JAMES AND BLACKBURN

Ontario based indie band James and Blackburn are an exciting young talent. Playing an inspired blend of art rock, the group writes melancholic music layered in somber melody and lyrics riddled with introspection. Dark and joyful, the music of James and Blackburn resonates and builds with each intimate confession and reverberation. Now living in Toronto, Canada the figure of James and Blackburn lingers hooded and at large.  

Cousins, Owen Edwards (Guitar/Vocal) and Landon Kotchapaw (Bass), grew up writing and recording music in their grandparent’s basement using outdated video cameras, tape decks and karaoke machines to capture their ever-expanding catalogue. After high school the pair moved into an apartment in downtown Ottawa and partnered up with percussionist, Sebastien Button, to form James and Blackburn, borrowing the name from the streets they lived on. The trio immediately gave life to a batch of demos — a collection of five songs that would become their self-titled EP.

After travels to Canada’s coasts and the Orient, the three reconnected in 2011 and moved into a home in the south end of Ottawa where they dedicated a year to the creation of their most cohesive project to date — their debut LP, Island Universe. Inspired by a passage in Aldous Huxley’s, The Doors of Perception, the dark moody record paints a murky self-portrait of a man bruised by his own existential awareness. With sincerity in lyric and sound, Island Universe boasts an internal eclecticism unique from its genre-bending counterparts. Since releasing the record in January of 2012, the band has settled into Toronto’s indie music scene playing CMW, Indie Week and NXNE showcases, circuiting the well-trodden 401 corridor, and most recently, touring the East Coast of Canada.

Now the spring of 2013, James and Blackburn have taken to playing local shows while writing and recording their follow-up sophomore record, a project under the working title Daily Celebration of Life. 

Firmly rooted in rock music, the record also inhibits a kind of ambient space, much like Pink Floyd or a more recent band like Secret Machines... At a time in music where the number of instruments that a band employs in order to achieve their sound seems to have only grown with time, there is something inherently refreshing about James and Blackburn.

Ken Kelly, Times & Transcript

Songs like “Merry Go-Round” and “Holiday” fill up that [sonic] space with astonishing ease. The group’s tracks are simultaneously epic and tender, with the bass and drum lines providing an unshakeably solid foundation for Edwards’s yearning vocal style and thoughtful lyrics.

- Zoe Kelsey, The Journal 

"Then Owen Edwards sang the words “I go outside to smell the rain” on the album’s opening track “We Have No Names For Anything”, and knew immediately I was listening to something special.  There is a deflated, borderline melancholic quality to Edward’s vocal style that belies the rich twang and reverb of guitars and intensity of Sébastien Button’s drumming that makes James And Blackburn exceptionally interesting and unique."

- Dave MacIntyre, Examiner

"For a young, three-piece band releasing their debut LP, James and Blackburn certainly don't sound like it. Both confident and whole sounding, Island Universe is your basic indie-rock record but with a lot to offer."

- Laura Stanley, Grayowl Point 

"This is next-level stuff they are doing right here. That the band basically took a year to write and perfect these songs before recording them and releasing them is very evident, because unlike a lot of releases the shine does not wear off this one with increased listens.  In fact, every time I’ve heard it so far I’ve been finding new things to love about it and appreciating it more and more."

- Dan Wolovick, Two Way Monologues

"Their sound has been described as alternative rock with elements of folk, blues, progressive rock, the psychedelic and more. But they say that’s just how they like it – left up to the listener to decide."

- Ilana Belfer, Centretown News (Ottawa)

"Seeing them live then, I focused on appreciating their musicianship, stage presence and how they interacted as a band. Button is a highly entertaining drummer with a penchant for playing barefoot, Kotchapaw is one of the tightest bassists out there and Edwards sings with a maturity beyond his years; his deep, soulful vocals have garnered valid comparisons to Dylan."

- Chiara DiAngelo, Buying Shots For Bands

"Metaphor-ridden lyrics are executed through a balanced chemistry that is gradually revealed throughout the duration of the record. Every band member's individual talent is audible as each riff, beat and pitch contributes to a delightfully different sound that comes with every track... As an avid fan of indie music, it was refreshing to feast my ears on a record of so much internal eclecticism. "

- Christina Luo, thenewmusic.ca

"The 10 song album showcases J&B’s varied, artistic approach as tracks border on ambient, spacey sounds and often blast off into explosive rock crunchers. Edwards’ vocals are reminiscent of early Dylan at times and later Bowie at others, pulling the listener closer for a second take."

- Matt McKechnie, The Ottawa Citizen

"This is truly a great piece of work – all the more so for a debut – and with a few sing-alongs, some dancier numbers and slower lulls along the path, Island Universe shows just how diverse James & Blackburn can be, leaving much to the imagination about what they might create in the future."

- Ryan Stephenson Price, The Indie Machine

“The tight bond between the three is making for terrific chemistry, and lots of solid songs with Edwards’ poetic lyrics like his idols Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan, wrapped in a blues rock wrap.” 

- Denis Armstrong, The Ottawa Sun

“James & Blackburn are non-intrusive in their music, it's there for you to enjoy unlike some other acts that insist on the hard drive in an attempt to keep their audience interested.” 

- Travis Hatcher, NxEW