JIM VEGAS & his band “THE HIGHROLLERS” have spent years crafting a sound that is all their own and their 8th record captures them strutting with swagger and swinging with purpose.
"Imagine Mose Allison or Tom Waits on steroids and a few too many cups of coffee having a jam session with Los Lobos or Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers" says Jim Vegas, cracking a smile while describing his records . His original “alternative blues” tunes are firmly planted in the territory he has become known for: the intersection of Blues, Jazz, and Rock & Roll.
Drenched in energy and originality, Jim and his band have a fire in the belly to convey the messages contained in the songs. It is obvious this band isn't playing around. Rarely do you find records and live performances with this much vibe, paying homage to the music of the past, but clearly planted in the modern day.
The clever songwriting is enhanced by the brilliant saxophone playing of Luke Young, and grooving rhythm of various drummers, and Aaron Diller providing a deep pocket on the low end on a bass that growls.
In Jim's musical world there are only 2 styles of music: Good & Bad. Beyond that, there is no descrimination.
Born In Colorado, Jim learned to play the guitar after hearing a B.B. King album as a teenager. His world was soon filled with sounds by artists such as Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Kenny Burrell, Albert King, Morphine, Howlin’ Wolf, Miles Davis, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and countless others, who still remain big influences.
Through years of instruction, (a brief stint at Berklee School of Music in Boston, and later classical studies at CSU in Fort Collins, Co) live performance & practice, Mr. Vegas became adept in many different musical styles and on several traditional instruments (guitar, bass, piano harmonica), as well as some not so widely used (dobro bass, bullhorn, his dog Sandman’s vocals). While constantly striving for good musicianship, he has always considered songwriting to be a more important craft than technical acrobatics. In fact, his music is as influenced by writers and poets as it is by the masters of American music.
