Vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Daniel James was born and raised in Detroit and grew up absorbing the city's rich heritage of soul, funk, and raw outlaw rock, but he didn't make any serious efforts to form a band until he moved to the West Coast. After a brief sojourn in Los Angeles, James settled in San Francisco and began studying writing at San Francisco State University; the new surroundings and creative discipline encouraged James to begin writing songs. James worked for a while at Universal Records, and it wasn't long before he was convinced he could make music at least as well as many of the acts signed to the label; James was emboldened to record a demo tape of his new songs, and through a Craigslist ad he met drummer Ben Cook, who immediately bonded with James over their shared love of Led Zeppelin. After an unsuccessful search for a bassist who fit in with what James and Cook wanted to do, Leopold & His Fiction began playing out as a two-piece in early 2005, and they released their self-titled debut album in the fall of 2006. Both the album and the duo's live shows earned Leopold & His Fiction a reputation as a band to watch on the Bay Area music scene, but in 2008 Cook amicably parted ways with James. Rather than simply replace the drummer, James opted to use Cook's retirement as a chance to reshape Leopold & His Fiction, and he brought aboard a pair of multi-instrumentalists who had already been working together, bassist and singer Micayla Grace and Jon Sortland, who plays drums and keyboards as well as singing backup. This new edition of Leopold & His Fiction appeared on the group's second album, Ain't No Surprise, which was issued in January 2009. ~ Mark Deming