From the above photo, you may think that James is an intimidating and frightening man.

But, it turns out that he is one of the weirdest and funniest people I know.

It’s difficult to appropriately categorize and convey all the disparate traits that exist in this enigma of a man, and hopefully this interview does his character justice.

Check out this discussion to learn about James’s long-standing fascination with Fear Factory, the process of stealing riffs for Harm’s Way songs, and how he trains for powerlifting while injured and on tour.

And check out Harm’s Way’s excellent Metal Blade debut “Posthuman” right here.

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Check out more from James and Harm’s way

Show Notes

  • [2:15] Being recognized by students while substitute teaching – and denying it
  • [10:19] The influence of metropolitan Chicago’s melting pot of extreme music
  • [15:52] Learning about bands, digging in the crates, and becoming Youth Crew James
  • [24:26] Passing the torch from one generation of extreme music to the next
  • [31:04] Meeting Billy Milano from the Stormtroopers of Death
  • [34:27] The writing of “Posthuman” – writing riffs, writing transitions, collaborations amongst band members, and how to write songs when you can’t actually pay guitar that well
  • [47:38] A treatise on stealing riffs
  • [57:38] A disagreement on nu-metal
  • [1:03:23] Training while touring – a change in mindset from maximizing performance to maintaining strength while working through injuries

Resources and Individuals Mentioned