Borowski. I also admire how other musicians respect him. He is known in the music industry for what he does. That would be a dream for me.” We talk a lot about the idea of ‘making it’. The work and the commitment it takes to build a fan base to sell-out shows and to be noticed by the music industry. It’s a difficult life to balance and Jim is a now the proud daddy of 9 month-old “baby James”. Spending weeks on the road isn’t an option for his young family. Although the life of a musician is tough, I firmly believe his hard work will pay off, the way we consume and share music is changing. There are more ways to get noticed, it’s not just about playing in London anymore. We arrive in Manchester in ample time for a sound check. Which apparently for James is quite rare. The venue is Gullivers a trendy city bar with a few hipster students nursing hangovers propping up the bar. James and Mick stride into the venue cowboy style – everyone can tell we we’re from out of town. Donny has landed. It’s time to get settled in ready for the first act. Mick and I were pretty
engrossed in the PJ Harvesque male/ female support. They’re in their late teens/early twenties delivering some interesting melancholic guitar-scapes. Unfortunately mid-set the male guitarist had a bit of trouble with his guitar pedals making unwanted clinkkonk sound interrupting the serious moody dark tones. We couldn’t help but giggle. Mick whispers: “What’s going off with his pedals?” My response “Awww bless – the Clink Konk killed their grit.” They were still super-talented though and if the audience hadn’t been literally silent the clink-konks would have been less noticeable.
Halfway through his set Mick joins Jim on stage with his harmonica and a few vocals. I kinda wish my dad was in the room for a bit of Teddy Boy rock n’ roll jiving. There’s a bit of a head nodding in the audience, but no one is brave enough to let loose on the dance-floor, unlike Jim’s social club crowd earlier in the day. Who cares? Jim and Mick are a hit. Winning the Manchester crowd over by being true #DonnyLegends. Thanks Jim and Mick, you’ve done us all proud. Keep doing what you’re doing you’re on the road to greatness.
Its Jim’s turn to hit the stage. He starts his set by busting a few jokes - a complete contrast to the previous musicians who said nothing. His first track Suburban Living starts with a musical stringendo -gradually building up speed and drawing the audience in until we’re nestled in the palm of his hand, hanging on every lyric. The music is really well polished, but it is his amazing voice which really blows the roof off the place. It is soulful rock n’ roll with an underlying gospel vibe. He’s taking us to church, even though he’s a sinner.
Check our Jim’s Facebook page for details about his gigs, bookings and forthcoming releases.
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Check out his music at: soundcloud.com/jamestaplin
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