James MacFarlane

– Co founder / singer / songwriter

Clay Sears, guitarist for mega-stars Jay Z and Janet Jackson, says –
“James is a kindred spirit in many ways….from the very first recording we did I felt an easy workflow between us. His lyrical and melodic ideas are very genuine and inspiring and they really allow my musical ideas to flourish.”

When James began recording his debut CD in 2008 he did it with one goal in mind – to inspire others to follow their own dreams. An aspiring musician his entire life, at the ripe old new career age of 50, MacFarlane finally decided to take the leap and pursue his own desire to record. He has collaborated with some of the best session musicians and recording engineers available, crafting music across the globe in studios spanning Philadelphia, EastSide Sound in New York and the Galaxy Studio on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, in Japan. MacFarlane sings in an eclectic style, blending Classical and Celtic music along with Eastern overtones together into his own unique sound. A number of Independent Film Studios have shown interest in using his tracks. Born in Scotland, Living in America and traveling extensively throughout Japan, MacFarlane has weaved a compelling musical canvas from his intriguing and varied life experiences.

MacFarlane introduced his work live for the first time at the Underground Arts Theatre in Philadelphia in March of 2013 at the “QuestFest” Concert event. A number of up and coming artists were featured including MacFarlane with singer/songwriters Jessica Pyrdsa and Caleb Hawley. Joining the festival from Japan was the singer Kumiko who sang several bi-lingual artistic duets with MacFarlane, accompanied by Japanese pianist Yukino Kano. Kano, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, is an accomplished classical pianist. She is hoping to expand her musical horizons to more popular genres and MacFarlane is happy to help her do just that, saying that it fits in with DreamQuest’s theme of, “artists taking a bold step forward with their musical aspirations and dreams.”

MacFarlane’s band Sovereign, have long and accomplished musical careers. In addition to guitarist Clay Sears, Bassist Chico Huff (James Taylor, Paul Simon), keyboardist Frank Strauss (Tom Jones) and drummer/vocalist KJ McNeill (Zap Mama) comprise the rhythm section. Fiddle player Padraig Keane, the son of renowned fiddler Sean Keane of “The Chieftains” fame, helps the band tap into a long lineage of excellence in traditional Irish music.

In the words of Dave Darlington, owner and principal recording engineer at Bass Hit Recording Studio in New York, who, among many accomplishments over his career, won a Grammy for his work with Sting on the Album “If On A Winter’s Night” – “James, What a nice surprise to receive your CD! I think it came out spectacularly and we should all be very proud.” James is very thankful to Dave, his CD Producers Clayton Sears, Atsushi “Toya” Tokuya and all of the great musicians and engineers he collaborated with across the Globe to make truly inspirational music that he hopes will inspire many others to follow the path to accomplishing their own heartfelt dreams.

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