Credit: Cameron Cyr
Phatt James channels the essence of iconic rock bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Incubus, formulating a familiar but original sound that serves as an inviting foundation for thoughtful lyrics.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Matt James-Vocals and guitar
Matt Christoforo-Bass
Chris Wilson-Drums
What’s the origin of your band name?
When the band first started, back in school at the University of New Hampshire (2014), I played music with my friends, Mark and Andrew DelGrosso. Somebody stumbled on a pic of me in middle school and I started getting the name, Phatt Matt and Phatty J, so, when it came time for a band name, Phatt James was it.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
One of my most memorable musical inspirations is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I can remember watching the “Californication” music video and being very moved by it. Not necessarily to start a band, but definitely to start playing music.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
A lot of times I’ve come to the table with song ideas and we have shaped them over time together. I usually have a melody and some type of structure to the song. Then we work it out as a band and try new things with it. We also have some great material we’ve written from the start together, which we look forward to developing more.
A theme of our music is to have an interesting riff or something that gets our attention. Lyrically, there’s no doubt a theme is heartbreak in some of our songs. I like to write personally and introspectively on other inspiring parts of life as well though. I do think the topics are bound to change. I like to keep an open mind with writing for sure.
You just released your new music video “Seven Days.” Where was it filmed? What was your favorite part of the filming process?
We filmed our video mainly in Black Rock located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We’re hyped to have it in the video because it’s a spot with some great music and musicians. My favorite part of the filming process was watching Connor and Matt from Kicker Pictures do their thing on the production end, and to have actors and actresses as well. It was very cool to see a visual play out right in front of us for a song we wrote. Witnessing the art of filmmaking is always so cool to me as well because it is a new type of art that I get to be a part of.
Can you share more about the story behind this song?
The guitar riff for “Seven Days” came about in 2017 and it stuck around for some months with different melodies and lyrical intentions. Finally, it took shape with a series of other songs that developed that heartbreak theme. The lyrics were written with a more literal meaning because I felt like that’s what the riff called for.
“Seven Days” is included on your debut album “Just Begun.” As the first album of your career, what does this project represent for you?
It represents another shot of us trying to make it happen. It represents our sound and gives us more of an identity as a band. It represents new beginnings while also celebrating what we’ve made. Now that we’re not carrying these songs in our head waiting to record them, we can do the same thing with new ones and a few leftovers we still want to get done.
You held an album release show at Park City Music Hall in Connecticut last year where there were more than 200 people celebrating with you. How did it feel to be surrounded by so many fans? What was your favorite moment from the night?
Those moments that night were incredible. We didn’t really realize how many people actually cared and wanted to support us for completing the album. It felt like a typical Thursday show at first, but huge for us as a band because we were releasing our album. That is, until we walked out on stage and saw Park City Music Hall packed like that.
My favorite moment from the night was seeing how stoked Chris was. His hype reminded me of all we had done leading up that point. It started with a full send mentality we had a couple years prior and to see it come to fruition like that was the best.
Do you have any other shows coming up?
Our next show is March 30 at Park City Music Hall in Bridgeport, Connecticut. We are beyond excited to open for Consider the Source!!! You can get tickets at parkcitymusichall.com. We also have an Incubus cover set with our Certain Shade of Phatt James tribute way out in August at Park City Music Hall. Be on the lookout for that. Such a good time honoring a favorite band of mine.
What’s next for Phatt James?
We’re going to keep writing and making some new music, but we’re still going to do some things with “Just Begun.” We definitely need some more visual art for at least a few more of the songs. We’ll also do some merch with lyrics from some of the tracks or something related to the album. We’re going to try and build our team. We’re grateful to have Erica from Gioia Communications, as well as our family, friends, and fans, but there are definitely some spots to be filled. Maybe another guitar player and a booking agent would be nice.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much for providing us this opportunity to talk about our music and lives. Thank you to anyone reading. I appreciate you being interested and supporting us. You can follow us @phattjamesmusic everywhere. Chris Wilson is @chriswilsonthedrummer and I’m @slimcuttlet.