Flew Too Close To The Sun Tour
Shawn James
with Evan Bartels
About Shawn James
Hey there, this is Shawn James.
I’ve had way too many writers think they could sum me up & relay what I’m about from an hour long conversation so they could write my “bio” but I’ve had it. Screw that. I’ll tell it in my own words.
I was born & raised In Chicago, Illinois. I grew up on the south side of the city where I attended a gospel church. I was always around a lot of heartfelt soulful music & hardworking, real, down to earth people. Although I no longer abide by any religion, I value the times I had and how they shaped me to be what I am now.
I’ve moved around quite a bit living in all different parts of the US. While absorbing all sorts of different cultures from here & around the world, I’ve developed my own sound.
I started releasing my own music in 2012 and haven’t stopped since. I play a wide range of music from folk to blues, r&b, Gospel to rock, metal & alotta things in between. The main constant amongst all the genres would be that it’s all done with emotion, feeling, heart & a lotta soul. I...
About Evan Bartels
Evan Bartels is a Nebraska-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter whose powerful baritone and deeply human storytelling have made him a distinctive voice in contemporary Americana. Raised in the tiny prairie town of Tobias, Nebraska, a community of just over 100 people, Bartels draws inspiration from rural life, faith, longing, and redemption. Telling stories about ordinary people with extraordinary depth and compassion, he crafts songs that are intimate, emotionally resonant, and unflinchingly honest. Bartels began writing songs, playing guitar, and performing at age 13, honing his craft in a backyard recording space his father built, affectionately known as Coop Studio.
Bartels earned national recognition with his 2017 debut album, The Devil, God & Me, and has since grown a devoted audience through Promised Land (2019), Lonesome (2021), and his 2025 EP, To Make You Cry. Recorded live with little more than acoustic guitar and vocals in his handmade cabin outside Nashville, the EP captures the stripped-down honesty and vulnerability that define his work.
Known for his compelling live performances and poetic songwriting, Bartels has toured with Charles Wesley Godwin, Brothers Osborne, and Paul Cauthen. He has appeared...