Today we’d like to introduce you to James Combs.
Hi James, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Indiana but bounced around the country – Boston, Chicago, San Francisco – trying to figure out where I could have a viable life in music. As an artist, I managed to get four indie record deals and had a lot of lovely experiences along the way (BBC Peel Session, Lollapalooza, concerts from Berlin to San Francisco) but could never figure out how to make a sustainable living in music. Then I moved to LA, got a job working as a production assistant for Chris Douridas at KCRW/AOL Music, and realized “Oh, THIS is where you need to be if you want to work in music.” Everyone I met here had a music-related job – DJ, music supervisor, PR, composer, publisher, audio production, video production… and now, over a decade later, I have three music jobs – Americana singer-songwriter, music supervisor, and licensing rep for film and TV.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a long and winding road but music has always been the conduit to the most interesting and lovely people that I have known and those personal relationships have been key to my work life.
Quick story: I was living in northern CA working as a remote editor for a web company and had a record I had just finished for Ubiquity Records when suddenly the job laid me off and then two days later, my girlfriend (who I was living with) broke up with me. So I was walking with my sister saying, “WHAT am I going to do?” and she said, “Why don’t you move to LA and get a music job?” And I could just see it somehow.
I called my friend KCRW DJ/Music Supervisor Gary Calamar and said “Er, know of any jobs in LA?” and he said “Chris Douridas is about to hire a production assistant at Spinner/KCRW” and somehow I knew I was going to get it. Two weeks later I was interviewing and the next week I was starting my new job in my new city. Within a couple of years, I was producing Chris’ radio show as well as the west coast live performance sessions for the show “AOL Music Sessions.”
One thing I always appreciated about LA: sometimes you don’t have to have actual credentials to get the job, you just have to have a great attitude, work hard, and be standing in the room when the job becomes available. Moving here changed everything for me. Having a relationship with all the folks I met at KCRW was great for my music life. They liked my stuff so suddenly, I was having my songs played on this high-visibility tastemaker radio station and getting my songs into TV shows, which was amazing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I have mentioned, my work life has evolved into a three-pronged beast: I am a songwriter with nine albums, a music supervisor for indie films (the latest being a wonderful story of healing and redemption called Cash For Gold), and I run a company called Laurel Canon with my friend Gary that pitches music from other artists for film and tv placements.
I am someone who is obsessed with song making and very interested in the long and storied music history of Los Angeles – especially music that emanated from Laurel Canyon from about 1964 on. I am particularly interested in artists who can swim in a genre but also be above it at the same time. You know, Joni Mitchell started as a “folk” artist but the label couldn’t contain her – she was much too broad a thinker and too imaginative an artist. Same with Gene Clark from the Byrds. So I like artists like that and aspire to be one. One of my favorite reviews of my new record was from Americana UK, where they said, “James Combs makes Americana music for people who don’t think they like Americana music.” I thought, “They got what I am trying to do exactly.”
I have a new album out called Falling Under Spells (https://open.spotify.com/album/1KC81XomZspBG1uVh5rSCb?si=M0cJW5MsT7y2H5Ys-7lcmg) which has been getting great reviews and seems to be bringing a lot of new friends to my music. I played a party in Laurel Canyon last year and the legendary filmmaker Penelope Spheeris (“The Decline of Western Civilization,” “Wayne’s World”) was there and was very effusive about my songs (she even shot some footage of a later performance and sent it to me to use, which was amazing.) So that was encouraging. My music life seems to be one long slow burn, ever-expanding.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about LA is that it is a city full of artists and opportunities for artists. It feels culturally endless – like you’ll never run out of interesting people to talk to, good music, good films, good visual art, good food, beautiful nearby nature. It is teeming with creative life. I have never encountered another city that felt that way to this degree. This is the place you go to do your big idea. When I first got here after living a lot of other places, I thought, “Finally… a city with enough for me.” There’s great radio here, too – I am especially a fan of 88.5FM these days – Nic Harcourt and my old friend Gary Calamar especially. That they will air most of the music I release is a miracle in my mind.
I also love the arts history of LA – the film history, of course, but also the music history. I am deeply interested in the evolution of west coast country rock and all of the music that grew out of Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, East LA, etc. Everyone from Ringo to Los Lobos to Beck to Quincy Jones lives here.
The thing I like least is the pollution and poverty. I hate the dirty layer of grime on my car from the air and our homeless situation breaks my heart every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamescombs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescombsmusic/
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/EM9Am
- Other: www.greatwillowmusic.com
Image Credits
All photos by James Combs and Karen Combs.
