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"Stephie James has made a burning record that is beautiful and completely uniquely her own"       - BUDDY MILLER

 

"Stephie James resurrects the heart-stirring soul of legacy artists that span the roots gamut, summoning the melancholy melodies of Roy Orbison and the vigorous spirit of Billie Holiday..."    - JONATHAN FRAHM, NO DEPRESSION

"While Stephie James has yet to become a household name, her credits are enviable - touring with 8-time GRAMMY award winner Anita Baker at the age of 17, enjoying years on the road with Nikki Lane and assistant engineering at Dan Auerbach's studio, working on records for Buddy Miller, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin, and The Wood Brothers..."  - DITTY TV

"She might be based in Nashville, but this soulful rocker holds her heart for Detroit, MI and all the iconic, gritty rock and the heart-on-its-sleeve emotional messaging that goes with it..." - Gary Graff, BILLBOARD

01

THESE DAYS  (EP RELEASE 2020)

Debut solo release produced by Alabama Shakes producer Andrija Tokic at all-analog studio, The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN

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02

LIVE IN-STUDIO 
AT LAKEHOUSE SESSIONS

Live version of "Where The Sage Grows"
Americana radio single from debut EP

03

WEST OF JUAREZ (offical video)

Directed by Brooklyn videographer Anthony Saladino and shot on a shoestring budget, original song "West of Juarez" (Stephie James & John Bettis)

04

LIVE IN STUDIO // 
AT LAKEHOUSE SESSIONS

unreleased original "Five & Dimer" (Stephie James) with Matt Menold on guitar, Little Jack Larewnce on bass
and David Grant on drums

O5

LIVE DUO SET
NASHVILLE,TN

06
BIO

In walks Stephie James, her music like a smoky, dimly lit back alley bar - standing as a sultry embodiment of the past, but also as a reflection of the current cultural climate and the blooming resolve of the city from which she hails. Embracing the grittiness of yesteryear’s garage rock productions and also the bittersweet timelessness of artists like Amy Winehouse and Roy Orbison, this is unmistakably the music of countless romantic fantasies and of widescreen Lynchian aura. Without compromising an ounce of style,  Stephie James has managed to not only craft an EP of beautiful, heart-on-its-sleeve classic melodies, but also imbue her music with the same sense of mystery and intrigue that makes the best Henry Mancini score somehow elevated and torrid. 

 

While James’s has yet to become a household name, her credits leading up to this release would make even the most seasoned musicians gulp dryly in jealousy: touring with Anita Baker and Nikki Lane, engineering for Dan Auerbach and Buddy Miller, sessions John Bettis (songwriter for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and The Carpenters, amongst others) and landing sync in Michael Bolton’s recent documentary, to name a few. 

 

After a career zigzagging in between the crevices of others’ careers, all the while building a body of work and experiences of her own, Stephie James finally decided to step into the spotlight with a solo project by working with Andrija Tokic, who earned acclaim for producing Alabama Shakes groundbreaking first album.

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Her latest EP, "These Days",  itself is a perfect distillation of the best elements Detroit rock has had to offer over the last two decades: timeless leather-cool, thanks to the resurgence of Iggy Pop and the omnipresence of Jack White- and, above all else, great songwriting. From the Americana rock churn of EP opener, “These Days,” the album puts your expectations on the backfoot immediately: one part Phil Spector crooner and one part howling-for-blood rock as James snidely intones “The tide is turning, but some things never change.” Only three songs later, the album closes its five track suite with “West of Jaurez,” a lush string filled ballad.

 

James’ credits ultimately stand as a dizzying fever dream, the type of opportunities only the luckiest are afforded and only the most capable and talented can maintain. A culmination of her life up until this point and undoubtedly the beginning of a rewarding career, James is not content to let this EP be the last redolent audiences will hear from her. For now though, Stephie James paradoxically gives us exactly what we want: enough to leave us yearning for more.

07
PRESS

"She is someone the world should start paying attention to 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 ... There must be something about that Detroit-to-Nashville move, as Jack White also seems to be a master of this."

- The Revue
 

"Dark and rootsy, James is a venerable front woman to what becomes a garage rock-fueled jam, offering plenty of room to sink into its dusky, hypnotic vibe."  
- News Break

"There’s a fiery vibrancy emanating off the five sleek tracks on this new EP—smoky/surfy guitars, swooning-pulse rhythms, and that perfect amount of syrupy reverb so as to evoke a sense of midnight desert road trips. It’s a very cinematic sounding batch of rock songs, easily accommodating imagined visuals of a movie you can see inside your head while you’re listening, all the while James’ lead vocals can soar, slither, and saunter, as they tap into blue-eyed soul and dusty Americana." 
- Ideas Adrift Blog

 

"Stirring noir soul—a callback to the retro pop of Amy Winehouse and classic rock 'n' roll of Roy Orbison rolled into one." 

- PopMatters

 

"Expertly performed and utterly absorbing throughout.  The vocals are flawless and the guitar-work is something to get lost in."

- AmericanaUK

 

"Stephie James might be based in Nashville, TN but this soulful rocker holds her heart for Detroit, MI and all the iconic gritty rock, blues, and heart-on-the-sleeve emotional messaging that goes with it."

- American Songwriter

 

“Quirky combination of 50’s rock 'n' roll and Motown … a sense of foreboding.”

- Adobe and Teardrops

 

"While James has yet to become a household name, her credits are enviable: touring with 8-time GRAMMY Award winner Anita Baker at the age of 17, enjoying years on the road with Nikki Lane (opening her shows and playing in the band), and assistant engineering at Dan Auerbach's studio, working on records for Buddy Miller, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin, and The Wood Brothers."

- Ditty TV

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