JAMES HIGGINS: Crawling out the Woodwork

James Higgins

Crawling out the Woodwork

© 2002 James Higgins

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Rustic, spooky, acoustic folk/blues with lyrics that echo of alleys, bars, and the occasional hen house.

tracks

1 Midnight in Milan
2 Tom Cat Caught a Bar Fly
3 Seniorita
4 No Hens in my Hen House
5 Tramper's Ticket
6 For the Life
7 Living in an Old House
8 Soft Touch
9 Where the Concrete Ends
10 The Last of Me
11 September in our Hands
12 Chimes

notes

People familiar with the music of James Higgins describe him as a man with a walking imagination who leaves songs in his wake like a musical litterbug.

Higgins left his native Scotland at a tender age for a two week vacation carrying only a day pack, an old guitar, and a check from the unemployment office. He never went back, that was 16 years ago.

He spent years on the road in continental Europe playing music on the streets, working in youth hostels, hotels and beer gardens. During this time he managed to keep his head above water, his fingers on the strings, and his pen to paper.

Throughout his travels, Higgins has come across people from all walks of life and diverse cultures: fellow bums and down-and-outs, buskers, musicians, doctors and politicians, gypsies, and travelers, many of whom have been the inspiration for his songs. His lyrics take you on journeys through Europe, up the Alps and down the other side, and all through North America.

After years of wandering, he settled for a while in southern Germany where he performed both solo and with several bands whose musical styles ranged from grunge to Irish-Scottish folk and punk to blues, reggae, R&B. With such diverse influences and experiences, it was inevitable that Higgins would begin to craft and shape them to create his own style.

"Crawling out the Woodwork," is characterized by what Higgins calls a "rustic" sound. He has drawn on another of his artistic interests - designing and building rustic furniture - and incorporated it into his music. Having collected and fabricated a hodge-podge of homemade instruments that include a washtub bass, egg shakers, twigs, and a meat baster, Higgins has gone back to the basics and made a rustic, spook-fueled acoustic folk/blues album with lyrics that echo of lost alleys, smoky pubs, and the occasional hen house.

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

  • Excellent
    author: Kevin

    Loved it. Great for listening in the car up in the Trossachs.

  • author: Bellingham Herald

    James Higgins doesn't hang out at the 3B or write for What's UP or to the best of our knowledge work at any area secondhand store. Know what? He still made a damn fine CD. In an area where creative folk seem to be cliqued out, Higgins literally lives up to his CDs name. It's like these songs just stumbled out of the backwoods. There's no studio compression, Higgins fights but wins with his coarse voice, loose Tom Waits phrasing and songwriting smarts. There's a great kazoo solo. Weird capitalization. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

  • I just adore this cd
    author: Nikki Kimberling

    Haunting and beautiful, Midnight in Milan makes this CD for me, but that's not all Crawling out of the Woodwork brings to the table. Rarely do I hear folk music that is so unselfconscious and unique. Higgins has a story to tell you and he does it without all those tired old lyrical cliches. Just beautiful.

  • Wow! Need I say more. Wonderful.
    author: margaret graham

    This was evocative, involving, and I loved it. Certainly got the wow factor.

  • Hang on to your hat James, here come the chicks.

    The whole cd is mellow, original and very James Higgins. Sung with heart and art.

  • I think your hens in the hen house has laid a golden egg good luck with the CD

email

Please log in to email this artist.