Interview with Inglorious frontman Nathan James

INTERVIEW WITH INGLORIUS FRONTMAN NATHAN JAMES
Date: September 26, 2017
Interviewer: Tyson Briden

IN AN AGE WHERE YOUNG ROCK BANDS REALLY DON’T COME ACROSS AS ROCK STARS ANYMORE, INGLORIOUS ARE A REFRESHING CHANGE. INGLORIOUS ARE A YOUNG BAND FROM THE UK THAT NOT ONLY LOOK LIKE ROCK STARS, BUT PLAY LIKE ROCK STARS AS WELL. INGLORIOUS ARE MADE UP OF SINGER NATHAN JAMES, LEAD GUITARIST ANDREAS ERIKSSON, RHYTHM GUITARIST DREW LOWE, BASSIST COLIN PARKINSON AND DRUMMER PHIL BEAVER.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS YOUNG BAND, IT IS TIME YOU TAKE NOTICE. I CAN HONESTLY SAY WITHOUT HESITATION THAT INGLORIOUS ARE THE BEST NEW BAND I HAVE COME ACROSS IN MANY YEARS. I FIND THE ’70S SOUND THAT THE BAND POSSESSES TO BE A REFRESHING CHANGE OF PACE. THE BAND AS A WHOLE ARE AN IN YOUR FACE, COHESIVE UNIT OF WELL ROUNDED MUSICIANS WITH AMAZING TECHNICAL ABILITY. THE BAND’S TWO ALBUMS, SIMPLY TITLED ‘I’ AND ‘II’ ARE PLAYED REGULARLY IN MY CAR, ON MY COMPUTER OR ON MY HOME STEREO.

AS I WAS LISTENING ONE DAY, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF “WHY HAVE I NOT INTERVIEWED ANYONE FROM THIS BAND THAT I LOVE SO MUCH? THIS MUSIC NEEDS TO GET TO EVERYONE. THEY ARE SO DAMN GOOD. I NEED TO HELP PROMOTE THESE GUYS!” THAT’S WHEN I GOT DOWN TO BUSINESS.  I STARTED BY CONTACTING SOMEONE ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE. FROM THERE, I WAS DIRECTED TO THEIR MANAGEMENT, WHO THEN DIRECTED ME TO THE BAND’S CONTACT AT FRONTIERS RECORDS. WITHIN LESS THAN 24 HOURS, AN INTERVIEW WAS SET UP. TALK ABOUT BEING ON THE BALL. PRETTY IMPRESSIVE IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED WHO MADE THIS INTERVIEW HAPPEN. 

SO HERE BEFORE YOU IS WHAT I CALL A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT FOR ME IN RECENT WEEKS. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE EVER SO FRIENDLY AND GENTLEMANLY, INGLORIOUS FRONTMAN NATHAN JAMES. WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE? HONESTLY, I COULD GO ON FOREVER. JAMES IS A VERY SMART, POLITE, HARDWORKING AND DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A KEEN SENSE FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL. PLEASE ENJOY!!!

Sleaze Roxx: Hey Nathan, it is really nice to talk to you. I’ll start by saying that I am very impressed by the first two Inglorious releases.

Nathan James: Thank you very much!

Sleaze Roxx: Preparing for this interview, I took a look at your work before Inglorious. A lot of what’s on YouTube is from the Brit show ‘Superstar.’ For those of us in North America, can you explain exactly what Superstar is? I guess it’s kind of like our American Idol?

Nathan James: It was a one season thing developed by Andrew Lloyd Weber. They were looking for people. I initially tried out for Jesus Christ Superstar but that didn’t work out.

Sleaze Roxx: You have a good Jesus look!

Nathan James: [Laughs] Right!!! So I auditioned for Superstar. It went well. The first night, it was seen by 10 million people.

Sleeze Roxx: I understand you are a big fan of David Coverdale/Whitesnake. It must have been quite a thrill to have made that connection with Joel Hoekstra in Trans Siberian Orchestra. Also touring with Whitesnake alumni Doug Aldrich, Marco Mendoza & Brian Tichy when Inglorious toured with The Dead Daisies. As a fan of Coverdale, were you awestruck that they had played with someone you admired so much.

Nathan James: Yeah, I was a bit. Along the way, I’ve collected guitarists that have played with David. Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Doug Aldrich, Joel Hoekstra, Steve Vai, Vivian Campbell. John Skyes is one I haven’t played with and he is from the same town as me — Reading. You know who else is from Reading? Jimmy Page. I saw him at the gas station yesterday. I met him at the Classic Awards in Paul Rodgers’ dressing room… It was Brian May, Page, Rodgers and myself. I was shaking. I took a photo. Had a chat. They were all really friendly.

Sleeze Roxx: So did you have a chat with Jimmy at the gas station?

Nathan James: I did and he remembered me from the Awards show. He was very nice.

Sleeze Roxx: And Jimmy is another one who’s played with Coverdale.

Nathan James: Yes that’s right — Coverdale/Page.

Sleeze Roxx: So in terms of influences, who might they be?

Nathan James: David Coverdale, Paul Rodgers, Glenn Hughes, Freddie Mercury… all the best singers. Number one is Hughes for me though. Coverdale is a rockstar. I love that. Glenn is a master though. People don’t even realize how great of a bass player he is. I did “Burn” live with Glenn Hughes at a show.

Sleaze Roxx: So have you ever actually met David Coverdale?

Nathan James: I’ve never met him. He’s left me passes at shows. Saw him from a distance as he was getting in a limo. So three or four times. I’ve been close. We do tweet back and forth.

Sleaze Roxx: So being only 28, how is it that you have embraced so much great music?

Nathin James: It was my Dad. He is very eclectic. He is well rounded. He was listening to Guns N’ Roses when they were popular. Dad went through every movement. Grunge — it was Nirvana. I remember being a ten year old and he had Body Count on. It made me a very well rounded kid. Then when Linkin Park came out. We listened to that.

Sleaze Roxx: So in terms of Inglorious’ ‘I’, it was written with a few different writers. Al Pitrelli and Joel Hoekstra are two that stand out to me. Phil [Beaver] and Colin [Parkinson] also had a big part in the writing process for that album. Can you sort of tell me how the band came together? Was it a matter of writing songs with hopes of doing an album or was it always in the back of your mind that this would be a band, these are the songs.

Nathan James: I actually set out to do a solo project. First I had Gus G, then Micky Moody, and this amazing drummer Craig Blundell, who is probably one of the best in the world. I had loads of guitarists. So there was some scouting by some labels and they said this should be a band. So I auditioned these guys which turned into Inglorious. The guys in Inglorious are all amazing musicians. With this band, we are hoping people are gonna wake up to the fact that our heroes at some point will be giving up. We need someone to fill those shoes. With that in mind, we started writing. We had another guitar player. Andreas came in after the album was written. He did the solos. When it came to writing, we would sit around with acoustic guitars. As for writing with Al, we would write in the dressing room while we were on the road with Trans Siberian Orchestra. With Joel, that song was written in a hotel room.

Sleaze Roxx: I read that you guys played live in the studio and really didn’t multi-track a lot of the parts. I think that really gives the albums that ’70s sound. When it comes to getting the music down, was it recorded using tape or was it digitally recorded?

Nathan James: We did it in four days. Everything is a live take except for a few guitar parts. We did all four instruments. I go in after and do my vocals. Andreas is so amazing, he did something like seven solos in an afternoon. The recording is digital but bounced to tape before the mix. A few solos. A few things. Sounds stupid, but it gives it a hug. Kevin Shirley contributed in a big way too. He is one of the best.

Sleaze Roxx: I think doing it that way makes the vinyl version even more authentic sounding.

Nathan James: We actually just did a limited edition blue vinyl pressing of the album. It looks beautiful. There is just something about having vinyl. The sound and the glossy artwork to look at.

Sleaze Roxx: Is that available on your website?

Nathan James: Right now, it’s available at the shows. If we have any left, we’ll make them available on our website.

Sleaze Roxx: On ‘II’, Andreas Eriksson wrote with the band. Would you say his influence slightly altered the guitar approach on the album? The opening riff in “Read All About It” really comes to mind. It’s my favorite track on the album.

Nathan James: Actually that is Colin. He wrote the riff. Everyone is a full-fledged musician when we write. There is so much maturity in this band. I mentioned we sit around with guitars. Colin plays guitar. Even Phil, our drummer [plays guitar]. They are all great musicians. Andreas wrote “Change Is Coming” and “Tell Me Why.” Andreas is such a great musician.

Sleaze Roxx: I actually think that Andreas’ playing is better suited for Inglorious rather than his former band Crazy Lixx. It’s funny too that I didn’t realize who he was because he went by Andy Zata in Crazy Lixx and now he’s Andreas Eriksson. I guess Andreas is his real name.

Nathan James: That is correct, Andreas is his real name. I think he suits Inglorious. You wouldn’t see him throw in chicken picking in their music. He is such a great guitarist.

Sleeze Roxx: When I reviewed the album back in May, I mentioned that on “Black Magic”, you guys really nailed the mood of the title musically. Sometimes a song can have a title, but doesn’t emulate through in the feeling of the song. What was the process in terms of this song to achieve that mood?

Nathan James: I actually wrote that on piano. The lyric is inspired by a night in New Orleans when I was on tour. I actually almost died. I was submerged in a pool of my own vomit. A witch put a curse on me. Then I smoked a giant one. Drank twenty pints. I was shitfaced. It was insane. So I wrote on the piano. It sounded a little out of tune. It gives it a weird vibe. I brought it in and the guys put a riff to it. It came alive. The riff is so strong. I am very happy with how it turned out.

Sleaze Roxx: “Taking The Blame” really has a Deep Purple feel to it. Was this something that yourself and Colin [Parkinson] had in mind when you wrote the song? Or did it just come out that way.

Nathan James: Colin is the king of the quick riff. He came up with “No Good For You” and “Breakaway.”

Sleaze Roxx: His bass playing is amazing. He plays with an intensity. I listen to his parts. It’s huge. He plays along with the guitar, chording, adding a great feel.

Nathan James: He plays like Billy Sheehan. He’s so powerful live. I can’t wait for North America to hear us. It’s amazing to hear it live. We don’t let anyone down. There’s no melodied vocals. We are real. No tracks. Just us five guys and a keyboard player.

Sleaze Roxx: I have watched the live performance of Whitesnake’s “Fool For Your Loving” many times over on YouTube. I love how you guys executed that song. There’s some small changes, but pretty true to form. Are there any plans to record on album in the future?

Nathan James: I’d really like to do that. Maybe do a covers album down the road. Maybe after album four. We are trying to put out an album a year. We’ve already started writing the third album. The studio is booked. We’ll write enough songs and pick from the best of the set. Then tour the album.

Sleaze Roxx: Frontiers must love you guys.

Nathan James: They love and hate it, but we want to keep going. I have sacrificed a lot to do this band. I gave up TSO to do this, so it has to work.

Sleaze Roxx: I understand you are starting a tour of the UK on Saturday. Are these headlining shows?

Nathan James: We are headlining. We’re selling out venues. Then we’ll do a Euro tour in December. We’ve got something for the people in the works for the new year but can’t speak of at the moment. So you’ll have to wait to find out.

Sleaze Roxx: Are there plans to tour the album in North America at some point?

Nathan James: We just took on an agent in North America. It is so much money for the band to get out there. Where are you located in Canada?

Sleaze Roxx: I am about an hour from Toronto.

Nathan James: I have a friend in Canada — Darren James Smith from Red Dragon Cartel. I was there last year for the Guns N’ Roses show. We hung out.

Sleaze Roxx: Darren lives right here in town. I see him around occasionally. He plays locally a lot. I’ll see him playing drums with Harem Scarem next Saturday about five minutes from my house. Scarem’s new album was released the same day as Inglorious’ ‘II.’ It’s great that Frontiers is putting out all this great stuff.

Nathan James: I love Frontiers. Harry Hess actually mixed Inglorious’ ‘I.’

Sleaze Roxx: Nathan, I want to thank you for the interview. I will say I will keep spreading the word about the band. I am always telling people to check out Inglorious.

Nathan James: As great as YouTube is, word of mouth is the best way. You go down to the pub and tell your mate about what you’re listening to. That is the best form to get the music out there. Well mate, thank you! Great talking to you.

Inglorious‘ “I Don’t Need Your Loving” video:

Inglorious “I Don’t Need Your Loving” (Official Music Video)

Subscribe To Be Alerted When We Add New Videos – http://radi.al/SubscribeFrontiers / From the album INGLORIOUS II. Get your copy NOW: http://radi.al/Inglorio…

Inglorious‘ “Making Me Pay” song:

Inglorious – “Making Me Pay” (Official Audio)

Subscribe To Be Alerted When We Add New Videos – http://radi.al/SubscribeFrontiers / From the album INGLORIOUS II. Get your copy NOW: http://radi.al/Inglorio…

Inglorious‘ “Black Magic” song:

Inglorious – “Black Magic” (Official Audio)

Subscribe To Be Alerted When We Add New Videos – http://radi.al/SubscribeFrontiers / From the album INGLORIOUS II. Get your copy NOW: http://radi.al/Inglorio…