James Thomer is an LA-based musician/composer, filmmaker and intermedia artist. He has a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Composition & Experimental Sound Practices from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with Eyvind Kang, Clay Chaplin, Ulrich Krieger, Michael Pisaro-Liu, Scott Benzel and others.
After releasing music under his art rock project “James The Fifth” for several years, his compositions have expanded into jazz, orchestral music, ambient music, collage pieces and more. He has scored music for television, short films, and has had his music licensed on CBS’ All Rise. In 2022, he released his debut LP Days of Wine in 2022 on Mutation Records (US) and Tearjerk Records (Aus).
As a filmmaker, he got his start writing and self-directing his own music videos. In 2023, he made his first short film, Young Phil, which he directed, wrote, edited, and scored, which has been shown at Whammy Analog, SF Indie Fest, the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, the Hemet Film Festival, and more.
His intermedia and installation art often consists of site-specific pieces that play with notions of the real, fake, and the uncanny. In this work, he is interested in creating alternate realities, fake stories, and distortions of history, combining creative writing, conceptual art, video, and installation art within the backdrop of his musical experience.
Thomer is a teaching artist and works in partnership with Creating Creators, Guitars Over Guns, and various other programs throughout the Los Angeles area – notably Mt. Olive High School in Duarte, where he has developed curriculum for music production, performance, and film scoring.
After releasing music under his art rock project “James The Fifth” for several years, his compositions have expanded into jazz, orchestral music, ambient music, collage pieces and more. He has scored music for television, short films, and has had his music licensed on CBS’ All Rise. In 2022, he released his debut LP Days of Wine in 2022 on Mutation Records (US) and Tearjerk Records (Aus).
As a filmmaker, he got his start writing and self-directing his own music videos. In 2023, he made his first short film, Young Phil, which he directed, wrote, edited, and scored, which has been shown at Whammy Analog, SF Indie Fest, the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, the Hemet Film Festival, and more.
His intermedia and installation art often consists of site-specific pieces that play with notions of the real, fake, and the uncanny. In this work, he is interested in creating alternate realities, fake stories, and distortions of history, combining creative writing, conceptual art, video, and installation art within the backdrop of his musical experience.
Thomer is a teaching artist and works in partnership with Creating Creators, Guitars Over Guns, and various other programs throughout the Los Angeles area – notably Mt. Olive High School in Duarte, where he has developed curriculum for music production, performance, and film scoring.
More music and short films are set for release in 2026. You can usually find him playing jazz standards at Checker Hall (Highland Park) on Sundays and Mondays.
Contact: james.thomer@gmail.com
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