010 London Music Award for "Best Singer/Songwriter," Vinyard recently released a small fraction of his tunes on a three-song single entitled Rubies and Emeralds. Now he's set to release six more songs on a full-band EP, Enjoy the Shakedown, which he recorded with assistance and input from his former Hunting For Joseph sidemen Patrick O'Neill and Nick Cavaliere. Engineered by Mark McDonald at Soundworks Studios, many have compared Vinyard's fusion of rock and folk to that of his biggest influences - Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. James Vinayrd wsg Jake Ender will launch his new recording in Friday, June 25, 9:00 p.m. at the London Music Club's Cellar Lounge (470 Colborne St.). For more information, call (519) 640-6996. - Scene Magazine