Anthony Giraldi is ready to go live.

Having already put some of his solo material online, the former bassist for James & The Drifters will perform his first show Saturday, April 8, at The Brass Rail. 

“The plan is that this will be the coming out party, then we’ll keep moving forward releasing music and playing shows,” Giraldi said.

Before he takes the stage, Chocq. T and The Be Colony will open, making for an eventful night at the Broadway bar.

Going it alone

After deciding to depart James & The Drifters last summer, Giraldi says the liberty of writing his own music is freeing. However, that does not mean he’s not still pulling for his former mates.

“I bowed out from that band, but they might try to keep it going, and I hope they do because that music is fantastic and it needs to be out there, and those are my best friends,” he said.

Although he wishes them the best, he’s now in charge of his own musical destiny.

“It’s super fun and freeing because my experience before this has just been in bands where everybody has their creative iron in the fire,” he said. “In this, I have total freedom. I can do whatever I want. If I want to make something that sounds crazy, I’m going to go for it. I’m really pushing my boundaries.”

And going for it includes letting his infant son join in on the single “Lennox,” released in December.

“It wasn’t even planned,” he said. “He’s always coming into the studio when I’m recording, and I was recording vocals. I was like, ‘C’mon buddy, get up in my lap.’ The mic was already on, and I recorded the track and played (his vocals) along with the track and edited it and thought, ‘This is kind of cool. This makes perfect sense. I’ll have him doing his mumbling in between each thing.’ It worked out and it’s really cute. That song has brought many family members to tears.”

One single at a time

Giraldi’s first release was “Complacence” with Myles Jasnowski, featuring funk, R&B, and soul, which is try for most of his music.

“It’s definitely got soul and R&B influence, a lot of Prince influence, a lot of John Mayer influence,” he said. “It’s a blend of worlds. It’s authentically the music that comes out of me. I’ve always wanted to make it, and I finally told myself that I’m going to do it.”

And his son is partially responsible for Giraldi releasing his music.

“I had my baby boy at the end of 2020, and it was a thing where I needed to do this for me but also for my son, because I want him to see that you should pursue what you want to do and what’s authentically you,” he said. “It was just kind of a wakeup call, really.”

Since releasing his first single in May, he put out “Balance” in November, “Lennox” in December, “Shadows” with Mike Gronsky on Jan. 1, and “Ghosts” with Jasnowski on March 24.

 “Just putting a single up at a time, no real plan for a full project,” Giraldi said. “The idea was that that kind of maintains people’s attention a little bit more, and that’s just kind of how I work, just a song at a time.”

Help from his friends

While this is solo work, he’s not alone. While he writes the songs and puts down some instrumentation, drummer Colin Boyd keeps the beat from his own studio.

“He’s like a local legend as far as I’m concerned,” Giraldi said of Boyd, who has lent his talents to many local bands including The Legendary Trainhoppers. 

“He’s played drums with just about everybody on the scene in town. He’s probably one of the most well-versed drummers I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He can play everything from funk/soul to R&B, hip-hop, and folk. He’s the best.”

Once Boyd adds drums to tracks, he sends it back to Giraldi, who mixes it and releases it to the world.

“It’s a very smooth process,” Giraldi said.

With only two people included in the recording process, that meant Giraldi would have to recruit some musicians to play live, which he did. Along with himself and Boyd, Andy Passman will be on guitar with Justin Dunn on bass at The Rail.

“I literally put together a crew of all-star musicians, so I’m really excited,” Giraldi said.

He’s just as excited to see people enjoying what it’s created, although his son is a few years away from joining the band at the 21-and-over bar.

“There will be the moments when you get the stank face and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s super grooving,’ ” he said of the show. “Then there will be moments of high-energy, then tear-jerker moments. We’re pumped about it.”