Jim Bianco


Jim Bianco is an independent musician, singer, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, California.

Biography

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 25, 1976, Bianco is the youngest child of James Bianco, Jr. and Jane Bianco. The family, which also includes one older sister, moved from Brooklyn to Long Island, New York. According to his biography, in 1979 Bianco's father traded two 35 pound barbells and a bench press for the first upright piano in the Bianco home. As a youth, Bianco studied piano and played bass guitar in local bands. Bianco graduated from high school in 1994 and from college in 1998.

Career

Los Angeles

After graduation, Bianco spent time in Europe. Upon returning to the United States, a friend from college invited Bianco to Los Angeles, California to play in his band. Bianco moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 2000. He played bass and wrote songs with the group until they disbanded. Bianco decided to learn to play the guitar, refine his singing skills and set about assembling a band of his own. He rented a room in West Los Angeles for $80 a month and practiced until he felt comfortable sharing his music. He began attending open mic nights around Los Angeles, performing at least three nights a week. One evening he attended a songwriter night at a small coffee shop in Hollywood called the Hotel Café. Soon after, Bianco was invited to open for Gary Jules.

The Hotel Café

The Hotel Café has grown from a small coffee shop into what is now considered one of the finest venues in Los Angeles. The Hotel Café has been credited for the renaissance of the Los Angeles singer/songwriter movement that began in the early 2000s. Initiated by Gary Jules’ idea of creating a supportive space for artists to hone their craft, coupled with appropriate timing and genuine need, musicians began gravitating to the Hotel Café. In a cooperative effort, Bianco, along with fellow musicians Gary Jules, Cary Brothers and owners Marko Schafer and Max Mamikunian, worked together to transform the space, book, promote and perform shows. Their efforts received a big promotional push from legendary KCRW music director Nic Harcourt. Today, the Hotel Café is considered one of the best venues in Los Angeles, noted for the superior sound, intimate setting and quality of the acts that perform on the bill.
Bianco is a regular performer at the Hotel Café and his residencies are a popular favorite. Usually playing with his full band, Bianco's sets have a reputation for being sold-out, high energy and sexually charged events. On occasion, Bianco has rented a catwalk and invited his burlesque dancer friends to perform and throw feathers during his set. Bianco is also known for eliminating the traditional fourth wall between audience and performer by leading his band into the center of the audience during his song “Sing” encouraging audience participation, which culminates in a sing-along.
On March 4, 2008, Bianco's album “Sing” was the first album released on the Hotel Café Records label. Bianco has said that most of the songs on the album had been composed on the piano in the back room at the Hotel Café after regular club hours.
Cary Brothers is credited for initiating and producing the Hotel Cafe Tour that began in 2005. Bianco has been included in the roster of headlining performers on the tour since its inception. He is one of the few of the Hotel Café artists that has participated in both the US and European legs of the tour. Other notable artists that have participated in this event are: Jessie Baylin, Sara Bareilles, Cary Brothers, Holly Conlan, William Fitzsimmons, Greg Laswell, Imogen Heap, Gary Jules, Tom McRae, Mandy Moore, Ingrid Michaelson, Meiko, Alexi Murdoch, Jay Nash, Katy Perry, Joe Purdy, Joshua Radin, Buddy, KT Tunstall, Butch Walker, The Weepies, Dan Wilson, Brian Wright and Rachael Yamagata.

The Band

Bianco's band consists of Matt DeMerritt on saxophone, piano and flute, Brad Gordon on keyboard, trumpet, clarinet and accordion, Kenny Lyon on electric guitar, Jason Pipkin on drums, Josef Zimmerman on upright bass.
Bianco's full band was established by 2003. The first official member to join the band was drummer, Jason Pipkin. Bianco met Pipkin at a gig the day that Pipkin arrived in California from Texas. Bianco asked Kenny Lyon to suggest a bass player and was introduced to Josef Zimmerman. Bianco began looking for a saxophone player and Zimmerman suggested Matt DeMerritt. After seeing Bianco's show, multi-instrumentalist Brad Gordon joined the crew offering to play keyboard, trumpet, clarinet and accordion. After seeing Bianco's show at The Mint in Los Angeles, Kenny Lyon decided to join the band.
In 2014, Bianco formed his 12 piece band Forniquette. Bianco describes their sound as "modern brothel music." The members of Forniquette are Jim Bianco, Alex Budman, Jon Flower, Jordan Katz, Phil Krohnengold, Elizabeth Lea, Danny Levin, Chris Lovejoy, Nick Mancini, David Moyer, Jason Pipkin, David Ralicke.

Albums

Bianco has officially released four studio albums:
Bianco's unofficial releases include
He has also released one studio EP of ballads titled "Painkiller", one live album titled "Jim Bianco Live at the Hotel Cafe", and one four song self-titled EP with his brothel band Forniquette.
Prior to restructuring the CDBaby Top Sellers format in July 2009, three of Bianco's albums were ranked among the top 50 best sellers in the following categories:
Bianco has shared billing with many notable acts including: Squeeze, Gary Jules, Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Shelby Lynne, Amy Macdonald, Tift Merritt, Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde, Over the Rhine, Neil Finn, Josh Ritter, Joshua Radin, Bleu, Garrison Starr, Loudon Wainwright III, Amber Rubarth, The Milk Carton Kids, Jenny Owen Youngs and many more.
In 2002, Keiji Matsumoto, a Japanese independent record store owner, discovered “Well Within Reason” online and contacted Bianco about selling the album in his store Café Goattee. The album sold out quickly and with the release of “Handsome Devil” in 2004, Matsumoto booked Bianco on a tour across Japan in February 2005. Accompanied by Brad Gordon and Jason Pipkin, Bianco played all over the country. In 2006, Bianco released his album "Steady" in Japan. Bianco, again with Brad Gordon and Jason Pipkin, toured Japan in April 2006 and returned for their third tour in June 2009. In April 2010, Bianco returned to Japan for an acoustic tour, playing six shows in five cities. In March 2012, Bianco returned to Japan for a seven city tour with Gary Jules.

Documentaries

Guest appearances
Films created and produced by Jim Bianco

Studio albums