Recently I had a chance to sit down and talk to Jimmy Maguire, guitarist of Metal Mayhem recording artist St. James. Read on to see what he had to say…
Tourbus: How long has St. James been together?
Jimmy: This line-up has been together for about a year. Prior to that they were called The Glorious Things.
Tourbus: Describe your style?
Jimmy: There’s some of the old Black and Blue sound in there. All the guys are into Cheap Trick. We’re also all into rock, loud in-your-face fun rock, old-fashioned rock and roll, and loud-as-hell rock and roll.
Tourbus: What have you been up to lately?
Jimmy: Writing, rehearsing, and taking some time off. We just got back from being on the road and playing. Now we’re back doing some local shows and hanging out and more writing and rehearsing for the new album. We’ll probably go back on the road again in about a month or so.
Tourbus: How are the album sales going?
Jimmy: It isn’t in all the big stores yet but it’s going pretty well. It’s available on the internet and in all the mom and pop record stores but it’ll be another month or two before it’s in your big chain stores like Borders.
Tourbus: Do you guys have any games or contests between each other to pass the time on the road?
Jimmy: Yeah but that’s kinda personnal...just joking...we keep ourselves pretty well entertained. Mostly it’s video fun. Todd brings the video camera with us. Also, I am a vegetarian so they make it a constant try whatever I’m eating and make very gagging motions.
Tourbus: If you weren’t doing this right now, what would you be doing?
Jimmy: Sitting at home playing my guitar.
Tourbus: Can you name your top album?
Jimmy: My favorite album like of all time, I have to decide right now. You can’t go wrong with Ozzy, Ozzy Osbourne-Diary of a Madman.
Tourbus: Who gets the bed in your bus?
Jimmy: We rotate with that and whoever’s drunkest or slyest passes out first and then another person or two piles on top of them until they wake up kicking and screaming. But actually in the bus we got the bed and everything else folds out and makes a bed so we’re pretty well rested.
Tourbus: Who does the driving?
Jimmy: Danny and Joe do most of the driving. I’m like the clutch if those two can’t drive. But I prefer not to.
Tourbus: In your opinion is real rock and roll coming back or is it dead and gone forever?
Jimmy: Real rock and roll will always be around even if it’s not in the media spotlight and if it’s dead now, it’ll certainly be back. There was a different sound in the past decade but at the bottom of it Buckcherry and The Black Crows were still making great records.
Tourbus: Stones or Beatles?
Jimmy: BEATLES!
Tourbus: What would the average fan have to do to get on the bus?
Jimmy: We’re really cool with all the fans. You weren’t out there but there were just like 25 people out there hanging out. People can always come hang out with us. We’re a really down to earth band.
Tourbus: Anything else you would like to add?
Jimmy: Everybody reading this, come see us play and hang out with us. We always have a really good time and so does everyone else. The band is all about hanging out with the fans before and especially after the show. We have a website,
www.jaimestjames.com, go there to sign up on the mailing list, see where we’re playing, by the CD. It’s available on the website or most record stores will probably have it in the next month or so. Come check us out, we have another CD coming out in a year. We’re here to stay.
(*Mike Feedback also contributed questions to this interview.)
