* james.... yo james here...and all is well
* Barb.... (Plays Sound: applause.wav) Welcome James
* james.... is this PD lady?
* Barb.... Yes sir it sure is
* Kerri....(Plays Sound: music.wav) Welcomes JAMES
* james.... well, you have my relatively undivided attention for 1 hour (hello Kerri!)
* Kerri.... Hi James....I don't think we have met .... YET
* james.... where do you live?
* Kerri....I live in Ohio...(Blushing)
* james....I've never heard of Blushing Ohio
* Kerri....Right now I am in Cincinnati.
........................pause..........................
* james.... well this has certainly been great and thank you all for coming
* Kerri.... James, this is all still brand new...
* james.... does anyone have any brand new questions?
* Barb.... Yes we do James what have you been doing since the Shames?
* james.... creating as much as possible. primarily songwriting and production. It's been good and I'm glad to get back in touch with everybody!
* Barb.... Tell us about your upcoming CD's , 21st Century Guitar, Suzi C, and Modern Rhapsody?
* james.... I just finished a film score for Key Pictures, which was Latin and Flamenco based. I'm currently working with an artist named Suzi C, and beginning work on the new Shames CD.
* Barb.... We got a chance to preview Suzi C and it is awesome, Suzi is a very talented lady.
* james.... Her style is very contemporary. She's a songwriter with a million voices. It's been a great stretch in the studio. My sessions last an average of 12 hours, and the time flies by.
* Kerri.... James I hope to talk to you again.
* james.... good talking to you Kerri!
* Barb.... James, you wrote the songs for Suzi C and also produced it,correct?,
* james.... The songs are collaborations with Suzi
* james.... Suzi also has an extensive catalog of songs she has written on her own.
* Barb.... Do you have a release date set for it
* james.... we're finishing a great song called Hideaway right now
* james.... when we're finished with it we'l be shopping to record labels
* Barb.... Sounds great,We look forward to hearing it...we can post the transcript of your interview on the homepage for those who could not be here tonight.
* james.... wait to see if I say anything intelligent
* Barb.... I haven't seen the day yet when you haven't
* james.... you've obviously missed a few days
* Barb.... I don't miss a thing James.
* james.... Barb, what does the@ stand for in your name?
* Barb.... It means I'm the moderator of the room and if you right click on my name you can also contact me by email.
* Barb.... Do you still have your Gretsch guitar from 1966?
* james.... No to the gtr question
* james.... Have you seen the current lineup recently?
* Barb.... Not since last fall, J.C. Hooke was playing with his accoustic band the Two-bit Oysters..it was a great show
* james.... I hear the band sounds great live!
* Barb.... Yes, they sounded great !!!...you played with the Shames in the 1980's didn't you?
* james.... Yes, we did a show in the early 80's for Chicagofest
* Barb.... I thought I read about it on their Sugar and Spice a Collection CD
* james.... We played @ Navy pier and did new arrangements of the old material. Yo PIA!
* Barb.... Welcome PIA
* Barb....When will you be in the Chicago area again, James?
* james.... I may come to Chi to work on the current CD . Possibly in the late fall.
* james.... PIA, where are you from?
* PIA.... HI Guys
* PIA.... I'm from Peoria, used to see you in the 60's Jim
* PIA.... Still run up to Chi to see Tom and Jim a couple of times per summer
* james.... I lived in So. Pekin in the 70's. I worked at Golden Voice Studios there.
* PIA.... Hear you are writing new tunes
* Barb.... We are all anxious to hear about the upcomming Cryan'Shames CD.
* james.... Constantly - I never stopped writing.
* PIA.... Do you remember the Shags from Peoria in 60's?
* PIA.... They recorded at Golden Voice too.
* james.... Yes I vaguely do. There were a lot of great bands that came thru there including Head East and Styx
* PIA.... Do you have any plans to perform with Tom and Jim again?
* james.... I'm currently working on a brand new Shames CD which Barb mentioned earlier.
* james.... There will be shows most likely next summer to support the new CD. These shows will probably feature the original lineup of Hooke, Isaac, Toad , Lenny and I with the current lineup as a support band
* PIA.... Do you still have the light colored guitar from the 60's?
* james.... As regards gtrs, I've gone thru more gtrs than I can count!
* PIA.... I will look forward to seeing you guys together again! You were my favorite Chicago band.
* Barb.... I understand that the fans can be involved with the new CD/internet offer.
* james.... Yes, we've already had some participation.
* PIA.... Of all the songs you wrote for Shames in 60's, which one was YOUR favorite?
* james.... perhaps Sunshine Psalm or The Sailing Ship...or maybe In The Cafe.
* Barb.... I loved all three
* PIA.... All off my favorite album too.
* Barb.... Yes PIA, I believe that James also produced the A Scratch in the Sky album
* james.... Give me a moment - I'm composing a long answer here.
* james.... As regards the possible shows next summer, I think it time to give Hooke his props. By all accounts, he has put together a first-rate band, and the quality of this endeavor is what gives us the base to launch the new CD, and to plan any future reunion shows. Let's hear it for JC Hooke!!!!!
* PIA.... Yea!
* Barb.... Yes we agree!!!!
* Barb.... JC puts on a great show with Tom and group
* james.... Jim Golden produced A Scratch In The Sky. He was generous enough to give me virtually total creative freedom. I still stay in touch with Jim to this day.
* PIA.... I had Jim do a radio interview here a couple of years ago with the Shags who reunited for a concert. We had a great time. Tried to put together a show here for the Shames but it fell through.
* PIA.... What did you think of the third album?
* james.... Synthesis. Very creative. It showcased Isaac's creative bent and Lenny's ballad songwriting really well.
* PIA.... Do you have a copy of Your Gonna Lose That Girl that you recorded but didn't release?
* james.... I have copies of nothing - it's all in my mind. And it's kinda crowded in there .
* Barb.... I heard you and Lenny are writing songs for the new Shames CD
* james.... Yes, we have a new song called Can't Stop Lovin' You Baby. Lenny ha s also contributed some songs he has written on his own. I'm trying to squeeze a few songs out of Isaac as well.
* james.... I myself have no ideas. Clueless.
* Barb.... Have you picked a name for the new CD yet?
* james.... No, in fact I would welcome any input anyone out there might have.
* james.... I was thinking about -"It wasn't a scratch - my window was dirty" or someting creative like that.
* PIA.... How about Stage Presence (because you had so much of that) or Stage Presents (as in gifts to your audience)?
* Barb.... How much progress has been made on the new CD....."IT wasn't a Scratch" sounds neat!!
* james.... Good ideas PIA.We have preproduction for 13 titles, and another 7 or 8 are under development.
* PIA.... Actually, I wrote that on the back of a napkin in 1986 at Park West when Tom and Jim did a big show there.
* Barb.... Will the CD include past Cryan' Shames hits along with original material form you and Lenny
* PIA.... Besides the new material next summer, will you do some of the old material from albums that they don't do now?
* james.... I'm really excited about Race With The Wind, a song written by Dee Robb and released by The Robbs in the 60's. Gimme a second and I'll give you a list of the songs under consideration.
* james.... Sugar and spice
* james.... Could Be We're In Love
* james.... Race With The Wind
* PIA.... Saw the Robbs do Race with the Wind in 1967. Think they were brothers with blonde hair.
* james.... Give It Up Let It Go (Lenny)
* james.... Yes, the Robbs were bros, and later moved out to CA and opened a famous studio called Cherokee.
* Barb.... All sound great James,we cant wait!!
* james.... Ben Franklin's Almanac
* PIA.... Weren't we to learn the meaning of Ben Franklin's tonight too?
* Barb.... OH.....what is the mystery behind the lyrics for Ben Franklin's Almanac?Will the world ever be ready for the answer?
* PIA.... Inquiring minds want to know!
* james.... Well I'm ready, unfortunately the only one knowing the inner meanings is the great El Toada, and due to time lag, he's unable to join us - a great disappointment to me.
* PIA.... Darn
* Barb.... Maybe next time?
* james.... There's so much to talk about - we'll have to do this again.
* PIA.... Hope you guys will do this again, Jim.
* PIA.... Thanks and see you next summer, bye Barb.
* Barb.... Bye Pia ,thanks for comming
* james.... Thanks to all - I feel this inaugurated the chat room in a really good way. See you again soon!
* Barb.... Thanks James for being our first guest
* Barb.... we look forward to having you here again
* Barb.... SOON!
* james.... This is James signing off - and thanks again!
* Barb.... Bye James
* PIA.... thanks Barb

*Note:* After the interview with James Fairs, an unidentified guest arrived late in the chatroom due to a time zone difference, and he delved into the inner meanings of the lyrics for Ben Franklin's Almanac. It was a wonderful discourse and explained the true thoughts and meaning of the lyrics completely. (We suspect it could have been the Great El Toada) unfortunately due to technical difficulties this portion of the transcript was not recorded.
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