Portrait Of A Friend

There’s an idiom somewhere about knowing a person by his friends and the company he keeps. It’s loosely from that perspective that one can begin to know Singer/Songwriter/Producer James Egbert. Part autobiographical, part a composite of the people that fill his life, the songs of Portrait of a Friend are a glimpse into the internal dialog of James Egbert and his friends – creating quite literally; a portrait of JamesA Portrait of a Friend.



The road to this point wasn’t a direct path for this former metal/hardcore drummer. After a series of faltered attempts, James found his voice and new purpose for his music when he began writing songs following a move to Denver, Colorado. “It was funny that I played in these dark hyper-aggressive bands because I’m actually a pretty even keeled guy,” states James. “Somehow when I started to write the songs for Portrait of a Friend, I found myself taking the energy of my earlier bands but now bringing to my songs a sense of melody, meaning, and optimism that was always a part of me, but just never expressed.” That’s an ironic statement considering James began expressing himself musically at such a young age. Growing up in a musical household, James’ parents spotted him one day beating rhythmically to household items whenever music was playing. With that, James got his first set of drums at the age of 4, and thus began his musical career.



On his debut effort, Portrait of a Friend delivers an amped up, expressive array of melodic beats, inspiring lyrics, and raw energy; proving once and for all that Indie Rock and Electronic music are not mutually exclusive. Early stand-out tracks include the songs Hollywood Love Story and New Beginning; each filled with unabashed optimism reflected in their upbeat hooks and complimenting lyrics as well as the romantic declarations of Fall and its seemingly inevitable ending in, What I Did to Myself.



Portrait of A Friend provides for us insight into the essence of James Egbert’s world; his friends, his family, his relationships and how these factors shape, mold and paint his being. This insight however is pretty universal: internal conflict, hope, insecurity, individual morality. In some ways, in Portrait of a Friend, James Egbert has created a portrait of us.



Hollywood Love Story from Portrait of a Friend on Vimeo.



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