McCartney Times

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Having a famous father is both a blessing and a curse. Having a father as famous as Paul McCartney is another thing altogether.James McCartney, the 39-year-old singer-songwriter son of the ex-Beatle and the late Linda McCartney, has been quietly busy carving out a musical legacy of his own for the past five years. Lucky for us, that includes a rare stop in Cleveland Tuesday night (April 11) at the Beachland Ballroom.James will perform in the larger ballroom after two opening acts, The Chestertons and Jared Mahone. He will be accompanied by Steven Howard, a “multi-instrumentalist” who played on James’s 2016 album “The Blackberry Train.” Insiders say that Howard adds a lot to the live performance.”Howard makes a huge difference,” said Tommy Merrill, James’s agent. “He is a great back-up for James, and provides some real support for him onstage.”Over his musical career, which included playing guitar and drums on you-know-who’s “Flaming Pie” in 1997 and the the 2001 “Driving Rain,” James has toured with a band and solo. That includes an excellent, if overlooked, solo show at the Beachland Ballroom in 2013.On stage, James seems almost painfully shy. Again, in contrast with his famous father who performs marathon three-hour shows and almost connects with every member of the audience. James speaks through his music. The first thing people notice is the family resemblance, James sure has his father’s eyes. He is expected to perform many songs from his latest album, “Blackberry,” including “Unicorn,” and “Fallen Angel” and the moody love song, “Prayer.” Playing an acoustic guitar and keyboards, James will sing his heartfelt songs, which defy comparison to his father. Musically, James is his own man with more slow serious songs than Paul McCartney-like pop songs, but he can rock.James said his influences were the early 90s grunge bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and The Melvins, as opposed to “Sgt. Pepper.” Of course, growing up a McCartney, the Beatles and Sir Paul music was ever-present and seeped into his psyche at an early age.Hopefully, James will dip into his first album, “Me,” for songs like “Strong As You,” “Butterfly” and “Thinking About Rock and Roll.”And you can hear echoes of Paul and even John Lennon in some songs.But please don’t ask him to play a Beatles song.James McCartney
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 11.

Where: Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland.Tickets: $15 at the box office, or through Ticketweb. For more info, call (216) 383-1124.

Source: James McCartney keeps up the family tradition at the Beachland | cleveland.com