J.M. Kearns
Cape May, New Jersey, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1996 | INDIE
Music
Press
Mike Murphy, host of "Six Degrees" on WCFA-FM 101.5 Cape May, NJ, says: "Death or Life is a happy find - J.M. has a great touch. From sweet ballads like 'And Then Some' to wry rockers like 'Lose My Job' and bittersweet school-of-life songs like 'Nashville Will Teach You' and 'A Little Rain', J.M. and his backing band are masters of the genre we've been calling Americana."
- Six Degrees
Elmore magazine says of the CD Death or Life:
"A bluesy flair, his voice perfect for the
lyric and sound…it's easy to hear the influence
of John Prine and Gram Parsons… Intelligence,
humor and musicianship."
- Elmore Magazine
Elmore magazine says of the CD Death or Life:
"A bluesy flair, his voice perfect for the
lyric and sound…it's easy to hear the influence
of John Prine and Gram Parsons… Intelligence,
humor and musicianship."
- Elmore Magazine
Some bright lights of Nashville's Americana scene talk about JM Kearns:
Davis Raines (songs recorded by Pat Green and Kenny Rogers) says:
"Then comes our Man for All Seasons, the extraordinarily erudite King of the Mambo and his Hot Little Combo: J.M. Kearns and the Lonely Mammals... JM's a favorite, a gifted writer and compelling performer whose songs examine the whole magilla, from the ridiculous to the sublime."
Teddy Larkin says:
"Kearns stole the show at my Stammer Jammer festival and became my headline performer for the next four concerts. 'Nashville will teach you' is the best song I have ever heard about the life of a songwriter trying to make it on Music Row."
Rachel Owen ("Bombshell") says of Kearns' music:
"Scary intelligence, humor and heart tingling with freshness…" - Hornepayne Music
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Singer-songwriter J.M. Kearns lives in Cape May, NJ where he is a favorite of audiences of locals and tourists, playing his engrossing originals as well as tasty cover tunes, sometimes solo and often in his trio, The Squares (Debra Donahue and MQ Murphy). Originally from Guelph, Ontario, he is also a best-selling author with five published books.
Kearns moved to Cape May in December 2009 after living in Nashville, TN for a decade (see below). In Cape May he entertains often at the Pilot House, the Mad Batter, Harry's Ocean Bar & Grill, and other venues, as well as festivals like SS Cape May. He often performs in a trio called The Squares, along with his spouse, powerful vocalist Debra Donahue, and MQ Murphy, a fine lead guitarist and singer-songwriter.
During his Nashville years, Kearns had his own recording studio and produced CDs by noted indie artists such as Gordon Vincent (now of Cape May) and Davis Raines. He performed at many Music City venues such as the Bluebird, the Sutler, the Radio Cafe, the Douglas Corner and the Broken Spoke, and his songs were recorded by Indie artists such as Diane Gentes and Abby Burke. His CD (recorded live in Nashville) is Death or Life. Some of its songs are featured on this site, as well as unreleased originals, some sung by other artists (see Discography).
As an author, Kearns has had five books published since 2007, including the novel ex-Cottagers in Love and his best-selling reinvention of the relationship book, Why Mr. Right Cant Find You.
Digging farther back to the origins: while a grad student in Toronto, J.M. Kearns was bitten by the songwriting virus. PhD in hand, he left his native Canada and headed for Los Angeles, a music mecca where several of his heroes had done great work. Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne. . . even Dylan was there. While Kearns made his living as a self-described "bureaucrat" in a giant law firm, the songs kept coming, in the tradition of Dylan, Newman, and Prine. JM's songs have been called sardonic, haunted, stormy, plaintive, stirring, eloquent, honest. His lifelong ambition: to be a footnote to Dylan.
Please visit www.jmkearns.com for more on JM. See Links.
Elmore magazine says of J.M. Kearns CD Death or Life:
A bluesy flair, his voice perfect for the lyric and soundits easy to hear the influence of John Prine and Gram Parsons Intelligence, humor and musicianship.
Band Members
Links
