James Margolis

March 15 Saturday 8:00PM Free

His songs combine his Sinatra-esque vocal delivery with clever lyrics that evoke comparisons to Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan. His guitar playing draws inspiration from the likes of Skip James, Jimi Hendrix, and Wes Montgomery, just to name a few. A very soulful performer, James breathes fresh life into old songs, and expresses his passion for music with every performance. A very powerful force whether playing solo, or with his band.

A monster guitarist, James was initially self-taught, before starting lessons with a protegé of legendary Philadelphia guitarist Dennis Sandole, John Coltrane’s teacher at one point. James grew up listening to all sorts of blues, jazz, soul, folk, rock, hip-hop, and neo-soul, developing a genuine deep love for a lot of different types of music. A Philadelphia area native, he went to a local blues jam session every Thursday he could while in high school, accompanied by his dad, since he was under 21. James dropped out of Berklee College of Music in 2009 after 3 semesters, moved back to PA, and started cutting his teeth in the Philly live music scene. Eventually he moved to NYC in 2012 and lived in his car for a brief time.

James has since toured extensively by himself, opening up for Willie Watson (of Old Crow Medicine Show) in April of 2024 at the famed West Virginia venue The Purple Fiddle, which has hosted James quite a few times. In 2016 James was sometimes playing 8 shows a week with the Travelers, a band that he joined in Philadelphia, and continued to play shows with after moving to NYC. They started an all-improvised jam session called The Healing in Brooklyn, which happened regularly for over 2 years. James has become a regular performer at the legendary Brooklyn folk venue Jalopy Theatre & School of Music, and his band held a residency at Jalopy Tavern in late 2022.

James has produced albums for the Travelers, Carissa & The Voodoo Lilies, and has produced most of his own music, including his recently released album of all original songs, Civilianaire. He has made his living as a live sound engineer in the past, at various venues around the city. Most notably at The Django, the basement jazz lounge at The Roxy Hotel, for acts such as Mingus Big Band, Kendra Foster, and Mark Kelley of The Roots. After leaving that job, he decided to dedicate his time and energy towards recording his own songs.