Welcome...

Hi, thanks for stopping by. I still have a solo career, as well as occasional performances as part of Floyd King & the Bushwackers and a few other random amalgamations, but the bulk of my shows lately are with the dynamic duo of Jan Krist & Jim Bizer. The two of us have a spiffy (and much newer and more functional) website. Click here to visit us there, or have fun perusing my solo site, right here where you already are...

More to come - check back for updates
To join my email list, send me an email at the link at the bottom of this page
and type "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line


Back to top





The Yellow Room Gang opened 2015 with a brand new recording, celebrating our first ten years as a musical entity. Curiously titled "Decade", it features sixteen new tunes, two from each member of the collective. It's alternately uplifting, thoughtful, romantic, historic and heartwarming. It includes a number of songs about food. It's delectable. You can find it, along with the other three Gang CDs at www.yellowroomgang.com

Both of the Jan & Jim releases, "Too" and "Influence", are available now at CDBaby.com and as digital downloads on iTunes and other download sources.

Check out the debut release from the rollicking Floyd King & the Bushwackers at the Bushwacker website.

And of course, my two solo releases:

Twelve songs, including the multiple-award-winning "We Are All Connected." Some are just me and my guitar, others feature such marvelous Michigan musicians as Jan Krist, Alan Finkbeiner, Paul Finkbeiner, Peter "Madcat" Ruth, David Mosher, Pat Prouty, Dan Kolton, Danny Cox and more. Songs about faith, rivers, baseball and combustible waterfowl. Forty-eight minutes of wonder, groove and surprise. And a really cool package to boot (thanks to Ron Bizer of PWB for design and Oasis CD for manufacturing.)

The tunes on this CD cut through quite a few musical alleys and hop lots of stylistic fences, from the thoughtful solo guitar pieces “Bye” and “Before You Know It” to the full-band extravaganzas “Falling Into It” and “Get to Me”, from the funky roots-rock of “Be Alright” to the reggae of “Wake Up” to the jump swing of “How Do I Look”. Twelve songs of love, life, insanity and natural disasters, catchy as the flu and uniquely Jim Bizer.

Read the online review at Minor 7th


Some recent comments from CD purchasers:
“ Passionate writing. We play it again and again.”
“Not a single clunker. Every song is great.”
“He’s got the goods.”

CDs available online at CD Baby. Audio samples are available at the CD Baby site.

Of course, the best way to purchase my CDs is to come to one of my shows! I always have copies available, you get to hear me perform these songs live and I get to meet you!


Back to top

Biographical info:

Gigging since age 14 and a career musician all of his adult life, Jim's been around the musical block. He's got a comfortable, deep groove and a restless imagination. His songs are a unique blend of humor, catchy melodies, and his own personal view of the essential craziness of being human - served up with some monster guitar playing and vocals.

Growing up in Detroit, Jim was exposed to (and fascinated by) a widely varied spectrum of music. Educated on French horn, self-taught on guitar and piano, he became a music theory major at the University of Michigan before embarking on an equally varied music career ­ "cover" musician, session player, composer for radio spots and a weekly television series. Though a songwriter since his early teens, only recently has Jim made this his primary focus.

A worthwhile thing, as Jim's songs have quickly earned accolades: the Kerrville "New Folk" competition has selected him as a finalist four times and Jim was awarded the Grand Prize in the Great American Song contest, chosen from over a thousand entries from across the continent.

2001 saw the release of his CD, "Closer To The Surface": twelve songs of love, life, insanity and natural disasters. 2004 brought "Connected", showcasing another dozen of Jim's remarkable songs, including the award-winning "We Are All Connected".

In recent years, Jim has joined forces with his longtime friend and collaborator, Jan Krist. In 2009, they produced their first offical duo recording, "Influence". Their second duo CD "Too" was released in late 2013. Both Jim & Jan are part of The Yellow Room Gang, a songwriters' collective featuring several well-known Michigan performers. Four Yellow Room Gang CDs, with songs from all the members, are now available.

And no, he doesn't stop there - Jim is also a pivotal member of the rollicking folk/roots-rock/slightly bluegrassy/party gospel band Floyd King & the Bushwackers. And a sideman for various other Detroit area musical aggregations. In addition to his performing career, he leads songwriting and guitar workshops and hosts MAMA's Coffeehouse, a monthly acoustic music concert series in suburban Detroit.

GREAT AMERICAN SONG Contest - Grand Prize winner 2002

MOUNTAIN STAGE NewSong Festival ("First Five" Recorded Round Pick) 2004

KERRVILLE NEW FOLK FINALIST 2000/2002/2004
KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL Mainstage 2005

GREAT WATERS FOLK FESTIVAL (NH) Song Contest - top five finalist 2004

WHEATLAND Festival 2005

BLISSFEST 2002 Mainstage & Songtree

Venues throughout the midwest, northeast and Texas
(and many points between)

Host of MAMA's Coffeehouse, Bloomfield Hills, MI


QUOTABLES:


“Knocked me out. Very impressive!”
Rod Kennedy, Kerrville Folk Festival


“Winner of the Great American Song Contest, and understandably so...”
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press


“What a great songwriter and performer! Having Jim on the show just ups the ante!”
Vance Gilbert


“... a great live performer and recording artist. Watch out for him.”
Matt Watroba, Folk Alley, WKSU, Kent, OH


“Wonderful rhythmic folk and a mixture of different rock and world styles that was great fun. But all the way through, it was the singer songwriter lyrics that keep your ear, because they do matter. Thanks for the music, Jim.”
Carey Carlson, WLLC-FM (Detroit Drive 106.7), Detroit