Colorado Music Buzz Magazine BIO:
Name: James (Jim) Joseph Campbell
Age: 31
Occupation: Musician—Lead singer and acoustic guitar player for James and the Devil
Background:
I’m from a military family, so I’ve lived in several places in 3-4 year chunks, I’ve lived in
Colorado for 12 years now, so I consider myself born again native. My mom was raised in
Littleton before there was anything south of county line road. For the record, I was born in
Dover, DE; moved to Las Cruces, NM; then to Dayton, OH; next Albuquerque, NM; next
Sedalia, MO; before landing in Denver, CO.
After graduating from high school I attended Missouri State University’s computer science
program. While in school I became inspired to teach myself to play the guitar with help from my
friend Adam Herman. The two of us started to write songs for fun in our free time and
challenged each other to who could write the best original songs. This recreational pleasure
motivated him and me to pick up and move to Denver in 2003 in order to pursue our musical
ambitions. We started putting together a band and played small bars and coffee shops. I found
joy in playing my guitar downtown for people walking the strip of 16th Street Mall. Some of my
personal musical influences include Sublime, Tech N9ne, Dave Matthews, John Popper, etc.
James and the Devil was formed in 2007 with members Adam Herman, Matt Stoner, David
Ross, Adam Carpenter, and myself. I believe it was our destiny to meet. Together we manifested
our dreams to come true. The only role that has changed is the lead guitarist, which has changed
three times, before finding our champion, Brian Knapp. He has been with us nearly two years.
These transitions have guided the band through various phases over the years and have enabled
growth and expansion into an eclectic sound. J&TD is Rocky Mountain Rebel Rock at its finest!
It is a variety show and we play all the best kinds of music. Nothing is off the table. I am a
believer that all genres are there for our choosing. Sometimes a song that works on an album
does not work live, or vise-versa. It is important to never be afraid to ask for constructive
criticism from your band mates. Let new songs unfold organically then practice them hard to
work out any kinks. Always try new things in order to push yourself and your band forward.
Together, as a band we learned humility and humbleness, being a small fish in big pond. To be
successful in the pursuit of your dreams you must be willing to risk it all and put in hard work to
build up a good reputation. Picking a clever band name that will stand out and stir questions in
people is essential. Next, establish a legitimate business and dump all of your money back into
the band. If you do not constantly invest in all aspects of your band, you’ll simply be spinning
your wheels and you’ll never even get off the ground. Never forget the importance of injecting
passion and soul into each musical performance. I found out that you cannot fail as long as you
give it all that you got. Finally, and this is important, never quit.
I love the Denver music scene! As a music lover I appreciate the fact that we have a wide variety
of talent that comes through Denver. As a performer I feel very fortunate and honored to play for
a city full of people who appreciate and support local music. Now new people just keep showing
up to our shows and we keep doing our thing, every time, the best we can bring it. J&TD has
established a name for ourselves and have worked hard to build up a good reputation as a Denver
band.
Major achievements of J&TD include: the 2011 title of Best Band in Denver from the Colorado
Music Buzz Magazine; the 2011, 2014, and 2015 winner of Waka Winter Classic; played
Wakarusa Music Festival 2011, 2014, and 2015; the 2012 and 2013 winner of Road to Summer
Camp; played Summer Camp Music Festival 2012 and 2013; winner of 2013 Best of the West
competition at Herman’s Hideaway; 2013 played Red Rocks Amphitheater; nominated multiple
times for best Avant-garde band by the Westword.
My life in the last year:
June 16, 2014 I was driving home from work when my right leg seized up and floored the gas
pedal, causing me to come just seconds away from crashing. Luckily, I was able to tell my right
brain to hit the brakes with my left foot. With a foot on each pedal I was thankfully able to pull
my car off to the side of the road. After a few minutes I was able to call my girlfriend Casey
Starr Mercer and inform her that I thought I had just had a seizure. She was able to get to me
quickly and immediately rushed me to the emergency room. I had a CT scan done, then an MRI.
I was told that I had suffered a partial seizure and that the scans revealed a mass the size of a golf
ball on my brain. I noticed that my right arm was weak and my speech was delayed. I was
admitted to the hospital and met with the brain surgeon the next morning. To say the least, I was
completely shocked. Thankfully my family dropped everything and came straight to Colorado to
be with me. My band of brothers showed full support for me and put our touring schedule on
hold. June 18th I underwent an emergency craniotomy in which the surgeon was able to resect
90% or more of the tumor. Due to the fact that some of the mass was protruding into my corpus
callosum, the area that connects the two hemispheres of the brain, the surgeon was forced to
leave some of the tumor in order to avoid causing permanent damage. Post-surgery involved reteaching myself right side coordination in my arm and leg. Preliminary tests revealed that the
tumor was malignant. Further pathology testing provided me with the full genetic makeup of the
tumor, which was classified as grade four glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). I was told that this is
one of the worst types of cancer and is incurable. I realized that it was going to take a lot of
patience, courage, and determination to face this aggressive disease. Since all of this started I
have had a massive amount of support through social media and in person. I am immensely
grateful that so many people are looking out for me. In July I was able to start my 30 rounds of
radiation therapy, once a day, Monday through Friday. I also started my first round of
chemotherapy in tandem with radiation. Throughout multiple rounds of chemo my body did not
react very well to multiple different chemo drugs, and therefore it has been difficult to establish a
consistent dosage and regime for treatment. It has been an uphill battle but I have not lost hope
that I will beat this! In April my MRI scan showed growth which is classified as a recurrence of
disease. Since I had a recurrence I then qualified for a different drug called Avastin, a bi-weekly
anti-angiogenesis drug, that has been shown to be effective with GBM. At this point I was able
to see the silver lining despite the tumor progression. Unfortunately, after receiving only two
doses of Avastin I had to go without my medicine for five weeks due to a brutal bug bite that
opened and became infected all up my arm. A side effect of Avastin is that it can prevent wounds
from healing and therefore it was unsafe for me to receive my medicine until my arm healed. In
this time my tumor grew substantially, causing me to have disagreeable symptoms. The tumor is
located on my frontal lobe and has started to affect my speech and motor functions since June
(this year). I have since received three doses of Avastin and I am hopeful that the medicine is
saturating the tumor. After viewing my latest MRI scan on July 8th, my neuro-oncologist gave
me some tough news. He warned me that my loss of coordination and speech impairment may be
permanent. As of now he expects that the Avastin will only slow the progression of the tumor but
may not be able to get rid of it. I was just given a terminal prognosis of roughly one year.
Although this has been hard to swallow I knew that this could be a possibility. No matter what I
will not let this news hold me back from keeping hope that a miracle can happen. I have since
started using high concentrated hemp oil that has been shown to shrink brain tumors. These
treatments are costly and therefore my friends and family are coordinating a fundraiser in order
to help me afford my fight to beat brain cancer. I am grateful for the continuous care, support,
and love that I receive and will not stop fighting. My friends have gifted me with reflexology,
vibroacoustic sound therapy, massage, and other forms of healing, of which I am very blessed.
Since June last year I have been able to find joy throughout my journey. Just a month after my
brain surgery J&TD and I played at the Mishawaka Amphitheater to a sold out crow and Groove
Music and Art Festival in Georgetown the following day! I just attended String Cheese Incident
with Nahko and Medicine for the People at Red Rocks. J&TD has been able to play amazing
shows including Ullrs Tavern in Winter Park, The Rock Inn in Estes Park, Three Rivers Tap
House and The City Beer Festival in Farmington, NM, The Belly Up in Aspen, Hodi’s Half Note
in Fort Collins, and most recently the White Water Festival in Canon City and Wakarusa Music
Festival at Mulberry Mountain in Arkansas! There have been many more fun filled adventures
along the way which have brought me balance and joyfulness throughout my trials. Most of all, a
positive outlook has been the most useful aspect of this entire ride. Maintaining a healthy state
of mind is crucial for someone going through what I am facing. Never give up! Keep fighting the
good fight! As of now I have had to put music on hold in order to focus on healing. I am proud to
say the James and the Devil is getting close to releasing our newest album titled “Show Me
Everything”. It will include guest musicians featuring dobro, saxophone, and keys/organ. It is
going to be great!
Link to fundraiser event: https://www.facebook.com/events/450061268505505/