Page 10 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 114

BV114 pg 10-13 James Bruner Interview.qxp_BV114 pg 10 10/06/2026 18:54 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 10
Risky Busine

ashville-based alternative rock singer/songwriter James Bruner
Ncame to our attention when he supported The Struts and Barns
Courtney in the UK in 2024. A year later, he headed back over to our side
of the pond to join Those Damn Crows on tour, while earlier this year, he
returned once more, this time to open for Orianthi. With every tour, he’s
won over new fans, as his live performance impresses. He’s on fire when
he’s on stage, performing tracks from his latest EP, ‘The Otherside’, plus
‘Wasting Time In A Better Way’, released in 2023. But you will definitely
not be wasting time if you check James Bruner out – and, with more singles
and an album release upcoming, now is the perfect time to do so.

hose were maybe some of the best he second song on ‘The Otherside’ EP “Depends,” James answers. “I’m always
“Tweeks of my life, actually,” says Tis ‘Endless’. James sings, ‘I’ve been pretty critical of myself. A lot of artists can relate
James, about his most recent tour with Orianthi. knocked down. They try to box me in’. He says to this, but we are our biggest critics, in a way.
“It was such a run and gun tour. Every show that he’s felt boxed in when it comes to musical So, I guess it just depends on the time of day, it
was just so fun. Every show with Orianthi was genres. depends on the time of the week what the voice
amazing. We played The Brook in Southamp- “I felt like everyone was telling me, ‘This is is. And, that song, it’s the radio in that scenario.
ton. That was a really fun one. We played… I your lane, this is what you should do with your Because I say, ‘But am I getting through to
think you pronounce it Òran Mór, in Glasgow, a music.’ While I love to take constructive criticism you?’ I’m thinking of a voice as like radio static
beautiful church venue. I played The Black and I love people having their input on my in the car, ‘cause we’re talking about fast cars
Heart in Camden, myself, as a headlining act, music, ‘cause why not? Ultimately, it was get- and everything. When the radio’s fuzzy, is the
again, and that was packed in and amazing as ting to a point where I was like, ‘Who’s to say voice getting through, sort of thing. Am I getting
always. So yeah, can’t complain. It was a lot of what’s meant for me?’ Only I am, ultimately. I through to you?”
sweat, a lot of fun, a lot of mayhem and rock ‘n’ can’t be boxed in. I can’t be pushed down. I’m A lot of people have negative voices in their
roll with my band.” not one thing, I’m an artist. That’s what I’m al- heads. James thinks we all need to be more
Staples in his live set include ‘Switchblade’, ways going to be. So, that song was very much positive and kinder to ourselves.
‘Endless’, ‘Redlight’, ‘Big Shot’ and ‘I Get Every- a reply to feeling knocked down, feeling boxed “Absolutely, I do. Especially, where the
thing’, which just so happen to be the five tracks in, feeling like I couldn’t experiment in things music industry is now, you can’t really escape
on ‘The Otherside’. We ask James to tell us a that I wanted to.” it. I go through it a lot with social media. Just the
bit more about each of the tracks. His advice to anyone else feeling boxed in round and round of the social battery, even
James says, about the opening track, or knocked down is to “Stay true to yourself, be- when you’re not in person, constantly feeling
‘Switchblade’, “I was in a situation at the end of cause you hold way more power than you like you’ve got to answer to someone, and it’s
The Struts tour where a person in my team was think.” exhausting sometimes. So yeah, we all need to
just kinda bleeding me dry and overworking me be more kind to ourselves and take the time
a bit. That song is just kind of the reflection of ne of the most fun and catchiest songs away from the phone or take the time alone. A
being overworked, taking my kindness as a Oon the EP is ‘Redlight’. It’s a song lot of people don’t know, I love being alone.
weapon and just kinda fighting back. That song about adrenaline, fast cars and romance. The Some people don’t like it. Where I’m at in my
is a total fight song and just kinda breaking that song originally stemmed from a demo on his life, I enjoy taking walks, I enjoy decompress-
connection off with that person.” guitar player Zach Mears’ computer. “I was ing. I enjoy being alone. I think that’s one of the
He adds, “Specifically in that one, ‘Switch- going through, writing new songs for the record best ways to be with yourself and be kind with
blade’, it starts with just a big ol’ scream. I tried and he shot that demo my way and said, ‘Hey, yourself.”
to channel as much of those emotions going do you want this? You should experiment with
through those times, channelling it through that this song and consider it for the next EP’,” t’s no surprise that James likes to take
scream and let it all out as much as I could.” James remembers. “And it was great. It had Isome time away by himself as the music
In the song, he sings, ‘All this wasted time that synth line and everything. Right where my industry can be tiring, tough and scrupulous.
and yet it’s my fault’. We ask how important time head went was, ‘OK, let’s just make a party rock ‘Big Shot’ is a track that focuses on some of the
is to him, and how important is it not to waste song, let’s make Van Halen meets AC/DC’. I con artists and sharks in the music and enter-
time in the music business, and life in general. thought about a lot of the delivery that David tainment industry. James was inspired after
“I think it’s one thing you can’t get back. Lee Roth did on that first Van Halen record or watching the movie, American Satan, which
This is so funny, but, this morning, I saw that even in ‘1984’ where he’s adlibbing, talking featured Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides.
reel from The Office where it’s, ‘I wish you could about more scandalous stuff. That was me American Satan is about a young rock band
know you’re in the good ol’ days without know- channelling as much of that as I could. What that drop out of college and move to LA’s Sun-
ing you’re in the good ol’ days’. That’s so true, was more rock ‘n’ roll than fast cars, talking set Strip to chase their dreams.
because you’re always in the good ol’ days, but about romance and adrenaline? That was it.” James says, “It was the idea of selling your
time is a thing you’ll never get back, and you In ‘Redlight’, James sings, ‘I am the voice soul and everything to rock ‘n’ roll. This shark
can only reflect on it, so time is something you inside your head’. We ask what the voice inside pretty much promises these kids the world, and
can’t get back and is very important.” his head is like. Is it kind? Is it self-critical? Is it then it blew up in their faces, and I just wanted
positive or negative? to write about that, essentially. I think I start the

JAMES BRUNER