Interview with Riley James.

Musician/ Filmmaker

Riley James is an Artist who is as versatile as he is talented! Filmmaker, Audio Engineer, Performing and Recording Artist, Producer, and Multi-Instrumentalist he creates Art laden with Meaning and Movement. Raised on an eclectic mix of grunge, rock, hip-hop, classical, and late 90’s indie rock, Riley has carried his Love for and complete disregard of genres into His music. You are just as likely to hear a upbeat pop song about Love and Loss as you are a Heavy, fuzz driven solo from him that drips with Soul. If you listen music period, you will enjoy Riley James.

Riley: Where are yah From Pat?

Patrick: Australia

Riley: Thats what’s up! Wow, That’s a sweet communication distance!

Patrick: Ok let’s start the interview.

Riley: Australia sounds rad! I want to go to Perth.

Patrick: I’m in Adelaide South Australia.

Riley: Oh sweet! I’ve heard of it but I’m not that familiar. Interview?

Patrick: Yeah, I thought we were doing an Interview? lol

Riley: Oh hahahaja One sec let me put on my interview hat.

Patrick: This is all going to be in the interview its already started.

Riley: Haha.

Patrick: Ok cool just let me have a quick read of your BIO while you tell us where you are from.

Riley: Can do! Oh my gosh good thing I’m a millennial because I’m typing all of this on my phone ha-ha, I’m from a sweet artistic Mecca nestled into the Mountains of Montana called Missoula.

Patrick: So, America lol.

Riley: And our housing costs are nuts and a bunch of people moved here too so yes.

Patrick: Sounds cool.

Riley: Merica

Patrick: Have you lived there all your life?

Riley: No, I was born and raised in Billings Montana which is like a super clean and boring family town. Until you dig into its history Haha When I was a middle schooler Billings had a Nationally recognized Arena Football League team. It’s Montana so anything that got is scene, at least back in those days was cool. Well, come to find out that the team was being used as transporting hub and hiding copious amounts of cocaine. This conspiracy kept going up the line when they were busted and the kingpin of it all was The District Attorney ha-ha. Thats Billings.

Patrick: Holy shit sounds like that would make a great movie.

Riley: I would live in Missoula for the rest of my life gladly if it had the artistic connections and outlets like Austin, Nashville, LA, or Portland. We just aren’t there yet. Oh, and that was just a tiny taste of my hometown’s corruption.

Patrick: I thought Adelaide was bad we just have serial killers.

Riley: Dude Montana has a small populace but at one point in the 70’s or 80’s a bunch of displaced people from the Californian cities moved here. And then women of the night started walking Montana avenue.

Patrick: This is my first interview by the way so it may not seem to professional but we will get there lol. So, by women of the night, you mean hookers?

Riley: No problem about this being your first interview I’m sure it will be great and yeah, My biological dad was actually Involved in the underworld here.

Patrick: Your dad was involved?

Riley: And yeah, sex workers is the technical term now.

Patrick: Was your dad a pimp? ok you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.

Riley: My biological dad was a drug-dealing pimp and part of a pretty successful ring that ran long enough to become Lore.

Patrick: Your dad was a bad ass.

Riley: I have yet to meet him due to my mother’s family, who are Mormon, making him Sign an agreement to never contact me.

Patrick: This could be a book.

Riley: Yeah, now he’s houseless and walking in between worlds. I mean you wanna write it? We can talk business later Haha.

Patrick: Maybe I'm not the best writer but we will see how much interest this interview gets, you never know man.

Riley: Haha sounds good.

Patrick: Ok so should we start on some music / film making questions?

Riley: Hmmm let’s go music since that is my most developed and practiced craft.

Patrick: I wrote some down but like I said this is the first one I have done an interview so we will see how it goes.

Riley: I trust yah Pat.

Patrick: Ok so how do you balance your time between music production and Filmmaking? and do they influence each other?

Riley: Luckily, I was gifted with ADHD, so I tend to get a lot of things done In a short amount of Time and then I procrastinate ha-ha so the focused time is typically music and the times causally avoiding things become vision sessions, and yes they absolutely do influence each other. Did you know the Academy created an award to give to Quentin Tarantino, for his use of music in film?

Patrick: Actually, no I did not know that.

Riley: They literally made him an award specifically for him and that No one is getting Oscar’s made just for them…., That’s how much they influence one another. Yeah, music and film are the most hypnotizing thing on earth side from Dark Side and some LSD.

Patrick: He’s great love his movies and the music in them is always fantastic. What has been your biggest challenge in juggling two different but connected creative outlets?

Riley: Biggest Challenge is completing a project before sitting another one. All of the short films we have done so far have been written, filled, produced, and edited in 24 hours except for a few. My friends John Westfall and Danny Haller are phenomenal videographers, filmmakers and editors and I was blessed that we all met through the recording studio I used to work at here in town. So yeah, I prefer to get things done as quickly as possible because a new creation will appear whenever it wants to and I am always more excited about creating something new and riding that first wave of inspiration is like riding a roller coaster in the dark; you have no idea where you’re going it’s going somehow it works then gets super fun and is done. So my solution to managing this was to write and film a feature and record an album. I just do them at the same time and the music writes the Movie and the movie writes the Music. Oh and the outcome of this challenge is me having around 25 unreleased songs that are only unreleased because I have to create. Like, I enjoy creating art I do, but it’s not a hobby or passion or even profession to Me It’s a compulsion I have to do it

Patrick: Thats awesome.

Riley: If I don’t, then I’ll start creating stuff up in my Mind, Mind creations are usually directed inwards you Know, Thoughts of fears etc.

Patrick: A great distraction from the real world.

Riley: Or me literally creating stories up about how people are looking at me and why… I’ll make a story Haha.

Patrick: I think the best artists are the ones who have been through some shit.

Riley: Haha I’ve lived a life Pat.

Patrick: What upcoming projects do you have in the pipeline?

Riley: Mmmmm I’ve been putting together a live band that is playing some of the more rocky trippy blues and other songs I’ve written on guitar and that has been very rewarding! We’re into fall and with it gigs starting becoming scarce. Which after this summer oh my gosh. Needed. Lots of festivals booked me in Montana and Washington So fall and winter the times when I create deep. It becomes dark around 5:30pm during diner so you are just insides for what seems like the endless night (a song I wrote and titled) and most people drink, smoke weed, and big heavy chill during winter. I sit on my couch and brainstorm ideas until one begins to unravel and then I create it! I and use Winter as time to plan, create, and develop myself and my outlets.

Patrick: Ok cool we can wrap it up now if you want there’s some interesting stuff there.

Riley: I feel like the biggest project is my dual film/album Blue 33 which is loosely based upon my life. The film and album centre around Icarus, a young man in Love with Persephone, his fiancé, and Blue 33’s synthetic painkillers and the only thing that numbs the guilt he feels inside, guilt that eventually results in his untimely death and birth into the Spirit Society where most undergo several labours to return to his love or be gone from her forever. The movie is about the fentanyl epidemic in America and how addiction destroys the addict and anyone near to them. It’s an ode to facing oneself and the mistakes we make in life. In order to find self-acceptance and love.

The music is off a style I’ve never created before and has an angelic suffering to it. Songs range from trap- blues - the new style- and all tell the story of the movie

Patrick: You got me interested that’s for sure nice work.

Riley: Yeah, it’s definitely a project Haha I don’t know when it will be finished. I’m halfway through writing and the album is mostly completed pending some orchestral movements and piano compositions. It’s going to be fun scoring in between the songs ha-ha. I imagine, 2026 maybe? Idk It could be done next year too Depends on funding and general intuition. We may begin coming March Actually. So yeah 2026 unless I get like a $125,000 advance. Cause then all I’m doing is that movie Haha.

Patrick: Nice one love this sort of stuff I’ll be very interested in your projects from here on in.

Riley: Hell yeah! Thank you.

Patrick: All we need is some links on where we can find you man, Yeah thanks for this should be a good article.

Riley: Here is my Spotify

Here is Youtube

https://www.instagram.com/riley_james_music?igsh=c2hudGhuNHlxM3Fi&utm_source=qr

https://www.facebook.com/rileyjamesmusic333?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Regards.

Patrick. M