JUST LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE AND BLOG!!!

Be sure to update your bookmarks and such. You can find everything you need at abeljames.com! Please note that I will no longer be updating this particular blog at blogspot, so mosey on over to abeljames.com!

Nothing like fresh french press on a rainy day...

Time Change: Now Starting at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays!

So it won't be as crazy hot, which is nice. Also, we're playing from 9 - 12:30 at Maria Maria Thursdays this month and need to get a good crowd to get the solid residency. We'd love it if you came out to show your support! See you all soon.

Playing at Maria Maria Thursdays in July!

Play the music you want to hear

Life may not to be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance

Word of the day: guttersnipe

\GUTT-er-snype\ noun
1 : a homeless vagabond and especially an outcast boy or girl in the streets of a city
*2 : a person of the lowest moral or economic station

I must work this into a song.

It's sticky season

and it's going to be a sweet, sticky show at six lounge. Come hang out with us!

The Evolution of Man

New shows!

So, Lucas and I will be playing weekly Friday happy hour gigs at SIX from 7-9 p.m. starting tonight! So come hang out.

Also, I'll be playing electric for Chasing Something Better at the biker rally on 6th street tomorrow from 12-4:30 p.m. Don't forget your chaps.

booking up gigs like crazy ooooeeeee!

it's going to be a busy summer for my fingers.

Loving the smell of rain

and the fact that it's not 103 degrees.

"The sun's not yellow it's chicken!"

Celtics, you were awesome last night. Thank you.

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."
- Wayne Gretzky

coffeeshops are quiet

without all the college kids

It's hot!

But not too hot to hang out tonight at SIX Lounge! Back from the beaches (with sand in my hair to prove it) and ready to rock.

There's something right

About drinking coffee out of a beer stein...

The gears are a'turnin'

The word is out! Look for upcoming gigs at The Pier on Lake Travis, Friday happy hours at SIX Lounge, the Hard Rock Cafe, and Maria Maria (Santana's restaurant)!

I've been churning out new tunes in the past few days as well, so keep an eye out for previews soon!

The stock market is tanking

Come ease your troubled mind with Lucas and me tonight at Six Lounge before I take of for Florida for the holiday weekend to jam with Banjo Jim!

Despite a freak finger-mangling tubing and wakeboarding "incident" this weekend, I'll be back at it tonight (admittedly, lighter and more "gingerly," if you will).

In other news, we may have some good news to report about playing at some shiny new venues! As a start, we've booked up another show at the Pier on Lake Travis.

Also, pretty stoked about buying a hatchback that absorbs and neatly packs away show supplies like a rockstar. The new tour bus. Zoom zoom indeed.

One man's work is another man's fun

Screaming electric guitar tonight at Beso Cantina

Who doesn't like besos and face-melting electric guitar? Get ready for just that tonight at Best Cantina in the Warehouse District where I'll be playing with Lucas, Stacey, and Bruce frmo 9-11 p.m. This is SHARP, folks, not musician time. Apparently Beso's on a pretty strict schedule, so show up early and don't miss out.

I think I just scared the rain away!

Celtics Owned It!

East coast love!

Three gigs in four days

Are you ready?

I didn't drink any coffee today!

Amazing!

Ok, I'll admit, it's 80 freaking degrees in the house because our A/C technician is a hack and it's way too hot for coffee. And I did sneak a "Steaz Organic Fuel" and an iced tea. But I'm still proud of myself, so there.

hellloooo summer!

thanks for a great show last night, all. and happy birthday jenna!

in other news, it's really hot out.

Now if this isn't roofdeck weather, I don't know what is

So come hang out with the incidents tonight and celebrate a belated cinco de mayo with some spicy Spanish tunes.

Austin always welcomes you back

Back to Dartmouth

For the first time in far too long, I'm scooting back to Dartmouth this weekend for Aires reunion. The shenanigans will be overwhelming, the smiles plentiful, and the cheap beer hangovers in steady supply. Wish everyone could be closer, but we're all fortunate to be able to make it back to our alma mater and see each other. Can't wait dudes.

Breakin in my walkin shoes

While eating my breakfast this morning

I watched Dr. Dorothy Height's funeral motorcade whiz by, of which presumably Obama was a part (he's giving the eulogy at the National Cathedral). It's easy to forget that you're so close to the action when you're in DC, but that's a pretty cool "welcome back."

Well hello there dc

It's nice to see you again.

Come hang out at Six Lounge tonight!

Seriously, there is NO reason you shouldn't be outside as much as reasonably possible today. It's not even fair to the rest of the country that it's this awesome out. So come raise a glass with us to celebrate. 9 - midnight on the roofdeck at Six Lounge.

Woot woot

“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to." - W.C. Fields

The Austin Airstream

The Incidents tonight at Six Lounge

Tuesday was awesome, let's shoot for making Thursday even better. Come hang out with Lucas, Stacey, and me tonight and shout out whatever you want to hear. Just be careful what you wish for...

Awesome Show at the Pier!

Although the lightning that lit up half the sky was menacing on the drive over, we had a GREAT and receptive crowd. A beautiful place on a freshly refilled Lake Travis. Thanks to all who made it out - looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Wisdom for a rainy day

"ignore the protestations of sensible people and their conventional caution." - Felix Dennis

Nothing like a flat on the way to a gig!

Happy Tax Day!

Come celebrate your gigantic refund at Six Lounge with the Incidents! Another Incidents show coming up this Saturday evening at the Pier on Lake Travis. Awesome!

Tip of the day

Don't: sneeze while holding a full cup of coffee. Learned that one the hard way.

Do: come hang out at Six Lounge tonight 9-12. You know the drill.

Happy Hour on a Saturday

At the thirrrsssty nickel.  Catch Lucas and me from 4-7:30.

Woke up this morning and had them Statesboro Blues

Incidents Tonight - 9-midnight

Great Vibes Last Night!

Thanks for all the positive vibes at Six Lounge for the solo show. And for all of you asking about corporate gigs, sounds like a plan guys. Glad you dug some of my new tunes and as of yet unheard covers. Let's do it again sometime, eh?

Some Pics from Last Night - Catch Me Again Tonight at Six Lounge

Solojam at the Thirsty Nickel Tonight 7-10:30 p.m.

Hi All,
Come catch a solo acoustic show at the Thirsty Nickel tonight on Sixth Street, from 7-10:30. Lots of new-ish originals and such, and many cheap drinks. Not bad for a Monday, I'd say.

Here's a clip!

old. crow.

Sometimes

you just really deserve the weekend. You know?

why is it

that after you take sunglasses off of the top of your head, it feels like they're still there?

Day so far:

Wake up to glorious sunshine and a warm breeze.
Cleaning at Castle Dental.
Green chili enchiladas at Kerbey Lane.
Spicy sweet coffee and more sunshine at the Green Muse.

How austin is THAT???

why is it

that after you take sunglasses off of the top of your head, it feels like they're still there?

happy census day, and what a beautiful one it is...

don't forget to send it in, folks.  and then come see the Incidents at Six Lounge, playing from 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. 

...

APRIL FOOLS!!!


!
....

.

waa waaa.

Six Lounge. 9 p.m. - midnight, as usual. What a DAY!

It's going to be another beaut at Six Lounge

So strap on your dancin shoes and 10 gallon hat, because we're not messing around.

9-12 tonight. Six Lounge.

Dartmouth Aires win the WERS All A Cappella Live Competition!

Congrats to the Dartmouth Aires, my singing group from college, for winning WERS 88.9's All A Cappella Live Competition. Still got the chops!

New Press Shots! Thanks Arin!

Abel James, Lucas Cook, and the Incidents Selected as "Last Call's Pick of the Month!"

We've been selected to highlight as Last Call's Pick of the Month! Movin' on up!

crap. the coffee isn't working.

i guess that goes with the territory of living a double life, with my rockstar doppelganger beating up on my prim and proper 9-5 persona. i always appreciate the juxtaposition of the two worlds, where each informs the other and adds a little spice or a little order do my life. i think the thing that really keeps me going is the hope that each, in its own way, makes me better at what i do. life has many lessons, and those i learn onstage aren't lost when i'm faced with an otherwise daunting presentation or interview. if i were a superhero, i wonder which would be my secret identity...

bottomless cup at dominican joes

yep, one of those days

I just saw two grackles mating. grim.

Also, come see the incidents tonight at Six Lounge.

Closing Out One2One

I would make a miserable mormon because they don't believe in coffee. Coffee is pretty much my god.

What a day!

Ladies and Gentlemen, this one is going to be a doozy. On the final day of a wild south by southwest, I'll be playing a solo showcase tonight at 8 p.m. sharp playing my original tunes (with some new ones thrown in there for good measure). Following that, I'll be stepping back on stage on screaming electric guitar and backing vocals to support my good friend Lucas Cook at 11 p.m. THEN I'll be resplendently roaring back to stage at 1 a.m. for my full band showcase, backed up by the Incidents. This will all take place at One2One bar downtown.

We would be privileged if you could attend. And if you come to the 1 a.m. show, let's end the wildest south by ever with an exclamation point rather than an ellipsis...

But of course, next week we'll be back in regular action with gigs on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Six Lounge and Saturday happy hour at the Thirsty Nickel. So really, the fun never ends.

What a show last night! Thanks all!

Straight from Tom Waits

“I think everyone believes in something. Even people who don’t believe in anything believe that.”

"We are monkeys with money and guns."

Great show last night!

Thanks to all those who made it out. Got some more fun ahead with an incidents show at six lounge 9-12 tomorrow, followed by a sxsw showcase bonanza at One2One bar pretty much all night on Sunday. Stay tuned!

shit makes the flowers grow

ps - how can they wear such skinny jeans with potbellies?

Hipsters keep walking by my window

glory to sxsw

a computer can beat me at chess

but not kick boxing.

Got some brand spankin new live tracks from the incidents!

Check out our tunes at www.myspace.com/theincidentsmusic. Look out for the original tunes Damn Particular Man, Can I Get You, and Gonna Live While I'm Alive. Let us know what you think!

this town is about to go bananas

lots of shows coming up, folks. and much craziness in store.

Strawberry Kombucha. Yessss...

"Life never works out according to plan. But it always works out."

78 and sunny today? Sounds like cause for a celebration, Austinites...

Six Lounge. 9pm-12am. Come happy, leave happier.

Surprise Gig - Thirsty Nickel 4pm-7:30pm TONIGHT!

Come hang!  Awesome drink specials on an even awesomer day.

325 East 6th Street


oh. yeah.

I LOVE coffee

I want to drink it by the bucket

Crap, I think I'm the old man!

It's going to be another beautiful night in Austin - it's almost not fair.

Come out and meet the Incidents: Abel James, Stacey McCann, Lucas Cook and Shawn Tuthill and rock out all night at Six Lounge!

life would be funnier if people actually slipped on banana peels

The butterfly dreams of flight
Through the glass

"Canada

is kind of like your attic. Sometimes you forget it's up there, but every now and then you go up and find lots of cool stuff."

second degree burn from the frosting on a pop tart. amazing.

Just kidding - the show is back on!

Come join us from 9-12pm at Six Lounge!

SNOW IN AUSTIN! SHOW CANCELLED TONIGHT!

The weatherman wasn't crying wolf this time. I love the smell of snow.  Oh, how I've missed it...

So break out your snowpants, goggles, and neckwarmers if you need to go out tonight.  But because Austin is such a wimp, we won't be playing our show tonight at Six Lounge.  And that's probably for the best, because Lucas and I wouldn't want to be responsible for you crashing your Ferrari on the way to our show in the paltry half inch of snow.  Or whatever.

Booking for SXSW (unofficial, at least) shows has begun. I'll keep you all updated.

Homeward bound

For the first time in more than a year and a half, I'm heading back to New Hampshire tonight. What a crazy life this has turned out to be...

Happy fat tuesday

Come celebrate with Abel and Lucas at the Tap Room at Six Lounge from 9-12pm. Got some ugliness in my throat today, so it might be some john lennon shake it up baby type action. Oh yeah.

"The Incidents" at Six Lounge starting in March

We're going to be playing full band gigs Thursday nights at Six Lounge from 9-12pm beginning in March! Boom!

kombucha

makes me feel like a rockstar.

Bumpersticker of the day

"Fight the Stupids."
- Some Bookstore, New Orleans

Cereal is underrated.

HOLY CARP!

Sometimes I get into this strange state

where I feel like I've stepped out of myself and I feel like the present is an illusion - I can't understand, or believe that what's happening now is actually happening. Then something snaps me back to reality because you realize I have to react. Difficult to express and incredible to experience, it's neither good nor bad. If anything, I'd lean toward the experience being good, because it forces me to take myself less seriously. Is there a name for this (like there's a name for deja vous)? There probably is, but it's in greek or something... I need to brush up on my latin - all I remember is semper ubi sub ubi...

In that spirit, the quote of the day is: "A gentleman need not know Latin, but he should at least have forgotten it."

Also, if "alow" means "below," then why wouldn't you just say below? And I'm not a fan of acronyms that are more complicated and difficult to remember than their "antecedents."

Phoenix

For frogs, they put out some pretty cool music. After hearing an interview on NPR, I was intrigued by their influences and the very fact that they are a French but still managed to be semi-mainstream in the US. On top of that, I kinda dig it. Check them out on lala or Pandora (I just made a station - let me know if you want me to share it with you, eh?).

This rain is getting booorrrrinng

Nifty new digital recorder

is treating me well so far. I have live shows recorded, but now I need to figure out how to get them to people. Even compressed, our 3 hour show is over 200 megs (I could get it smaller, but not a whole lot without mangling it into a meaningless series of garbles). Give me a shout if you have any ideas...

Wow

is it friday yet? Holy guacamole.

Dueling Guitars at Six Lounge Tonight 9-12!

Here's to no rain!

The best idea of the night

I had another set of wild dreams last night, some of them lucid which is always mind-blowing. I was at a bar, and after I ordered one $5 beer, I mistakenly pulled three fives from my wallet instead of ones. Then I thought of something -- if I'm dreaming, then anything I do won't really have any real-world repercussions. Right? So I shoved the three fivers into the milk-bottle-shaped tip jar. She looked at me with a puzzled, squinty grin that seemed to ask, "Why do I deserve that?" (not knowing that the money was "free to me" - wheee!). I asked her half playful / half totally serious, "What is the meaning of life?" She walked closer, looked me as if she were staring deep into my soul, opened her mouth... and then I woke up.

Disgruntled and realizing it was 5 in the morning in real life, I sat in bed for a second and tried to recoup.  Then I leaned over the side of my bed, opened up my wallet, and fifteen dollars was missing! WHAT?

Just kidding. But I'm going to try again, and hopefully come away with some incredible, life-changing advice. But remember folks, always tip big in your dreams.

Later in life I've realized

Everything worth knowing I learned on the bus.

The Incidents on Thursdays at Six!

The few weeks of dangerously new-school musical experimentation on the rooftop of Six Lounge has yielded another gig - management has offered us to play as the Incidents on Thursday nights! Lucas and I will continue our somewhat silly, always entertaining acoustic duo on Tuesday nights, while Thursdays we will be playing high-octane rock-your-face-off rockfunkbluesrootssoul. We'll start next Thursday. In the meantime, hope to see you tomorrow night!

Austin

makes groundhogs completely irrelevant.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Google should clean up their act...

So I'm working on a report for work and I wanted to double-check that a colon must be preceded by a complete sentence. So I asked my trusted friend, Google.  Then I see this in the middle - not the side - of the page:

Ads by Google

Clean Your Butt In A Day.

Start now. Do it the Colonblow way. Get it done and get it done right.
www.colonblow.com


Wrong kind of colon.  But I wouldn't want to blow the punctuation mark either.  Gross.

Sudafed and Coffee

wow...

With a lump in my throat

I dropped my brother Mark off at the airport today. It's been an unforgettable gift to spend time together for the past month, and I hope life allows us both the time and opportunity to do it again. We could make some incredible music, offer each other undying support through all of the crazy things life throws our way, and have some impossibly good times.

Safe travels, many happy returns, and keep jamming.

writing about music is like dancing to architecture

Went to See Monte Montgomery Last Night

Arin, Mark and I went to one of our favorite venues in Austin last night, the Saxon Pub, to see Monte Montgomery live.  I've been waiting to see him since my friend Bruce sent me a link to a live recording of SRV's Little Wing during my DC days.  In my humble opinion, Little Wing is totally played out, and I pretty much said to myself, "Ok Bruce, no more Stevie Clones" ("No stairway? Denied!).  But then I listened.  Playing all acoustic, Monte took the tune in a totally different direction, blending folk, alternative, jazz, 80's hairband, and rock to completely kill the tune.  I had to see him.

It's incredible to see him live.  There are good guitarists, great guitarists, and then guitarists who could freaking melt your face off.  He blew the top off of all the pre(mis?)conceptions about the acoustic guitar.  You can't see his fingers when he plays.  He's broken the neck of his guitar more than 4 times, despite it being specially reinforced by Alvarez.  Wikipedia tells me that Guitar Player noted him as one of the best guitarists of all time, and as misguided they are at times, (Tony Iommi #1 ???), I would agree.  

One of the more surprising bits, at least to me, was that this dude can actually sing, certainly better than the familiar folks climbing (*cough* buying *cough*) their way up the charts.  Granted, some of the tunes were a little cheeseball, but I blame that on the 80's and 90's, the wasteland where Monte was groomed.  (Okay, maybe that's not totally fair, there were some gems during the years, but Tears for Fears and even Chumbawumba were allowed to peddle their chickenshit to previously unthinkable limits.)  But it does make you wonder how narcissistic, self-serving morons like John Mayer have been bringing down the house for a decade.  WTF mate?

It's preposterous to me that one of the best guitarists of all time plays a regular Wednesday gig at a cozy little place down the street.  Austin is nuts.  Now I'm going to go practice...

How long will it be

before books go the way of the record?

Good Vibes last night

Joined by Stacey McCann on bass and vox and Brother Mark on Djembe. Thanks to all who braved the misty Austin evening to hang out with us. We unveiled our shiny new name - "The Incidents." What do you think?

Song of the Day: It Ain't Necessarily So - Jamie Cullum

A refreshing take on an old favorite. I never noticed these lines in the song until now:

Now Jonah lived in a whale
He made his home in
The fish's abdomen
Jonah he lived in a whale

I would have loved to be the one who first rhymed "home in" with "abdomen," but I guess I was a little party.

In other news, come out tonight to Six Lounge for Special guests Brother Mark and Stacey. Apparently, sunny and 70's summer weather is back despite the calendar still reading "January"... Now I'd say that's cause for celebration, how about you?

Year of the tiger

Always been my favorite animal. True story. I still don't understand how the monkeys wound up ruling the world.

A hope for the New Year

Turn bad habits into good ones...

What if...

You were named nostril? Antelopes played the tambourine? Someone mailed you a bag of toenail clippings? It rained 3 inch lawyers? What if your big toe spoke Latin? A giant shoe woke you in the morning and said, "Hey buddy! May I borrow your face?" Your muffler ate roast beef? What if Spain had Gingivitis?

Got a new digital recorder

Now I'll be able to share song ideas and tasty live bites from shows. Hot dog.

Awesome Time Last Night with Brother Mark

Thanks to all those who braved the chilly, windy evening to hear some dangerously new school dunguitarbek jams.

Thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by Haiti's earthquake

In other news

You know you're getting old when you're excited about trash day.

Six Lounge Tonight

More new originals! Same titos deals! Special guests! Free beer all night*!




*Note: the last statement may or may not be true

Back in Action Tonight

After a relaxing respite in Florida and a crazy night in New Orleans, I'm back in action tonight at Six Lounge - playing 9-12pm on Tuesdays all month. The brother Mark is in town, so watch out...