Music Posts

  • Where I’ll be at WWDC 2024

    June 10, 2024

    I’ll be doing a few things this week at WWDC24 and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!

  • LIVE near WWDC 2023 Update: Livestream and More!

    June 1, 2023

    Show poster for 'James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, LIVE near WWDC 2023, a benefit concert for Women Who Code'. The graphic shows the silhouette of a hand-drawn white bird perched on the top of five wires running horizontally across the center of the poster.
    With less than a week until LIVE near WWDC 2023, we’ve been gearing up for an evening of music, laughter and fun that we think folks are going to really enjoy.

  • LIVE near WWDC Returns For 2023!

    May 16, 2023

    SOLD OUT!

    Tickets for LIVE near WWDC 2023 are now sold out. Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket—we're looking forward to seeing you.

    But everyone is welcome to join in our livestream event! Details below.

    There are still two ways you can join us LIVE near WWDC 2023:

    Join the Waitlist

    After talking with the venue, we will be able to accommodate a few more attendees!
    Click through to join the waitlist and you will be notified of ticket availability in order of joining.

  • No LIVE near WWDC show for 2022

    June 5, 2022

    Before WWDC22 gets started tomorrow, I wanted to announce that there will be no LIVE near WWDC show for 2022.

  • Where I’ll be at WWDC 2021

    June 7, 2021

    I’ll be doing a few things this week at WWDC 2021 and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!

  • Where I’ll be at WWDC 2019

    May 31, 2019

    I’ll be doing a few things next week at WWDC 2019 and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!

  • Where I’ll be at WWDC 2018

    June 2, 2018

    I’ll be doing a few things next week at WWDC and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!

  • WWDC in San Jose: Full Circle

    June 2, 2017

    Next week’s James Dempsey and the Breakpoints concert is especially meaningful to me. It circles back to the literal spot where it all began.

  • LIVE near WWDC 2017 Info

    May 4, 2017

    Join us for the 6th Annual LIVE near WWDC show by James Dempsey and the Breakpoints! It is shaping up to be our biggest show ever!
  • Five Years LIVE near WWDC

    May 24, 2016

    As WWDC season rolls around once again, I did the math in my head, on paper, and finally counted on my fingers to convince myself that this year is the Fifth Annual James Dempsey and the Breakpoints LIVE near WWDC show.

  • Where I’ll be at WWDC 2015

    June 3, 2015

    I’ll be doing a few things next week at WWDC and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!

  • NSConference 7: A Look Back

    March 24, 2015

    Last fall, I received an email that read, “I would like to invite you to be a speaker at NSConference 7”.

  • Lyrical November

    November 10, 2014

    The response to Backtrace has been fantastic, and I wanted to thank everyone who has shown their support by purchasing the album and helping to spread the word. You made Backtrace the #1 comedy album on iTunes in the US, UK, and Canada.  You also made it debut at #5 on the Billboard Comedy Album Chart. I cannot thank you all enough!

  • Introducing Backtrace

    October 14, 2014

    We are beyond thrilled to announce the release of Backtrace, the debut album from James Dempsey and the Breakpoints.
  • Breakpoints in Vegas — Album Preview Jam

    September 23, 2014

    Last Friday night, just a stone’s throw away from where Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack performed their legendary shows, James Dempsey and the Breakpoints made their Las Vegas debut. The jam featured songs from the upcoming album Backtrace.

  • An Eclectic Breakpoint Jam in Columbus

    August 14, 2014

    The 2014 Fall Tour kicked off at CocoaConf Columbus with the most eclectic collection of instruments ever assembled for a Breakpoint Jam.

  • Breakpoints Recap WWDC 2014

    June 11, 2014

    There was no WWDC ticket for me this year, but it was still a very enjoyable and busy week for James Dempsey and the Breakpoints. Here are some of the highlights from last week in San Francisco.

  • Close Enough To Taste It

    May 23, 2014

    This week I reached a milestone that means a great deal to me.

  • James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, LIVE near WWDC 2014, Wed 6/4!

    April 29, 2014

    James Dempsey and the Breakpoints will be performing Live Near WWDC 2014 on Wednesday, June 4th at 7:00 PM.

  • March of the Breakpoints — ‘Goto Fail’, Chicago, DC

    April 9, 2014

    March was a busy month for James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, with a brand new song and video (ripped from the headlines!) and Breakpoint Jams at CocoaConf Chicago and Washington DC.

  • Breakpoint Jam Atlanta—Virtual Fireworks and iPhone Slide Guitar

    December 18, 2013

    The fall tour of the Breakpoint Jam wrapped up at CocoaConf Atlanta with some memorable moments including some iPhone slide guitar and a newly-minted Breakpoint.

  • Breakpoint Jam Boston — Fall Tour Continues

    November 13, 2013

    On an October evening conveniently situated between World Series games, the fall _Breakpoint Jam _tour continued at CocoaConf Boston.

  • Breakpoint Jam Columbus — Fall Tour Begins

    October 4, 2013

    The fall Breakpoint Jam tour kicked off last week at CocoaConf Columbus.

  • Breakpoints Live Near WWDC 2013, Wed 6/12! Save the date!

    May 28, 2013

    Update Jun 9, 2013: Daniel Pasco will be joining the Breakpoints on trumpet and guitar!

  • Almost Dropped My iPhone Available on iTunes

    April 17, 2013

    Almost Dropped My iPhone, the second single by James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, is now available in worldwide release on iTunes. Inspired by actual events, Almost Dropped My iPhone captures the full emotional range of this modern tale of momentary loss and redemption.
  • Breakpoint Jam Dallas

    April 10, 2013

    The spring tour continued in Dallas with our second Breakpoint Jam. There was a mix of ‘conditional breakpoints’ old and new joining in to play a set of James Dempsey and the Breakpoints songs for the crowd.
  • Chicago Breakpoint Jam Recap

    March 14, 2013

    Last Friday night at CocoaConf Chicago, we had a lot of fun at the first Breakpoint Jam. Thank you to those who stepped up as ‘conditional breakpoints’ for the evening to play a set of James Dempsey and the Breakpoints songs for the crowd.
  • Introducing the Breakpoint Jam at CocoaConf Chicago

    March 2, 2013

    Next week at CocoaConf Chicago, we are doing something new that we’re calling a Breakpoint Jam.

  • New Breakpoints Song at Renaissance!

    January 7, 2013

    James Dempsey and the Breakpoints will be debuting a new song at the Renaissance conference later this month. The song will be part of a noon performance on Wednesday, January 23rd, which will include old favorites along with the new single.

  • Hope to see you at Renaissance

    December 30, 2012

    Renaissance, the iOS app makers’ conference, is happening in San Francisco from  January 21-23. It looks to be an excellent event and I am excited to be a part of it.
  • The Liki Song on iTunes!

    June 8, 2012

    Our new single, The Liki Song, is now available on iTunes. Like a tropical breeze arriving on the shores of a faraway isle, the new single from James Dempsey and the Breakpoints is here—gliding onto the scene just in time for WWDC 2012.
  • New Breakpoints Single for WWDC 2012

    May 31, 2012

    Over the past few months, a number of people have asked if there would be a new song for WWDC this year, and I found myself wondering the same thing. Then, driving into the studio one afternoon, a song started to take shape somewhere between Mountain View and Palo Alto.  So, I’m very happy to announce that there will be a new song this year.
  • Breakpoints Live Show 6/13 in SF! Save the date!

    May 14, 2012

    Will you be in San Francisco the week of WWDC?

  • Studio Update: Gonna Needa Pasteboard

    April 27, 2012

    We recorded Gonna Needa Pasteboard, a rockabilly romp through the world of NSPasteboard. Joining me in the studio was John Scalo on guitar—who also played live on the original—and Raleigh Ledet from the AppKit team who sat in on drums.

  • Scenes from the studio

    April 19, 2012

    Recording the album is underway. We kicked things off by laying down the bit-flippin’, head-trippin’ tracks for the song Endian Reservations. Here are a few photos from our first session.

  • Recording at The Annex

    April 3, 2012

    In the coming weeks, James Dempsey and the Breakpoints will be recording our first album at The Annex in Menlo Park, a Silicon Valley studio with a long and storied 35-year history.  As we get ready to do so, I wanted to describe the setting and share a little bit about why I find this place particularly special for the project ahead.

  • Into The Studio

    March 29, 2012

    It is amazing how exciting it feels to finally start working on a project after thinking about it for a long, long time.  Back in 2001, I had the thought that it might be amusing, in the middle of a technical presentation, to pull out a guitar and sing a little song about the topic at hand.