Interview – James Mauri

 Interview With James Mauri

What’s your favorite band or artist

I’d say guns n roses and nine inch nails , interchangeable with Michael Jackson and the Tea party

Ok , what girl artist do you like ?

Well I like some lady gaga songs , I own her records . I also own some Nikki Minaj singles . But I grew up loving Juliana hatfield and then Fiona Apple … More currently Florence and the Machine or Adele .

Ok – name some songs that get stuck in your head .

Well now that skate key song from the 60s is stuck in my head – but usually it’s Tina Turner ‘we don’t need another hero’ . But then I’ll go through phases where I walk around my house saying ‘go go gadget bottle opener’ so it can just as easily be tv themes .

Who did you idolize growing up ?

Michael Jackson .

How did that go ?

It was my first concert , the victory tour – he was touring the thriller material . I had studied him , learned every dance move , impersonated him . The whole bit . A fun Way to grow up .

Speaking of that how were you brought up ?

Well , Christian – in Fairfield county Connecticut . Not rich – There was never anything extra leftover , but no expense was spared on what it was we wanted or needed . I always had piano lessons , acting , dance . All the musical instruments and Boy Scouts .

When did you did you find rock and roll ?

Guns and roses , appetite for destruction

When was the last time you cried ?

Hmm , have you ever seen a Spotify royalties statement ?

Lol no , that bad huh ? What are you looking forward to this year ?

Releasing my next single , recording some new stuff … Some more traveling and playing in support of the new material . Some landmark shows I hope .

Could you be any more vague ?

Well I can say the next single will drop in January , and we are gigging out On the Vine now and that has been going great . I hope to record more in March or April . We’d like to go to SXSW – fingers crossed .

What are you doing right now ?

I just launched On the Vine so I’m doing the promo for that , and am now shooting the next video .

How much work goes into the videos ?

Kinda a lot . Typically it’s 7 days of shooting and then about 3 weeks of editing , and getting things right . As a rule they cost zero
Dollars to make . Aside from the man hours .

Why the rule ?

Well I just don’t need to spend there , and it’s fun to see what you can do for zero .

Explain the breathtaking scenery in OTV?

That’s my brothers farm – he’s also and FAA approved drone operator . He runs a bed and breakfast . The next two videos will be shot incorporating his drone footage and property . In the future we hope to have a weekend event for fans to come , stay , and enjoy an intimate concert .

Will the whole band be there ? Will you cook ?

Yes I hope to have a large concert , plus an unplugged style – the band will be on hand and we’ll be mingling with everyone . I’ll make breakfast one day . It’ll be a small group of about 20 I’d say , 3 days .

Why didn’t you mention this when I asked what you were looking forward to this year ?

One mustn’t get ahead of themselves – this could be 18 months from now , if everyone’s good .

Ok when can we expect the next full
Length ?

Well ha – that’s gonna be a minute . I can say we are going to have lots of releases in the months to come , but a full on ‘phonographic’ style release is a ways off . Fans can look forward to a couple of new videos and singles , a dvd , and 3 or 4 hard copy maxi single releases in 2017 , plus perhaps a vinyl offering depending on things .

2016 was stellar for you – your last show was packed and you seem laser focused on making 2017 over the top …

What is one of the things you learned in 2016 that will propel you in 2017 ?

Well , I’d say sticking to my guns and  following my vision faithfully . I feel like I’m finally getting my artistic vision across and now there is no stopping that .