Shelley James opens a new chapter.

Byline: LEWIS TAYLOR The Register-Guard

THERE WAS a time, not long ago, when living in Eugene was a source of unhappiness for Shelley James.

"I tried to get us out of here for a long time," James said. `People all around us were saying, `God, I can't believe you haven't made it yet,' and, `Are you getting your CD out there?' and, `Are you ever going to move to L.A.?'

`We always felt the push - that little anxiety of, `Should we go?' `Will we go to L.A. or go move to Nashville and just pound on doors for a couple of years?' And that's when we realized, `You know what, we're actually really happy here.' '

The city that once seemed like a big, orange roadblock in the middle of James' musical career has since become a toll bridge; although she's paid the price for living here, she also has reaped the rewards. The pearly voiced singer may not have a recording contract or a gold record on her wall, but she has managed to make a living from her music, and she's become one of Eugene's most visible performers.

"In a world of artifice, where we're being sold something every day, it's nice to be sold something that's real. We all hunger for that and crave that, and I think Shelley delivers," said Eugene singer-songwriter Mark Alan, a frequent collaborator of James'. "It's the real deal."

Through the strength of her singing and the sheer enthusiasm of her performances, James, 36, has built a sizable fan base. Last year, she played the grand opening of the McDonald Theatre. This year, she was the final act in the Island Park summer music series. Maybe you've seen the ubiquitous bumper stickers for her band, Shelley James musicbox, plastered on pickup trucks, VW buses and Lincoln Town Cars alike. She plays with the the Satin Love Orchestra, a disco revival group, and with a local Pink Floyd tribute band. You can find her singing in bars and churches, but also at weddings and private functions.

"We want to be the Pink Martini of Eugene," James said, referring to the popular Portland lounge-classical act. "(We want to have) that kind of class, that kind of following, (We want to be that) eclectic. We want to have a niche."

James already has carved out a niche. Although she may not be as well known as the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Mason Williams or Zoot Horn Rollo, the one thing she does have on Eugene's major music celebrities is cross-market appeal.

Her music, which sometimes borders on Christian rock, does so without alienating too many listeners. She appeals to saints and sinners alike, and by crossing into pop, rock, R&B, jazz and soul, she draws in other people as well.

James and her band might not yet be the Pink Martini of Eugene, but in a city more fractured than a San Andreas sidewalk, she could be the closest thing we have to a musical spokeswoman. Ask her about her appeal, and she'll explain that bringing diverse groups of people together is something she's always done.

"We're bridge builders," James said. "If we can draw them (religious listeners) out of the woodwork because of who we are, and likewise if we can pull in all these rocker people that like us, even though we're not totally heavy, heavy rock."

"They still respect us because we're working hard, because we have some chops - we're always working on our chops - and because we're honest, we're always going to do songs we like."

If James were just looking to make everybody happy, she wouldn't have released her latest album, "It's So All Right," a gospel record that probably isn't going to appeal to Eugene anarchists. But the album, which could also be considered smooth pop, isn't likely to turn anyone off who's already listening. Pointing to Creed, P.O.D. and other Christian-crossover acts that have earned mainstream success without renouncing their faith, James, a pastor's daughter, said she can be a believer and a musician at the same time.

"We don't call ourselves a Christian band. We're not a Christian band. We don't just play straight-up Christian; it was never founded that way," said James, who prefers the title "inspirational pop."

"We are a functioning band out in the scene here that loves to work really hard, you know, put on a good show, rehearse. We're always coming up with good stuff, and we just love putting on good shows and we're going to do our stuff."

James' band features her husband, Callan Coleman, on bass, Tom Teutsch on guitar, Rich Sellars on drums and Owen Wright on keyboards. The new record, which took 3 1/2 years to make, began with the song "Time to Hold On," a gospel-pop ballad about asking for understanding from God. Out of that song came more gospel songs, and, before long, James had the beginnings of an album.

"All of the songs that were coming to us were inspirational, Christian-genre songs," she said. "We felt like it was time for an album like this, like it was overdue."

James is riding high on gospel music - which, she points out, is the fastest growing music genre since Sept. 11, 2001. But, she doesn't plan to devote herself only to gospel. As she puts it, there are many more albums to make, including a jazz record, a pop-rock album, a collection of duets and even a Christmas album.

James' previous album, "Crack the Shell," was a pop-rock record with spiritual overtones. Before that, in the early 1990s, she played with the Portland acoustic jazz/pop trio Pyramid Breakfast.

If there is a common thread to James' varied music, it's polished quality of her sound and the presence of her silky voice.

Even at the age of 4, she said, she had timbre and pitch, and she knew she wanted to be a singer. While growing up, she honed her singing with her family's a cappella gospel quartet, the Ratzlaff Family Singers. The group traveled the West Coast and even put out an album.

"Singing with the family was a blast," James said. "That's why I have the harmony I have. I give all of the credit to my folks for raising me that way."

Born in Canada and raised in Northern California, Medford and Portland, James was surrounded by religious music and religious teachings. Her family belonged to an interdenominational church, and her parents encouraged her to explore other belief systems and other kinds of music.

"I have vivid memories of black lights and Pink Floyd and rock 'n' roll," James said. "My parents didn't try and limit the music we listened to. ... They really gave us lots and lots of freedom, so that what happened is, instead of rebelling outright against anything having to do with religion or Christianity, we were able to come back to it with an adult perspective and make our own choices and not feel like we were just living and believing something our parents believed."

Ultimately, James accepted the religious beliefs she grew up with, but not without some spiritual struggles of her own. For a time, she stopped going to church, and after graduating from the University of Oregon with an anthropology degree, she spent several dark years doing some personal searching.

James credits the church and her husband with bringing her back on course. Coleman, a Churchill High School graduate, joined Pyramid Breakfast in 1993. Although there was instant attraction, the pair forestalled romance for two years.

"To preserve our sanity and to preserve the band, we just remained friendly," James said. "I have to say it was probably one of the most mature decisions I've ever made in my life."

Coleman now serves as James' producer, songwriting partner, manager, publicist and sound engineer. James calls him her Emilio Estefan, a reference to singer Gloria Estefan's husband and producer.

"My role is that of, well, partner," said Coleman, who doesn't mind being out of the limelight. `I ask, `How are we going to do this?' and that's from the music to the marketing to the stage presentation to the management to finding the team of people we need."

In producing James' latest album, Coleman put together a home "project studio" that made use of almost every existing room in the couple's house, including the bathroom. The studio enabled the pair to produce a higher quality recording than their limited budget otherwise would have allowed, and they were able to make an album on their own time without paying by the hour to rent a professional facility.

"It was a matter of researching every key piece of gear, asking around, talking to guys, talking to techheads," Coleman said. "That's kind of a fun thing to do. Once you get into gear, you realize a lot of other guys are into gear."

One of the gearheads to whom Coleman turned was local blues artist, college professor and audio engineer Don Latarski, who offered advice and tech support.

"I certainly encouraged them to go forward and do it," Latarski said. "The technology these days is there for a person or a group to go ahead and produce their own CD, as long as you've got someone who's willing to go through the learning curve . ...

`Cal put a lot of work into making that happen."

Like James, Latarski is a musician who could have made a name for himself in another city, but instead chose to stick it out in Eugene. As long as you're not in it for the money, he said, artists such as James can make a career for themselves here.

"On a certain level you just have to realize that being here will restrict your professional opportunities for growth," Latarski said. `You're not exposed to the stimulus, you're not exposed to the competition. Really, there aren't a lot of bands here where you can say, `We should be as good as that.' One of the biggest complaints I hear from musicians here is a lot of people find that it's a place that invites them to be too laid-back.'

For James, who seems to exude energy, being too laid-back is not a problem. And with a house and a husband, a home recording studio, a schedule of performances and a part-time job teaching elementary school music classes, she has plenty to do.

Eugene is no longer a place she tolerates. It's a city she loves.

"Sometimes you can bang your head up against the door, and if it's not God's will that you're going to go do that, there's no way that door's gonna open," James said. "That's when you have to look at where he has you and realize that maybe he has you here on purpose. Maybe this is where he wants you."

Entertainment reporter Lewis Taylor can be reached by phone at 338-2512 and by e-mail at [e-mail].

SHELLEY JAMES MUSICBOX

WHAT: Pop, soul, rock, R&B, gospel

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. today

WHERE: Luna, 30 E. Broadway

COVER: $5

ALSO: To hear music by Shelley James, call GuardLine at 485-2000 and select category 9941

CAPTION(S):

Shelley James musicbox has turned to a more spiritual side with the new gospel CD "It's So All Right." SHELLEY JAMES MUSICBOX WHAT: Pop, soul, rock, R&B, gospel WHEN: 9:30 p.m. today WHERE: Luna, 30 E. Broadway COVER: $5 ALSO: To hear music by Shelley James, call GuardLine at 485-2000 and select category 9941