Finale for James Reams 20th Anniversary Tour!

James Reams & The Barnstormers are pulling out all the stops for the final show of their 20th anniversary coast-to-coast celebration tour.

Their finale will be a concert appearance in the the big hall  at Fiddler's Dream in Phoenix. As part of this special performance, James will be honoring local bluegrass music teacher, Anni Beach, and one of her students with a Barnstormer Boost.

About the Band James Reams - lead vocals and guitar. James formed the Barnstormers in 1993. Coming from a family of traditional singers in southeastern Kentucky, James has played both old-time and bluegrass music since he was just a little sprout. Known as an “Ambassador of Bluegrass”, James is dedicated to and deeply involved in the thriving bluegrass and Americana music community. To date, he has released eight CDs including a special DVD documentary of the band. He also hosted and produced the full-length DVD documentary "Making History with Pioneers of Bluegrass" released in July, 2013. Doug Bartlett - fiddle.Doug brings a wealth of experience and awards with him. Now based in Las Vegas, he is a former member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and recorded two Grammy nominated projects — Winding Through Life and Just Over in Heaven. The CD, Winding Through Life, was The IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year. While with The James King Band, he won the IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award. Doug also is a previous member of The Lonesome River Band as well as other major, national bluegrass groups. Billy Parker - mandolin and harmony vocals.Bringing passion and style to every set, Billy is a 30+ year veteran, who has been heavily influenced by bluegrass legends and mandolin masters Bill Monroe, David Grisman and Clarence White. A former member of the Southern CA band, Lost Highway, he has developed a confident and spirited approach to seamlessly move between the rapid-fire bluegrass tunes and more soulful melodies. Parker’s diversity, creativity and dedication – as well as a sense of band dynamics – helps propel the music to a higher sound to the delight of audiences everywhere he plays. Tyler James - banjo and harmony vocals. Known for his tasteful, exciting licks and solid tone, Tyler has won numerous banjo contests including the 2008 Rockygrass competition championship, the 2010 Huck Finn Festival Banjo championship as well finishing in the top 5 in the Walnut Valley National Banjo Championship. Dan Meyer - upright bass. Dan holds down the bottom for the Barnstormers with his rock steady and intuitive bass stylings.

In addition to great music from James Reams & The Barnstormers, the audience will be treated to superb fiddling from Grammy-nominated fiddler, Doug Bartlett who is appearing as a featured performer with the band. PLUS, there will be an open-air jamming session at 6 PM before the doors open at 7:15. Not only that, but as a tribute to all the support he has received from bluegrass associations throughout his career, James is giving away a FREE copy of his most recent CD, "One Foot in the Honky Tonk" to members of a bluegrass association with their paid admission. This CD made two Top Ten CDs of 2011 lists and had a single that charted nationally. JP Tausig, of Country Standard Time, had this to say about the CD: "With a voice like Del McCoury's, Reams has captured the feel of old honky-tonk jukebox music. ‘I Can't Settle Down’ is a great example of what Reams and the Barnstormers can do. ‘Snake Eyes’ is an original Reams tune about bad luck and gambling, with clean instrumentals and surprising harmonies on the chorus… Reams' style turns even this topic into a song you might dance to on a Saturday night.” Fiddler’s Dream offers an intimate experience in the style of early coffee house listening rooms where the audience really listens to the music! The big hall only seats 100, so every seat is a great seat in this quiet, concert style venue. Plus it offers a family-friendly atmosphere. Bring your dad, your mom, your grandmother, your grandchildren, your best friend—bring them all! Show starts at 8 pm and tickets are just $10. For directions go to the Fiddler’s Dream website at www.fiddlersdream.org or call 602-997-9795. You won't want to miss this special performance! Jerry Paul, former editor of Acoustica had this to say after catching a show, “James is such an inspiration to watch. He truly feels his music, and sings from his very soul… If James is ever within your area, he is a ‘must see’ bluegrass icon Here's some more background about the band: Nominated by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2002 as Emerging Artist of the Year, James Reams & The Barnstormers provide a contemporary take on traditional bluegrass; blending it with innovation and vitality to create their own branch on the “roots” tree. In a review of an early album by James Reams, fRoots (an international magazine that specializes in world music) declared, “Traditional music kept alive by a stylish performer… Powerful, emotional music that needs to be heard.” Raised in eastern Kentucky but now living in Phoenix, James Reams puts a layer of desert grit over a solid base of traditional bluegrass music. His band treads the terrain where bluegrass, old-time, classic country and rockabilly meet in the night to swap stories. These are the sounds of the hills and hollers combined with the sounds of factories, railroad yards and honkytonks.   Here’s how the band is described by noted bluegrass authority Stephanie P. Ledgin in her book, Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (Praeger Publishers, 2004): “A plentiful selection of younger, emerging artists continues to grow in both traditional as well as progressive bluegrass camps. James Reams & The Barnstormers rely on early country material and originals written in authentic style. The results are a virtual history of the music and its roots, played in a clean, heartfelt manner that is somewhere between Bill Monroe’s and the Stanley Brothers’.”