Who were some of your musical influences growing up?

The Sound of Music, Top Gun, The Saint, and other soundtracks, U2, RoyOrbison, Oldies, Motown, Righteous Brothers, Johnny Cash, Deftones

 

Why do you believe it is important to offer music education in our schools?

If I didn’t learn how to play instruments (snare drum 4th grade band) I wouldn’t have been inclined to start playing the full drumset. Then playing drums in bands. If I didn’t start playing acoustic guitar in highschool, I wouldn’t have started singing. If I didn’t start singing, I wouldn’t be writing and singing for tv shows, commercials, and fronting my own band and teaching others how to sing for a living. If I didn’t go to school and start learning the basics to eventually get my bachelors in audio production, I wouldn’t be able to do so well with the technical aspect of capturing the music I write, there for saving me time and money of going into a studio elsewhere. You can be talented andsuccessful but if you’re talented, disciplined and technical, you’re unstoppable.  

 

The goal of Project MIOS is to create opportunities through music in ourschools. What was it about Project MIOS that caused your interest aboutbeing involved?

The world is full of bad role models. At-risk youthfocusing on something universal that brings everyone together like music is just a no brainer.

 

What made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?

I always wanted to be a successful drummer at first. People always told me I was the best drummer they’ve seen, building my ego. Of course it got knocked down eventually, but I never could find good singers and bands would always break up on me. At that time I wasn’t paying bills yet so I was just doing what I wanted to do, and that was music for hours every day.  The music industry has changed a lot so I never thought about making money, but after I interned at a studio andstarted writing for a reality show, I realized I was kind of good at this whole music writing thing and new opportunities and relationships have been building ever since. I completely support myself financially with music and I get to live comfortably.  But my mom was the reason I chose music.  She lived her whole life as a nurse to please her father. She wanted to be an artist. She taught me that I needed to do what I wanted to do, not for anyone else.

 

It is mentioned that David James turned to music as a release after asignificant loss. How do you find music helps you with the ups and downs in life?

I’ve always said music can be used as a coping mechanism. It helps us deal with things good, or bad that we can’t control in life. When I feel depression coming on or something terrible happens, music can help escape reality. Music doesn’t fix things.  For me, when my mom died, I made sure to tell her story  and let her dreams live through me.

 

Fate Under Fire is well known for the covers of songs you have done, such as“Kiss Me Thru the Phone” and “Roar”. What inspiration did you have to make these songs different from the originals and make them your own?

You have probably noticed we choose pretty popular songs. That won’t always be the case, but it’s fun to not take yourself too seriously and do a song that everyone loves.  The inspiration comes from hearing a song that we think we can do, that either we believe in or is just fun.  When it comes to songs all you really need are 3 things: lyrics, melody and a chord progression. I will usually get it started on piano for a more acoustic stripped feel and then just play around with the chord progression sometimes changing the fundamentals of it, but often times just tweaking it a little.  That is where the inspiration hits because immediately it sounds different than the original and we just build or keep it simple from there.  Always do what is best for the song.

 

You guys have recently won the Freshman Five competition on mtvU, andyour music video for your single “On The Water” is on regular rotation on MTV networks. What would you say is the most exciting thing about this achievement? 

It was really a relieving experience to see all this hardwork pay off. We had everyone we know voting lol. We all know MTV doesn’t really play music videos anymore for the most part but it’s still a noteworthy thing for me. Since then MTVu has decided to play our latest video ‘Tear The Walls Down’ which is the first video I directed. It actually touches on the story of my mother.  She painted the horse on our EP cover and is in the video. And if you look closesly there is a picture of her. So the video is pretty meaningful to me.  Out of all of it, I would be lying to you if I said it didn’t make me proud to name drop something like MTV. I expect more.

 

Can you tell us about the song you will choose to feature on our collaborative CD? 

Our song ‘Take It or Leave It’ is another single that has a lot going on instrumentally. It wasn’t included on our last EP due to it not being finished at the time. It’s about a broken relationship, the teeter-tottering uncertainty of romance.

 

Were you offered music education in school? If not, what types of experiences have you had with music education? 

Yes I was in band in elementary school, then took guitar in high school.  I also spend a lot of time teaching students (about 70 privately) how to sing.

 

Project MIOS focuses on helping at-risk students to participate on musicalactivities. What message do you have for them? 

It pays to pay attention.  Learn something, be good at it, see if you love it. If you love it, become great at it.  Let it take you over, devote yourself to it. If you want to be successful financially or emotionally rewarded, find your purpose. We all have a purpose. That purpose might change throughout life.  You will experience some terrible things, but use those things to channel your energy into being productive and doing good for the world, helping others will leave you feeling satisfied.