A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, James began playing guitar at the age of 12. At age 15, after hearing Randy Rhoads, he was inspired to get serious about what had previously been just a hobby. 

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      After high school, James attended the prestigious Berklee College of music where he was privileged to be able to study privately with Joe Musella, Scotty Johnson, Don Lappin, and Chris Buono. Attending Berklee also gave him a strong foundation in Harmony/Music Theory, Ear Training, and Arranging.  James has since continued to study with Chris Buono and is one of a small group of people to have completed Chris's Diatonic 7-Tone which is an exhaustive exploration of the diatonic modes. If you want to see what 7-Tone is all about, and maybe take the plunge yourself, check out that section of my page here:

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     Over the past 15 years James has played professionally in virtually every setting imaginable. He's played with Lancaster's premier Irish rock band, the Ogham Stones, for over 10 years, has played in various cover/party bands, most notably The 1.21. He plays Dobro with Tractor Jerry and the Mudbucket, and has done numerous pick up gigs in virtually all genres, including country, blues, and jazz. He has also worked extensively as a pit musician, having done shows for Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Prima Theater, and The Bare Bones Theater ensemble, among others. 

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     James is available for lessons, gigs, pit orchestra gigs, session work, and whatever else you can throw at him. Reach out via the contact page!