Zuka was a major project since 1999. The band's originals have been played in rotation on over 160 radio stations on the East coast. They were featured in many national and international music magazines as well as had press coverage from folks like Bob Ludwig (who did the mastering on our last CD) in which he stated Jim’s lead work was the highlight of the CD. Many folks at WZZO in Allentown were/are fans of Zuka and they have featured us many times on that station. Zuka was their guest at Musikfest three years in a row with The Bearman sitting just off to Jim’s side of the stage .. he liked good lead work as well!

Jim has also done a ton of studio work for people as a hired lead guitarist, pianist, and even played accordion on a few songs! He's worked with pro studio musicians out of Nashville, NYC, and Philly over the years.

Jim was classically trained on piano starting at the ripe old age of five. His passion for music drove him to learn different instruments, accordion (yes, accordion) and needless to say, guitar. Jim was accepted into Berkley as a junior in high school, but never ended up there due to family conflict. Inspired back in the 70’s by Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult and Rick Emmett of Triumph, Jim quickly learned the styles of both masters and was playing in local bands the age 16.

Jim’s style is probably described as a mix of Satriani meets Montrose meets Dharma meets Emmett meets Lifeson meets Petrucci …… well, you get the idea. He’s pulled a myriad of styles from dozens of players that he is a fan of and made a style quite his own. His passion for the instrument continues to grow stronger by the day.