Artist Statement
Artist Bio
James Riley is a local musician and Dubuque native who’s creative pursuits are about as diverse as you can get. Whether it’s through his music production and DJ work with his project “AM Cherry”, his role as the keyboard player for local Pop Rock 4 piece band, “Skinny and the Shakes” or his own solo singer songwriter career, James is always making music somewhere.
Today, it seems as if James is adding to his creative resume more and more each month. With three successful separate creative endeavors to balance, opportunities can come quickly. He is currently preparing for the debut of his life as a live DJ when we drops “Backdoor Beats. Vol. 2” under his identity of “AM Cherry”. Audiences can expect to dance with this disco inspired funk beat mixtape. As mentioned above, James also makes up one quarter of the Dubuque based pop rock band “Skinny and the Shakes”, joined by front man and guitar player, Chad Olson, Drummer Ben Dunegan, and Bass player Daniel Young. After mastering the art of local open mics, Skinny and the Shakes has begun their conquests further into the depths of the Driftless Region. Their sound is fun, plain and simple. With an growing setlist of originals and some particularly awesome full band pop covers, they’ve established themselves as one of the most active bands in our community.
Lastly, the story of James Riley can’t be complete without experiencing his solo acoustic singer songwriter work. James flexes his muscles with his melodies, his comfortable guitar playing, and ties it off with the stories he tells in his songs that leaves the audience wishing to learn more. It’s as soft and sweet as it is complex and mysterious. He has become a mainstay at the local music venue The Fox Den Motel and the weekly Thursday open mics at The Smokestack.
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