Artemus James
Andrew Shane Crawford, professionally known as Artemus James is an American singer/songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist/songwriter for the band Valley Young. He took the first names of his maternal and paternal grandfathers, respectively. He is also known as Cain from the duo formed in early 2009 with Annabelle LaFoy, Cain & Annabelle.
Biography
James began writing songs in late 2006 while living in Los Angeles. Upon relocating to east Tennessee late in the winter of 2008 he began recording songs in a friends home studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Later that year, James met Annabelle LaFoy, a piano player from Maryville, Tennessee, and in the early part of 2009 they formed the duo Cain & Annabelle. They combined their songwriting efforts in The Lake Takes EP and toured extensively in the summer and fall of 2009. In 2010, James decided to turn his focus onto forming a full band and LaFoy was on board. Since 2010, Valley Young has played with a rotating cast of musicians. In the winter of 2012, Valley Young began work on their debut studio album Upright In The Sunlight with producer Bryce Goggin (Phish, Pavement, Akron/Family) at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, NY. Among the cast of musicians who played on the album are Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley, Antony and the Johnsons, Joan as Policewoman) on drums, Royston Langdon (Spacehog) on bass and Richard Steel (Spacehog) on lead guitar.
Personal life
James was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and spent his formative years in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee and Salisbury, North Carolina. He now resides in New York.
Discography
Extended Plays
- The Lake Takes EP (2009) with Cain & Annabelle