James Converse revives us with his new project We Were Young, taking us all the way back to the eternal nostalgia we never knew we needed. Heavy in synth and California roots, his sound is sure to awaken listeners to a new wave of expansion.
Once in awhile an artist comes along and their music makes you reminisce about a love lost, or gives you a feeling of wanderlust, or reminds you of the giddiness of childlike wonder. They help you remember that your life is not yet paved…that things are possible and there’s another vortex that remains unseen. And perhaps that vortex is a whole lot of fun. These are feelings that come to mind when I discovered the music of James Converse, aka We Were Young. The L.A. based artist has come a long way from his DJing days, and with his new single ‘Devil is a Juno’ dropping this Friday, I was delighted to get the opportunity to sit down with We Were Young and get the scoop of all things life and music. Explain to us at We♥Music a little of who you are as an artist. I grew up listening to all sorts of music and watching many VHS tapes, even making my own cassette mixtapes and burning CDs. My mom owned a few video stores, so I had access to promotional movies, music, video games, etc. After high school, I veered off into underground music culture: House, Punk, and hip-hop; an odd combination, but it was mood-based. I went to school in Boulder, after snow-bumming around Breckenridge Colorado for a winter. It was there I learned to DJ; it was all vinyl back then. I moved to the bay area in my 20’s and worked at record shop, so I got to listen to a ton of eclectic music. Somehow I found myself in the tech wold, and was immersed in that for a long time. During the pandemic, I had a spiritual awakening and got back into music. I was learning guitar and keys while singing and writing my own songs. It started out as a kind of EDM, but has since evolved into more indie pop/dance tunes. Today, I just like to sing and write my own songs. I think music production is a lot of indoor hours behind a desk, which I can honestly do without. Right now I’m focused on the creative flow. What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music? Do you have any specific message you want to share with your listeners? I want people to remember the past, and feel how they were when they were young and carefree. I want people to think about the lyrics, but not too seriously because some of my songs are meant to be fun and that’s it. I want people to remember life before the internet, you know? Before smartphones. I wanna bring the energy of being able to disconnect and be in the moment- not think of the world’s problems or the things weighing them down. How long did this new project take? What inspired your lyrics?
I’ll have you know this first title, ‘The Devil is a Juno’, is literally about a synth; a Juno-60. I just like the way it sounds, and I can’t resist putting it in almost every song! Some of my other songs have much more meaning to them, but this track was more of a writing exercise, using metaphors. I think it’s a fun and campy song. It makes me laugh and it’s got some groove to it. How long did it take? In some sense, maybe my whole life, but the actual world, this one came together so fast, like one day. I was just sitting outside watching a volleyball game, and it came to me, randomly. How do you approach the storytelling aspect of your videos? Talk about what visual elements appeal to you. I use this showing vs. telling approach. Showing is to describe the who, what, where and when, as well as describing your senses. Telling is how it made you feel. Showing helps paint a picture, and telling is from your perspective. It's quite difficult to write while using metaphors and alliteration, while still having a deeper meaning. It’s important to not be too specific sometimes, too. Let the listeners get their own message from the song. Who would be your dream musician to collaborate with? Wow yeah, Jose Gonzales. This guy has an incredible perspective on life and music, and his guitar skills are amazing…seemingly flawless. He is certainly amazing. Who’s a band or artist that knocked your socks off when you saw them live? I don’t even remember all the shows I’ve been to, but the first one that came to mind was Rob Zombie, who opened for Korn, but outclassed them. How do you navigate authenticity and the business side of the industry? I try to not participate in the business side of the industry. My day job allows me some freedoms that most artists don’t have. One label asked me to change something one time. They said if I did, then “maybe.” What kind of BS is that?
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