Graeme James is a multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand. He started out pl… Read Full Bio ↴Graeme James is a multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand. He started out playing violin as a 7 year old and from a young age wanted to be a classical concert violinist. He pursued this goal throughout high school as well as branching out into folk and celtic music, playing fiddle and singing in his family’s folk band that played local festivals and events. After years of playing in local and national youth orchestras he gave up the dream of being a professional musician due to shoulder problems and left secondary school to study to be a Primary School Teacher. It was while he was at university in Palmerston North that he put down the violin and started learning other instruments, the most significant of which being the acoustic guitar which enabled him to start writing and playing his own songs.

However, it wasn’t until he bought a loop pedal in 2010 that everything started to come together.

In desperate need of some cash to repair his car while on a New Years holiday in 2012, Graeme hit the streets of Gisborne for his first ever loop pedal busking session and the response from the public was so positive he was back on the road in two days.

Over the course of 2012 he upped the ante- and started driving from Palmerston North to Wellington for late night busking sessions on Cuba St. Eventually he relocated permanently to Wellington and started touring New Zealand busking and sleeping in his car ‘The Hotel Corona’.

A major breakthrough came that summer in Queenstown as he would play nightly busking concerts to crowds of over 200 people by the lakefront. This started to gather what would become a large, loyal and global fan base. His ‘make-it-up-as-you-go’ attitude made for quirky and unique versions of well known songs, generally featuring a rousing solo on the electric fiddle. On the recommendation of a fellow street performer Graeme decided to record an album of these quirky covers.

The self released album “Play one we all know” literally hit the streets in 2013 followed by “Play one we all know Vol. II” in late 2014. The latter was funded through a kickstarter campaign that met its $5000.00 target in 27 hours. Both cover albums have sold thousands of copies while busking on the streets of New Zealand. Playing interesting versions of popular songs allowed Graeme James to hone his craft as a recording artist and with over 500 performances over the next two years his captivating live show was earning him fans across the country.

Graeme had always written his own songs, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he began performing them live and his original material was met with immediate interest from fans. His first single ‘Alive’ came out at the end of 2015 and was featured on NZ on Air’s ‘New Hits Disc’, The Edge Radio and TV and has been streamed over a million times to date.

In 2015 he completed three full New Zealand tours and made two trips across the Tasman for shows on Australia’s East Coast. Recent sold out shows in Wellington, Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown and Melbourne are a testament to the momentum that has started to build around his original music.

His debut original album ‘News From Nowhere’ is a collection of songs written over the last few years while touring the length and breadth of his homeland. Drawing inspiration from the beauty and immensity of New Zealand’s famous landscapes, the album is intensely visual in its writing and sound. In an attempt to mirror the energy and joy of his live show, he has performed and produced the album in its entirety, with a few notable features from select musicians including a duet with his wife who he met while busking in Wellington.

News From Nowhere was released in September 2016.

Rêverie
Graeme James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Nothing as it seems
Even in my dreams
I’m falling from the ceiling
I’m caught here in between
The flicker of the screen
A mirror for my feelings

The innocence within

You felt it on your skin
Your palm was always open
The humming of the strings
Mother always sings
She’s lost in her devotion

So fly with me
I know that we are falling and gravity is calling us down
Stay high with me
When you wake up in the morning you’ll know that it was only a dream

Pictures on the floor
You’ve seen it all before
You sow what you are reaping
Summer’s at the door
Winter left us poor
But there’s no time for weeping

So fly with me
I know that we are falling and gravity is calling us down
Stay high with me
When you wake up in the morning you’ll know that it was only a dream

So fly with me
I know that we are falling and gravity is calling us down

Stay high with me
When you wake up in the morning you’ll know that it was only a dream

Overall Meaning

The song "Reverie" by Graeme James explores the idea that appearances can be deceiving and that things are not always as they seem, even in our dreams. The first verse suggests a sense of disorientation and confusion, as the singer describes falling from the ceiling and being caught in between reality and illusion. The "flicker of the screen" symbolizes the fleeting and ephemeral nature of emotions and experiences, serving as a mirror that reflects the singer's innermost feelings.

The second verse introduces the theme of innocence and vulnerability. The singer implies that someone else, possibly a loved one, experienced and felt the singer's innocence on their skin. The reference to an open palm suggests a sense of generosity and acceptance. The humming of the strings and the mention of the singer's mother singing evoke a comforting and nurturing presence, but it is also implied that she is lost in her own devotion, perhaps indicating a sense of detachment or lack of understanding.

The chorus invites the listener to join the singer on a journey, suggesting that they are falling and being pulled down by gravity. However, the singer encourages them to stay high and to recognize that what they are experiencing is only a dream. This may allude to the idea of escapism and the desire to transcend the challenges and limitations of reality. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the importance of embracing and accepting the temporary nature of dreams and fantasies.

The final verse introduces the imagery of pictures on the floor, which implies a sense of familiarity and repetition. The singer suggests that the listener has seen it all before, reinforcing the idea that experiences and outcomes are cyclical. The line "you sow what you are reaping" suggests a cause-and-effect relationship, implying that the listener's actions and choices directly influence their current circumstances. Despite the challenges faced, the singer urges them not to dwell on sorrow but instead to embrace the possibilities of the present.

Overall, "Reverie" serves as a reflection on the complexities of life and the need to navigate through its illusions and challenges. It encourages the listener to find solace and escape in their dreams while also recognizing the temporary nature of these fantasies. The song invites us to embrace the uncertainties of life and to strive for resilience and hope, knowing that reality may not always be as it seems.

Line by Line Meaning

Nothing as it seems
Things are not always what they appear to be

Even in my dreams
Even within my subconscious mind

I’m falling from the ceiling
I feel a sense of descent and loss of control

I’m caught here in between
I am trapped in a state of uncertainty

The flicker of the screen
The fleeting images on the screen

A mirror for my feelings
Reflecting my emotions and thoughts back at me

The innocence within
The purity and naivety that resides within

You felt it on your skin
You experienced it deeply and intimately

Your palm was always open
You were always receptive and generous

The humming of the strings
The gentle vibrations and sounds of the strings

Mother always sings
My mother always sings