James Reid

Hailing from the coastal region of Fife (although now living in Moray), Scotland, James began his introduction to guitar based music while living and working on a farm in Northern Portugal. It was during the long evenings on the Quinta that he decided to pick up his girlfriend's abandoned guitar and begin teaching himself to play, putting music to the lyrics and poems he had written over the years.



In 2005 James moved back to Scotland to live in a small wooden cabin on a farm in Fife. Working again for his keep around the farm and in the vegetable gardens, he found the time and space to begin writing songs influenced by the life, predominately the wildlife, and the environment the farm possessed. It was in the cabin that James started using his limited recording equipment to record the tracks which would become his debut release, 'Like A Buzzard Chased By Crows'. A cdr limited to 200 copies, it was released in November 2006 through the Sheffield based psych folk/drone label Barl Fire Recordings run by Simon Allen. Sold online and in various independent record stores, 'Like A Buzzard Chased By Crows' sold out within the year gaining good reviews from around the globe.



In the late summer of 2007 a track from 'Buzzard' and a so far unreleased track called 'Elder' featured on the download part of a compilation album called 'John Barleycorn Reborn' released through the folk label Woven Wheat Whispers. The two disc album and third download part was advertised as "a discovery of folk music from dark Britannica" and featured many well respected and up and coming musicians from around the UK's diverse folk scene.



In Autumn 2007 James finally put together some plans which had been brewing for some time, the idea of starting a small record label devoted to releasing alternative folk -Autumn Ferment Records.



'Tales Between the Tides' 7" VinylAFR002vrelease date: 20/12/08500 hand numbered copiesAvailable to buy from the Autumn Ferment website and also.NORMAN RECORDS (Leeds)ONE UP (Aberdeen)PICCADILLY RECORDS (Manchester)FORRES MUSIC CENTRE (Forres) AVALANCHE (Edinburgh & Glasgow) DARK HOLLER (U.S) CLEAR SPOT(Netherlands)RECORD HEAVEN(Sweden)



Like a Buzzard Chased by CrowsReleased through Barl Fire RecordingsNov 2006Limited to 200 cdrsSOLD OUT



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Here are snippets from some of the lovely reviews 'Like a Buzzard Chased by Crows' received "Folk tales of rural labour and feelings of dark fates hovering above seamlessly weave a sinister mesh of natural references and sharpened knives." Classical mythical symbols of fallen stags and toasts to the departed add a vibrant authenticity so missing from modern traditional music I can imagine him appealing to multiple genres of admirers too, with his music referencing diverse styles from country and all aspects of folk both old and new, and the contrasting lyrical content ranging from pastoral relaxation to dark folk tales of spurned love and revenge would probably appeal to the more Gothic ends of the spectrum equallyThe many references to native UK flora and fauna also firmly demonstrate the connection he feels with his environment, which grounds his songs firmly in the local folk tradition, and which effectively serves to add emotional and historical depth". Heathen Harvest. "Their spiralling rhythms(Kingfisher Blue, Sunrise Bound) have more than a touch of the dizzylingly off-killter folk of The Wicker Man. Infact, you can quite easily imagine Britt Ekland mincing around in the nip to this one."-Overplay "Reid combines these passions to deliver his own lo-fi sketches of the beautiful and sometimes strange, rural landscapes and hedgerow habitats of his native Scotland."-Simon Allen, Barl Fire. "The James Reid album is an excellent and evocative release on the rather splendid Barl Fire label and takes record of the week!"-Piccadilly Records "While people are wandering around with freak folk stars in their eyes, soaking up the hippie good vibes of Joanna Newsom, Brightblack Morning Light, Vetiver, Devendra and other fringed folkies, they run the risk of overlooking some lesser knowns, that are making music equally as compelling and beautiful, if not more so. Enter one James ReidThere are bits of modern(and not so modern) production fuckery that make 'Buzzard' more than just a straight up folk record. Really wierd but it somehow sounds perfect."-Aquarius Records "A debut solo recording from an outstanding Scottish singer/songwriter blends the best of creative acoustic folk of multiple eras, Gem of the month"-Strange Fortune