“Falling Under Spells”
is the new solo album from Great Willow’s James Combs. It’s fun and sad. It’s sweet and angry. It sounds old and new. It’s from the heart.
Fresh from a year of solo singles, a Great Willow single, a micro-documentary, and an acclaimed collaboration with Americana legends I See Hawks In LA, GW’s JAMES COMBS covers a wide breadth of stylistic territory on Falling Under Spells - from fuzzed out desert rock to gorgeous Laurel-Canyon-world songwriting to vintage soul horn grooves to driving indie folk - James’ songs are a clear-eyed snapshot of strange times with a microdose of west coast hippie optimism sprinkled throughout. Things may be weird but we still have each other. And we can still rock. Joy is allowed. Did we mention those horns?
James: “Faced with untold lockdown days, I found myself in my studio with a head full of melodies, sounds, and lyric ideas. The songs came fast and furious. Songs about protest marches and true believers and going nowhere fast and wild dance parties in safer times. Songs for my wife and son. Songs for my friends. Songs for my achin’ head.
“Then I thought ‘While we’re all stuck, maybe I can get the best musicians I know to help me decorate these songs.’ So I asked and they stepped up, big time. Friends like Grammy-winner John Would (Fiona Apple), guitar virtuoso Paul Lacques (I See Hawks In LA), magic singers April Mann and Kelly Atkins, drum ace Matt Hergert, badass professors Wendy Kline (violin) and Joe Hellerstein (horns) all brought the spark.
“Each time a new bass or horn or harmony vocal part rolled in, it was like adding another drawer or window to this fancy cabin I was building. Somehow this band of stellar players from around the country had perfect group radar for the kind of music I wanted to make - personal, poetic songs rooted in classic American songwriting but with adventurous tendrils. A desert folk dobro part here, a Chet-Baker trumpet solo there, a distorted bass line here, a rich group choral arrangement there. These speed-written songs, sprung from folk bones but orchestrated with many colors, burst to life piece by piece.”
“Now the result of all this devotion, love and labor is here before you. It’s real and true. I think it is the best record I have made. I hope you feel it, too.”
FALLING UNDER SPELLS. We’re all a little hypnotized.
ABOUT JAMES COMBS: James’ musical ride has included a BBC Peel Session, a Lollapalooza, a co-written True Blood end title sung by Iggy Pop/Best Coast, nine albums, live performances from Berlin to London to New York to New Orleans to San Francisco to The Laurel Canyon Country Store, and stages shared with Jackson Browne, Van Dyke Parks, Tom Verlaine, Yo La Tengo, Marianne Faithfull, Inara George, They Might Be Giants, John C. Reilly, more... In 2019, James was invited to play with his band Great Willow at Laurel Canyon's prestigious Love Street Festival, the only current LA band invited to share the main stage bill with surviving members of 60s legends The Doors, The Monkees, The Mamas and The Papas, and Love.
James also just might be the only songwriter you know who has had a song he wrote featured in a question by Alex Tribek on Jeopardy! His songs have been featured in some of the coolest shows on TV, including Six Feet Under, True Blood and Shameless and many more. His latest album Falling Under Spells was released to rave reviews, extensive airplay in Europe and LA, and was named a top 20 album of the year by UK Music site Blues Blues. James has hosted multiple Folk Alliance performance showcases and performs frequently around CA, including a much talked about set at the 2022 Idyllwild Songwriter Festival. James is looking forward to a robust tour schedule in 2023 to promote Falling Under Spells as well as a series of new singles made in collaboration with beloved Americana band The Well Pennies (www.thewellpennies.com)
