Special Sunday Show!

“ With nothing but a banjo in hand and a knack for earnest rhythms & playful melodies, his songs bring to mind a wonderful braiding together of Jonathan Richman, Don Quixote, & Jean Cocteau. Just enough wild man to pierce the safety bubble, enough grace to honor the tender act of listening, and enough substance to leave you satisfied. Catch him if you can ”

– Vaughn Montgomery

“He’s one part storyteller, one part mystic poet, and one part comedian yelling into a rusty bucket. The stories and the hymns Jim has synthesized are damn bold, and powerful. They bite you and reboot your vision of the world all in one swoop. ”

-Biscuits Calhoun

Toy Shop Ghost  (Jim Connolly) makes surrealist art songs dusted with Americana. Jim began writing these story-songs in 2013. In the following three years, Toy Shop Ghost recorded three albums of original tunes (Broadcasting Live, Art Plunk, Sparks Spread Wildfire ), and one album of reimagined 1920’s and 30’s songs with Anna Abbey and string quartet (Thrift Store). 

More about Jim Connolly:

Jim writes music, lives in Santa Barbara, California and occasionally makes his way to Maine! He plays the double bass, saw, ruan, banjo, piano, and sings. Growing up in Massachusetts, he attended New England Conservatory…and began writing music the day he quit school.

Jim’s current projects include his solo writing as Toy Shop Ghost, collaboration with Lit Moon Theatre (for which he has worked as a composer and performer for 22 years), and Live From The Piano Kitchen (a radio-style late-night variety show). Jim’s previous projects included The Gove County Philharmonic and The Gove County String Quartet.

Jim is the recipient of nine Independent Theater Awards, numerous commissions and grants, and has been named one of the twenty-five most intriguing people in Santa Barbara Magazine. He’s released eight recordings of original music. He has worked with Nate Birkey, Gilles Apap, Van Dyke Parks, Jeff Kaiser, Brad Dutz, Headless Household, Jeff Bridges, Vinny Golia, Eugene Chadbourne, Glen Philips, Spencer Barnitz, Anna Abbey and his brother Kevin Connolly.