Coast 2 Coast Closeup – Elias James

Saskatchewan born, Alberta raised and now rooted in the big city of Toronto; his life’s journey across the country provides an apt description of both Elias James and his music. You won’t find any truck or backroad bonfires here; you will certainly uncover a plethora of well-crafted, heartfelt songs presented in a tight, polished package that speaks to Elias’ affinity for the great North American Songwriter. With over one million streams to his songwriting credit, Elias has made a name for himself in Canada becoming known for his engaging lyrics, strong melodic sense and versatile proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist.

Elias has signed on with Glacier Bay Entertainment in anticipation of his debut single “Here and Now.” Elias recalls, “It was one of those songs that needed to sit for awhile. Rich (Cloke, cowriter) and I had nothing but a verse, chorus, and a crappy iPhone recording. I built that into a demo in my studio and once the team at GBE heard it, we knew it was time to bring in some heavy players. So we hired Shawn Moore, Stu Weinberg, and Junior Riggan to take my production to the next level.”

“Here and Now” tells a story of being lost in a lost love; trapped in a state between the bliss of what used to be and the inevitable relief of coming out the other side. “It’s sort of a ‘sad hope’ thing,” Elias says, “The singer is stuck in limbo. He’s hurting, he can’t seem to move on from this girl. He knows there’s a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, but he can’t quite see it yet.”

Listen to the interview