to go through the long audition process which they had already experienced with the search for previous members. Oxaal formally joined James in 1996 and remained as lead guitarist until the band went on hiatus in early 2002. During this time he played on three studio albums (Whiplash, Millionaires and Pleased To Meet You, as well as the live album/DVD Getting Away With It... Live. When James reformed in January 2007, Larry Gott resumed his position as lead guitarist and the band resumed their early 1990s Gold Mother line-up, which includes neither Oxaal nor the subsequent James member Michael Kulas. In 2015, Oxaal was recalled to play lead guitar again, while Gott took an extended sabbatical. He also played mandolin and cello on the album Girl at the End of the World (2016). James fans still debate about whether Oxaal or Gott was best suited to be James' lead guitarist, as many preferred Gott's simpler playing style and use of slide. However, drummer Dave Baynton-Power described Oxaal in 1997 as being "a really good guitar player....a bit more rocking than Larry, he's got a bit of an edge, which has injected a new spark into the band". This became evident on both the Whiplash and Millionaires albums, as well as in the live environment in which Oxaal was noted for his willingness to play "storming" guitar solos from time to time (something never really attempted by either Gott or his own predecessor in James, Paul Gilbertson). Post-James (work in music education) Following his time in James, Oxaal returned to Brighton and performed a handful of solo bar gigs, seemingly having gone full circle since leaving University. He then moved into music education, having worked as Course Team Leader for the BTEC National Diploma in Contemporary Music at South East Essex College of Arts and Technology in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He left this post during the summer of 2007, and worked as a music teacher at Bexhill College, East Sussex, followed by a stint at City College, Brighton. When not touring with James or Oysterband, Oxaal performs solo, either singing to blues guitar, or singing to cello accompaniment, and participates in occasional reunions of Lenna and the Snakemen, which included the recording of a third album (Back And Blue) in 2016. He also plays with Lucky Jim, a pub band comprising Gordon Grahame of The Lost Soul Band on vocals and guitar