Essential 8: Bryan James

Courtesy of the Artist

Originally from Killeen, Texas, Bryan James is a songwriter with a passion for the style of country music played by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. His latest CD, Between The Devil and The Angel, debuted at #8 on the Itunes charts, in the same company as James Taylor, Tyler Childers and Colter Wall and can be heard on stations throughout the U.S. From the title track about two characters sitting on opposite shoulders of all people, to the acoustic track "Every Now and Then" that gives the feeling of a  lost loved one being with you at times, this album is a welcome return to country roots. Here, James answers his Essential 8 and talks about songwriting and inspiration, Charlie Daniels, his must have albums for the road, and more.

Is there a story behind your album’s title?
It's not so much a story I don't think, but it's definitely something that everyone deals with on a daily basis. There's that one voice that tells you to go on and do it and then there's the other voice that tells you that what you're thinking about may not be such a good idea.  Which one wins is up to the individual person, which is why the song begins with the line “There's a battle that's been going on between a pair of jokers, a devil and an angel that each sit on my shoulder”

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I write everything from personal experience. So it's either something I've gone through, something someone I know has gone through or even something I may have over heard just being somewhere. Writing for me is a release, almost like therapy. I'm not a very emotional person outwardly, so I tend to get out what ever it is that's on my mind by writing about it. It's hard to go a day or two and not find something that makes me want to write.

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
I think what Waylon said sums it up the best and it's absolutely true. He said:

​“You've got to care about the music. You'd better not be doing it for the publicity, the fame or the money. And you sure better not be doing it because it's a way to make a living, cause that ain' always going to be easy. You've got believe it, believe in the music. You've got to mean it.”

I don't think you can put it any better than that and it's the most solid advice I've read or heard yet.

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​What are your “must have” albums for the road?
I usually listen to friends of mine when I'm driving. We've all put CD's out and we're all out here trying to pick up steam. So I usually will rotate between guys like Dustin James Clark, Micky Lamantia, Austin Lee, Chad Vaughn and a few others. I do have a few CD's in there though from artists like James Brown, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jamey Johnson, Merle Haggard, etc. I listen to a really wide range of music, so I have a little bit of everything.

How do you kill the long hours in the van?
That one for me is easy, I drive hahaha.  I like to drive and I also have a hard time letting someone else drive me around, so I do the driving myself. It also forces me to make sure that I don't drink if I have to get right back on the road to the next show. 

What do you love most about being on the road?
That's an easy one too. Meeting people is by far the best thing about being out there. I really do enjoy getting to know the people who have spent some of their time listening to my music. Lord knows there's not enough hours in the day, so for those who spent some of it on me, it's my chance to learn a little about them. Especially now days with social media, you can have conversations with people for months and when you do finally meet them in person it's not like it's a first time introduction. That and I love to travel.....by road, not by plane lol.

What has been your biggest success?
Honestly, the biggest success I've had was the day I sold my first CD. It was at that moment that I knew if one person thought enough about it to buy it, then there would be others out there, I just had to find them.  That one sale of the first CD is responsible for the second CD to have debuted at #8 on the Itunes charts when it was released. I just found more people that thought enough of my music to purchase it.  You just keep building, but it was that first one that I'll always remember.

Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended?
The first concert I ever attended was always my favorite. I was about 10 years old and my dad took me to see Charlie Daniels. It was in those two hours I saw just how powerful music could be. It wasn't lost on me that the two thousand people in that place didn't know each other, but they all had come together to enjoy the same thing with each other. If that's not magic, I don't know what is.  It was also the first time I witnessed two thousand people all sing together when Mr. Daniels stopped. At that point I could only imagine what that must have felt like to have that many people singing back to you your own song. Luckily I've been blessed to know what that feels like now with my own music.  Not with two thousand people, but the feeling is still pretty cool!

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