San Gabriel shares reflective new single ‘Alone In My Room’

San Gabriel—the solo project of James Bookert (formerly of rowdy bluegrass misfits Whiskey Shivers)—is back with a new single and video, Alone In My Room. It’s a tender, synth-soaked snapshot of transition, uncertainty, and stubborn self-belief. The track arrives ahead of ‘Nights and Weekends,’ his debut album due out August 15 on Seattle’s Share It Music. True to the label’s community-minded mission, a portion of proceeds from the album will go to HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians), a nonprofit providing healthcare access for Austin-based artists.

Alone In My Room is streaming everywhere, paired with a live video that feels intimate and unfiltered. The song captures Bookert at a turning point—having just left a band on the brink of a major breakthrough, walking away from a record deal and an EU tour to reclaim his health and sanity.

“I took a job at a liquor store in East Austin,” Bookert shares. “My boss was cool—he let me write songs between customers and even on Sundays when the shop was closed. That store basically became my studio.”

The result is a vulnerable track that digs into the weird emotional space between “what could’ve been” and “what needs to be.” It’s a letter to anyone who’s chosen the quieter, harder road over the louder, shinier one—and lived to tell the tale.

This latest release follows the album’s lead single, Running Out of Time, which premiered last month via Magnet Magazine and introduced listeners to Bookert’s post-band sound: warm, melancholic synth-pop with a heart full of questions.

Written and produced entirely during off-hours at the liquor store, ‘Nights and Weekends’ is a reflection of the hours Bookert carved out for himself when the world was quiet. It’s about grief, resilience, letting go of old dreams, and learning to chase new ones at your own pace. There’s something both sobering and uplifting about it—equal parts 3AM doubt and early-morning clarity.

In true plot-twist fashion, Bookert later crossed paths with Goth Babe’s Griff Washburn at Austin City Limits and landed a spot in the band’s touring lineup. He’s now holding it down on keys, guitar, and vocals. Oh, and just casually—he also won Hyundai’s “Your Journey, Your Track” contest and snagged Best Synth Pop Song at the 2024 PNW Music Awards for his track Over My Shoulder.

These days, Bookert is based in Ashland, Oregon, assisting at the legendary Sylvia Massy’s Oddio Shop. But at his core, he’s still the guy writing synth-pop in the back of a liquor store, chasing a new version of the dream—and inviting us along for the ride.

Alone In My Room and Running Out of Time are streaming now.
Pre-order ‘Nights and Weekends,’ out August 15 via Share It Music.
Support HAAM: https://www.myhaam.org

Stay tuned. This one’s got legs.