James Cavern is a singer-songwriter who built his career in Sacramento, working in soul, neo-soul and soul-tinged pop, and is regarded as an established fixture of the local scene.[1] Born James Nguyen in Manchester, England, to Vietnamese refugee parents who fled by boat and were eventually resettled in London, he later relocated to the United States at age 14, settling in Roseville, California before establishing himself in Sacramento.[2][3] Submerge describes Sacramento as his "adopted hometown" and repeatedly identifies him as a local artist, even as his music draws on R&B, soul and hip-hop influences.[1][4]
At a glance
- Born James Nguyen in Manchester, England; raised in London; settled in Roseville, CA at age 14.[2][3]
- Taught himself guitar from an instructional DVD around age 18 (c. 2005); performed his first public gig in 2010.[2]
- Competed on NBC's The Voice Season 6 in 2014 — recruited for a private audition in San Francisco rather than attending open calls.[5]
- Won two 2013 Sammie Awards: R&B/Soul and Artist of the Year, according to the Sacramento News & Review.[6]
- Performs in multiple modes: solo acoustic, electric guitar-and-drum two-piece, and live hip-hop (The Ricky James Project).[4]
- Releases include The Pilot EP (2013), the "Broken Heart" single (December 26, 2015), and Lost and Found (2016).[7][1][8]
- Known as a connector who uplifts other local artists and stages community events.[1]
Origins and local status
Cavern was born James Nguyen in Manchester, England in 1987.[2] His family's path to England began when his Vietnamese parents fled their home country by boat; they were rescued by a British ship, transported to Singapore, and eventually made their way to Manchester — where James was born — before settling in London.[2] The spine's earlier description of him as "London-born" reflects his upbringing rather than his birthplace.
He moved to the United States at age 14, relocating specifically to Roseville, California rather than directly to Sacramento.[3] He credits his early musical taste to his sister's enthusiasm for the Britpop era (Oasis, Blur, the Verve) and the U.K. garage music popular just before he moved; tracing samples in that music led him toward R&B and soul artists such as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.[1] He taught himself guitar at around age 18 using an instructional DVD, and his first public gig came in 2010 — spurred by watching a friend earn money performing — several years after he first picked up the instrument.[2] Before committing to music he worked at a gym and identified strongly with sports, having earlier intended to pursue soccer; a year spent living on roughly three acres in Placerville, with little but instruments and dogs, helped push him toward a music career.[1]
Submerge consistently frames Cavern as a local act rather than a touring visitor. He is listed among "locals" opening Sacramento shows,[9] called "one local Sacramento artist,"[4] and profiled as an artist whose status "transitioned over the past few years from 'emerging' to 'established' in his adopted hometown of Sacramento."[1] On that basis his local_status is local (origin by adoption and scene base), with the caveat that he was born in Manchester and raised in London rather than in the Sacramento region.[1][2]
Performance styles and live work
Cavern is noted for performing in three distinct styles he had "perfected over the years": a solo acoustic set, a two-piece electric guitar-and-drum configuration, and live hip-hop as The Ricky James Project.[4] In July 2012 he staged a live-recording show at Old Ironsides, planning to record at least 15 tracks across those three styles and give every attendee a free copy of the freshly recorded tracks at the end of the night; the event was hosted by comedian Carlos Rodriguez.[4] He also ran a Porch Sessions video series in 2012.[1]
By 2014 his live band, called The Council, consisted of Quentin Garcia on bass, Richie Smith on guitar, and Dave Jensen on drums, according to the Sacramento News & Review.[10]
Releases
- The Pilot EP — released March 29, 2013, with a release performance the same night at the then-new venue Assembly.[7] The EP features Andrew Barnhart on bass and Zack Kampf on drums, though it is clearly billed as a solo project, according to the Sacramento News & Review.[11]
- "Broken Heart" single — released December 26, 2015, in both a standard and acoustic version, after a year-long break from recording that Cavern devoted to focused songwriting following his time on The Voice.[8]
- Lost and Found — a 2016 EP of soul-tinged pop tracks built around a running theme; Cavern said the title reflected feeling "lost musically and in love" before "finding my way," and described it as his most personal release, covering his ups and downs from his first open mic to his time on The Voice.[1] Its release was tied to an "On the Block Party" event along the R Street corridor and was followed by an eight-stop West Coast tour.[1]
A 2014 run on NBC's The Voice preceded a roughly year-long break from music, after which Cavern returned with a wider production scope; he reflected that the experience showed him "the industry for what it is" and sharpened his thinking about branding and standing out.[1] His audition for Season 6 was a private audition held in San Francisco in summer 2013 — he was recruited rather than attending open calls, according to the Sacramento News & Review.[5]
Awards
In 2013 Cavern won two Sammie Awards — for R&B/Soul and for Artist of the Year — according to the Sacramento News & Review.[6]
The businessman approach and community events
A recurring theme across coverage is Cavern's deliberate, business-minded approach to his career — building his brand, generating interest through novel distribution, and engaging the local scene — which he openly contrasts with the "devil-may-care" artist stereotype, having come from a sales background selling gym memberships.[1] Fellow musician Tyler Rich, a Yuba City native who moved to Nashville, named Cavern as a close Sacramento friend with whom he frequently discussed the importance of the social-media "game" for breaking through.[12]
Cavern's "On the Block Party" with Soosh*e took place along the R Street corridor, which he calls home; he cited Dave Chappelle's Block Party as inspiration and expressed ambitions to grow such events and to stage a charity soccer tournament, having sung the anthem at a Sacramento Republic FC game.[1] He headlined the opening night of the 2016 Concerts in the Park series on May 6, 2016 at Cesar Chavez Plaza, on a bill with Tessa Evans, Current Personae and DJ Epik.[1]
Scene relationships
Cavern recurs throughout Submerge's local coverage as a connector and frequent bill-mate:
- He opened the Bell Boys' The Jean Hagen EP release show at Luigi's Fundgarden on Nov. 23, 2011, alongside Hero's Last Mission.[13]
- He performed at Jesi Naomi and the Trippers' Earplay release show at Marilyn's on K on Jan. 7, 2012, on a bill with Brad Relf, The Bell Boys and Monkey Flower.[14]
- He was among the local acts booked for ZuhGFest 2013, the festival thrown by jam band ZuhG in Downieville, Oct. 18–20, 2013.[15]
- He opened for Southern California pop-rock band The Mowgli's at Sacramento State's University Union Ballroom on Oct. 1, 2015, alongside The Tipsy Hustlers.[9]
- Songwriter Jeremiah Jacobs lists Cavern among the existing Sacramento projects he contributed to before forming The Heartbreak Time Machine.[16]
- Cavern collaborated with local artists Zyah Belle and Joe Kye (of Joseph in the Well).[1]
- He suggested Lindsey Pavao to Richie Smith as a collaborator, a connection that figured in the formation of the band Trophii.[17]