Songsmiths Ep30 - Chris James Band - Assume
I've posted a few songs from Chris' Medicated album here, but this is the first track from our On Empty EP. The EP was recorded a year or two after Medicated and we were tighter as a band because we had been gigging a lot. That, plus an improvement in my production skills, made for a much better recording. But some would argue that the songs weren't as good as the ones on Medicated.
At my suggestion (insistence?), we had taken the band in a more rocking direction. I can't remember exactly why, but I think it was to add some variety to our performances. There were often hard rock bands and therefore hard rock fans at our gigs, so it was good to be able to crank it up for a few songs. They certainly were fun to play. . .maybe that's why. . .
So, the new tunes were a fun experiment, but I don't think Chris was as into them. And now that I'm working with Chris again, I have recognized and resisted the urge to push him in a certain direction. That doesn't mean that I don't get hands-on when developing the new songs. It just means that he's in charge of his own style. Of course, I can suggest that he writes in other styles for other Songsmiths artists. I think he enjoys the challenge.
BTW - Chris and I are planning to shoot a series of Songwriting videos. Maybe we'll weave some production and vocal tips in there too. Can't wait.
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