About Jim Briggs
Jim Briggs backstage at Tin Angel, PhiladelphiaJim has managed to find his way onto the stage at landmark Philadelphia clubs such as the World Cafe Live, Tin Angel, North Star and Trocadero. How is that for an impressive opening sentence?
The reality is that in between the occasional gig at a venue you might have heard of, there are the everyday bars and coffee houses, gigs in front of children and animals, and even (and it would be nice to think this an exaggeration) a gig in front of a completely empty room.
This website and blog is about Jim and his music, but is also about the experiences of the sort of musician you’ll see at your local pub on Saturday night.
Jim was born in North Carolina, but as an Army brat grew up all over the United States (and a couple of foreign countries as well). Laying down the jazz trumpet after high school, Jim moved to Nashville where he was immersed in the outlaw and alt-country genres. Interested originally in taking up the banjo but unable to find a teacher, he “acquired” his brother’s acoustic guitar and dedicated himself to that instrument instead. Some years later, he began to perform in the Philadelphia area, occasionally solo but usually with other local musicians, most often the alt-rock group “The Nerve“.
The photo on this page is from the green room of the Tin Angel, before The Nerve opened for the Dylan McGuire Band. Jim remembers the room:
A few months prior to this, I went to see Colin Hay give a terrific show here. When he was finished, rather than leaving the stage and waiting to be beckoned by the crowd for an encore as stars often do, he just stayed put. “I’m just going to stay here,” he explained. “There’s nothing back there.”
More wit and wisdom on Jim Briggs’ Weblog.
