Eric Krasno & Son Little backed by the sweet sounds of the Assembly with james the eighth
Doors Open: 8:00 PM
aloha, the latest album from Son Little, the musical nom de plume of LA’s Aaron Earl Livingston, is available now. As previewed with the release of the invisible EP and early single, “hey rose,” which The New York Times described as comprising “bluesy distorted guitar chords, a hint of Latin rhythm and perhaps a distant echo of the Zombies’ 'Time of the Season’,” aloha blends classic soul and old-school R&B into a timeless swirl fueled by gritty instrumental virtuosity and raw, raspy vocals. Recorded at Paris’s iconic Studios Ferber with producer Renaud Letang (Feist, Manu Chao), aloha is Little’s first album to be recorded with an outside producer. The result is his boldest, most self-assured statement yet. It’s an ambitious work of vision and reflection, and an ecstatic testament to the freedom that comes from trusting the currents of life to carry you where you belong.
james the eighth comes from deep roots tied to his family name and his former involvement in the Mormon Church. At 15, having grown up as the 7th James in the Dawson family lineage, a church-advised genealogy study revealed an additional James, which bumped him to 8th in line. Born was James VIII along a discovery path that led him away from the church and deeper into embrace of songwriting, singing and playing guitar.
At age 10, realizing differences between his ideals and those of the church, James took up the guitar as an outlet, and by 14 leaned into songwriting as a constructive method to express his frustrations with these differences, made worse by the church’s involvement in the Prop 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage. By 21, James left the church and started down a winding road of separation and realization. This led to identifying his place on the outside of religion, but with understanding and appreciation of spirituality.
Music has continued to be the thru-line to connect to humanity in a spiritual way for James. His ability to write and perform with sincerity and meaning is influenced by artists such as the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, Justin Vernon, John Legend, John Mayer amongst others. One inspirational artist and producer that James connected with - Eric Krasno - has taken on the role of producer and co-writer across the broad-yet-focused collection of original music that James will be releasing this year.