| James Apollo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Adam Strom |
| Born | December 25, 1980, NW Arkansas |
| Genres | Singer-songwriter, Acoustic, Alternative |
| Instruments | Acoustic Guitar, Vocals |
| Labels | No Alternative |
| Website | Official Website James Apollo on Myspace |
James Apollo (born December 25, 1980) is an American songwriter and musician. He was born in NW Arkansas and spent formative years in Minneapolis, San Francisco, New York and Tennessee. He currently lives and works out of Silverton, Colorado, and New York City.
The Scotsman dubbed Apollo "King of the Road," in 2008.[1] He is best known for creating emotionally textured soundscapes, often gaining musical and lyrical citations to William Faulkner, Tom Waits, and classic Americana of the West. According to Allmusic, "Apollo's broken, bluesy tenor moans out his tale of broken hearts and substance abuse".[2] His songs have been featured in a number of independent films, including the 2009 feature, "Sun Dogs."
After touring the USA for several years, Apollo was picked up by NoAlternative Records, which released a number of Apollo's albums including "Good Grief" (2005) and "Hide Your Heart in a Hive" (2007).
First touring Europe with Canadian songwriter Morgan Finlay, James Apollo was invited by Tom Robinson to perform live on the BBC. This led to numerous radio appearances, and a live television session on Channel M in Manchester, gaining the singer a wide audience throughout the UK. He has since continued performing in both the US and EU, dividing time between music hubs of [New York] and London, as well lesser trodden locales such as Reykjavik and Slovenia.
In 2008 Apollo recorded the record "Angels we have Grown apart" which features a number of prominent New York musicians such as Clifton Hyde, Stefan Zeniuk, and Jesse Selengut.
In 2010 Apollo released his UK debut album Till Your Feet Bleed on the No Alternative label. The album gained some positive reviews. Mojo awarded the album four (out of five) stars. “A record that’s shrouded in nocturnal melancholy, the singer-songwriter presiding over its dark delights with both a ghoulish air of danger and a charming fragility”.[3] Uncut also gave it four out of five stars. “You could accuse him of over-emoting, but there’s something intrinsically beautiful in how accordion, guitar and brushed drums are woven together to such doleful, quietly epic effect”.[4]
Apollo also contributed the track "One After 909" to Mojo's recreation of The Beatles record Let it Be album, given away free with the September 2010 edition of the magazine.