Ethan James

Ethan James stood out as an enigmatic presence in music, having devoted many years to performing, producing, and engineering for others before finally pursuing his personal artistic direction. Born Ralph Burns Kellogg, he participated in San Francisco R&B groups during his teenage years in the early 1960s and entered Blue Cheer in 1969, not long after the band achieved recognition through its rendition of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues.” He stayed with the group for tours and recordings until its dissolution in 1971. Following a period in Los Angeles-area country & western ensembles throughout the rest of the 1970s, he adopted a new name and gained notice in 1980 by becoming proprietor of Radio Tokyo Studios.

His studio partner, who had planned to manage bookings, suffered a broken leg and could not generate clients. With the facility unoccupied, James offered the local band the Unclaimed free recording time simply because their music appealed to him. The resulting EP faithfully represented the group and drew the interest of emerging producer Bill Inglot. Inglot’s network led James to numerous acts in the paisley underground and punk circles, where he handled engineering duties for the Last, the Bangles, Rain Parade, and additional outfits.

During a lull in activity, James decided to attempt production work himself and contacted the Minutemen about contributing to a compilation. This marked the start of The Radio Tokyo Tapes, a project that eventually comprised four full-length albums and one double CD, capturing the Los Angeles scene in a distinctive manner. It also initiated ongoing work with SST-affiliated bands and the Minutemen, for whom he recorded Double Nickels on the Dime. By the mid-1980s, Radio Tokyo had become a respected facility employing several assistants, many of whom later built their own careers in the industry. Profitability remained limited, however, and James grew weary of what he viewed as an unchanging and formulaic Los Angeles rock environment. He had meanwhile encountered early music and, after years of recording rock acts, turned to listening to groups featuring medieval viols, krummhorns, and hurdy-gurdies. The distinctive drone of the final instrument particularly captivated him; he purchased one, mastered it on his own, and constructed a second.

He sold Radio Tokyo Studios in late 1989 and turned his attention to composing his own material. James collaborated with chanteuse Erin Kenney on two albums that blended medieval and contemporary elements. Both achieved modest sales and favorable critical notice, prompting tours across Europe and America. Creative differences eventually ended the partnership, after which James performed several local Los Angeles shows with a medieval instrumental group that mixed ancient, modern, and avant-garde repertoire. The ensemble provoked both admiration and puzzlement when opening for art rock and punk acts, though no recordings emerged from this period. He contributed hurdy-gurdy session work to film scores and rock projects involving Jerry Giddens, Seventeen Pygmies, the Wild Colonials, and the Jackson Del Ray Band. His familiarity with Middle Eastern music proved valuable when he appeared alongside Ofera Haza and Nusrat Fatteh Ali Khan on Jonathan Elias’ Prayer Cycle CD. At the time, he was almost certainly the sole active rock hurdy-gurdy player in Los Angeles, introducing many listeners to the instrument through club performances.

In 1995 he issued the original album Shaking Hands With Kafka on an obscure German label; the collection showcased his hurdy-gurdy playing alongside songs that alternated between gloomy, mystical, and humorous tones. Solid sales led to a follow-up, 1996’s What Rough Beast. During quieter periods, James also performed as a street musician and produced several inexpensive tapes for those informal appearances. Encouraged by a friend, he submitted a tape of holiday music to Rykodisc, which issued it as The Ancient Music of Christmas. The release earned strong reviews and performed well as a seasonal recording. In 2000 he joined the Terra Nova Consort, a group long associated with the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. He appeared on their 1999 release Renaissance en Provence and toured with the ensemble in 2000 and 2001. In June 2003, James died quietly in San Francisco following a short illness with liver cancer.