Interview with Andy Levine

I had the opportunity to speak with Founder and C.E.O of Sixthman, Andy Levine. This has been my most inspirational interview to date because not only was I able to learn about his life and career path, but he also got to know me and gave advice on ways to learn about myself. For those of you not familiar with SIxthman, it is a company that designs cruise trips with various bands and their fans. Though I have never been on one of the cruises, I have heard nothing but amazing stories, which inspired to me to want to speak with Andy. From managing the band Sister Hazel to jamming on a cruise with John Mayer, Andy is definitely an inspiration to anyone looking to go into the media industry. What follows is a selection of questions from that interview.

Ashley: For those who would not familiar with Sixthman or Rockboat, can you describe what Sixthman is?

Andy: Sixthman is a company that harvests the energy of communities to bring them together to celebrate their passions and for the experience of a lifetime. Whether it’s a cruise ship or on an island, just wherever. In simpler terms, we build experiences and vacations for bands and their fans. We charter cruise ships and we invite 15-20 bands to come perform and we invite 2,000-3,000 people to come sail on the cruise ship ranging from 4-7 days. People who get on the cruise have an opportunity to meet a lot of people they soon realize they have a lot in common with. Many are repeat cruisers, which allows them to come back together every year to celebrate.

Ashley: What is your role with Sixthman?

Andy: I am the founder and CEO.

Ashley: Why the name Sixthman?

Andy: When I was in high school I played basketball but I was not good enough to start. So that’s what I was ... the sixth man. Then when I was in a band, I wasn’t very good but I acted as the manager and booked all the gigs. Then when I officially managed Sister Hazel I was kind of the in-between person of how the band could connect with their fans. When we were coming up with a name for company I felt like that’s what we were doing. We were taking bands and their fans and blending it as a medium for them to connect with each other and many times that takes a “sixth man” to get it done.

Ashley: How did Sixthman get started?

Andy: In 2001, I was managing Sister Hazel; we had worked with the band to build a really healthy street team. The fans were out there putting up flyers, calling into radio stations requesting songs, going to record stores and requesting their CDs and even letting us sleep on their couches. So in 2001, once the band achieved a pretty decent level of success, a group of fans got together on a message board and said, “ hey we have done everything you have asked of us we want a convention with the band, we want to hang out.” We said, "Yeah they're right!” and decided to do something out of the ordinary.

We invited 400 people to go on a cruise on Labor Day weekend. We were scared to death and I thought I was going to get fired. But we had so much fun and we realized the people that came on the cruise really appreciated the band. They were so respectful and understanding and knew a lot about the band. Of course we did the autographs and bonding. We played blackjack with everybody and we ate dinner with everybody, it was just very very cool. So we got off the ship, and we said we are on to something and we need to continue this. So to get a whole ship we had to get 2,000 people. We started calling other bands we were friends with like Pat McGee, Edwin McCain, and we said, “ Hey if we get your fans and our fans together we can get a whole ship.” They responded and said, “ Hey you get the ship, and we’ll come.” Sure enough, we were able to get enough money to rent out a whole ship the following year and had about 2,000 people there for our first year.

Ashley: How did you get the job of managing Sister Hazel?

Andy: I was in college and I played in a band with some of the guys that are now in Sister Hazel. When we broke up they formed a new band and asked me to manage them. I said, “Yeah that sounds fun” ... I did, and enjoyed that experience.

Ashley: It appears that you hire a lot of young people at Sixthman and then train them in the Sixthman way as opposed to more experienced people in the hospitality industry. Is that on purpose and why?

Andy: You know, I've found that the people that succeed at Sixthman have not been pre-programmed. We consider ourselves a very nontraditional business and nontraditional culture. We have the most success because we look at things creatively and do them differently. We have found here that when people come in with too much experience it becomes a challenge to them to break the “same old way” of doing work. But, on the other side, a lot of people that come in with a lot of experience are really extensive in their work. For myself, it goes back to Sister Hazel. There are all these expensive managers out there that have made a lot of people big. For myself, the only way I was able to have success was because I was young and hungry and willing to try new things and learn and hustle a lot of times. So when I have to choose between “the young and hungry and willing to try new things, make mistakes and fix them” or “ the trained” I’m going to pick the young and hungry. When bands asked me what kind of manager they should get, either the manager that has been around forever and has this big company or someone who is able to hustle and focus on them, I always say “ go with the hustle, go with the hustle.”

Ashley: In what way are you non-traditional?

Andy: Well for one, no one here has offices. We are a culture where we don’t count vacation days; we don’t count when you come into work. We basically give you a set of responsibilities and we ask you to get them done. Wherever or however you want to do them is up to you. We hold you accountable for them and if you try to take advantage of that freedom you pay the price. We believe that work is something you build around life, not the other way around. We know everyone has different situation whether it be families or other obligations. I challenge everyone to try and come up with his or her perfect day and then we try to build responsibilities around that “perfect day”. It’s up to you whether you want to come in early or stay here late. The other thing is, we are really open. We don’t have many secret thoughts. We share with each other and with our customers our ideas. We do the best that we can to know as many of our customers by name. Our biggest problems our solved by our customers because they have the ideas not us. We are just here to listen and we try to do that the most. When we do that well, good things happen and when we forget about it for a moment, bad things happen.

Ashley: You recently posted to your blog your favorite 5 books on leadership. What is the role of leadership within Sixthman and how do you teach Leadership?

Andy: One of the books on that list was Next Generation Leader. I do a lot of reading and one thing that always comes up is, “ You can command action but you have to inspire greatness.” I think the old model is one where people command to do certain things to do a certain way. If you really want people to go way beyond their own capabilities, you have to inspire them. You have to get them to really see what the future is. For me, my challenge as a leader is I have to embody all the values of our company. I think that’s one thing people like around here. They feel like, “ Oh Andy is a good guy, he cares about us and puts himself last, he loves our customers.” I get out there; I get on the phone and do my best to deal with tough problems. I always ask the artists to go the extra mile to share with their fans. I am not near where I want to be, I have a long way to go but I’m constantly reading and learning. I fall down and make mistakes. I think people see that I am trying really hard and I really care. I think it’s important for everyone to see the passion for why I am here and all the amazing things that have happened. I can only contribute to the people that are caring as much as I do, and I think thats one thing that separates good companies from great ones.

Ashley: Do you ever get star struck with all of the Stars you deal with?

Andy: You know that’s a great question (laughs)! I have been so fortunate; I have been with Elton John and John Mayer. To put things in perspective, they are just normal people. They like to be treated like normal people. I never ask for a photo or autograph. The person I have been in awe of, however,was the author of Next Generation Leader, a normal guy and a pastor. He is the one person I went up to immediately to shake his hand and found that I could not speak. Being out with an artist like John Mayer, for example, is just different. We will be out all night drinking scotch and I’m totally comfortable giving him a hard time for what he is wearing. I don’t know what it is. I do respect these individuals for what they've accomplished, but I still feel like they are normal people. So no, I don’t get star stuck.

Ashley: Who do you like the most/ do you have a favorite artist?

Andy: One of the questions people ask me all the time, “ who are the hardest people to work with?” The reason I can’t answer that is because to even consider doing a cruise like this and risking a million dollars with an artist we don’t know anything about wouldn't happen. We do considerable research on all our talent invited to cruise with us, so we won't go near someone who has one bad comment from a fan or a bad reputation. We try to stay far, far away from that. In being prepared and doing our homework, thankfully we have not really had a situation like that.

The artists are all so different. On board, John [Mayer] is great. He is always asking what he can do. I have found that the artists are competitive because they are always saying, “ Tell me about your other cruises compared to ours. Is ours the best? Is ours the most expensive? How does this one rank? Are we the coolest?” So Johns always like what can I do to make this the best cruise ever? John is a great host. When he is on board, he is out meeting people, being the DJ in the club, or doing stand-up comedy. The one thing we ask John and other bands to do is when we announce the event, they need to own it. I need them to make videos, invite fans, and give them an idea of what they expect. When people see how invested they are and that they own it, they are not as surprised when they get here to see him all over the place. John agrees," Yeah you got it.” So far these talented people “walk the walk” and get out there with their fans.

Ashley: How do you pick the mix of bands for each cruise?

Andy: We end up picking about 15-20 bands per cruise. We try to make it so you have half the bands you have heard of before and half undiscovered. Then with any one of those we look at the different “ flavors” you will get. We don’t want too much of the same thing. We will have a blue grass band walking around on the John Mayer cruise because people who love music, love music and its great. We will try to have surprising bands, bands that make you cry, upbeat bands, bands that make you want to drink a beer. We try to think of the different moods you will be in on the cruise and try to get you to experience that livelihood.

Ashley: Of all the cruises to date, what was the one moment when you knew this venture was a success?

Andy: All along this experience there have been so many moments that reminds me everyday how “I cant imagine doing anything else.” When you see people walk away with new friends, connecting with old friends, or just completely ready to burst with satisfaction, I know that I've made a great career choice.

Some examples I will share...

It was on the first John Mayer cruise. It was a 3-day cruise and on the last day John was going to play a show on the deck. I didn’t know how he felt about the cruise. For me, this business is all about (1) will these fans and the bands have a good time and (2) will they want to come back. He was performing and I had not even said anything to the manager yet about coming back again next year. We were all sitting around having a beer and all of a sudden John says, “ Who is having a good time? Who wants to do this again next year with me?” Everyone went nuts and I was so proud and excited! When an artist tells his fans he is coming back, it validates the concept as a success....and no one wants to let their fans down at that point. I put my arm around his agent and said, “ Boy that puts you in a terrible negotiation position.” John Mayer is not that kind of artist to offer something to his fans but expect “more money.” I let his management know that “ it's my job to sell it out and your job to produce it.” (The second John Mayer cruise sailed off successfully March, 2009)

The Bare Naked Ladies on their cruise decided to surprise every guest by standing there when people got on the ship and take a picture with everyone. Then as the ship was sailing away they decided they wanted to do an unannounced acoustic show. A guy comes up to me as the ship is pulling out as he just got his picture taken and is listening to the band play, and he turns to me and says, “ If we turn around and go back right now, I would have already gotten my money's worth.” THAT’s what I am going for.

Randomly on one cruise I went up to a girl and I was like, “ How's your trip?” She leaned toward me and said,” I started to keep a diary and I stopped on day 2 because I was like, no one is going to believe me.” These are the moments that get you so fired up.

Ashley: Did college help prepare you for the industry now?

Andy: I dropped out of college to manage Sister Hazel the end of my junior year. It wasn’t until 3 years ago that I went back to college to finish my degree...at 35. I didn’t think much about it, but it was exciting for me to finish something I already started. In reality, I had 2 college experiences. The first one, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I didn’t understand the importance of people telling me what I need to know. When I went back, I was able to get into it and see what I was going to apply an education towards. I was able to appreciate the courses and see where it worked in the job I am in now. It was so helpful for me and it helps me everyday. I wish that people in college today could have that understanding.

Notes from Ashley:

-For more information on Sixthman, check out the website: http://www.sixthman.net/

- Here are some videos from Sixthman: http://sixthman.tv/mediamanager/

- Like I said in the introduction, Andy Levine talked to me after the interview about myself and gave me advice. One interesting aspect of the conversation was he talked about a website called primary color assessment. It’s a free online self-evaluation. It helps identify your strengths and passions. If interested in this you can check it out at: http://www.primarycolorassessment.com/

Pictures from the MayerCraft II :

Interview with Lindsey Ward

Both working and going to school helped prepare Lindsey Ward for the tough media industry. Now Ward is a reputable reporter and anchor for WSLS 10 thanks to her hard work and determination.

Wards biggest piece of advice for aspiring anchors is to become a one-man band because it is “ the future of this industry.”

Below is a selection of question and answers from my recent interview with Lindsey Ward.

Ashley: What inspired you to want to go into the media industry?

Ward: Around my junior year, it all of a sudden hit me that I wanted to be a TV reporter, and until that point I didn’t give any thought to it. I went to journalism school after senior year to pursue that route and wanted to find a school that had a great journalism and communication program. One of the big things that drew me to this industry was that you are “in the know” within the community, etc.

Ashley: What activities do you like to do outside of working at WSLS?

Ward: I love shopping. Whenever I leave work I go home and sit on the couch and watch mindless TV. All day long you just work, work, work and it’s such a stressful job. You are always on your toes, so when I go home I watch a ton of reality TV.

Ashley: How did college prepare you for the media industry?

Ward: I was a little different. I worked a full time job while I was in college so I used both of those (college and a job) to bounce off each other which really helped me. Something I was doing at school I would be doing at work so it really helped me to have both of those. For me, it just worked out because it was a better situation that just going to school.

Ashley: What job you have during school?

Ward: Started at channel 12 in Richmond as a teleprompter. By the time I left, I moved up to working assignment desk on weekends. It gave me much more a hand in assignments and stories and being apart of a newsroom. I started editing for shows and that helped me because I had to read every single script so that helped me learn how to write. Then I asked if I could help write scripts and they said yes.

Ashley: What did college not prepare you for in industry?

Ward: The biggest thing it didn’t prepare me for was delivery and appearance. I didn’t have a class where they went over your voice, what you wear, how to look, and your hair/makeup. That was one thing that I gathered from my job. I see so many times where students coming out of college who don’t look professional. Just stuff like the appropriateness for the job. And that’s the news director’s first impression so it’s something to be aware of.

Ashley: What was your first job right out of college?

Ward: My first reporting job in Charlottesville at WCAV, which worked for four stations in one. I was a one-man band and it was tough, really really tough, because you don’t always get the training you need, and you get thrown into the pond. I remember sitting there on Saturday morning and I only had one weekend of training and I had no direction of how to get around Charlottesville. I had a package due at six and I had no idea where I was going. It's sink or swim and so many people get out of the business in their first job because they can’t do it. If you can make it to your second job, I consider it an accomplishment.

Ashley: While you worked in Charlottesville you had many roles such as producer, anchor, photographer, and reporter. What was it like doing so many things for one company and which role did you enjoy the most?

Anchor. I really like reporting but there you do reporting and photography and I was the worst at photography. I would come back with blue, green and orange video (laughs). I could hear my news director in his office saying, “ WHO DID THIS!?”

Ashley: Why you like anchoring the most?

Ward: I think because you connect with the viewers either they love you or they don’t. You really have an opportunity to show them your personality. Whenever you are on the desk you can really connect with your viewers.

Ashley: What was it like being arena host for women’s basketball at UVA? How did you get this job?

Ward: I LOVED that job. It was awesome. In Charlottesville my station was a station for UVA. We had a contract to do certain things like shows on their sports for spring and fall. We basically had certain obligations to them. When they needed a host they asked me and it was great. I REALLY enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun. It was nice because you get to see your viewers outside, and get to meet them and be one-on-one with them. It really shows your personality.

Ashley: What do you believe is a common misconception that people have about working in the media industry?

That you make a lot of money, hands down. They think you make so much money and are wealthy. They look at you like you are ridiculous if you don’t donate to charities, but you don’t have a lot to give.

Ashley: What is the hardest part about the industry in your opinion?

Ward: Just keeping up. It takes a lot out of you… so much out of you. It’s really easy to get burnt out quickly. A lot of people don’t make it past the first job. It takes so much out of you. You realize that you are making very little money and you are working holidays, weekends, giving up a lot of things that may be important to some people. A lot of women don’t make it because if you are anchoring, you are going in at 2:30 p.m and get off at 11:30 p.m. And if you work a morning show, you are going to bed super early. It is just not family friendly.

Ashley: What’s your favorite part about your job?

Ward: I really enjoy anchoring and reporting. Being able to do both. On Friday nights, I have to do sports feature pieces and I really enjoy that because it’s not all serious like sitting in a city council meeting. You're going out and putting together a creative piece. What I enjoy the most is being creative with the job, like writing the video. At our station, we have great photographers who really help you put together some really good stories.

Ashley: Do you have any major goals or future plans?

Ward: Honestly, I have been somebody who has been so goal orientated. Literally there hasn’t been a moment in my life where I haven’t had a goal. Since I have been anchoring here, I haven’t had a goal yet. I have no idea what I want to do beyond this. I just want to get better at anchoring and hopefully our viewers will like it.

Ashley: What advise do you have for aspiring anchors/ reporters?

Ward: One-man band. It makes you better and we made bigger jumps than a lot of the other people at other stations. You are doing so many jobs at one time and if you can still put together a decent tape, they will know you can do multiple tasks. It is the future of this business and it would be silly for graduates who leave college and find a job where they already have photographers because this media is so big into mutli-media journalism.

Interview With Barry Drake

Want to hear what it was like to work with Rock and Roll legends in the 70's? Singer/Songwriter Barry Drake played alongside Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Emmylou Harris, Loudon Wainwright III, Richie Havens, James Taylor and many more legends of that historic rock time period. He will be presenting his multimedia lecture of the 70's at Virginia Tech on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Squires Colonial Hall. His goal is to keep music alive and have students "vicariously live through the decade with me". Below is an interivew that I conducted with him to learn more about his credibility and rock & roll career!

Perrin: Which lecture do you enjoy presenting the most?
Barry: Actually, I love doing them all. They're like my children. I'm always doing all four decades when I'm on tour, so as long as I don't do too many of the same ones in a row, I'm happy. It may sound funny but as I'm doing each show, I'm reliving how I felt during those decades and enjoying the ups and downs all over again. I guess it's like therapy for me.

Perrin: How do you get your presentations to emotionally connect with the audience?
Barry: I try to do them from the perspective of a college age person when I'm doing a show on a campus. This way they can vicariously live through the decade with me. I'm also very emotionally connected to the music which I think they can feel. I try to make my enthusiasm contageous.

Perrin: Do you enjoy presenting at Virginia Tech?
Barry: Yes, of course. I've been coming to Tech for many years and I have a great relationship with the staff and students. I also have met students and community people at my shows at Virginia Tech who keep in touch with me throughout the year and show up on other campuses when I'm in the area. What more could a performer want?

Perrin: What type of multimedia presentation do you put on? Powerpoint?
Barry: It's funny, but all 4 of my shows were originally put together before there was Powerpoint, or home computers for that matter!!! As I upgraded my technology over the years, I kept the video editing capabilities of a computer combined with the visual strength of good old photographic slides. It's combination that works for me.

Perrin: How do you keep up the intensity for each lecture? Does it get repetitive?
Barry: I always manage to amuse myself every night. Maybe I'm a simple person, but I love watching my images and videos on the screen. Also, doing a show like mine is like a trapeze act, you never exactly know what's going to happen. I also perform my shows like a jazz musician. I know the song well but I put different little twist on it every night and in the process learn something new with each show.

Perrin: Who was your favorite artist that you performed with as a performer/songwriter?

Barry: There were so many. Van Morrison for his intensity. James Taylor for his great guitar playing. Emmylou Harris for her harmonies. Loudon Wainwright for his zanyness. Bruce Springsteen for his clear vision and focus. Ritchie Havens for his heart.........I could go on!

Perrin: What is advice that you would give to an aspiring singer/songwriter?
Barry: Good luck! LOL! I always ask them what they want. Believe it or not, every performer wants a little something different. Do they want to be famous? Do they want to get work and make a living? Do they want a Major Record deal? Do they want radio play? Do they want to stay home and write and record in their basement? Do they want to be a musician for their whole lives?

Back in 1972, I gave Bruce Springsteen some advice which fortunately he didnt take.

Perrin: Why did you choose to use multimedia in your presentation?
Barry: I always tried to make my presentations look like a Ken Burns, PBS documentary. It makes the subject much easier to absorb. For example, most students know the song "Born To Be Wild" but how many have actually seen a picture or video of Steppenwolf who created it. With my shows you get to do that.

Perrin: Why did you add rock and roll lectures to your already busy schedule?
Barry: I was always a closet Rock & Roll Historian and when I finally settled into a successful career as a singer / songwriter, it gave me the opportunity to express myself with something else I always loved. For many years I was doing both concerts and lectures, until it just became too overwhelming and I let nature take it's course. But I still play my guitar and sing every day. I love it more than ever.

Perrin: What is your favorite award that you have won?
Barry: I guess the 5 NACA Campus Lecturer Of The Year Awards! I was ecstatic with the first one. The next 4 just pushed me over the top.

Perrin: What made you want to perform on just college campuses?
Barry: Performing on College Campuses has always been a perfect fit for me. I started playing in the Coffeehouses of Greenwich Village in New York and students from colleges in the NY / NJ / PA / CT area used to come into The City and book me to play on their campuses. It felt so good to me, I just kept doing it. I still do Corporate or Community Shows also.

Perrin: If you could describe your lecture in a simple phrase, what would it be?
Barry: A multimedia trip through the 60s. The sights, the sounds and the smells of 10 incredible years all wrapped up in a fun, fast paced hour and 20 minutes.

Read more about Barry Drake's career at: www.barrydrake.com

Interview with Brendan James

Starting out as being “ broke as a joke” in NYC, Brendan James is now an inspiring singer-songwriter. With the help of becoming a self-taught piano master,, his gifted voice and various song inspirations in his life, James is truly an artist to watch out for.

James said,” I want to be a musician and be someone who people can depend on to make good music and perform live.”

James has signed with Decca Records and is hoping to release a second album in March of 2010.

In a recent interview, I talked with Brendan James who discussed his struggles, triumphs and advice in the music industry. What follows is a selection of question and answers from that recent interview.

Ashley: How did you get started in the music industry?

Brendan: I had always been a singer. I always loved singing but it wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I started to get interested in the piano and song writing. It really was because of a mentor who discovered me early on when I was in New Hampshire at home on college break. He was very encouraging. He told me I should be more than a singer, and that I should try to learn an instrument and write my own songs. He was a pretty pivotal person in my early development. So he was my initial inspiration and then it took some years of song writing and honing in on my own stills. I moved to NYC after college and had to do my best to get noticed on my own.

Ashley: How did you get noticed?

Brendan: Well there were several things that led to where I am now, but I guess it started out the old fashioned way. I was living in NYC in a five-bedroom apartment with four girls, which was …interesting. I was broke as a joke living on canned tuna and Kraft macaroni and cheese. I would just go to all open mics in NYC (had nine plotted out). I cycled through them awaiting to be “discovered”.. Open mics can sometimes lead to gigs at those places and it helped me out that way. I started to play live shows but it was not until years later that I got my first record deal and I met my first manager, then it was a matter of meeting a producer.

Ashley: How did you learn to play the piano?

Brendan: Hours of sitting by myself and trying to figure it out. When I was around 20, I was focused on trying to figure that piano out. I always enjoyed it and taught myself.

Ashley: What was your experience like touring on the John Mayercraft. How did that differ from playing in a venue on the road? Would you do it again?

Brendan: The Mayercraft, and I have to laugh and say this with a smile, it was a crazy five days. It was really great. It brought out a different performer in me. It was a lot of outdoor shows and all about playing to the crowd and having a fun time. On a tour like that, people want to escape normal lives and jobs and want to have a drink in hand and listen to great music. The tour brought out the fun performer in myself and others…. I would definitely do it again!

Ashley: Now that you are married, how does going on tour and being a musician impact your family life? Does your wife travel on the road with you?

Brendan: My wife does not travel with me. We met a few years ago, she met a musician (myself) and I was someone she knew was going to travel a lot. I think that’s the only way a relationship like this can work… when you both understand each other’s dreams and aspirations. She is amazing for that. She is very supportive and I also find time to fly out and see her and she flies out to see me when I am on tour or recording albums.

Ashley: You mention your mother in most of your songs, what influence does she have on you and your music?

Brendan: My mother has always been the most solid person that I have had in my life. I feel she has just been the ideal mother and I think in a lot of my early songs when I wanted to describe that source of strength, she was the first person that always came to mind.

Ashley: Many of your songs seem to come from personal experiences growing up. Is that where you get most of your inspiration? What else inspires you today?

Brendan: A lot of traveling that I have recently been doing has inspired me for this second album. I always draw on what I know and who I know. For a lot of my songs I am trying to tell stories that are close to me and then I tell stories that are close to other people. Most lyrics come from really searching for the truth in people’s lives around you.

Ashley: You are under contract with Decca Records, correct? How did that come about and what was it like to sign with a major record label?

Brendan: Yes, though I first signed with Capitol records 4 years ago and didn’t release my album with them. I made my own album when I left Capitol, with a producer, and then it was up to us to get me signed. Decca Records was interested in signing me, so I had to showcase for them by doing some gigs. They also had to like the album I just made and, once that was finished, we decided to work together.

Ashley: Your songs are so personal, is it hard to get on stage and sing them to a large audience?

Brendan: Funny, I have never thought of that. I don’t think so, it’s hand- in- hand for me, when I write a song I know I am going to share it with people throughthe lyrics I write. Sometimes I make lyrical choices that aren’t too personal. I make them just personal enough where I feel comfortable sharing that with the fans. It's kind of a fine balance because you don’t want to alienate the people closest to you but you want to tell others the honest story of your life.

Ashley: Which is more important to your success, getting on the radio or being seen live?

Brendan: Good question… They are two very different things, but, for someone like me, I want to get my songs on the radio to help facilitate getting my message out. I’m ready to get my music out there to as many people as possible. If you can get on the radio, it helps your recognition across the nation and across the world.. I can’t wait to tour as many places as I can and I love playing live.

Ashley: Did you ever consider playing piano in someone else’s band or did you always want to be a lead singer and sing your own songs?

Brendan: I always wanted to play my own songs. I am one of those guys who never really learned cover songs. I always wanted to sing and play my own stuff because, for some reason, they go hand- in- hand for me; the performing aspect of music and the playing part of it.

Ashley: Do you have any long-term goals for your career or do you pretty much play it one day at a time?

Brendan: I have a long-term goal of making a lifelong career in music and story-telling. It took a few years in the industry to realize that it's tough and you will have hard days but it’s what I want to do with my life. I want to be a musician and be someone who people can depend on to make good music and perform live.

Ashley: What is your favorite part of being a singer-songwriter?

Brendan: Having an outlet that allows me to vent what is going on in my life. Sometimes, even live shows can be very cathartic. When you finish a show, you feel better that whole month because something got out of you.

Ashley: What is the hardest part about the industry?

Brendan: The only consistency is inconsistency. And my parents raised me to plan things out and to always kind of have an idea of your life. So if you really want this, you have to know that it's impossible in this career. It is hard to adjust to; if you really want to do this full-time you have to be at mercy of your music. That’s the biggest challenge for me. You have to stay flexible.

Ashley: What other activities do you like to do outside of music?

Brendan: I love sports. I am a very active person. And I like outdoor activities so you can always find me on some basketball court or out hiking somewhere. It's a big deal to me to stay active.

Ashley: What are you working on right now?

Brendan: I am almost finished writing all of album two. In a couple weeks, official recording begins. I hope to release the new album in March 2010.

Ashley: What is your biggest piece of advice for upcoming artists?

Brendan: Be ready for anything and practice as much as you can by yourself. That way, you come to learn exactly who you are as an artist and a performer before other people try to tell you who you are.

Check out Brendan James online at : http://www.myspace.com/brendanjames