Country/folk artist Joshua James gave a comforting, passionate performance to the Maintenance Shop on Sunday, April 2.

James’ set comprised a variety of folk and country music that relied heavily on his talented voice and personal lyrics.

The majority of his songs were played with the support of a band, including opener Timmy the Teeth on drums. However, James’s first song was a highlight as he played it completely solo, which made for a more intimate experience. I wish he had performed a few more songs in this fashion, but the band did help him out in later, more high energy songs.

In some cases the instruments could hardly be heard and only served as a background to James’s rugged voice. It was exciting to see such a focus on vocals and lyrics, especially as James’s lyrics highly impressed.

Nearly every one of his songs were original pieces based off his own experiences and emotions. Hearing these profoundly personal songs made for a very intimate show. He was very open about his inspirations too, choosing to tell the audience the deep stories behind each song rather than just focusing on small talk.

This was never more clear in his original song, “Milly,” which told the story of when he and his wife found out they would be having an unexpected child. It was an emotional song that perfectly displayed why his music is so unique. I really appreciate that he was willing to share these experiences with the audience — it made us connect with him that much more.

As a performer he was decidedly quiet, which worked to his benefit. He didn’t jump around the stage or dance around. In fact, he remained in his chair almost the entire show; It really fit with his music. James is a veteran and he showed it by owning the stage without overdoing it.

James’ opener and friend, Timmy the Teeth, performed similarly to James. They both featured lower energy, more personal songs. Uniquely, they each played the drums for each other’s performances.