James ( Jay / J. ) Young
Mandolin, Vocals & Songwriting
In addition to working as a professional designer (plus being an art nerd), I also make music as a Boston-area Mandolin player, vocalist, & aspiring songwriter.
I play in the band Peter O’Halloran & The Hired Men, and also collaborate with The Dogmatics. Sometimes, I get to help Rum Bar Records design stuff.
Recent Music Projects
The Dogmatics Back Catalogue Artwork
Over the last decade or so, I've had the chance to work with the band The Dogmatics on different illustration and design projects. These have included things like show posters, "merch" graphics (t-shirts, clothing, stickers, pins, etc.), and album artwork. Here's a...
Mandolin & Design: “An Irishman for Christmas” by Berk/Lehane at Red on Red Records
I had the good fortune of being invited to play Mandolin on a new holiday song that is being released as part of the launch of a new Boston-area label called Red on Red Records. The song called "An Irishman for Christmas" is first-time collaboration between Simone...
Band Logo Reboot and CD Label Design for The Lemon Drop Gang
I collaborated with The Lemon Drop Gang on some of the design assets related to their recent full album and single releases on Rum Bar Records. I redesigned their band logo based on some past concepts, did some hand lettering for their single release "Georgie", and...
Album and Single Artwork Design for Jerry Lehane Solo Recordings
I helped Jerry Lehane design the artwork for his recent full album and single releases on Rum Bar Records. Jerry may be best known for his role in the Boston band The Dogmatics. This is the first time he's released these five solo recordings that were done in the...
The Hired Men Practice Recordings released on Rum Bar Records
Our band Peter O'Halloran & The Hired Men has been playing in some shape or form since around 2008. We perform at a small number of live venues each year due to the varied personal lives of all the members. Therefore we’ve never had the opportunity to get into a...
“The Ballad of Wilbur Ross” Music Video by The Dogmatics
This is the second video released from The Dogmatics latest EP on Rum Bar Records. The song is titled “The Ballad of Wilbur Ross”. Produced by photographer and filmmaker Rudolph Childs.
“She’s the One” Music Video by The Dogmatics
This is a follow on to an earlier post about The Dogmatics latest EP on Rum Bar Records. The band recently released a video for the first single "She's the One". This was another fun effort to participate in. The excellent garage rock aesthetic was the creative...
Collaboration with The Dogmatics and Rum Bar Records
Here's a personal-perspective case study on how I had the opportunity to collaborate with the band and their label on both the recordings and design to support their latest release. The Dogmatics have contributed to the Boston rock scene since the early ’80s. Read...