Jim Halfpenny | Singer/Songwriter | Austin, TX

Bio

Jim Halfpenny was born and raised in a rural Southern California desert farming community where crisscrossing veins of life-giving canals bring water to an otherwise arid landscape. Maturing in this Americana-culture of farming and ranching, Jim spent his high school summer vacations driving tractor and working in the fields, often side by side with migrant farm workers and Mexican brazeros, to earn money to buy his first guitars. Considering these rootsy origins it becomes crystal clear why Jim's music is rich with such earthy textures. The essence of his music has been absorbed from the very soil he used to cultivate as a kid and, now, the enduring limestone hills of Austin, Texas where he has transplanted himself.

In 2002 Jim and his wife, Laurie, were growing restless in Los Angeles, California. Jim had graduated from Musician’s Institute, attended UCLA to study film composition and accomplished a successful career as a film composer. In his twelve years of hard work in the Los Angeles film business his music credits had tallied over 25 feature film scores, dozens of movie trailers, a 13 episode series for television, a musical for the stage, and numerous published songs. His film work often encompassed musical styles ranging from rap to orchestral and everything in between. A short vacation trip to visit friends in Austin changed all of that. After returning to LA Jim and his wife sold their home, left California and bought a house and some land in the hill country outside of Austin. Two years later they built a recording studio on their property and named it Back 40 Studios.

Taking advantage of new found inspiration, one of the first projects to come out of Back 40 Studios was Jim’s debut CD, First Things First. The album was released in June of 2006 and by the end of that summer it had garnered some pretty impressive reviews in music magazines in the Austin area and abroad. “Halfpenny writes deep, thought provoking lyrics”, wrote Maria Mesa of Austin Daze magazine, “one of the better singer/songwriters to come my way.” Jim Caligiuri, of The Austin Chronicle noted in his review, “First Things First is filled with sturdy roots rock and occasional treks to Dave Matthews' space jazz.” “Highly recommended!” quoted Laura Bethell of Maverick Magazine in Kent, England. The CD soon found its way to the airwaves both locally in Austin and regionally on independent radio stations across Central Texas. Bryan Beck, morning show host at KGSR radio in Austin, introduced one of Jim’s songs by saying, "First things first, LISTEN to this CD! Jim Halfpenny writes from the heart about things we all love and fear and then puts them to a beat you can cruise to." In the spring of 2009, Severe Weather, one of the songs off the CD, made KUT radio’s first ever Texas Music Matters Playlist where it was one of only 15 songs chosen out of hundreds of submissions. Laura Slavin of KPFT FM, in Houston, also began playing Severe Weather regularly on her program and has repeatedly invited Jim to play live-on-air on her show. The Jim Halfpenny Band’s second CD, Truth Trust & Other Ghosts, was released on June 30, 2010, and hit the ground running. After teaming up with a prominent radio promoter out of Nashville the album is currently on the national Americana (AMA) Charts, receiving airplay on radio stations ranging from coast to coast and has begun getting great domestic and international reviews. In January of 2011 radio station WWSP FM, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, included the Truth Trust & Other Ghosts track, Dandelion, on their BEST OF 2010 RELEASES list.

Over the years Jim’s music has been compared to and described as a mixture of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Glen Phillips, The Wallflowers and Dave Matthews. He carefully balances the narrow beams between rock, pop, Americana, country and folk with the agility of an acrobat. An apparent, ever-present thread in each of his songs is what seems to be a very conscious effort to maintain lyrical integrity and musical originality. These efforts are part of what sets Jim Halfpenny’s music apart and makes it instantly recognizable. He believes that well written songs, focus and determination are the keys to ultimate success. "An old farm foreman once told me,” Jim relates, “ it takes more than just sun, water and hard work to make a living out of farming. You need to be god-awful stubborn and a little crazy too. Over the years I’ve come to realize that the music business is hell of a lot like farming."

Using lessons hard-learned from his early farming experiences, Jim continues to cultivate his music and works to grow and raise a faithful following with live performances, both with the Jim Halfpenny Band and as a solo artist. Jim and his group are gearing up to start recording their third album which is scheduled for a late 2011 release.

Shortie Bio - Jim was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Austin in the summer of 2002, giving up a successful career in Los Angeles as a film composer to get back to his roots as a songwriter. His debut CD, First Things First, was released in May of 2006 and, after receiving very favorable reviews in a number of Texas magazines, hit the airwaves in Austin on KGSR radio and then later on various other radio stations in and around Central Texas including KUT, KPFT and KEOS. In the early weeks of 2009 Severe Weather, a track off the first CD, was one of only 15 songs out of hundreds of songwriter submissions selected to be on KUT radio's first ever Texas Music Matters Playlist. The band's second CD, Truth Trust & Other Ghosts is currently on the national Americana (AMA) Charts and has garnered great domestic and international reviews. Jim's music is an original amalgam of styles drawing on his influences from rock, blues, pop, Americana and jazz. He has been compared to Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Glen Phillips and Dave Matthews. His songs are carefully crafted and lyrically imaginative and they, along with his sound, easily set him apart from other songwriters. In the spring of 2011 Jim and his band will begin work on their third CD slated for a late 2011 release.