By Danny Coleman
originally published: 03/25/2021
Emily James began what is a very promising career by writing her first music at the tender age of just 10 years old. Claiming influences ranging from classic rockers like Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac to recent pop such as Adele; James is that rare combination of driven and passionate yet possesses a softness that makes her the real deal; genuinely likeable with innocence that draws one to her like moths to a flame.
Moving in pursuit of her career from New York to Nashville and currently residing in Los Angeles, James has worked with Grammy Award winning producers Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves) and Jacquire King (Kings of Leon) and more recently Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy).
With EPs and full length CDs to her credit, along with a well-rounded support system; James has released another EP titled "Wanted You to Know, Pt.1" which debuted in February of this year. She elaborated on the new music, the troubling times and how they are both connected; not only to each other but to all of those who listen to the disc as well.
James delved into her inner-self with this particular effort and along with some co-writes has produced something she is very enthusiastic about; in part because she has also stepped out of her norm with one particular track.
"I'm really excited to have this out," she said excitedly. "The EP is kind of a collection of songs that I had created individually but I wanted to put them together because I felt like the common thread between them was me looking back reflecting on the past, meditating on the present and looking towards the future and that's why it's called, "Wanted You to Know, Pt. 1;" it's all just kind of some of the things that I wanted to say. So, yeah, "don't fall on me" was one of the collaborations; half of the songs were solo writes and half were collaborations and that one has a bit more of a rock sound than the others and it was kind of different than what I've done in the past; I thought I'd try something new."
When asked how she crafts her material, she says that she uses an open-minded approach; especially with "don't fall on me."
"I think it's mainly about; I never really go into a song whether it is writing it or producing it with an intention; I want to frame the songs in the way they're it is supposed to be and treat each individually so that I can honor each song's unique personality. So, for that song I just wanted to make sure, because the content of the lyrics is kind of a battle between the dreamy blissfulness of falling in love but also the fear of not being able to get there with somebody or not being able to give them enough. So, I wanted the production to kind of reflect the angst and the fight between those two feelings."
"There is always a piece of myself in everything that I write," she continued, "It differs how much of that is in there for each song but again, I want the song to have its own life and for people to attach their experiences to it because once I release a song it's not mine anymore; it's the listeners and they are going to have their own life with it; I like to think of it that way. I just hope that my songs can kind of provide something for somebody; see me as a friend that they can talk to or one who is listening because sometimes we have feelings inside that are hard to express or find a way to relate to something and I think that music is so powerful; it's always there for us no matter what we are going through to help us through it. Whether it is a celebration or a heartbreak or feeling lonely; I would just hope that my music will provide that for someone to turn to."
During these COVID times recording artists have been forced to adapt to a seemingly ever-changing landscape. James was no different as she went about putting this EP together.
"It was a combination of recording it in my room and wherever the space was that I wrote the songs with my collaborators. There are six total tracks and I've released four of the songs as singles and then the other two came out when the EP was released on February 26."
So, now that the EP is out and as the world begins to return to pre-virus normalcy; what are her plans as she looks to the future?
"I want to create more and hopefully when it is safe to do so; I'd love to get back to performing live and travel to different places to perform. I'm just looking forward to trying out new things with my writing and production and keep creating and once things are safe again just get back to living. I hadn't made any plans to go out on the road yet but I'm hoping to in the near future and I feel very fortunate that even with the pandemic that I was still able to work and create and put out music. I think the hardest part is that I wasn't able to see family and friends that I wasn't living with but if that was my biggest issue I feel very fortunate."
To discover more about Emily James, please visit www.emilyjames.net.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Broken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Oliver Dagum
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+
Championship Bar 931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Ages 21+
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Nick Ryan & Bella Liberati w/ Stacy Widelitz, Emilee Swartz
Cooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 7 p.m. Time Peace
Fri. 7 p.m. Kickbax
Sat. 7 p.m. Led Zeppelin Tribute w/ "The Flying Circus"
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Latin Brunch"
Mon. 7 p.m. "Sunny Monday Blues Jam" and Country Music Night
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke w/ Karen and Mark
All Events Ages 21+
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Fri. 4 p.m. Skylar Love
Sat. 6 p.m. Tyler Kingsley
Sun. 4 p.m. Eddie
Eddington House Bensalem2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Fri. 8 p.m. Fight Back Home Acoustic Duo
Sat. 8 p.m. Rachel & Ty
Greenhouse 90 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1657
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Musicians Night Out" Hosted by Lovelight
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Sam Ryan
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Hosted by Dwayne Dunlevy
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. DJ Darius The 1st
Sat. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. The Strange Brew Crew
Sun. 1 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Gian Galiano
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Girls Night Out" w/ Radio Fiction
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Fri. (6 p.m.) Pasta Night "All You Can Eat." $29 (7:30 p.m.) "Yeast Coast Comedy Night at Laurita" feat. Helene Angley / Tom Mongelli. Doors open at 7 p.m., $25 (Reservations for tables of 2-6 people required)
Sat. 11:30 a.m. "Wine and Friends Weekend" $11
Sun. 12 p.m. "Wine and Friends Weekend" $11
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
New Egypt Flea Market Village933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
(609) 758-2082
Sun. 8 a.m. "Chocolate Walk"
Mon. 5 p.m. "Full Moon Market" (Worm Moon)
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Sun. 1 p.m. Stranger Things
Newtown Brewing Company103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Fri. 7 p.m. Ryan Shubert
Sun. 11 a.m. Local Artist Fair
Pasquale's Sports Bar9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(267) 202-6268
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (TBA)
Sat. 7 p.m. DJ or Live Band Entertainment
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"
Ralphie's2295 2nd Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5408
Fri. 7 p.m. Shameless
Recklesstown Farm Distillery2800 Route 206 North Columbus
(609) 784-8046
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Trivia
Revere Restaurant802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Wed. 7 p.m. David Boyd
Rosedale Mills101 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 737-2008
Sat. 1 p.m. Outdoor Line Dancing. $10 (Rain date Sundays 12 p.m.)
Sav'Aged Designs110 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(609) 937-6104
Sat. 10 a.m. "Grand Opening" feat. The Art of Adriana Groza
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7p.m. "Blues Night" w/ Steve Guyger
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia w/ Righteous Jolly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Cara Cartney
TGI Fridays3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton
(609) 520-0378
Fri. 5 p.m. Kim Yarson w/ Joey Yarson
The Buck Hotel1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Fri. 7 p.m. Love Junk
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 8 p.m. Kindred Spirit
The Irish Horne Bar & Restaurant882 2nd Street Pike Richboro, PA
(215) 942-4000
Sat. 8 p.m. Stage Left
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage
All shows 21+
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Acoustic Road
Sun. 1 p.m. Bud and Maggs
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 RadioMCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
About the author:
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJJoe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
Mccarter At The Museum: An Evening With Jason Robert Brown
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Princeton Art Museum
45 Elm Drive, Princeton, NJJoin us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJThe legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock’n’roll group JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the “Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack”. The hit single “ON THE DARK SIDE” held the “#1” position on the Billboard Rock charts and the MTV video charts for five consecutive weeks.
Griffin House
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ“If you are looking to be blown away by raw talent, then look no further than Griffin House.” —American Songwriter
Floyd Pink - Celebrating The Music Of Pink Floyd
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJFLOYD PINK is a Pink Floyd tribute band from the New York metro area, celebrating the music of Pink Floyd.
EVENT PREVIEWS
State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013. While they are a Grateful Dead cover band, they are known more for interpreting songs by the Dead rather than attempting to replicate the band's work.
NJPAC presents Gregory Porter with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell
(NEWARK, NJ) -- With a voice that can fill a concert hall and make every listener feel personally embraced, Gregory Porter has become one of the most beloved artists in contemporary jazz. On Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm, the two-time GRAMMY® winner returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell for an evening of soulful expression, exquisite storytelling and remarkable vocal artistry, presented as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.
Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 7:30pm. Griffin House is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller who has been making records for over 20 years.
KANSAS to perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- One of classic rock's most iconic bands, KANSAS, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner, and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide. A limited number of tickets remain.
NJPAC presents Jesse Cook on Saturday
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Jesse Cook on Saturday, November 14, 2026 in the Victoria Theater at 8:00pm. A global artist in every sense of the term, Jesse Cook redefines music's power to connect people across cultures and continents.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- You can get your holiday shopping done on Sunday, November 15, 2026 when Anchor Rock Club hosts the Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition. The event runs from noon to 6:00pm.
Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell
(HOPEWELL, NJ) -- Song of the Meadowlark takes place Sunday, November 15, 2026 at Highland Design Farm. This is a meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry, and live painting. Doors are at 2:00pm, showtime is 2:30pm.
Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither
(AVENEL, NJ) -- Chris Smither will perform at the Avenel Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother's ukulele.
