James Hollihan
After working behind the scenes as producer, engineer, musician and songwriter, James Hollihan steps to the front and romps through a jazzy, cool, sophisticated, and swanky sound on The Funky Misfit, his debut release on Nuevotron.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
One of my finest moments was when a record I made in my basement (Under Their InfluenceRuss Taff) on a busted tape recorder won a Grammy. It was especially satisfying as several industry insiders, including heads of record labels, had characterized the project as, "commercial suicide". I was contacted by Michelle Shocked to produce a track for her on the CD "Sweet Relief"(a benefit for Victoria Williams) as a direct result of her hearing "Under Their Influence". The track, "Ain't No Grave", appeared on the Grammy winning soundtrack for Robert Duvall's, "The Apostle". All in all . . . not bad for "commercial suicide"
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
I play regularly at the local Jazz Workshop. I'm still learning.
Your musical influences
My influences range from Wes Montgomery, Howard Roberts, and Jimi Hendrix, to Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, Juan Garcia Esquivel, and the Beatles.
What equipment do you use?
I make extensive use of all computer technology, but the notes will always be more important to me than the sampling rate.
