You know it the first time you hear it, that feeling you get deep in the pit of your very soul, and those riffs & melodies that never leave your brain, when a debut rock record makes its impact on you, and announces the arrival of a band to be reckoned with. Such will be the case for many with the release of the inaugural album from Inglorious, a terrific band whose debut reminds us of the glory days of hard rock from the '70s through the early '90s. Led by the incredible vocalist Nathan James, who has also cut his teeth with Uli Jon Roth and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Inglorious are set to take audiences by storm with their Frontiers Records debut and live shows that are just now being planned. Sea of Tranquility Publisher Pete Pardo had a chance to connect with Nathan James to discuss this exciting new band and what they bring to the table for rock fans around the globe.
SoT: Inglorious are delivering one of early 2016s great debuts. Seeing as many are going to be unfamiliar with the band, with the exception possibly of Nathan James due to his time with TSO & Uli Jon Roth, can you go into a little detail about how you all came together, and what you were doing prior to the band forming?
Nathan: I held an audition and invited people who either came with a great recommendation or provided a video submission. I found three guys that weekend then set about finding a lead player. I really wanted a Brit but had to go all the way to Sweden to find the player the band needed. Andreas was in a band for 7 years in Sweden and was looking for a new venture that suited him better musically and the rest of the guys just wanted to be in a great band which was refreshing…as a lot of apllicants main goal was to become a session player.
SoT: Hints of Deep Purple, Free, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Humble Pie, Aerosmith, Lynch Mob, and Badlands, all legends of bluesy, heavy rock of the '70s & '80s, permeate your debut. In addition to some of the these bands, who else has inspired the band to create the music heard on the new album?
Nathan: You pretty much hit the nail on the head. For me personally I love great vocals and showmen so Guns n Roses, Queen, etc.. We really love the 70s stuff and that's how we recorded the album too. Organic and not overproduced.
SoT: Frontiers Records seems like a great fit for the band, with all their other great classic sounding groups as well as familiar legendary acts from the glory years. How did you wind up hooking up with this Italian powerhouse label?
Nathan: My management and A&R guy Derek Shulman who signed Bon Jovi and Nickelback thought it would be a good fit…so we invited them to a showcase and they put in an offer straight after the show.
SoT: There's plenty of meaty Hammond organ heard on the album-who played those parts for the recording, and do you plan to add a keyboard player for live shows?
Nathan: We had a great musician Liam Holmes play the parts on the album, and yes, we do plan to tour with a keyboard player.
SoT: For many fans, you first turned heads on the excellent Scorpions Revisited album from Uli Jon Roth, but he's singing on another level here on your debut. Would you say that this is the type of material that really allows for him to shine the brightest?
Nathan: This is what I was born to sing… I think it makes most sense because I'm singing lyrics and melodies I wrote. For the first time ever I am not just a voice…
SoT: There are many songs on the debut that seem tailor made for North American audiences, fitting right in with the bluesy hard rock swagger of what fans love about Rival Sons as well as some of the Southern Rock vibes of say a Black Stone Cherry. Are the band (and the label) going to try to make sure that US audiences gets exposed to the new album, either by expanded promotion or live gigs in support of it?
Nathan: Yeah! We wanna get over to the States asap but as we all know…the greatest classic blues rock came from the UK so we wanna make sure we get our own behind us first before we cross the pond to melt some faces.
SoT: Speaking of Rival Sons, they seem to be finally getting their first big break here in the States, opening up for the final Black Sabbath tour in large venues across the country. What would be your dream opening slot for a legendary band who are still in existence and touring today?
Nathan: The Guns n Roses reunion or Aerosmith. Huge fans of both and they will always put on shows to remember!
SoT: The band had some notable help with the songwriting from the likes of Joel Hoekstra, Al Pitrelli,and Neil Fairclough. Can you talk about how that came to be?
Nathan: I met Joel and Al at TSO and literally hung out in hotel rooms or backstage and wrote a bit in down time on tour and in rehearsals. The Neil link came when I sang with Brian May's favourite female voice, Kerry Ellis. Neil was on the gig and said he had a song for me…he didn't just have one…him, his sister Lois and brother in law had an albums worth of material. I co wrote on the title track with them and it's a great song to play live.
SoT: One of the great things about the debut is how much variety is how much variety is included on the album. Was the intent to weave as many musical flavors into all the songs, or did it just kind of work out that way as you went along?
Nathan: I didn't want to bore the listener. none of the songs were intended for radio its just what we wrote and what we like. We produced it ourselves to which meant we all had very strong feelings about the 22 songs we recorded then cut down to make this debut record. Its also about the live show. Nothing more boring than a band that do the same shit for 2 hours...our set will have light and shade and that's important.
SoT: Sometimes, when a red hot album gets released early in the year, sometimes, come year end, fans tend to forget about those early releases and they can get lost in the shuffle. How important is it for Inglorious to ride any wave of success that might come with the release of the debut, and make sure the excitement carries over throughout the rest of the year and beyond?
Nathan: By putting on great shows and lining up another great tour for summer…bare with us..its coming!
SoT: Lastly, if you have one sentence that you can use to describe what Inglorious are all about to a rock fan who has never heard the band, what would you say to them?
Nathan: If you like the record, you'll like us live…it's the same thing! Theres no autotune or click tracks..its not perfect. Its real. Hope you like it!
Pete Pardo
(Click here to read our reviews of Inglorious)
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