James White & The Wild Fire are a blend of Indie, Rock, Country and Bluegrass hailing from Saffron Walden, Essex. The band formed building on the solo career of James White who has successfully built a respectable fanbase since 2016 which has enabled three European tours since then and a Top 5 reach in the Amazon Download Charts for all genres. The band encompasses musical veteran Lee Dorrington on Cajon, Banjo virtuoso Ed Goldsmith, and Brooke Bond, a phenomenal bassist who played professionally on cruise ships for many years before settling in the UK.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey James White & The Wild Fire, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
James: I first got back into playing music when I picked up the guitar when I was fourteen, it provided the perfect sanctuary away from the troubles I was facing growing up as a kid with anxiety, depression and generally just not fitting in wherever I went. I have always said I feel a kind of life debt to music, so I’ve never really looked back after that! I spent those years listening to bands like Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, Ac/Dc, so it is quite odd I am now playing in the realm of Country and Bluegrass!
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
James: As a single man in my early, can I call 33 year thirties?! Anyway, I love travelling, seeing my friends, gaming, going to the local football club (up the Bloods…) and cuddling up with my wonderful dog, Bear, and my cat, Milo!
Your latest song is 'Little Maggie'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
James: This was a song that originated from the 1800s heart of Bluegrass = Appalachia. So there have been many renditions of it. I saw Billy Strings bust out this song in London back in early 2022 and just thought – wow! So with Ed (banjo) player going to the United States to lecture this felt like an amazing way for him to bow out. It was the only song I have seen him record where he seemed to struggle, the guy is so talented so I took some solace in that as I really don’t enjoy the recording process. I really hate listening to my own voice! But thankfully, Tim at Bookmatch Studios based just outside of Cambridge is a hero and makes it as easy as possible. Ed and I recorded our parts in February 2022, Brooke (bassist) and Lee (cajon) didn’t get to the studio until October, so it was a very long, slow goodbye.
Can you reveal the recipe for a musical hit?
James: I mean, we have been very lucky. Three Country and two Folk Number 1s on the Amazon download charts, but I would solely put that down to being surrounded by three incredibly talented individuals who elevate me beyond what I was ever capable of as a solo act. So really, I put it down to Brooke, Lee and Ed as well as Tim working his magic in the studio.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
James: I am forever listening to new music or watching my heroes like Tyler Childers and Billy Strings on YouTube. Beyond that it is a matter of exploring new ideas and seeing what we can do. I think playing live is truly the best way to grow and develop, but right now I beating my guitar strings like they are owing me money on a daily basis.
What inspires you as an artist? Could it be the sea, the weather or something else?
James: For me, this comes back to the life debt I feel that I owe music. I found an escape from a reality I hated as a kid in it. If I can give even one percent of that back to the world then I feel like I have done my job. But I really, really adore playing live. It has got to the point where people sing back songs we wrote, and that is just incredible. Music is a service industry so it is about going out there, belting out songs and doing what I can to make memorable moments. Whether that is live or in recordings!
How do you spend your free time? What makes you feel relaxed?
James: I am just back from Iceland! I am doing this tour of places I am genetically from, so exploring and being an adventurer and history nerd is one of them, the others are the things I mentioned above. I’m an introverted extrovert, so a blend of being out socialising and then making sure I am home to recharge are how I relax. Although with ADHD, can you ever really relax?!
Do you have a mentor or coach?
James: In a musical capacity I look up to my musical heroes a lot, but I came back from Iceland with this wonderful quote told to me by this absolute king of a man called Gudmunder – “no one else can play quite like you”, and that applies to everyone. I found that quote so cool! I think it may have come from Victor Wooten… But I do owe a lot to the artists I look up to, my bandmates who push me on, Tim at Bookmatch and the wonderful people I surround myself with. But really I go out there and be uncompromisingly myself – for better or worse!
Do you think it's easy to become established in the music world, or is it difficult?
James: I think it is a game of who you know. BBC Introducing have never touched us. I mean, I have been lucky enough to have had two European tours under my belt as a solo act, be nominated as an “Emerging Talent” by Glastonbury Festival in 2017, but it has been a graft. There have been no handouts. But really, I am not in it for fame or glory, I don’t have an ego that operates like that. I do it because I enjoy it and if I ever fully lose that then I’m putting down my axes. Until then, I don’t care if I am playing to one or ten thousand people, so long as someone in that audience comes away happy.
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
James: A lot of me thinks I am coming to the twilight of this road of music, some of me thinks with the transition to this genre I may have another decade or two going in it, but I don’t know. Personally, I want nothing more than to settle down and raise a couple of kids with the right person. As a band, I do want to hit the road in Europe, something I have only done as a solo act, maybe the United States, who knows… Whatever makes us happy is all I strive for. Life is short, I just want to smile.