Color Outside The Lines

Jim Stanard grew up hanging out at legendary music spots like Main Point Coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where he saw great young musicians like Tom Rush, Doc Watson, and Bruce Springsteen. He saw Bob Dylan in Philadelphia in 1966, and attended Woodstock in 1969. It was an incredible era of music, and Jim fell in love with it. It inspired him play and perform – so much so, he sold his childhood coin collection to buy his first guitar – a Martin D-28.

But as it does for so many, life happened. Adult responsibilities got in the way of the carefree life of a guitar player. Jim went on to develop a successful career in the world of finance and insurance. While that Martin D-28 took up closet space somewhere in his house, his love for music and the memories it afforded him were never far from his heart. Jim always carried around a line from Dylan that said, ‘he not busy being born is busy dying.’

It was a line that never got too far from Jim’s thoughts. “Oh, that one I’ve carried with me since college,” Jim reflected.  In the early 2000’s, nearing retirement, he let those memories out of bag, so to speak, and took a chance at reviving his outward love for music. He had become acquainted with Jon Skibic, of the Afghan Whigs, whom he took guitar lessons from, and Kip Winger, front man for the platinum-selling rock band, Winger, who he engaged for vocal lessons. The result was his first ever record with songs he had written.

That experience, and the renewed love of playing and performing, and now writing, led him to do it again; this time with the some vocal contributions from new friends Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul, and Mary) and his daughter, Bethany. The album, Color Outside The Lines, is the follow up to the 2018 debut release, Bucket List. “Through the process of the first record I really got the bug to write songs,” Jim said. “Initially I didn’t know how any of this would turn out, but I put the time into it, and I’m quite happy with the results.”

Find out more here https://www.jimstanardmusic.com. Listen to the Profiles interview here.