A talented and charismatic vocalist, Nathan James captivated television audiences across the United Kingdom with his appearances on the Superstar music reality series. While he didn’t win the competition, his amazing performances, especially a rendition of Guns N Roses classic tune Sweet Child O Mine, led to the opportunity to tour North America as part of the incredibly popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and later with German axe master Uli Jon Roth.
Always a fan of classic hard rock and metal, James’ meteoric rise to prominence has allowed him the opportunity to form a band, Inglorious, which has recorded an album of songs inspired by the great British bands of the past, from Deep Purple, to Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and the Rolling Stones, as well as American legends such as Aerosmith.
Besides James, Inglorious is comprised of Swedish guitar sensation Andreas Eriksson, rhythm guitarist Wil Taylor, bassist Colin Parkinson and drummer Phil Beaver, the latter three all Brits.
“I auditioned the guys and it took a while. I was very picky and wasn’t going to settle for anything but the best. I knew a couple of the guys from friends and stuff, but I really wanted to see as many musicians as I could,” James said, explaining the process for putting the band together, and how he thinks each member brings something special to the table, both on and off stage.
“Wil is the prankster. He is from the north of England, so has a weird accent and is a solid guitarist. He can play pretty much anything, which is very important. He also played drums on a track on the record. Andreas is an incredible musician and a true Viking – he is messy and leaves his clothes, equipment and food everywhere. He’s a great musician but, honestly, it’s like babysitting a little brother. He also thinks he’s Larry David, which he’s not. His favourite guitar player is Mark Knopfler, who I also think is awesome.
“Colin and Phil have known each other for a very long time, so as a rhythm section they are insanely locked in. Personality-wise, they are like brothers; Phil likes a drink and a good time and his favourite band is the Beatles. Colin is a huge Billy Sheehan fan, which was awesome when we toured with him [opening for the Winery Dogs].”
Although just in his 20s, James was weaned on classic rock, and wanted Inglorious to sound like a combination of Whitesnake and AC/DC, with equal parts edginess, masterful riffs and memorable melodies. Speaking of the rock music of the 1970s and early 1980s, he marvelled at the authenticity of that era’s bands.
“I think it was real music. You can’t hide your mistakes. It’s soulful. It’s sexy. It’s the blues, big riffs, big vocals, great songs. What’s not to like? I like the fact that all my favourite voices come from that genre and time. Everyone could really sing back then, not like now where a lot of ‘singers’ cheat,” James.
As the singer for both the TSO and for Roth, James was not allowed to cheat, but had to go out night after night and sing as flawlessly and with as much energy and passion as possible for very discriminating audiences. He feels this experience throughout 2012, 2013 and 2014 helped him as a singer, as a touring performer and definitely prepared him to front Inglorious.
“I learnt about stamina and looking after my instrument [voice] from TSO. I also learnt about professionalism and that if people have paid to see you live your dreams, then you should respect them fully and give them the best show you are capable of. From Uli I learn to wear ear plugs – he has the loudest onstage sound I have ever heard,” he said.
Inglorious’ self-titled debut album was released in February on by Frontiers Music, and was produced by the band, with advice coming from the legendary Chris Kimsey. A venerable elder statesman of the British music industry, best known for his engineering work on the Rolling Stones hit albums of the early 1970s, he also earned kudos for collaborations with Peter Frampton, Duran Duran, Yes and even Canadian blues master Colin James.
“We had a meeting with him in the studio and then he came in to hear us tracking demos. He was very complimentary of the songs and loved the sound we were making. He said we were doing what he would have told us to do,” said James, who said the band collaborated on all the songs, including the debut single Breakaway. Also chipping in with some songwriting help was TSO band leader and former Alice Cooper and Megadeth guitarist Al Pitrelli, and current Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra.
“Al is awesome, the best musician I know – a complete musician in every sense. He plays everything and has a great understanding of harmonies and vocals and also loves all music. He is a very chilled guy and it was easy to write with him. Joel is an awesome guitar player with so many ideas and I am very happy with the song we wrote together on this album: we wrote it in a hotel in Omaha, Nebraska,” said James, adding that many of the songs for the album started as riffs in various jam scenarios.
“It usually starts with a riff, and we will turn it into a song. From there I will then go away and think about what I want to say lyrically after we have the feel for a song. We wrote my two favourite songs for the album in one afternoon – completed songs! It’s a very fun experience and we are very honest [with one another]. If something ain’t working, we move on.”
Even though James had a huge public profile, there was no inclination on his part to put forth this music as a solo artist or as a vanity project – he wanted to be part of band, like his hero David Coverdale and his creation, Whitesnake.
“All my favourite singers and inspirations fronted bands. There is no power like five people playing music they wrote together; five guys that know each other so well, you know?” he said, adding that Coverdale’s earliest music after leaving Deep Purple in the mid-1970s leading up to Whitesnake was a sort of template for the Inglorious vibe.
“That’s what I had in mind, I suppose. I took the opening lyric from David Coverdale’s Northwinds album for our song Holy Water. It’s no secret I am a big DC fan.”
James said he is totally focused on making Inglorious a success and has no other musical irons in the fire at the moment, although he jokingly said “if Jimmy Page needed a new singer, or AC/DC want another Brit to sing, I’ll obviously oblige. But no, Inglorious is my baby and it’s all I think about at the moment.”
Inglorious has a full slate of tour dates throughout the UK and Europe this summer, including a number of big festivals. James hopes to bring the band to North America in early 2017.
For more information, visit Inglorious on Facebook, or their website http://www.inglorious.com/
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
