I first met James as the frontman of Waxwork of a Dynasty, a band that seemed to spring onto the scene in Saint Louis fully formed, immediately one of the most technically interesting and tight post-hardcore, post-metal bands around. Right at a time when there was a lot of big talent around - Sine Nomine, Yowie, The Arch, The One Inch Punch, Dancing Feet, etc. - standing out wasn't super easy to do.
James is an excellent vocalist and charismatic showman. When Waxwork was on hiatus I immediately began working with him and various other participants to put something worthy together. It never panned out, but I hung out a lot with James and we became good friends. Even after a while, however, I never really learned how he managed to channel his nonchalant energy into something so powerful, so the opposite of nonchalant.
Though Waxwork was really, really good, it was but one of many excellent bands he's fronted, and by now is a relatively distant memory. He's toured all over, and has some amazing stories. We were so stoked to get to catch up with James.
Enjoy!
