Natasha James

Natasha James draws upon an array of influences while delivering an eclectic brand of pop within the modern singer/songwriter idiom. An Aquarian native of San Francisco, she entered the world two weeks early, fragile and parentless, so her grandmother took charge at the outset. Relocating repeatedly through her Southern California upbringing, she mastered reading and guitar on the shoreline before reconnecting with her mother. After a short stay in Mexico City the pair settled back in west Los Angeles, where James launched her performing career at fourteen in local jazz and blues venues as well as San Francisco folk clubs. She simultaneously explored modeling and acting, training under Lee Strassberg and securing minor character roles. At eighteen she and her mother—who was then crafting screenplays—relocated to Europe, spending time in Switzerland, Italy, and England while James earned a degree in languages and literature. In London she became a regular with a reggae ensemble that performed upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s and toured northern England. There she supplied lyrics for a composition by Jeff Hunter, prompting her return to Los Angeles. A brief New York interlude followed, during which she appeared in area clubs alongside her band Good ’n’ Dusty; at the same time she began channeling her distinctive approach into roots music and penning material for fellow artists. Eventually she bought property in Sonoma County and raised two children alone. Her first album, Restless Kind, appeared in 2003 on the Music in the Vines label; four years later Highway One issued Bad Judgements under an unexpected contract, its lead track “The Restless Kind” becoming a hit single. The 2009 follow-up, Tequila Time, reinforced her status as a Bay Area fixture whose sets encompass country, rock, bluegrass, blues, jazz, Americana, and funk.