JIM BRANCA
is a singer-songwriter-guitarist who uses his home in timeless "American Roots" music as a launching pad to create music that deeply embraces tradition, while transcending genre,
finding and forging his own unique
"voice" in the world of modern music.
A seasoned and in demand showman and storyteller, Branca has racked up credits that range from session work and touring the Gospel and Blues circuits in the deep south, to performances with the Broadway musical cast of "PumpBoys & Dinettes" at the Las Palmas theatre in Hollywood.
After transplanting himself in good Vermont soil 14 years ago, Jim has sown a lot of creative seeds. He's been named "Best Blues Artist" by Good Citizen Magazine's Critic Poll, was 1st place winner at Advance Music's "Guitar Summit" showdown, and hosted the much loved "Howlin' @ the Moon" Roots Radio hour on 104.7FM WNCS.
Branca plays nothing but amazing 100% original music.
Sometimes, it's even written by others.
But be it self-penned, or covered gem,
He truly makes it "his own."
His first Vermont band & CD project: "Bloozotomy - Ain't Dead Yet!" gathered national and international rave reviews, a spot on "Drew Carey's HiFi Club" and airplay around the world on stations as far away as Greece, (where it hit #3 on the charts) Australia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Russia and France.
His last CD: "JIM BRANCA - LIVE" which captures the lucid Branca's firey magic as it occured one winter's night at the famed "Nectar's" in Burlington VT, has stirred up some notice as well. The international music magazine "BLUES REVUE" had this to say:
"If LIVE is your first exposure to Jim
Branca, prepared to be blown away.
The Vermont-based singer and guitarist's show documented here is more uplifting, fun, spiritual, and invigorating than ought to be possible...Branca's group feels like The E Street Band back in the day."
These days, anything can happen as Jimmy can be found performing all over in luminous one-man "unplugged" shows, or with the incandescent "Mystic Mojo Trio."
As Branca continues into the next chapter in his life, he taking some time to teach, write, and learn. He is going into his fourth year as Music Director for the alternative school "Project Soar",
studying to become an ordained interfaith minister, and is steadily working on an intimate acoustic solo CD to be released within the year as well.
Jim has worked with, and/or shared the stage with such artists as Little Richard, Roomful of Blues, Brenda Russell, Corey Harris, Peter Wolf, Andre' Crouch and the Disciples, Eddie Shaw, Susan Tedeschi, Mighty Sam McLain, Jim Lauderdale, Johnny Sansone, Jon Fishman of PHISH, & NRBQ to name just a few...
But to witness Jimmy belting out his OWN sweet tunes, leading his own divinely inspired band into a sweating soulful frenzy, or to simply witness him weave a blanket around his audience telling an acoustic tale, is to witness a shaman-like re-birthing of something timeless and true.
...a force of nature to be reckoned with
INDEED!
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