That last bit- "Music is a conversation, not an argument"! That says it all. @Danny, I met james in Dallas in about'99 or '00. What you saw there is what you get. In fact he walked over to us before the show and struck up a conversation. He had us spotted as aspiring harp players, no idea how! As much fun to chat wioth as listening to his clever and wise turn of phrase and his mastery of the 10 hole "toy"! ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
I got a great giggle out of this. James says it like I say it and will add to it -don't take yourself or others too seriously because in 50 years nobody will keep your grave kept clean anyway. Walter
I do hope to meet James someday. My drummer of a couple years in Austin, Ken Cook, left me to join James in LA. He spent a few years with him and thoroughly enjoyed it. ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
What a blast of therapeutic fresh air! I joke in earnest all the time about needing a music therapist to help me accept the poverty of my talents relative to others. James seems like just that person with his funky folksy Guru thing! ---------- Facebook
I love the comment that playing music is a conversation and not an argument. He may not be as picky about his sound as he used to be, but I remember seeing him with a really young Nathan James play at the old Billy Blues in Houston years ago. We got there early and watched him put the sound man through his paces getting just the right amount of tweaking for his amp to sound just the way he wanted it though the p.a. I know he once had a ton of amps, maybe 150 if I recall, before they got ripped off from his house. I have an interview recorded from one of Dave Barrett's Masterclasses where he talked about his disdain for 10" speakers, so he ripped them out of his Vibroverb (he had a couple chained at Billy Blues) and put in a 15. I guess these days he flies in with his favorite mics and plugs and plays. ---------- Ricky B http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N, iTunes, iBook THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto HOWLING MOUNTAIN BLUES--Ditto too, now available
i seem to recall he uses a preamp he brings with him to get pretty much the same sound in every location
but then again as you get older you realize some of this stuff is not as important as you first thought
we are having a jam this afternoon we have some unbelievable choices for harmonica amplification, so what are we using?
a totally stock blues jr. it will be used unmic'd mic'd... with and without a kinder antifeed back unit with and and without echo
Last Edited by 1847 on May 16, 2015 9:54 AM
I saw James last month with a group of other talented musicians. The Matt Stubbs band provided the basis and James played along with three other harpists, Mr. Nick and Brian Templeton. The third at the club that night was the incomparable and my personal favorite harpist/singer, the great Sugar Ray Norcia. It was one heck of a night and I was lucky enough to get some pics of me with James on one side and Ray on the other. I cherish them. One memorable night for sure.
Last Edited by bikerpvc on May 17, 2015 12:21 PM
I think James is using a Quilter amp these days, especially for touring. They've designed the combo so the amplifier pops out and you can plug it into what ever cab is around. ---------- MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
