Listen to the live interview Episode #487: A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax : http://tobtr.com/10096187
GETTING TO KNOW JAMES WAVES
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
Interviewing: Jimmy
I have spoken to a lot of industry professionals…
about music and my music career in terms of what to do and which direction to head.. and a lot of it is stuff like you need to find your sound or make an image.. which goes against everything I want to do as an artist and with my music. I have come to find that I don’t have a sound  because I have lots of sounds.
I grew up listening to so much different music that I can’t possibly play one style or have only one sound that would define my image. I am just some guy who loves to play guitar and write songs.. so that is my image. That is why I think this is one of the best times in history to be an independent artist. There are so many resources available to the DIY musician and it makes labels almost unnecessary in a lot of cases. You can definitely tell that by listening to my album. There is a pop sounding/upbeat song, hard rock, blues, acoustic, instrumentals, and more. I hope to continue experimenting with different playing styles and release music on a consistent basis.
Music business…
I think the music business is pretty sketchy. From the business side of it, it is like any other industry, and the bottom line is to be profitable. So anytime you mix money with art, there is bound to be some tension. the pros of the music industry is connections, promotion, artist management/development and more, while the con is that I think it really restricts and limits an artist’s potential from a musical standpoint and also a psychological standpoint.
The music industry wants you to make Top 40 hits that will make the radio and compete with Pop stars, or make songs that will define you as the best “fill in your genre” band. That really cripples niche artists who make music that is not mainstream or easily marketable.
Song name: Smiles
Music Genre: Pop/Rock
I was not really sure what it was about when I was writing it, but looking back, I think it is about my relationship with music and what it means to me. It has been a love/hate relationship as I love playing, and want to spend all my time practicing and making songs, but it has been the biggest challenge in my life finding people to form a band and actually making decent money doing what I love.
: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/jameswaves13
I live in Chicago….
The music scene is excellent here. There are live shows all the time with amazing bands. There are also a lot of open mic and jam nights at bars and restaurants. But I do not really play a lot of live shows. As of now, I am a solo act, and would rather record songs at my house, than do solo performances. I would love to be in a band one day and do some live shows in the future.
I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
Elon Musk. I think he is one of the most interesting people to ever live. He sets monumental goals and has accomplished so much with his life already, but he keeps setting the bar higher and has a relentless worth ethic. From PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, Boring, and whatever else I might be forgetting, He sets his mind to something and doesn’t give up until he has accomplished it. I want to try and maintain that work ethic not only in my music, but in any other aspect of my life where I try to accomplish something or set some goal.
Website and social media links: :
jameswaves.org
https://www.instagram.com/jimmynickz/
https://soundcloud.com/jameswaves/albums
https://open.spotify.com/track/2jPvmwsqkerUnvp7M49wRY
https://twitter.com/james_waves?s=09