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Found in the Fall 2000 issue of Blue Suede News (by Dennis M. Dewitt) |
In the last two years the roots music fans of the Pacific Northwest have had the good fortune to finally see rockabilly and alternative country-roots music legends that many of us thought would never grace a stage in this sometimes isolated (and very wet) part of the United States. Two years ago Virginia's Janis Martin finally appeared in Seattle and then from Austin, Texas came Marti Brom and now, the elusive James lntveld - born in the Netherlands, but raised from age 2 in Compton, California has made his first club appearance in the rainy city. James Intveld was in town to play a sold out club show and to promote his new, long awaited and critically acclaimed country and roots rock album entitled "Somewhere Down The Road". This new album is a barnburner that showcases at least three different styles of music. Every song on this new CD is a classic. This could be the album of the year. I've reviewed and listened to a lot of music in the last year and nothing I've heard lately can touch this album with a ten foot pole. A multitalented performer, James Intveld is also a successful actor who has appeared in movies with William DaFoe (Roadhouse 66) and James also played the late River Phoenix's best friend in the young actor last movie called "A Thing Called Love". Recently James was signed to appear in the new Billy Crystal movie "*61" about the year Roger Maris broke the home run record of Babe Ruth. Intveld also coached Nicolas Cage how to sing like Elvis Presley in the movie "Young At Heart". Intveld also did the music for a John Waters movie in 1990 that starred Johnny Depp - "Cry Baby" - today a midnight cult movie. A part in the TV movie "Shake, Rattle and Roll" followed and after all this, James then played the lead in "F.B.I. Untold Stories" on cable. In between acting jobs Intveld tours the world and concentrates on his great songwriting and his original music. James is also working on and remodeling a home he recently bought in Los Angeles. Today one of the biggest fans of Intveld's music is Bruce Springsteen. Recently BSN had a chance to talk with James and it was a fascinating interview. The only problem is he's done so much it would really take a book to capture the whole story. So what's the point of this long winded dissertation? If you don't know about the great original American music of James Intveld, I've only got one question to ask you. What rock have you been living under? Enjoy the interview. BSN: You started out in rockabilly in the early 1980's? JI: Yes I started a rockabilly band with my late brother Rick and we called our band the Rockin Shadows. We worked a lot in the early '80s in Los Angeles clubs like Madame Wongs, etc. This was also about the time I started to play some country gigs in North Hollywood at places like the Palomino Club (now closed) and other local country bars. I've always been a working musician who enjoys all types of American music. I guess how all this started out was as a kid I spent a lot of time listening to a lot of Sun records out of Memphis and I remember that the records had a smoky sound and a lot of backbeat on the bass, it just did something to me. I also listened to a lot of country western music and big bands. My parents (Fred and Ellen Intveld) were big music fans so there was always music around the house. My dad was also a guy who liked the old rockabilly sound from the '50s. My sister (Jayne) and brother and I were lucky - we had parents who loved music. There was always music around the house when I was young. Then In 1978 I went to the theater to see the movie "The Buddy Holly Story" and it changed my life. Before that I thought "How can we start a band? We need so much equipment?" Well that movie proved to me you could get a powerful sound with just a small combo. So my brother and I started a trio with a friend and we started Jamming and our band the Rockin Shadows were born. BSN: Were the Rockin Shadows your first band? JI: No. I was in my first band when I was 10 years old. That band was called Freedom and we were playing out of Compton, California where I grew up. I started playing guitar when I was 8 years old. I also played drums. I've always played music, but definitely not the music of the day. Even when I was a kid I didn't play the popular music. BSN: You helped start the Barn Dance in Los Angeles? JI: Ronnie Mack runs the Barn Dance that today is held at the Cat Club (owned by former "Stray Cat" Slim Jim). The original Barn Dance was held at a small club in North Hollywood in 1984. That club was too small so some of us helped to move the Barn Dance the Palomino Club where it was a big hit on Tuesday nights. That is until the Palomino Club closed. Then the Barn Dance moved to Jack's Sugar Shack until that club closed. Now with another new location Ronnie Mack's Barn Dance is still very popular. What's great is if you have musicians come to town they have a place to play. The Barn Dance has helped a lot of performers' careers and I think that's really cool. BSN: Have you played Seattle before? JI: I played here at the Bumbershoot festival when I was the bass player in Rosie Flores' band just after she had a country hit with a song I wrote "Crying Over You" (also backed up Robert Gordon here in 1994). Then I also did a Blasters show when I was the lead guitar player in that band (1991-95). This is my first time in town with my own band. |
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James Intveld at Seattle's Sunset Tavern Photo by Mary McConie |
| BSN: The new album is a classic, I noticed that your lead guitar player Michael Turner co-produced the album with you can you tell us a little about Michael? JI: He's a big part of our live sound and we work very well together. Michael's like an Oklahoma farm boy, you know raised on a farm in the heartland of America. He went to college in Tulsa, Oklahoma on a music scholarship and he also played a lot of bars and general gigs, so he has the experience of playing live. Michael also had the same musical experiences as I do and it's worked out very well. BSN: The new CD is super I would like to ask you a few questions about the other members of the band. Tell us a little about your drummer Shawn Nourse. JI: Shawn's been with us for a couple of years. Shawn's originally from Anaheim, California. He has also played in a lot of different bands like all of us. He also decided to quit the other bands and go with us full time. It's worked out very well and it's good having Shawn in the band. BSN: How about your upright bass player? JI: Bruce Whitkind is a guy I've known for 11 years. I did the music for a play that English singer Adam Ant was producing in Los Angeles. The play was called Eddie and Gene - it was about Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. We went into a local recording studio in Southern California to record in about 1989, and it was a studio owned by Bruce and that’s how we met. Also about a year later Bruce worked with me when I did the music and singing for the John Waters movie Cry Baby in 1990. I did the singing for the star of the movie Johnny Depp and Bruce helped on that project so I've known him for a long time. He's a big part of our live show. It's great to have Bruce in the band. BSN: Could you tell us a little about your first CD on Germany's Bear Family Records? JI: I was asked to do a song called "Barely Hangin' On", for an anniversary compilation that Bear Family records of Germany was releasing. The Bear Family Records people were so impressed with the song that they turned around and asked me to do an album. I had complete control of the production and they paid for the studio time. I played all the instruments in the studio - drums, bass and lead guitar. The album won the best country roots CD from Music Connection for 1996. (James didn't mention it, but it also led to a TV special in Germany called '"James Intveld, a portrait of a man and his music"). That album was geared more for the overseas and European market. I'm proud of the record. BSN: We understand you have toured overseas many times? JI: Yes, I've been to England, Germany, Scandinavia, Russia and Japan. BSN: Whoa! What was Japan like? JI: It was great, I toured Japan as a lead guitar player for the Nelsons, Rick Nelson's twin sons. The twins had their songs released in the far east a few years before the tour and had some big hits in Japan. We played a lot of American military bases, and I played guitar in their band on this tour. Also I had some records released in Japan on some bootleg labels, I’m not too sure about their copyright laws. Some of my records were released over there in Japan and I did have some time to promote my own recordings also on this tour. It was an enjoy able experience overall. BSN: What was Russia like for an American musician? JI: It was a real education in the truest sense of the word. We played a club in Moscow called the Chesterfield Cafe for two weeks. There's another Chesterfield Club in Paris, France owned by the same people and we (the band) thought it would be cool. Man, were we in for an education! The band and I did things like cruise around Red Square and things that a guy from Southern California normally won't get to do [laughs]. We had a Russian guide or host who helped us get around Moscow. I remember that there were police and military people everywhere. Sometimes they would stop us to check our papers and the military seemed to do this a lot to everyone and I remember all the police and military had machine guns and that took a little getting used to. Finally we got stopped in a car by the police, who wanted a bribe or they were going to take us to jail. Our Russian host said don't pay them (big mistake) and the next thing I know we are in a Russian jail and guess what, it was very cold in the jail just like you think it would be. Needless to say we did eventually pay the bribe only at the jail before we were released. It was February and man it was so cold we thought we would freeze to death in the jail’s BSN: Would you go back to Russia to play music? JI: No I don't think so, but it makes a great story to tell, but don't think I need that experience more than once in my life. BSN: How about Europe? JI: I've always had good luck with European Audiences. I've played Finland, Norway and England. Germany has been the best market for my music in Europe. A few years ago I went to Germany with the L.A. Roots rock band the Blasters and at the same time the Bear Family Label in Germany was releasing my solo recordings. I did a TV special in Germany that helped to promote my music in that area of the world. Originally my connection to this market was Los Angeles rockabilly Ray Campi, who first got me hooked up with the German record label. BSN: We just found out that you've also toured Australia? JI: I was down under with the actor Harry Dean Stanton in the early 1990's. Harry was singing a folk-blues-country kind of music and I played in his band. Like what usually happens - I found time to promote my solo music and do some things for my career. I enjoyed the tour. BSN: Man, you get around! JI: Thank You. BSN: One of your strongest points as a musician seems to be your uncanny ability to write songs that truly scratch under the surface of the human experience. Where do you get your ideas? JI: Believe it or not sometimes driving on the freeway and I have to pull the car over and look for a piece of paper to write on before I lose the idea [laughs]. BSN: When did you start to write songs? JI: As a kid I started to write things and you never know for a long time if you're any good at it. I felt like I wanted to write and create and I never thought about it for a long time. If you're creative you just start writing songs and you don't know if you're any good until years later. It's just something you have to do if there's a songwriter inside of you who has to get out. BSN: Some of the best songs on the new CD “Somewhere Down The Road” were written with a writing partner John Coinman Who is he? JI: Bug music in Hollywood is the company that publishes my music and they put me in touch with John Coinman. John's originally from the Los Angeles area. John called Bug music and asked if they knew anyone who was a songwriter because he was writing songs for a movie and needed a writing partner. At the time John was living in Silver Lake and I was living in Echo Park (both are in Los Angeles). We wrote three songs for this movie and we got along very well as songwriting partners. Funny thing, now I can't even remember the name of the movie we worked on. John Coinman is the kind of guy that pushes me as a songwriter to finish things and I need that because I'm always playing gigs and I'm really busy all the time. John is busy too, but he is always patient and waits until we can write together. He lives now in Tucson, Arizona. John Coinman is a musician and plays gigs out in Arizona. He's a great guy. On the new CD “Somewhere Down The Road” we have 9 original songs (including 5 we wrote together) out of 12 on the album. We still get together and write songs. BSN: You play country music also, what are your country influences? JI: My parents Fred and Ellen Intveld are big country music fans and we heard a lot of country music growing up. Also country songwriters like Harlan Howard and Don Gibson are big influences on my song writing. Over the years I spent a lot of time doing gigs and playing with other people in country bars in the Los Angeles area. I've done this because I've always been a working musician. In the early 1980's the urban cowboy movement started and there was a lot of work in country bars. You know where you could play rockabilly and country music (also during this time period the Southern California cowpunk movement was also an influence - bands like Lone Justice etc. were popular) in the same evening in the same club. Also you asked who my favorite country singer is? George Jones is a close number one. Hank Williams is a close second. BSN: Your track record shows you've never been one dimensional as a performer or songwriter. JI: Yes, I've always played and listened to a lot of different kinds and styles of music. I never plan or think about it. I just do what I do as a musician and songwriter. BSN: Many people think that “Somewhere Down The Road” may be the roots music album of the year. My favorite songs from the album keep changing with each listening. What's your favorite song on the new release? JI: I would say the song "Livin' Without You" or maybe the last song "Remember Me". I like both songs a lot. BSN: James, we would like to thank you for your time and for the interview and I personally feel we have just scratched the surface of the James Intveld story (Hep-Cat mail order in Los Angeles carries Intveld's music and James has a world class web site www.jamesintveld.com). We understand that you just bought a home in Los Angeles and that you're remodeling it. Is there anything you don't do? JI: [Laughs] There's a lot of things I can't do. BSN: We are looking forward to your next visit to the Pacific northwest this November. JI: Thank You - see you then. |
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James Intveld and the band. Photo by Mary McConie |
Epilogue |
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James Intveld relies on the whole spectrum of American music, but this does not mean that he is only conjuring up musical ghosts from the past. On a very subliminal level some of this original songs are spiritual and metaphysical, yet some are showing him to be a song writer who follows his heart and writes about all human experiences. No quantum leap in judgment required here. The man from the town south of Bakersfield has shown himself to be more than your garden variety guitar player/band leader looking for a hit song. James is also legendary for his kindness and humility toward other musicians. Intveld has written hit songs for many performers, like Rosie Flores and recorded background tracks and vocals for superstars - the name Bob Dylan comes to mind - and turned down chances to join and tour the world with bands working the largest arenas (Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street band) all these clear headed and mature decisions were based on the reality that he would not have the time to work on his own original music. James Intveld is a multi-dimensional artist whose journey thru the musical landscape of the new millennium seems at this point in time and space to be poised for success. The new album "Somewhere Down The Road" is an excellent place for music fans to start on their own journey thru this great artists catalogue of songs. This story is dedicated to the memory of Rick Intveld (1962-85), James' younger brother who died in the Texas plane crash that also liked '50's rock legend Ricky Nelson. Fred and Ellen Intveld, James' parents and his sister Jayne all deserve credit for the loving and nurturing atmosphere that produced a James Intveld. Dennis M. Dewitt |
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