Peter James

Please Note! there are 2 artists on this page called peter james. one is a folk singer, who has written the album "Footnotes to Fairytales", the other is the cumbria, u.k based ambient artist, who has 2 album releases to date, now released in the U.K by Trace Recordings - "holding on - letting go", and "is", plus 2 stillEarth releases, on Atmoworks - "still Earth" and "silver Attracts". he is also a member of stillEarth, 48 cameras, and Soviet Dynamo.

he is in no way connected to the Shy Sides recording artiste Peter James. ergo they are both "the real peter james". hope this clears up any confusion to listeners. peter james - www.myspace.com/2still - cumbria - 2009

Update 15/02/2011 the cumbrian based ambient artist peter james new album "the more i look the less i see" , minus "landfall" (which is still available here for now, for free download), but including 2 new pieces, has now been released by Cykxincorp in the USA, and is available via Amazon for download or cdr/cd, with new artwork as well. . www.myspace.com/2still


Footnotes to Fairytales is the delightful debut release by British singer-songwriter Peter James. Dramatic, passionate and reflective, the songs stimulate imagery and emotion. It will delight any listener who is willing to brave a journey of heartbreak and capable of understanding its beauty. This is lush, cinematic folk music - thoughtful, subtly complex and intelligently composed.


Reaching across genres, Peter James is a part of the rich folk singer-songwriter tradition, which he combines with a popular music sensibility and a compositional sophistication. Supported by the unique instrumentation of 8-string guitar, Chapman Stick, electric-upright bass and fretless guitar accompanied by light touches of percussion, tabla, harmonium and cello, this work is intricate and daring.

Born on the grey, gloomy shores of South Wales, Peter began writing and performing in the United Kingdom where his vocals soaked in the influences of David Sylvian, Morrissey, Everything But The Girl, and Lloyd Cole. He later made his way to San Francisco via Southeast Asia. Inspired by melodic percussive rhythms and the Classical Minimalist compositions of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, he takes a fresh approach to guitar playing and songwriting.

A visual and acoustic journey, Footnotes to Fairytales stands on its own.


Peter James - 8-string guitar, guitar, voice
Daniel Panasenko - Chapman Stick, electric upright bass
David Lofton - fretless guitar, guitar, support voice
Gino Robair - drums & percussion