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James Michael Biography
A Biography
James Michael calls the making of his debut album, Inhale, an ôemotional detox.ö A hard-rocking affair in which he shut
himself in his home studio and crafted 11 songs that came to grips with past relationships, addictions and failed
ambitions. ItÆs a collection of songs that represent the culmination of a lifetime steeped in music, both formally and
informally, and of a long creative journey for the sound that best represents him. ôI went through a lot of time where I was
trying too hard to sound like somebody,ö says Michael, a lanky blond who wears his custom guitar like an appendage
rather than an instrument. ôFinally, after the last band I was in, I decided to do my own thing, let all my influences come
through no matter who they were. That's when I settled in and decided æThis is how I like my songs to sound. This is how I
like ME to sound.Æ ö
James Michael certainly brings a broad range of sources to his music. Born in Holland, Mich. -- an area north of Detroit
known for its annual tulip festival which he refers to as the ôGreat Polyester Festivalö because of its national appeal to
senior citizens -- James Michael is the son of an art scholar whose endeavors took the family to London for extended stays
at regular intervals. It was there that a young James Michael flipped on the radio and heard the very beginnings of punk and
New Wave, drawn particularly to performers such as Joe Jackson and Gary Numan. ôI was pretty mesmerized by it,ö he
recalls. ôI was too young to go to shows back then. It was 1978. We were living London, in a building filled with artists and
musicians. I remember we had this old-fashioned radio, and I just listened to it all the time. When those records started
breaking in America, I felt like my secret was out.ö
Piano lessons were part of James Michael's life early on, though he rebelled against his classical training at age 15, when
he quit against his parentÆs will. A year later, however, he was back at it, paying for lessons himself and immersing himself
in jazz as well as playing in rock bands. A desire to learn more about theory and composition led him to Columbia College,
a fine arts school in Chicago. But the kid who once ditched his piano teacher found he was also ill-suited for an academic
music environment. ôI went there to learn theory and become a æreal,Æ educated musician,ö James Michael explains. ôI didn't
blend in with the rest of the people there. The school tried to strip down everything I knew about music and teach their
message. I found that really weird, so I stuck it out for a year or so and just bailed.ö
The young man headed west, to Los Angeles, with musical dreams and plenty of forbearance. There were jobs during the
day and bands at night. There was one busted deal and a short stint in a group called the Riverdogs, which had released
albums for a major label and toured in Europe. James Michael continued to hone the songwriting craft he'd begun as a
teenager, but he ultimately reached a point where he planned to chuck music altogether. Until he came up with a song
called ôChemical.ö
ôThat was the first song I wrote for (Inhale),ö James Michael recalls. ôI wrote it in 10 or 15 minutes, on the day I decided I
wasn't going to write songs anymore. I figured I could make more money designing computer games! So I was thinking
about that, and all of these intense visuals came to me about different people who had fucked me up over the years. I didnÆt
want to hate them anymore. I was tired of being angry. So, I wrote this song that really celebrated them rather than blamed
them.ö
ôAs I wrote these songs, it was very therapeutic,ö says James Michael, who produced, engineered and mixed Inhale
himself. In addition, he played most of the instruments on the record and reached out to a few of his closest musician
friends in Los Angeles and San Francisco to compliment the recording. ôI'm the type of person who can keep things stored
up inside me for a long time. These songs are really about flushing out whatever was in me, whatever had been building in
me over the last several years. Each one of these songs kind of came, and I was like `Oh my God; I didn't realize I was so
fucked-up.ö Which is not to imply that Inhale is filled with dirges, though. Quite the contrary; the title track kicks things off
with irresistible hooks and infectious energy, while ôAnother Trip Home,ö ôSlackö and ôDownö are granite-tough, fist-waving
rockers. On ôSimple Thing,ö synthesizer loops dance around power chords, and ôLuxurideö rides a snaky guitar lick and
psychedelic ambience. He also includes a nod to his roots with the high-octane cover of Joe JacksonÆs ôIs She Really
Going Out With Him?ö
On a gentler tip, James Michael delivers the haunting ôNote to Selfö with just his voice and an acoustic guitar, while ôI'm OK
With Thisö and ôSay It Once Moreö are yearning and even hopeful, showing how he immersed himself in Inhale,
sometimes at the expense of relationships.
ôEver since I was a kid I wanted to make a record that sounded like this.ö Says Michael, describing his debut effort, ôThe
truth is-I think IÆve been making this record in my head since I was about 8 years old!ö Now, after nearly 6 months locked
away in his home studio, this pop-crazed rocker is ready to make his music a very public affair. He plans to assemble a
band and tour to support Inhale.
# # #
James Michael calls the making of his debut album, Inhale, an ôemotional detox.ö A hard-rocking affair in which he shut
himself in his home studio and crafted 11 songs that came to grips with past relationships, addictions and failed
ambitions. ItÆs a collection of songs that represent the culmination of a lifetime steeped in music, both formally and
informally, and of a long creative journey for the sound that best represents him. ôI went through a lot of time where I was
trying too hard to sound like somebody,ö says Michael, a lanky blond who wears his custom guitar like an appendage
rather than an instrument. ôFinally, after the last band I was in, I decided to do my own thing, let all my influences come
through no matter who they were. That's when I settled in and decided æThis is how I like my songs to sound. This is how I
like ME to sound.Æ ö
James Michael certainly brings a broad range of sources to his music. Born in Holland, Mich. -- an area north of Detroit
known for its annual tulip festival which he refers to as the ôGreat Polyester Festivalö because of its national appeal to
senior citizens -- James Michael is the son of an art scholar whose endeavors took the family to London for extended stays
at regular intervals. It was there that a young James Michael flipped on the radio and heard the very beginnings of punk and
New Wave, drawn particularly to performers such as Joe Jackson and Gary Numan. ôI was pretty mesmerized by it,ö he
recalls. ôI was too young to go to shows back then. It was 1978. We were living London, in a building filled with artists and
musicians. I remember we had this old-fashioned radio, and I just listened to it all the time. When those records started
breaking in America, I felt like my secret was out.ö
Piano lessons were part of James Michael's life early on, though he rebelled against his classical training at age 15, when
he quit against his parentÆs will. A year later, however, he was back at it, paying for lessons himself and immersing himself
in jazz as well as playing in rock bands. A desire to learn more about theory and composition led him to Columbia College,
a fine arts school in Chicago. But the kid who once ditched his piano teacher found he was also ill-suited for an academic
music environment. ôI went there to learn theory and become a æreal,Æ educated musician,ö James Michael explains. ôI didn't
blend in with the rest of the people there. The school tried to strip down everything I knew about music and teach their
message. I found that really weird, so I stuck it out for a year or so and just bailed.ö
The young man headed west, to Los Angeles, with musical dreams and plenty of forbearance. There were jobs during the
day and bands at night. There was one busted deal and a short stint in a group called the Riverdogs, which had released
albums for a major label and toured in Europe. James Michael continued to hone the songwriting craft he'd begun as a
teenager, but he ultimately reached a point where he planned to chuck music altogether. Until he came up with a song
called ôChemical.ö
ôThat was the first song I wrote for (Inhale),ö James Michael recalls. ôI wrote it in 10 or 15 minutes, on the day I decided I
wasn't going to write songs anymore. I figured I could make more money designing computer games! So I was thinking
about that, and all of these intense visuals came to me about different people who had fucked me up over the years. I didnÆt
want to hate them anymore. I was tired of being angry. So, I wrote this song that really celebrated them rather than blamed
them.ö
ôAs I wrote these songs, it was very therapeutic,ö says James Michael, who produced, engineered and mixed Inhale
himself. In addition, he played most of the instruments on the record and reached out to a few of his closest musician
friends in Los Angeles and San Francisco to compliment the recording. ôI'm the type of person who can keep things stored
up inside me for a long time. These songs are really about flushing out whatever was in me, whatever had been building in
me over the last several years. Each one of these songs kind of came, and I was like `Oh my God; I didn't realize I was so
fucked-up.ö Which is not to imply that Inhale is filled with dirges, though. Quite the contrary; the title track kicks things off
with irresistible hooks and infectious energy, while ôAnother Trip Home,ö ôSlackö and ôDownö are granite-tough, fist-waving
rockers. On ôSimple Thing,ö synthesizer loops dance around power chords, and ôLuxurideö rides a snaky guitar lick and
psychedelic ambience. He also includes a nod to his roots with the high-octane cover of Joe JacksonÆs ôIs She Really
Going Out With Him?ö
On a gentler tip, James Michael delivers the haunting ôNote to Selfö with just his voice and an acoustic guitar, while ôI'm OK
With Thisö and ôSay It Once Moreö are yearning and even hopeful, showing how he immersed himself in Inhale,
sometimes at the expense of relationships.
ôEver since I was a kid I wanted to make a record that sounded like this.ö Says Michael, describing his debut effort, ôThe
truth is-I think IÆve been making this record in my head since I was about 8 years old!ö Now, after nearly 6 months locked
away in his home studio, this pop-crazed rocker is ready to make his music a very public affair. He plans to assemble a
band and tour to support Inhale.
# # #
James Michael All Music Guide Biography
Although singer/songwriter James Michael has collaborated on material with hard rockers like Sammy Hagar, Mötley Crüe, and Meat Loaf, his own music is catchy pop/rock that's perfectly at home on adult alternative radio. Michael wrote and produced all the material on his debut album, Inhale, which was released by Beyond in the fall of 2000. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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