By David DeRocco  dave@gobeweekly.com  https://twitter.com/?lang=en 

Cars. Girls. And the radio. Those are three basic necessities of life to a country singer looking for both enjoyment and inspiration. It’s the reason why Winnipeg native DAVID JAMES decided to use those three things as subject matter for his most recent single “Cars, Girls & The Radio.” That November 2^nd release marks another milestone in the relatively young career of James, whose debut EP Songs About A Girl earned him two CCMA Award nominations, a debut performance at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival, and a Canadian Radio Music Award nomination for "Best New Group or Solo.”

 His 2017 sophomore EP Downtown Kids was equally well-received, with both the title track and the song “Sun Set On It” making it into the Top 15 on the Canadian country music charts. It also earned James the 2018 Manitoba Country Music Association Award for “Album of the Year.” Not a bad start for a new country artist still trying to make a name for himself in a genre where good looking guitar players singing slick country-pop songs are as common as protests at an oil pipeline. Now out on the road with Aaron Pritchett on a tour that hits Niagara Falls February 10^th, James took time to chat with GoBeWeekly about his early influences, the state of modern country and the rewards of hard work.

 GoBe: You’re on the road touring Canada in the dead of winter. What did you do to anger your tour manager. Then again, you’re from Winnipeg so the rest of Canada must seem tropical to you.

 DAVID: You know what, we’ve been in B.C. the first couple of weeks. On the island it was about 8 degrees, Vancouver and Kamloops where hovering around freezing. I’m not going to lie, it feels like spring to me but everyone else is walking around in parkas.

 GoBe: What inspired your love for country music. Was it always the first love?

 DAVID: I grew up I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of music. I fondly remember riding in the car on the way to early morning hockey practice. My dad would play a number of different great records from people like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash to Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye and the Rolling Stones. So I kind of had a varied upbringing without even realizing it, just being a kid in the front seat, these albums had a great influence on my music. I think that’s why I found a home in country music. Modern country is a blend of a whole bunch of genres.

 GoBe: That’s true, and perhaps a reason for the eternal identity crisis country music always seems to be dealing with. For years critics complained about too much twang. Now they complain it’s too slick and over-produced. I call it Florida Georgia Line Syndrome. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about country music these days.

 DAVID: I always hear those criticisms. Hey, I loved old country music too. I love twang. I love what some people call “pure” country or outlaw country. I just think that every single genre evolves and changes. If you listen to what’s classified as popular music, it’s a lot different now than it was in the 80s and 90s. Country music has just become a home for a lot of people who weren’t traditional country artists, but because the lines are blurred they’ve found a home. I actually think it’s a really exciting time to be making country music.

 GoBe: You have a point. I worked in rock radio and country radio, and I’d much rather go to a club hosting a country night. The women are way hotter.

 DAVID: (laughing) That’s true. No complaints here.

 GoBe: What the first song you learned to play on guitar.

 DAVID: The first song I ever played on guitar was a song by The Animals called “House of the Rising Son.” That was just another one of those records my dad used to play over and over. I fondly recall my dad getting me a used Fender Stratocaster and a little Fender Champion amp and I spent six or seven days in a row trying to learn the chords to that song. Then I realized after I could have just bought a chord book. It would have been easier.

 GoBe: What was the turning point for you as a young musician where you decided you were going to take your shot at a career in country music.

 DAVID: Even without realizing it, music was always a big part of my life. As a kid growing up, like most kids in Canada I wanted to be a hockey player. That was my main focus. As I got older and grew up a little bit, as I matured the one thing that always stuck with me was music. I remember from the time I was old enough I started playing in bars, just trying to get my feet wet anywhere I could find a stage. And I did that for many years until I got to the point where I was just tired playing other people’s music. I had a voice I wanted to be heard, I didn’t want to just perform, I wanted to write music and write lyrics and wanted to be able to connect with fans. I started writing and one thing lead to another and here we are.

 GoBe: That’s a huge decision to make as an artist, to make the leap from cover band to recording act. I think the thing that stops a lot of artists playing in cover bands to take the next step is the fear of failure. Has fear been a motivator for you. Now you’ve had success you probably realize there’s still a long road ahead of you.

 DAVID: I think you hit the nail on the head. It’s fear of the unknown. Now at this stage of my career I guess I never look at music fearfully. I see the challenges more as opportunities to kind of rise to the occasion and work on my craft. If things aren’t working it’s not a case of throwing in the towel. In situations where they’re not working out, it’s let go back to the drawing board. What can I get better at. What is it about my music that isn’t resonating with people, you know. I think it’s important for artists and musicians when presented with those challenges to look introspectively to see opportunity. They just need to work hard and overcome the doubt. I think that’s what separates successful artists from those that don’t even try.

 GoBe: And the other thing to realize is that success may not be constant. There are bumps along the road of any successful career.

 DAVID: It look a long time for success. I had some success with the first single and then it kind of went south for a few years. We couldn’t really figure it out. It was only when I decided to look objectively at what we were doing and try to write better songs and get better at performing live and work hard that things kind of turned around. Now things are going great.

 GoBe: Imagine that. Hard work pays off.

 DAVID: Exactly. Who would have known.

 GoBe: You’ve had successful EPs, some chart success and toured extensively. What do you enjoy most, the writing, recording, or performing live.

 DAVID: They’re all so different. First off it’s so exciting when you’re writing, usually co-writing with one or two different writers and you’re working on a song and it just kind of clicks. When you get something that’s so undeniable it’s so exciting. Then to take that song and see it come to fruition, working on it in the studio and empowering people who are really great musicians to kind of put their own flair on it and kind of see this thing you’ve written evolve into a polished product is great. But for me honestly it’s hard to beat playing live. It’s so much fun on stage and to see how the songs are resonating with fans. Playing live is the best way to do that. That’s what you live for as an artist, to create music that fans can connect with. There’s few highs that can top that.

 GoBe: Not even scoring a hat trick.

 DAVID: Those days are behind me!

 GoBe: If you could model your career after one particular artist, who would it be.

 DAVID: That’s an interesting question. I think often as a younger artist you often feel that it’s harder for you than anyone else which of course isn’t true. I’ve been working at this for so long and things are starting to happen which is amazing. I don’t know if there’s one artist that my career timelines are mimicking. But if I get to make this a career for a living and not just for a couple years, the goal for us is to establish something enduring that I can come back 10 to 20 years from now and still be doing it. That’s the goal. Just hopefully write songs and music that can last a lifetime. We’ve been doing that, meeting fans, meeting people at radio. It feels like a more grassroots approach, more authentic. Hopefully that resonates.

 GoBe: I think the bar continues to rise on how long a career can be, thanks to Keith Richards for rock artists and Willie Nelson for country.

 DAVID: (laughing) I’ll take a few more years before I start comparing myself to Willie Nelson

 GoBe: You’re on the road now with Aaron Pritchett. Are there been any road stories worth sharing yet.

 DAVID: We’ve only been out for about a week. Aaron’s just a great guy, I love to be out on the road with him. It’s just so cool to get out across the country and meet fans. Everyone’s treating us so well. I know he’s going to prank me. I don’t know when, I don’t know where, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder. That’s the kind of guy he is. I just like getting to talk to him and picking his brain. And we’re really excited to get out to Niagara. I’ve got a lot of family in the Niagara Region. Going to be pretty special.

 GoBe: Niagara is becoming a country hotbed thanks to local guys like Tim Hicks raising the bar and showing people how much fun country music can be.

 DAVID: Tim’s a great guy too. He’s one of the co-writers on one my new songs, “Downtown Kids.” So he’s actually another artist who’s taken me under his wing and given me advice. That’s the great thing about country music. It’s full of really fantastic people who just honestly want to help each other.

 GoBe: Final question. If you were to write a country song about Winnipeg, what would it be called.

 DAVID: Oh man. (laughing). Probably “Cold As Hell.” Or maybe it’s got to be something about the Queen. The old arena where the Jets played had a big 14 foot portrait of the Queen. That might be a good subject for a song.