Welcome to My First Show, where we
give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended --
no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be.
When he hasn't been drumming for The Tah Dahs, The Happy Bullets, or his latest band, Disposable Music, James Porter has played with the kitchen sink as Drawn By Jaymz. Those shows tend to run the gamut, featuring everything from arty no wave to metal.
But if you listen to a song like "Luck," you can also hear Porter's affection for engaging, trippy space rock.
So there's a lot at play with this performer. And lots to play -- if you're a friend of DBJ on Facebook, you've probably received at least a few notifications about entire albums he's recorded in the past year, all available to hear on his Bandamp page.
James recently took some time out to remember some of his first show experiences. As you might expect, like the music he plays, the music he first saw live came from all points across the spectrum.
What was the first show you saw? Were you with your parents?
The first show that I remember was a Crystal Gayle show, and, yes, my
folks took me as well as my sister. I think it was the early '80s. I
remember walking behind a guy who, to me, had the worst body odor in the
state. I later realized he was smoking a joint.
What was the first show you paid your own money for?
The first show that I used my hard-earned cash go see was a big festival. Don't remember the name, but it was Beck, Pavement, Hole,
Cypress Hill, and a couple other acts. Again, I found myself elbow-deep
in reefer. The show was pretty good. Beck had an audience member come up
and do beat-boxing while he played acoustic and sang. That was cool.
Disposable Music is a new project you're doing with Tim Ruble from The Happy Bullets. Have you guys played a show yet?
Disposable Music has not played a show yet, but has many to come very
soon. We're working on, hopefully, a two-disc album in which a couple of
songs are free to listen to via Facebook links.
What do you remember about the first Drawn By Jaymz show?
The first DBJ show. Hmmm. It was more than 10 years ago, and I
think that it was all metal -- not traditional, but more seizure-inducing,
with a whole lot of noise and screaming. I'm pretty sure it was
horrible. But the upcoming DBJ album, Smarter Than You, mixed by
Stuart Sikes, myself, and Jerett Fulton, is something that will bring
all ears to our feet, and we will gather them up and whisper endless
wisdom upon each lobe.
