Written by Nick Hopton
Imagine, if you will, a time before the current state of the world. An age of wondrous, bombastic live music. Bright lights and thunderous sound. An electrifying feeling of seeing someone pour their heart and soul out on a stage for an hour that you’ll never get back again, yet always want back. You know, the good ol’ days.
The last show that I had the pleasure of attending during those said days was documented in this very magazine. Just over a year ago, I was at The Foundry in Philadelphia, seeing Foxtrot and the Getdown, PHNTMS, and Saint Slumber, totally unaware of the impending shitstorm that would follow in the coming months, and even still into this year.
As I was getting my 3rd or 4th cocktail of the night at the bar, I looked over and saw a familiar face, Micky James. A quick bit of small talk and pleasantries, the usual rock show “hi and bye,” but the last thing I said before we went our separate ways was “let’s do an interview sometime soon.” Well, it might have taken an entire year and the literal shutdown of the world, but we finally got that interview in.
Micky James, for those who do not know the name (don’t worry, you will soon enough), is for a lack of a better term, a throwback. A throwback to a time and age where rock & roll was built by glamour and attitude. A throwback to great tunes, great style and great hair. A throwback to actual, real talent. However, the man is as humble as it gets about his talent and what he brings to the table.
“I’m an alternative rock and roll artist from New Jersey. I’m trying to take that music and give it some sort of a contemporary twist…and bring it back in a new way and new light.”
That music he is referring to, in my mind at least, is the perfect mixture of 70s glam rock and disco. Take David Bowie and Mick Jagger, and throw a handful of ABBA at them. That’s this sound. That’s HIS sound. I know, it’s awesome.
“The disco element is absolutely intertwined in my music, and more so in the new music that I’m working on. The big choruses as well. It’s funny though I don’t really hear that in a lot of new music, I don’t hear really big choruses anymore. Sometimes there isn’t even a chorus. It’s just a vibe, and the lyrics. I grew up with bands that would write these massive songs like My Chemical Romance, and you don’t get that anymore. So it’s important to me to keep this alive, and write bigger and better.”
As if this wasn’t enough already, in the year without live music, Micky did the seemingly impossible. He recorded a live album. No, he did not throw an underground, guideline breaking shindig that endangered lives and ignored warnings. Instead, he went to The Met in Philadelphia, took the stage with no fans, and created one of the best goddamn music moments of the entire year. The ‘Live At The Met – The Philadelphia Special’, is a collection of Micky‘s work over the past few years, filmed in the round, totally live, without a soul in the crowd.
“It came about very quickly actually. Around the end of October, we had thought about doing a live stream or something along those lines to give the fans a live show in some way. And then I thought about it and went ‘Maybe we can film a live concert kind of video?’. The kind I grew up watching, like Led Zeppelin live at Madison Square Garden. So instead of doing like this live show, let’s do a live concert experience. And I couldn’t think of a better venue than The Met. The history of it, the beauty of it. It all happened pretty quickly, and two weeks later we started filming.”
Creating a live atmosphere in an empty venue, one that typically holds thousands of fans, is for a lack of a better term, hard to do. So to develop and thrive in that situation, takes not only talent, but one hell of an imagination.
“I would stare out and just envision there being 3,000 people looking back. It was a bittersweet moment, like it’s amazing we’re filming this, but it’s just weird. It’s like we’re in the Twilight Zone. Going on that stage, it feels like we’re about to play an actual show. I’m in the green room upstairs, but there’s no one here. It felt like I was on Mars. But to get that energy without fans, we were able to feed off of each other and the room, especially after not being able to play for a year. I think that’s how we were able to make it a show. Hopefully when things open back up again, we can do a proper show there. Because when it’s full of fans, it’s electric.”
They say the waiting is the hardest part. We have all been in a mundane experience these past 365 days. So how does one cope with that? How do you stay active? How do you survive not being able to do the things you love to do? Well, you adapt, and you create.
“A lot of new music is on the way. We’re tracking and working on getting something out very soon. I’ve been writing so much this year, working with so many different people. I think the only thing that’s been keeping me sane and going is creating. I’m used to going to the studio and co-producing, but obviously we can’t go to a studio right now and be face to face with each other. So I’ve been assembling a lot of these songs by myself and producing as much as I can. I’ve just been taking a lot more of the production aspect on myself, which I love. I feel like since I’ve had so much downtime I was able to deep dive into learning more, and I love what’s been coming out.”
We’re all looking towards the future. A somewhat forgotten sense of normalcy. The ability to fully enjoy life and all it has to offer. Those good ol’ days that I mentioned earlier. So what is next for Micky James? Where does this road that he is on take him from here?
“Personally, for me, I want to continue to push the bar as a writer. Performing as well, even though we’re not doing that for quite some time. But I’m always pushing myself to be better, to write better songs. Putting out this next chapter of music and incorporating that with a lot of new visuals. New music is on the surface for me right now for my team and I. The end of this year I’m scheduled to do a short tour, called The Rockboat Cruise. It’s a festival cruise with Switchfoot, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, and a bunch of other bands. It’s scheduled for November, but with everything we’re just crossing our fingers that it happens. I just see these festivals overseas, and I’m like fuck, I want to get there.”
Soon enough, my friend. Soon enough.
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