The Square Life

Local folk favorite, Joshua James, spent this past summer on a nationwide tour and his album The Sun is Always Brighter recently reached #1 on iTunes. After opening for John Mayer, Joshua sat down with Square to talk about the tour, writing and his newest purchase.

SQ: So, how’s the tour going?

JJ: Tour has been going really good. Lots of driving, lots of not eating, and lots of sleeping in tents.

SQ: How was opening for John Mayer? Did you get to meet him?

JJ: John Mayer was amazing...we loved it, it was really good exposure. We unfortunately didn’t get to meet him, but we met Ben Folds in the cafeteria backstage area. It was good.

SQ: Do you feel you have a responsibility to keep writing intensely honest music?

JJ: I do actually feel sometimes pressure to write about serious and very intense things, probably because I have so often in the past. It is something I have brought on myself, but sometimes I just want to write a song just to write a song. Honesty is something I hope to never compromise. That is something that I feel very strong about. Honesty is a key to good music I think.

SQ: We hear you have a nice audio cassette collection. Any new goodies?

JJ: Yes I have a little audio cassette collection. My car has no CD player, so I buy cassettes. I really like them. As for any other “goodies,” I have a beautiful wife, and a new home in Provo. Life is going fast, but not without beauty along the way.

SQ: You bought a home in Provo? How do you like being a homeowner?

JJ: We (Emma and I) are not going anywhere soon. Utah is home to both of us, even though Nebraska is where I was raised. We just bought a lawn mower, which is a huge step in choosing a place to reside.

SQ: Final Question: What is one word that makes you cringe?

JJ: “Ankle socks.” Is that one word or two? It doesn’t matter. I have always found some sort of almost perversion in ankle socks, for some reason. I have felt that way for the longest time.