The JHB live show is a satisfying mix of virtuoso guitar, soulful vocals, originals, instrumentals, and covers whereby James weaves improvisation throughout the song forms, evoking primal forces of sound vibrations into a shamanic experience for the audience, both visually and auditorily.
James Howard was born in Oakland CA, and currently bi-locates between Seattle Washington and Salem Oregon. He grew up playing house parties with Cliff Burton, bassist for Metallica, and soaking up the amazing music coming out of the San Francisco Bay Area when he was growing up including Santana, Journey and Joe Satriani just to name a few.
60’s, 70’s and 80’s rock guitar music informed James’ early years, however with the rise of Stevie Ray Vaughn and the 1980’s blues revival that SRV ushered in, James took a deep dive into SRV, BB King, Albert King, Freddie King and other blues greats to teach himself from recordings the authentic blues technique and spirit.
While James Howard does love the blues, his first love is the rock music of his childhood, i.e, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, etc. These bands, and rock ‘n’ roll in general, are based in the blues, however the 60’s music was an explosion of experimentation in sound recording and music genre blending. You can’t put that genie back in the bottle and James Howard will always blend genres, as a true child of 60’s, even if he does also play authentic blues.
In 2023, James is planning on releasing both his first all blues focused album and a new rock album consisting of the best rock tracks off of his first two studio albums; “Electric Rain” and “Celebrate Life”, released in 1998 and 2008 respectively.
James is happy to be out gigging after the long hiatus that the pandemic wrought. He, along with Jamie Vandal on bass, Kevin Cook on drums, and Glen Coberly on keys, are traveling along the I5 corridor this summer, between Seattle WA and Salem OR, playing festivals and fairs getting the healing music out to the community of music lovers. Come help get the good vibes of the James Howard Band out to your community. Book The JHB at your festival, fair, community event, club, corporate event, or private party.
“What Howard can do with a guitar is remarkable in a word …will have veteran guitar players wondering where the licks are coming from … Howard’s guitar is sweet and brilliant and laced with Spanish overtones and a fluid approach that is chilling. He knows his craft. .. deep in the well when it comes to guitar wizardry & creativity.” – Craig Ruskey of Delta Snake Daily Blues Online Magazine