James Rone is a songwriter, performing artist, and educator. Over the past two decades, Rone’s music has spanned genres, from power-pop (The Seagraves) to soul-revival (The Robinson Caruso Organization) to pop-rock (School For Girls). His work has been featured in podcasts (Filmspotting), collaborative theater (Sandbox Theater’s Unspeakable Things), and children’s musicals (I Don’t Want To Go To Bed). "Precious Creature," his collaboration with Floex, the musician best known for the Machinarium soundtrack, appeared on the album Zorya.
Raised in Bristol, England, and Springfield, Missouri, Rone moved to Minneapolis to pursue theater, working as a playwright, facilitator, and improviser while also crafting music as Robinson Caruso, backed by an 11-member R&B band. The Robinson Caruso Organization’s The Love Debt EP was produced by Eric Furlong.
While working as an elementary school teacher, Rone co-founded the pop-rock quintet School For Girls, releasing the album All At Once in 2016, produced by Adam Levy of The Honeydogs. In 2020, Rone released his solo debut Quiet As Fists, produced, mixed, and mastered by Jesse Rone Johnson.
Rone’s upcoming album, Light Up the Lodges, is set to release later this summer. It’s a home-recorded and mixed collection of songs featuring drums by Josh Kaplan, keys by John Guari, and guest vocals by Anna Weggel and Mandi Verstegen. The album was mastered by Matt Patrick at Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.