James enlisted as a musician in the United States Navy in 2011. He was honorably discharged from active duty, January 24th 2016, after five years of service as a Trombonist and Auxiliary Security Force member with Navy Band Northeast in Newport, Rhode Island. Prior to his enlistment, he performed for two years in the pit for the National Broadway Tour of Hairspray, and more recently for eight months with the International Broadway Tour of Shrek, The Musical. He has also completed multiple contracts with several cruise lines including Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, spanning all of Alaska, British Columbia, and the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Black seas.

He has been a member of the Patriot Brass Ensemble since relocating back to New York and has also performed with The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, The Choral Society of the Hamptons, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Burlington Choral Society Orchestra, and The Orchestra of Northern New York. He has a DMA in Performance from Stony Brook University, MM in Performance from Florida State University, a BM in Performance from The Crane School of Music, and is currently pursuing an MBA from Stony Brook University.