The Dutch Guitarnet Interview January 2003 / By Henk te Veldhuis

Jim, when did you start playing guitar and from which guitarists did you learn from a lot?
I was two years old when I first heard the Beatles. I played anything a child my age could get their hands on. Guitars and banjos were laying around my house so I met up with them quickly and made a noise that wouldn't turn into anything resembling cohesive music for years, yet I have established the intimate relationship with my captors immediately. As far as influences, if I told you one , I would have to list a hundred more.

Did you study guitar or are you mainly a self-taught guitarist?
I took very basic guitar lessons as a child. I went from the first Mel Bay book straight to "The Beatles Complete". I got the real meat from the records and listening to and watching others. As a child one also has the luxury of playing for hours and hours a day.

What is the big difference between your first 2 records Melodies and Monologues, Woods and Metals and now your new album Blue Wheels?
Both of those albums are no longer available and were short run home recordings in the mid 80's. I wouldn't want them heard today but the compositions live on in their present day level of evolution. A few of them live today on "Blue Wheels".

What guitars are you using?
An Alvarez Yairi DY 62 and a Fender Telecaster, both Japanese made. I am also a big fan of Japanese cuisine. The acoustic slide guitar is a very broken down but beautifully sounding Gurian.

How do you compose, is this very complex for you or are you mainly a guitarist
who creates a composition in "one shot"?
Both. Some songs come together over a length of time from various sources and some just "fall into my lap" as one .

What tunings are you mainly using?
Usually standard and drop D. A few others I mentioned earlier. I doesn't make sense to me to (although I've had in the past and will again) to be in a territory that I can't improvise in. I thrive on the ability to venture out at will and move freely and be able to keep my feet on solid ground whilst dancing in body and soul.

You are as well a very versatile guitarist, but your are a very good singer too,
but what do you think comes first, your voice or the guitar?
The guitar, unless I'm in the shower.

Are you a spiritual man, as your songs reflect your interest in life?
Any artist that that can't or wont say that they don't have a spiritual motivation and foundation is either in denial or a egotist in the worst way. I could tell you that I'm a guy that just loves to play music for folks and am satisfied in that direct human exchange, and I could say that playing music is a dharmic duty and service of love of and for the divine source. It is my vocation as well. It is how I move and breath and live in this world.

On your new album Blue Wheels you are using many exotic scales, is this a natural choice, or is this inherent to your tunings?
I really didn't use any exotic tunings this time other than drop D and DADGAD on "Lifting the Rib" and open C on "Sliderman". I do incorporate various eastern
Modes on some tunes like "Book Of Change" and "Engraved". I've always been a fan of musics from around the world and their influences have been a part of my own musical language.

Did you do some mixing with your guitars on Blue Wheels?
There are some tracks that are strictly solo and some that are overdubbed and embellished . "Book of change" and "Just Another Train Song" were adventures in guitar orchestration that took much longer than I would have liked, but I just love being able to "Craft" and arrange different voices and colours in the studio as much as an "on the spot" performance. Stage and studio are two completely different animals. I really wanted to bridge the two worlds together on this project.

You create much interaction between you and the listener, how do you manage
to create this beautiful interaction?
Wow! So nice to hear you say that in the fact that our interaction has only been by recording from another continent in the world. That to me is absolute artistic success, thank you so much.

Now you finished this beautiful album Blue Wheels, what is your next goal and
biggest wish?
My next goal is to get this album paid for so that I can produce the next album; so much music waiting. As to my biggest wish, that all of my compositions be recorded and shared with those who would be inspired by them as I have been inspired by all of those who came before and poured their musical souls into the world.