PLEASE NOTE:This site is ran by Buzzy and his assistant Crash! While Buzzy doesn't always check the messages and as much as I try to, I occassionally don't get on here but once a week, so if you need to contact Buzzy James, please do so at [email protected]
Thank You~
Crash
Passion and Soul. These are just two words used to describe Buzzy James and his music. In todays music industry, it is near impossible to find someone who deserves such adjectives but Buzzy James deserves such.
Born and raised in Southern California. Buzzy would pick up his first guitar at the age of 8, I was a shy kid and kind of kept to myself. So playing guitar was the perfect thing. I'd sit in my room or under a tree and play guitar for hours. When I was in second grade my band played Hey Jude in the school talent show. I was the singer/guitarplayer. In the third grade talent show, I sang and played The ballad of John and Yoko. So there I am, this third grader with long hair, striped bell bottoms and Beatle boots playing electric guitar with my amp on 10 singing at the top of my lungs "Christ you know it aint Easy". My teachers didn't know what to think. Buzzy comments.
Influenced by the likes of The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bill Monroe, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, Blind Willie McTell, Eric Clapton, Doc Watson, Robert Johnson, and many more masters of The Blues. Buzzy has developed into a well rounded musician over the years, his abundant knowledge in lead and rhythm guitars, slide guitar, along with his skills in singing, songwriting, piano, bass guitar, drum programming, dobro, mandolin, banjo, and lap steel guitar has provided Buzzy the opportunity to excel as a solo musician, band leader, highly sought after session player, and producer.
Buzzy was a veteran of the LA Music Scene by his early 20s playing in such notable bands as Lipps and Buster Chops. It was while at a gig with Buster Chops at LAs famed Marquee Club that Buzzy met fellow guitarist Craig DeFalco. The pair would go on to form the hard rock outfit Moonshine that would evolve into Laidlaw by the mid 1990s.
Their musical union would lead to a record deal in 1998 with Motley Crue mastermind Nikki Sixx label Americoma Records. Sixx produced their debut album, First Big Picnic, which was released to rave reviews in 1999. The success of First Big Picnic as well as their reputation as a solid live act landed Laidlaw gigs with the likes of Paul Rodgers, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and many others. Buzzy and company were chosen to open for Motley Crue on the 1998 Greatest Hits tour which lasted over five months, Laidlaw later toured for over three months opening for The Scorpions and Motley Crue on their Maximum Rock tour in 1999. Subsequent tours with Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as the coveted opening slot on the 55-city tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top in 2000, and the opening slot on the 2004 Van Halen Reunion Tour solidified Laidlaw as a musical force.
Buzzy James left Laidlaw in 2005 to pursue a solo career, which will feature his passionate singing talents alongside of his soulful talents on the guitar. Buzzy recently scored the full-length documentary Excavating Taylor Mead; it recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and is nominated for Best Documentary at the Rain Dance film festival in London. Between work on his first solo album, various session work, countless solo live gigs as well as live gigs with The Allman Brothers tribute band Midnight Riders, and building his website which can be found at http://www.buzzyjames.com, the next few years promise to be an amazing ride.
2009 finds Buzzy joining forces with vocalist, guitarist, and songwriting partner Trish Burke, bassist Terry Law and drummer Scott Palacios to form the exciting new group, UNKLE BUZZARD!! The band has begun recording new material and have been playing gigs in Southern California. DO NOT MISS THEM!!
UNKLE BUZZARD
L to R:Buzzy James, Trish Burke, Terry Law, Steve Lund
PLEASE NOTE THAT SCOTT PALACIOS WILL BE THE FULL-TIME DRUMMER FOR UNKLE BUZZARD.
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK STEVE LUND FOR HIS TIME BEHIND THE KIT!!
****Photo Courtesy of Jaylene Duncan & Hippie Visions Studio****
I have received multiple emails as to where you can purchase either "First Big Picnic"
or
2003's "Laidlaw".
Sadly, "First Big Picnic" is out of print, however, there are always copies up on
www.ebay.com
As for 2003's "Laidlaw", it is available by clicking on the cover below!!
