Protean Mean

Protean Mean formed in February of 2006 by James Hines and Jennifer Paige in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Creating the band's acoustic progressive music stems from a common cause--music as a spiritual motion.
James was born into an artistic and musical family in Texas. At the age of fourteen, he had the first impulse to become a musician. The pivotal moment came while hearing Iron Maiden's "The Clairvoyant," a record that manifested in him the desire to play the bass guitar. His first instrument was an acoustic guitar, followed a year later by the much-desired Fender electric bass. A new world of musical possibility was introduced when James heard the King Crimson album "Discipline," a recording that changed his conception of music since. James played with Miniver Cheevy, Echo Juliet and 3 Penny Opera while living in Texas.
Jennifer began singing at age three, opting for professional training by age fourteen. After a brief and frustrating stint at the piano, she eventually found the guitar in her early twenties. At age ten, Jennifer wrote her first set of lyrics, and still finds this the most satisfying avenue of her musical expression. Hearing Roberta Flack's ballad "The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)" marked the first true appreciation of the voice as instrument. Tori Amos's album "Little Earthquakes" proved another significant milestone and a compass on Jennifer's musical path. While living in Colorado, she served as vocalist for the short-lived "The As Yet Unnamed." In addition to Protean Mean, Jennifer also fronted the Durham-based folk group Shades of Winter for a time.
James and Jennifer met in September of 2001. It wasn't long after that they found a common musical direction and knew creating together lay in their future. After four years of long distance collaboration, James relocated to Chapel Hill and Protean Mean was initiated.
Protean Mean aspires to weave wide ranges of forms and styles into music that is engaging for both the audience and the musicians. Exploring all musical genres, not bound to one style, they view music as a spiritual entity, honored in all its forms.