The Sunday Sampler Music Series featuring Kristopher James

🎶 The Sunday Sampler Tampa

A vibrant monthly celebration of Acoustic, Folk, and Americana music, hosted by New World Brewery and proudly presented by the Will McLean Foundation and WMNF Radio.

Kristopher James is a soul-leaning singer and songwriter whose music lives at the intersection of melody, heart, and human connection. Often compared to artists like Gavin DeGraw and Amos Lee, Kristopher’s vocals are both powerful and restrained, carried by an instinct for storytelling that feels lived-in rather than performed. As Creative Loafing writes, he is “a kindred musical spirit… whose easy gift for melody is unrivaled, perhaps the most interesting musician on the scene.”

Based in the Southeast, Kristopher has spent the past several years building a devoted audience the long way … on the road. He continues to tour extensively across the East Coast, regularly selling out clubs and medium-sized rooms, and earning a reputation for live shows that feel intimate, joyful, and deeply human. Along the way, he has opened for artists such as Allen Stone and shared stages with First Aid Kit, Marc Broussard, Ryan David Harris, Morgan James, Maggie Rose, Anderson East, The Revivalists, Black Pumas, Mavis Staples, and The Temptations. In 2023, Kristopher and his band were personally invited by Beach Boys founding member Mike Love to perform on The Beach Boys Cruise.

His debut album, Kindness Never Quits (2019), featuring members of Scary Pockets, introduced Kristopher to a wider audience and drew praise from outlets including Relix, Glide Magazine, and Reignland, which noted, “His vocals are so powerful… he showcases why he is one of the best singers out there. All that soul in one artist is just unbelievable.” Subsequent releases, including “Never Had To Find Our Way” (feat. Max Brown of The War & Treaty), “Feelings”, “I Can Only Love You in a Song” and “Just Breathe” continued to solidify his voice as both a vocalist and songwriter.

Now, Kristopher is focused on the next chapter.

Working out of Omnipop Recordings, owned and operated by Aaron Marsh of Copeland, he is currently finalizing the songs for his next full-length record.

Rooted in soul, shaped by community, and guided by a belief in kindness that refuses to quit, Kristopher James continues to write music that meets people where they are and invites them to stay a while.