June 12th, 2009 -Jim Hanft songs on "So You Think You Can Dance: Season 5."
The FOX television show "So You Think You Can Dance" has been using songs off of my debut album Backyard Waltz in Season 5. The show is on Wednesday at 8pm EST. See if you can spot the music next time you watch!
May 19th, 2009 - Dance To The Music Of Jim Hanft
With Bill Billerson's help you'll be dancing in no time to the music of Jim Hanft! Special thanks to Kyle Weber & Aaron Fink for this rediculous video!
May 1st, 2009 - Hotel Cafe Residency for Thursdays in May
Afer a few successful shows at my favorite venue in LA, Hotel Cafe I've been asked to return for a residency in May for every Thursday. I'm really excited for the opportunity to try out new material, covers, get the band super tight and of course build the following of loyal Hanfters in LA! A limited edition screen printed poster will be available at the residency along with exclusive EPs. There has been talk about releasing a live album at the conclusion of the residency. More information on that is coming soon!
LIVE AT HOTEL CAFE IN MAY
Thursday, May 7th
Thursday, May 14th
Thursday, May 21st
Thursday, May 28th
Mar 30th, 2009 - April + May Tour to start on April 17th.
I'm really excited to be getting ready to hit the road for a few weeks on the east coast. My shows are starting in Boston and stretching down to NYC, PHL & the DC area. A few of my good friends will be joining me along the way which will make the shows even more fun! Here are all the upcoming dates. Throughout the tour I'll be performing with Jake Hill, Andy Grammer, Jeff Conley, John Paul, Tim McGlone and a bunch more. For those of you in LA, I'll be returning in May for a Thursday night residency at my favorite SoCal venue the Hotel Cafe!
Mar 27th, 2009 - Jim Hanft Poster Gallery
When I was first started listening to music and seeing concerts one of my favorite bands was Pearl Jam. I saw countless shows with my older brother and I used to be so into the fact that every single show was uniqe and different in that the band would vary up their setlist for every show. Not only that but all the shows I went to had a unique poster usually designed by the Ames Bros. So, when I began to play shows back in High School I started to design posters just as a fun way of promoting and emulating Pearl Jam, but after awhile it became a very important part of booking and playing shows in general. By creating a unique poster for each show I think it in turns pushes me to treat every show as it's own special event. This way it keeps it interesting for the audience and for myself. I've decided to compile a gallery of some of my favorite posters from the past. Enjoy!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GALLERYimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage
Jan 9th, 2009 - Live Video, Audio & Review @ LUXURYWAFERS.net
A few weeks back I was invited to record a live in-studio session at ChessVolt Studios as part of the Luxury Wafers Sessions. Landry & Peter wrote a super nice review on my music and posted video and audio from the performance...
"Jim's music and his presence are fun, stimulating and engaging. Although the subject matter strays nowhere near comedy, a sense of humor and lightness invisibly assert themselves in Hanft's songs. His unique and loquacious way took me a minute to understand, but he, like his tunes, possesses an endearing quality. What a relief to skip the pretense of inaccessibly moody artist and get right to enjoying the delight in Jim Hanft's music." - LuxuryWafers.net
Dec 18th, 2008 -Music Video Debut for "Caffeine" directed by Jamie Tilton
Music video director, Jamie Tilton who has worked on videos for artists like Kings Of Leon, Gwen Stefani and Beyonce has just finished directing a video for my song "Caffeine." The video was worked on by a few very talented guys over at Pillar Pictures, so if you get a chance check out some more of their work at PillarPictures.com
Dec 5th, 2008 -Music Video for "Down" directed by Joseph M Petrick
Joseph M Petrick the director of "Mother Of Invention" just shot this music video for my song, "Down." Check it out!
Nov 3rd, 2008 -Hotel Cafe Re-Cap!
Special thanks to everyone who came out to the LA Album Release show @ Hotel Cafe. I had such a great time. For those of you who missed the show it was a full
band performance featuring: Teo Villa (Bass), John Paul (Drums), Samantha Yonack (Vocals) and Tim Weed (Violin). You can hear a live track from the show at myspace.com/jimhanft. The setlist was as follows:
SHIPWRECK
EMILY
CAFFEINE
THIEF
SUPERHERO > I'M ON FIRE
PASSENGER SIDE
BY THE STREAM > TEENAGER IN LOVE
CHINA DOLL
LIKE THE INDIANS (feat. Mookie) Listen
Oct 30th, 2008 -CD Review by Rootstime!
The Belgium fanzine Rootstime just gave Backyard Waltz a great review! The review is in Dutch, which is pretty cool if you ask us!
Oct 15th, 2008 -THE BACKYARD BLOG.
Since completing the new record I've been on a creative high with writing and recording.
Between working with friends, and writing new tunes I wanted to have a place for you to hear
new songs and live recordings. Plus what modern day blog would be complete without photos
from my fancy new phone!
You can buy a digital copy of my new album, "Backyard Waltz" online at iTunes. Woohoo!
1. China Doll
2. Down
3. Superhero
4. Blinking Watch
5. Caffeine
6. Magic
7. Thief
8. Girl In The Cashmere Dress
9. Southern States
10. Backyard Waltz
Sept 30, 2008 -On Sale @ CDbaby.com!
You can buy a physical copy of my new album, "Backyard Waltz" online at CDbaby.com. The tracklisting is:
1. China Doll
2. Down
3. Superhero
4. Blinking Watch
5. Caffeine
6. Magic
7. Thief
8. Girl In The Cashmere Dress
9. Southern States
10. Backyard Waltz
Sept 15, 2008 -Scoring for feature film, "Mother Of Invention" is complete!
I recently finished writing and recording music for the feature film, "Mother of Invention" directed by Joseph Petrick. You can hear a few of the pieces in the trailer below. The film is being submitted to all the major film festivals as we speak!!! I may be biased because i scored the film, but it really is a funny film and they got some awesome actors for it.
Check it out!
Aug 28, 2008 -Fan review from lasts night show!
I just played a last minute show at Aura last night in Studio City, CA. Check out this great fan review from the show!
"His vocals are spot on. His writing is smart, funny, sad, cute or moving, depending on the song. I have even cried at both shows in LA. Once because the song was so touching and tonight from laughing so hard. He is a remarkable performer who really puts his heart and soul in his performance and he has a great time doing it."Click here to read the whole review.
Aug 10, 2008 -Hotel Cafe Setlist, 08.09.08
WEDDINGS & FUNERALS
CAFFEINE
CHINA DOLL
BITCH
GIRL IN THE CASHMERE DRESS
SUPERHERO > I'M ON FIRE (Springsteen)
THIEF
BY THE STREAM
SOUTHERN STATES
LIKE THE INDIANS
BLINKING WATCH
Aug 1, 2008 -Jim is named the LA Arist Of The Month for 2008
Thanks to everyone who voted on the The Deli Magazines L.A. artist of the month. We did it! Check it out:
Oct 27, 2007 -"Band-Aid" Video w/ Jake Hill
The final Birds On A Wire New York City show was last night at Pete's Candy Store. We had a great time! Thanks so much to all who came out late on Sunday night.
This morning Jake Hill and I had breakfast together at Jackson Hole in the Upper West Side. We continued our romantic morning tryst with guitars and pita chips served by none other then Birds On A Wire's biggest supporter Tamar W. (The W stands for widddddilllllppppppp!)
I presented Jake with a half-written song...and he helped to finish it. It's called 'Band-Aid' and here is the world wide widddilllpp premier of it:
May 27, 2007 -Live Internet Performance + Interview
On Friday at 5pm PST (8pm east coast) there will be a live interview and performance with me on LiveVideo's Coffeehouse show. http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/coffeehouse. You'll be able to ask questions live on the site during the interview. How tight is that? Super tight. So go to that link on Friday at 5pm...or 8pm if you're on the east coast!
June 12th, 2009 -
SHIPWRECK
EMILY
CAFFEINE
THIEF
SUPERHERO > I'M ON FIRE
PASSENGER SIDE
BY THE STREAM > TEENAGER IN LOVE
CHINA DOLL
LIKE THE INDIANS (feat. Mookie) 
