Founder
Charlotte native and second-generation professional drummer, James Brock, believes human relationships are the most important facet of life and that everything we do has the power to build these connections and hold them together. This credence is the foundation of his work as a performer, ethno-musicologist, studio musician, skilled leathersmith, and practical alchemist.
As a young child, Brock would frequently visit local health food stores with his mother and marvel at the many glass jars containing herbs and roots. Later, his lifelong fascination with nature’s interconnectedness led him back to those roots through the practice and teaching of Spagyria, the ancient alchemical art of separating, purifying, and recombining medicinal plants. By using nature’s processes and elements to extract the best of what the plants offer, balance is brought to the body, soul, and spirit through the plants physical and vibrational imprint.
For Brock, the craft of alchemy and the power of music are not so far apart. When the alchemical principles of distilling and recombining natural elements are applied across diverse music cultures, a synergy of harmony, healing, and transformation unfolds.
Over the past decade and a half, Brock has brought that synergy to various collaborations with Iranian Tar player Behnam Zamanian, Ugandan Kora player Chinobay, Chugge Khan & Rajasthan Josh, the Hungarian folk group Meshinda, and numerous others across the globe. In 2025, he toured Northern India with the Master Drummers of Rajasthan; a family of master nagara players that spans sixteen generations dating back to the Maharaja.
Brock teaches alchemical arts and performs transformative world music at N.C. Herbal Association in Valle Crucis, Yahola Herbal School in Folly Beach and Charleston, and Plant Medicine Society of the Carolinas. When working stateside, he performs with local artists such as Caroline Keller, Simplified, the house band for the Tosco Music Party, and The Smokin’ J’s; the host band for Charlotte’s longest running open mic night at Smokey Joe’s Café.
As a leathersmith, Brock fosters relationships in the larger musical community through the design of custom Brock Leather guitar straps for artists such as Bon Jovi’s John Shanks, Steve Fister of Steppenwolf, and Polish artist Marcin. He recently contributed a live performance to the major motion picture, Roofman, a crime drama starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, and Uzo Aduba, premiering Fall of 2025.
For Brock, every aspect of his work serves to highlight the interconnectedness between us by alchemizing the influences of the East and West, drawing us together through a powerful, transformative blend of indigenous cultures and magical sound.
