UNC Alumnus Returns to Perform his Music
By Shelley Basinger

Brendan James, a 2002 alumnus of UNC, is making it big as a solo artist. This weekend, he decided to return the place where it all started.

He played for a packed house at Yeats Irish Pub Friday night. Playing his own songs and even a little James Taylor, James crooned to the crowd in a candlelit atmosphere that helped make his performance more personal. He took time to explain why he wrote some of his songs.

James started singing in high school and became a member of the UNC Clefhangers his sophomore year.

He says that although his career is taking off, he still gets nervous before he performs.

“There’s a great quote by Sammy Davis Jr. where he says, ‘The day that I’m not nervous before a show is the day that I want to quit.’ And I think that’s a really healthy feeling to have,” James said.

“You should have nerves and you should have adrenaline pumping through you. You’ll be a better performer because of it.”

James recently signed a contract with Capitol Records and will begin recording his first album in April.