Music
class destined to be a hit
By Carol Britton Meyer/
cmeyer@cnc.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Joe
James knows the music business inside and out.
After working in Los Angeles for the
past 18 years as a musician, assistant engineer, A&R
(artists and repertoire) tech, studio manager, and producer with
some of the top record labels, James recently returned to
Hingham, where he grew up.
Now he wants to share his knowledge with
the community by offering a 10-week class on "The Art of
Recording & the Music Business" at the town library.
"I would like to give something back to Hingham,"
James said. "Music is my first love, and I would like to
share with students and adults of all ages my extensive
experience and knowledge of the music business and the art of
recording in the music industry."
As a post-production engineer, James
either worked with or met many recording stars, including Rod
Stewart, Sting, Aerosmith, Sheryl Crow, Guns & Roses,
Metallica, Melissa Etheridge, Barry White, Soundgarden, Greenday,
Brian Adams, the Pretenders, Cheap Trick, and Don Henley.
James has also had the thrill of playing
guitar with Jeff Beck, whose stylized playing influenced James
when he was a young boy. Beck, who autographed James’ guitar,
was a member of the Yard Birds in the 1960s and has performed
with Rod Stewart.
"It’s all about feeling, not just
about notes," James said. "Jeff has an amazing gift
for melody, tonality, and phrasing. He plays a lot of
instrumental music that almost talks to you." James also
worked with the Neville Brothers and on U2’s "Rattle and
Hum."
James expressed this desire to Library
Director Dennis Corcoran, who agreed, with enthusiasm, to host
James’ "The Art of Recording & the Music
Business" class in the Whiton Room of the town library.
James will share his real-life experiences in the music business
as well as his technical expertise. "It will be a fun
class," he said. "The point is to educate and promote
an understanding about what the music industry is about and to
understand the opportunities that are there. It’s nice to be
able to explain from one’s own experience what the business is
all about and the sacrifices and challenges involved."
At the same time, the opportunities and
rewards are nearly endless for those who keep an open mind.
"Through dedication and diligence
come various responsibilities within the music industry,"
said James, whose efforts to keep his focus on writing,
recording, and producing good music have paid off.
"I was successful at something I
always dreamed about," James said. "Now I would like
to share my experiences and knowledge with others by helping
them make their music sound better and helping them know the
heart and soul of music. If I could help point a mind or two in
the right direction, that would be a cool thing. That would make
me feel good. Maybe I’ll come across the next Beatles!"
Advice for
young performers
James’ advice to young performers is
to "hold onto your dream. This is the hardest career to
pursue because of the competition, so it’s about writing music
that will last. You need to pick up a Beatles album from
’Help’ on, to understand what songwriting and composition
are all about."
Success isn’t about how much money you
make, James said. "Elvis and the Beatles offered fresh and
new music - they were doing it for fun and weren’t thinking
about how many cars they would own."
It’s important for young musicians to
focus on what they’re doing. "If you’re good, work at
it long enough, focus on the details, and really get into your
songs, you will get a reputation and people will want you. Word
of mouth is the key," James said.
He further advises young performers
"not to get discouraged if you don’t become the next rock
star. There are many other avenues in the music business to
pursue that will allow you to work at something you love. The
important thing is to keep your ears open, communicate with
those around you, and to think creatively. Anyone in the music
business will respect another musician whether they like your
band or not because they know how difficult it can be."
It’s not uncommon for James, who calls
himself a perfectionist, to rewrite one of his own compositions
20 times. "Sometimes it takes six to eight weeks before I
feel ready for the presentation," he said. "I ask
myself, What part of this melody isn’t quite right? You have
to challenge yourself." Most of his focus is on rock and
pop music.
James attributes his success in the
field in large part to the encouragement and support his mother
gave him when he started playing music at an early age.
Where did it all start? "When I was
12, my mother, Gloria, bought a guitar for my brother, David,
for Christmas," he recalled. "When he gave it up, I
picked it up."
Throughout his career, James has shared
with others the impact growing up in Hingham has had on his
life. "I had the time of my life hiking, fishing, boating,
and jamming in bands," he said. "These experiences
groomed me to become the person I am now. People sometimes ask
me, Who are you, Huck Finn?!"
During the 1970s, James found the South
Shore area "extremely conducive to music. There were a
number of places where young bands could play and a lot of
opportunity for kids to be creative," he said. "There
were many good musicians, and the arts were flourishing in the
schools."
When he was 12 or 13, his older sister
brought home Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin albums. He was
immediately hooked - "a fan at a young age." He also
listened to blues performers from the 1950s. "You can’t
understand who you are until you know where you came from and
why you’re on this path," James said.
At age 16 and 17, James was writing his
own music about the issues of those times, including racial
strife and the Vietnam War, and playing in bands. Although he
didn’t think of music as a career at the time, he loved
spending hours on end in his room playing his guitar. "You
have to work at it and have a passion for it," he said. So
great was his love for music that even before he recognized his
future career, others were saying how fortunate he was to know
what he wanted to do with his life.
Eventually he realized he "could
only go so far in this area," so in 1979 while he was in
his early 20s, he headed for Los Angeles, where he remained
until 2004.
Once there, he landed a job in a
"Ma and Pa" type of record store. In his spare time,
he started up a few small bands.
He began his career in the music
industry as a runner. "I took out the trash, got lunch for
my co-workers, and documented the outboard gear [signal
processing, delays, reverberations, etc.]."
Reshaped his
career
Over the years as he progressed to more
exciting jobs, the music industry reshaped his career. "In
the beginning, I wanted to be a guitarist in a successful band,
but when some of your projects get rejected, it can get
discouraging," he said. That’s when it’s important to
keep an open mind.
Over the course of his Los Angeles
career, James worked for A&M Records, Interscope Music, and
Extasy/Atlantic Records as a result of his reputation for having
a good ear and a feel for the music.
"From 1988-91 A&M was the
biggest recording studio in the world," noted James.
"A&M was so famous that artists like Rod Stewart would
come in to use its recording facilities."
The likes of Luther Vandross, the
Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, and Stevie Nicks also recorded their
music with A&M. "I got to meet and talk with a number
of top bands and performers," James said. "The cool
thing was that there was such a high level of security that the
performers could be regular people once they got inside. They
knew that whoever they saw walking down the halls was supposed
to be there. It was mind-blowing, but I took it all with a grain
of salt. One of the biggest rewards was being able to work with
and around a lot of artists that I respected over the
years."
One of James’ fondest memories is of
the time when Herb Albert, after he had gone solo, had a private
studio at A&M and offered James some valuable advice
regarding an artist he was producing. "When the material
was rejected, Herb told me not to take it personally,"
James recalled. "He told me he had to build his own label
so not to feel badly. The guy is legendary, so that advice meant
a lot to me."
Another time, Rod Stewart, one of his
favorite performers, came to see James’ band, the Soul
Talkers, perform at the China Club in Los Angeles. Stewart had
heard that the band was going to play two of his songs during an
otherwise original set. After the performance, Stewart called
James downstairs to the private part of the club to say how
"blown away" he had been by the band’s rendition of
his material and the two shared a drink. "These are the
things that move me," he said.
Currently James is an independent music
producer, working out of his Hingham digs. "Producers blend
the technical and musical aspects, put the right musicians
together, find venues, do the budgets, and offer creative
input," he said. "I would like to find some talented
local artists and help them get their foot in the door."
The classes are scheduled for Thursday
evenings, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. beginning March 2 and are open to
young people 15 and older as well as adults. Two levels of
education will be offered over a 10-week period (five weeks
each). Basic Level 101 will provide a brief overview of the
music business, an overview and introduction to the most current
state-of-the-art software, Digidesign Pro-Tools, and an
understanding of basic recording set-ups and signal flow. There
will be an opportunity for questions and answers as well as
discussion about class members’ personal goals in the music
industry.
Intermediate Production is a
continuation in more technical detail with a hands-on approach
and real-time software application for editing, mixing, and
tracking instruments. Participants will learn about microphones
and outboard gear. There will be time for questions and answers
and discussions about opportunities in the music business.
"I think Joe’s classes will be
fun, informative, and practical for anyone contemplating
involvement with the music industry," Corcoran said.
The course starts with basic procedures
and advances to an intermediate level where James’ students
will learn various applications and later understand how to
apply this knowledge for recording instruments, editing, and
mixing music.
The program also addresses marketing,
publicity, promotion, and the question, How do bands really get
signed. It provides a review and appreciation of musicians and
musical styles from past decades and how these influence and
affect today’s music industry.
"These classes are a perfect fit
for students interested in the music business as well as those
moving on to college and a music degree," James said.
"It is for those with an entrepreneurial spirit who wish to
learn and start a career or hobby in the recording and music
industry."
Internet role
James also plans to share some other
interesting information with his students - that thanks to the
Internet, it’s possible for individuals and groups to market
and promote their music without the endorsement of an
established record label. "This is a great time for kids
who want to produce their own music and even start their own
labels," James said. "But they have to be clever and
creative. With some of the newest software programs, they can do
everything a record company does. It’s about who can
out-market and out-do the better band right on the
Internet."
James further explained that "kids
can absolutely substitute the record label with what’s
available to them on computers with the help of friends who have
graphic arts skills. They need to create a buzz in order to
capture an audience."
That’s not to say that getting signed
on by a big record company isn’t prestigious, James went on to
say.
"Creating a scene, which creates a
buzz, attracts record producers," he said. "Don’t
give up. As a musician, your work often gets rejected more than
it gets accepted, and you have to have a thick skin. Even some
of the Beatles’ and Bob Dylan’s work got rejected."
For further information or to
pre-register for the class, contact James at joejames@alittlegreek.com
or call (781) 740-8480 or (781) 985-5324. The registration
deadline is Feb. 17. Class availability will be determined by
the number of applicants and responses. The cost is $125 for
each session. It is recommended that each participant begin with
the Basic Level 101 class. Individuals who register for both
levels in advance will receive a $25 discount for the 10-week
program.
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Joe James will share his knowledge with the community by
offering a 10-week class on ’The Art of Recording
& the Music Business.’ (Photo Courtesy Of Joe
James) |
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