Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I’m told I was singing before I could talk… I was raised in a VERY musical family (we sing Happy Birthday in four-part harmony, and I didn’t know that was weird until I was probably 16), so it was drilled into me that music was both Important and also a thing that one DID, not just a thing one liked. I guess everything that’s happened since followed from those original sins.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “James Hearne”?
A: I’m innately shit at promoting myself, so… what do YOU think I should do? JH music exists in lots of forms: King Pine is this moody folktronic direction, I do more conventional folk-rock records (usually under my own name), I do jangly power pop kinda stuff, I’m launching a web series next year to focus on songwriters I love, I play in a 90s rock trio and an 80s(ish) dance band and a folk harmony duo, in addition to near-constant solo shows… takes a lot of work to avoid having a real job.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I think Jason Isbell is the best songwriter walking the earth at this moment (and yes, I do know Bob Dylan is still alive, thank you for mentioning it). That said, I tend to gravitate towards the restless artist types, the ones where when you hear there’s a new record coming, you have genuinely no idea what it’ll sound like. Wilco, Bjork, Radiohead, Paul Simon, Kate Bush, Sturgill Simpson, David Bowie… I get bored doing the same kinda thing too often, I’m always pushing in different directions, and I love the artists who feel the same way.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “Running Out Of Future.”?
A: It’s about the attempt to stay hopeful, to stay afloat in this ocean of nonsense and insanity, about trying to find community and purpose and even joy while so, so much of modern American life is so, so dark.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: clearly brevity isn’t my strong suit, but… “moody”? “Thoughtful”? “Unpredictable”?
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Running Out Of Future”?
A: Honestly, kinda no? It wasn’t until I was deep into the fourth or fifth track of this that I started to see it as an actual, semi-cohesive PROJECT. I had upgraded some recording gear, and my first intention was to make a super sparse acoustic album (of totally different songs), but I realized quickly that I lacked the gear, space, and engineering skill to actually record acoustic instruments to sound how I wanted, so I just started playing around while I decided what to do next. Eventually, the playing around BECAME what to do next.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I’m just always trying to make the record that I want to hear at any given time. I still have that acoustic record in mind, I have a more heartland folk-rock record in mind… but I try not to write to any specific rubric, and just let the creation be what it wants to be. Then I can decide how to dress it up and who I want to introduce it to…
But my message as a human (and that I hope comes through in the songs) is that we’re all in this mess together, and we can not fix it alone. Be safe, be kind, be present, be alert, BE KIND. Help those around you when you can. Make things better, or at least try hard not to make them worse. Don’t punch down.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: I would love to make a record with Justin Vernon; I love Bon Iver records but I might love other people’s albums he’s produced even more? There’s a Staves record he did a few years ago that I just ADORE. Some of the arrangements are just stunning. One of my bucket list items is to get Gillian Welch to sing a harmony on something of mine (now I just need to write something good enough to take to her).
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Woof. Be VERY prepared to live on very little. It’ll break your heart a million times before lunchtime, and the odds are good that you’ll never make a dime, but: if it’s in your heart, sing it out. It’s all we can do.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: GO DO IT NOW. I spent 20 years working day jobs I didn’t care about and a night job I did… I deeply regret the thousands of hours I spent NOT doing this. Jury’s out if I can keep surviving this career, but for the first time in my entire life, I’m absolutely doing what I’m supposed to be doing. Every day I get to sing songs is a good day.
