Review Fix Exclusive: James VIII Talks ‘Set It Free’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter James VIII, who lets us know all about his sound, life in Brooklyn and creative process behind his single, “Set It Free” and more.

Bio:

With such a wide range of influences, James VIII’s sound is not easily categorized into any one genre, but he defines it simply as soul music. In his own words, James VIII defines soul music as “music made with conviction and passion. You can hear someone’s heart when they wear it on their sleeve and that’s what I pursue every time I step on stage. I close my eyes, let my face look as ridiculous as it feels inclined to look, and lose myself in expression. I’m not trying to sound like anything or anyone in particular really, I’m just trying to get a feeling across in a way that will resonate.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

James VIII: I started playing guitar when I was 10 years old. I would steal my sister’s guitar and teach myself Beatles songs and old blues songs. I started writing music, and by the time I turned 15 I sort of knew that music was what I wanted to do with my life. Since then it’s just been playing, writing and learning as much as I can, wherever I can and from whoever I can.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

James VIII: It changes all the time, but it’s pretty free form. I’ll usually sit with my guitar and play sort of aimlessly until something I play catches my ear, and I’ll just keep chipping away until it turns into an idea. I also use the voice memo app on my phone a lot when I’m out and about and have a melody pop into my head, so sometimes I’ll go through those sitting with a guitar or a piano and write something around them. I try to change up my process as often as I can so my songs won’t feel static.

Review Fix: Why are Brooklyn musicians “different”?

James VIII: Well I am a recent Brooklyn transplant, I’m originally from the Bay Area, but what’s stood out to me the most so far about New York artists is that there is a big community of people who care first and foremost about the music. There are a lot of the “actor, singer, model” type of artists in the world, and not to turn my nose up at them because they are responsible for a lot of great music and art, but it’s nice to be in a community where it feels like what matters most is whether or not you can play. There’s also very little forgiveness for mediocrity in a place like New York, so seeing so many people at the top of their game out here inspires me to keep practicing and learning and doing everything I can to make my mark and show that I’ve got something to say.

Review Fix: What’s your preferred pizza spot?

James VIII: Tony’s Pizza Spot in Clinton Hill. It’s a tiny hole in the wall, 1-man operation, cash only place that’s been there forever and it’s amazing.

Review Fix: Roll-n-Roaster or Brennan and Carr?

James VIII: Roll-n-Roaster 100%.

Review Fix: Preferred late-night neighborhood?

James VIII: Lower east side, lots of great music in that neighborhood.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

James VIII: Life. I don’t understand it and trying to figure it out fuels the creative fire. So far that’s been a lot of love, and I imagine that will stay the same. Trying to understand why I feel what I feel, and that other people have felt the same, has always inspired me to express myself.


Review Fix: What makes “Set You Free” a special track?

James VIII: “Set You Free” is special because it’s talking about what I love about music. It’s a great equalizer. We all fall somewhere unique on the spectrum of human experience, we’ve all got our own stresses to deal with, but our trials and our differences melt away when we hear a song that really speaks to us.


Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

James VIII: I always have a hard time answering this question, not just because it’s a hard question but because my sound tends to change with every song. But I usually say it’s sort of jazzy-soulful-pop.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

James VIII: I always encourage the guys in the band to play what they feel best fits the song, not necessarily what’s in the recording. So live songs tend to be unique. It’s the beautiful thing I love about live music, it’s a special moment and an event every time. You may be playing the same songs night after night but the way it’s said every night might be a little different, so every show is special.


Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018?

James VIII: Avoid homelessness via music. Really though, gig as much as I can, and find more musicians to play with who inspire me.

Review Fix: What’s next?

James VIII: I’ve got a couple things cooking, working with some really great musicians/overall humans so there’s something coming, I’m just not sure what it is yet.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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