Cool band alert! I recently had the chance to chat with Daniel James of Daniel James & The Loveless following their recent show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey! If you haven’t heard of this band before—which consists of vocalist/guitarist Daniel James, guitarist Mike Perdichizzi, and bassist Joe Petruccio—now is the time to get to know them. Check this out below:
For those who are unfamiliar, please introduce yourselves!
We are Daniel James And The Loveless from Freehold, New Jersey. We are a four-piece rock and roll band.
How long have you guys been a band?
We have been a band for about four years now. And haven’t stopped ever since, and show no signs of slowing, hopefully!
I want to talk a little bit about Things We’ve Done. It’s a great record, out now. Can you tell us about the recording and song writing process on this piece?
Thank you! We appreciate that. Well, I will say it was a long time coming. Took around two and a half years of our existence as a band to produce as a finished thing/child. Writing the songs actually started before this incarnation of the band. I wrote our single “Let Me Go” in 2011 just to date things a bit. After that it was just songs collecting as life would happen to me. Collecting experiences and scars to tell the stories that I’ve come to sing about someday. I never like to write about anything that could come across disingenuous, and I think that together with my bandmates, we’ve accomplished that. We’ve put down stories of things we’ve been through and that people can relate to anytime they put it on.
Recording it was the harder task, jumping from one place to another, trying new engineers and things, trying to find the right sound for this record. We wanted this specific band to represent us as we usually are live and out on a stage. We wanted to make something that didn’t pull any wool over anyone’s eyes by pretending nuance is mistake by today’s recording standards. We got that with Michael Bader, who engineered and produced this record. He filled every desire we had. He recorded us at The Engine Room in NYC and it could not have gone better. We recorded the album analog to get that sound we wanted and I’m truly pleased with the end result. I truly hope everyone else is just as pleased.
What usually comes first for you, the music or the lyrics?
I’ll usually start a song with guitar chords and a strum pattern and go from there. Usually I will play something and the melody line will come to me. It’s almost like the lyrics are floating over my head and I have to grab them and attach them to the guitar chords I’ve written.
Being a Jersey native, what are your thoughts on the music scene here? It’s not always the same in every state…
I really love the New Jersey music scene. There are just so many ways you can go about being part of it. You can do more of the underground shows in the VFWs of the area, or you can stretch out to the venues and promoters. We’ve done more of the venue-to-venue jaunt and every place and stage is so special in its own way. We love finding the fun in the singular experiences with a place and crowd.
What would you say you enjoy more, recording or playing live shows?
I think as a whole we enjoy playing live more. There is nothing quite like the energy and connecting with people after who have connected to the music in some way. It’s special.
What are your plans for this summer? Shows, recording, what’s next?
This summer we are doing a bit of both, actually! We will be playing down at the shore a lot, I’m sure. So if anyone wants to check out what we are up to, they can head to our Facebook page. We will also be recording a little something new, which I’m excited about. I feel like things keep evolving, which is nice. I’d really love to put that growth down onto a recording this summer. An East Coast tour is in order at some point, but I’m sure that might come closer to the fall.
Now I find your sound and style to be all of your own, but have you ever been compared to another band? If so, is it a compliment?
Thank you, yes, of course! It’s very hard not to be. There are generations and generations of music that came before. For us, we get the Bruce Springsteen comparison a lot, which I love, so yes, it’s a total compliment. To have my music or voice be heard in a way that is reminiscent of such a profound writer and entertainer will never get old. He’s the best there is.
If you could play a show with ANYONE in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Ah, Bruce Springsteen for sure. Hands down. Even just a song. His music has taken me all sorts of crazy places in my life. It would be so full circle to actually stand on a stage with him. I actually started playing music after seeing him live when I was nine, so I guess that’s why.
I want people to get to know Daniel James And The Loveless. Where can we find you?
You can find us on Facebook (under Daniel James And The Loveless). We are DJTLmusic on Instagram and Twitter, and at DJTLmusic.com. Our album is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and most other major online music distributors.
