Coming together with a passion for punk and hardcore, and to honor an old friend, The Sons of James have had to tackle more obstacles than most. It's perhaps no surprise their infectious brand of melodic punk is abundant with grit and candour, amidst the barrage of infectious hooks and high-octane delivery.
Please list all band members and their roles in the band.
Steve Blair - Drums
Chris Curran - Rhythm Guitar
Matthew Shelley - Vocals
And myself, Sean Atwater - Lead Guitar
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to The Sons of James?
Steve and I have been playing music in bands together since high school. We’ve been in various punk bands, hardcore bands and everything in between. Nothing was ever too serious but the musical connection and friendship him and I have had for the last twenty plus years is what makes TSOJ so special to us. Chris was in a band called Heathens N Hero’s back before I met him. Matt is in an awesome Pop Punk band called Arcane Arcade where he sings and plays bass. We really love those guys.
How long has the band been around?
I got a call from Steve towards the end of 2017 about starting the band. He already had an EPs worth of songs written and demoed. We released our debut EP in September of 2018. This month is the 5 year anniversary of that EP.
What's the origin of the name and have you changed the band's name before?
The band’s name is dedicated to the life and memory of our friend and mentor Kyle James. Kyle’s passing brought Steve, myself, and our original vocalist Morgan Moore back together after going our separate ways with family and jobs over the years. To me our name also serves as a memory to the others we’ve lost along this journey. Friends and Family is the core of our band.
Who writes your songs?
Steve has always been at the forefront of the writing process. He is way more than just the guy behind the drum set. He really has the song writing process dialed in when it comes down to arrangement and melody. He will create a rough MIDI version of a song and send it to me to see how I feel about it. If it’s something we both like he will write lyrics before Chris and I finalize the instrumentation and record a demo version of the song. Our two newest singles “The Real Me” & “All They Told You” are the first two songs that feature the addition of Matt taking over on lead vocals. These songs were written well before he joined the band so it will be exciting to see how the song writing process changes in the future with his involvement as well.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
That goes back to what I mentioned earlier about the meaning behind the band’s name and how friends and family are the core of who we are. Every song is a story about an experience one of us has gone through in life whether that be individually or together. Some of those experiences are positive and some of them are filled with trauma, pain, confusion, and hurt. The main focal point is how we’ve made it through those experiences and what we’ve taken from them. For us it’s about pushing through no matter what and coming out on top but to do that you have to be positive and believe in yourself. Sharing those experiences and being that voice that you can relate to you is always what we want to convey
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you're making?
When it comes to writing and inspiration musically, I think we’ve always been ourselves. We all grew up around the same time in the era of 90s skate and pop punk. I think our sound pays a good homage to those styles but incorporates our own elements to set us apart.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
I think I can honestly attribute it all to the original Tony Hawks Pro Skater Soundtrack. I was 13 and already skateboarding listening to bands like Green Day, and older punk bands like The Ramones and The Clash and of course Blink 182 who was really exposing punk to the mainstream at the time. Anyways I got the Tony Hawk game and the soundtrack was full of all these great punk bands and I could not get enough. Bands like Millencolin, Goldfinger, and The Vandals. I begged my Dad to get me a guitar. I met Steve about a year later my freshman year of High School and he became the drummer of the first band I was ever in. Our band’s name was “Armada”. We signed up to play the school talent show and Steve bailed the day of our show cause he got nervous. I haven’t let him live it down about that and always find a way to bring it up. He’ll be stoked when he reads this.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc ...
Take a nap…..Hahaha!! Honestly our biggest preparation is just hanging out and having a good day or time together before the show. We are all super busy outside of the band with family and life so being together for a show or anything is what we all look forward to. Continuing to create those memories and just enjoying life is our best preparation and always makes us go into a show with a positive energy.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band's career so far?
Right now honestly, the biggest highlight for us is hitting our personal goals as a band and being able to continue on this journey and grow as we go. We’re very excited to share these new singles and we’re stoked with the direction we continue to go.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
I always wanted to do a Vans Warped Tour. I feel like that was a right of passage for bands at the time. Presently I would say any bands that just like to have a good time and are good people. I would love to just tour with friends and their bands as well. Lot Lizards, Rath and The Wise Guys, Arcane Arcade, Love Songs for Junkies are some really great bands local to us that we would love to head out with in the future.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for the opportunity to be spotlighted and allowing us to tell our story. “The Real Me” and “All They Told You” our two newest singles are streaming everywhere you get your music. Check them out and check us out at Thesonsofjames.com