Austin Music Minute

Kalu James Plays Tonight at Hotel Vegas

June 21, 2012 12:19 pm by: Laurie Gallardo

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It’s been awhile since Nigerian-born songwriter Kalu James lived in Rochester, NY. He made music, performed and did a lot of open-mic nights on the East Coast before making his way to the Live Music Capital.

It was a nerve-wracking decision at first, but it wasn’t long before he felt the warm reception of a community open to nurturing musical talent, even though that talent was already in great abundance here. Soon, Kalu made a name for himself here as a performer at Ruta Maya on S. Congress. He was often referred to as “the smiling man from New York.”

These days, Kalu definitely has a reason to smile. Thanks to a very successful Kickstarter campaign (Kalu, that is one awesome way to make cupcakes, man), he’s ready to complete a double-album release of his work, a fusion of soul, folk, blues and rock played acoustically and with a full band.

You really should check out Kalu James’ show tonight at Hotel Vegas, 1500 E. 6th St. Sharing the bill is songwriter Jack Valen. The music starts at 8 p.m.  If you can, head out there early right after work to enjoy a happy hour performance by Graham Wilkinson at 5 p.m. Recommended.

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