This time, we get to know James Holm from Wretched Pinhead Puppets. Their track “Alligator” is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
https://www.newartistspotlight.org/playlists
𝟭. Where are you from and what is your hobby?
Currently I’m based in Phoenix, AZ, yet I’ve spent half of my life in St.Paul, MN … Two cities I love yet both so extremely different! Ideally, I’d love to buy a second home in the heart of the Twin Cities and go back and forth as often as possible! My hobby? I love doing home renovations …. from paint to demolition, I’ve done it all, except work around gas line. that scares me!
𝟮. How did your get into music?
I’d love to say that I was raised by Alice Cooper, but then I’d be lying! Truth be told, I was 8 years old when I went to a talent show at my older sibling high school! Edison High in Green Bay, WI. All the acts were pretty cheesy, yet the last act was “The Arley Hussen Band.” They were a 3-piece and they played “Hound Dog.” It was loud and electric. That is when my switch was flipped. I never looked back!
𝟯. Who are your biggest influences?
Overall, I’d have to say Todd Rundgren. I just love his whole approach to the creative process. He is such a great song writer and producers. He has such a huge and diverse collection of music and he has been such an innovator in sound and video production … he’s just a one-man music super hero! I’m also a huge fan of Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe and of course I love how David Gilmore bends a string!
4. What are your goals in the music industry?
Well, I’m already making a living with music as a commercial jingle writer and video producer. Yet, my plan is to focus more on just writing great songs and to build the brand of Wretched Pinhead Puppets to the point of another income stream. I’d also love to tour at some point. Playing live is just such a rush.
5. If you could choose a location to perform at, what would it be?
As a music fan, I’ve always loved those old ornate theaters like the State or Orpheum in Minneapolis. So I guess places like like that. Or maybe at Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival which happens every September next to the beach in Dana Point, CA. Such a cool vibe there! I go every year! And who knows, Eddie might even come out and play a few numbers with me!
6. What is your all-time favorite song?
I don’t even have to think about it … it’s “Here Comes The Flood,” by Peter Gabriel … the piano version. Always gives me chills with such sparse arrangement and his voice has always been magical to me!
7. Most embarrassing moment?
Well, if you ask that question to any musician, the answer will usually always will have something to do with a live performance! I’m no different! Wretched Pinhead Puppets was playing a multi-band show in Tempe, AZ near the ASU campus during the month of October. It was an outdoor show and it was 105 degrees.
We were the first band up which gave us the benefit of setting up early, yet all our gear was sitting in the hot sun for a good hour before our set started. Needless to say, all the guitars went out of tune, strings broke and our Roland drum pads got fried … it was a train wreck! Yet the show went on!
8. Proudest accomplishment?
It may sound silly, yet it was the day I got my first $100 check from my distributor. It’s not a lot of money, yet it reflected the amount of work I had to put in while starting to build a fan-base and to get my music heard. All without paying for playlist or Facebook adds! There are so many scammers out there that just want your money! So many artist take the bait and are taken for a ride and end up with no money and no fans! It really is quite sad!
People don’t realize how much work it take to build a brand. It’s alot of networking and alot of hour behind a computer! The truth is, there is so much music being put out every day, that to be successful, it’s up to the artist to find the fans. Listening to music has become so passive and accessible that unless you give listeners a road map, they’ll never find you!
9. What is something about you that might surprise someone who knows you the best?
I think it would surprise most people that my true heroes aren’t any musicians at all. My true heroes are people like Tesla, Einstein, Hawking, etc. Their daydreaming changed life as we know it, opening the door to Quantum theory, time travel, inter galactic travel, etc. They proved to me that if you can “think it,” it IS possible!
𝟭𝟬. What is your dream collaboration?
It would probably be the ghost of David Bowie or Tom Petty, two of my favorite artist that died way too soon, they had so many songs left in them! I would love to reach over to the “other side” and in some way bring those songs to the living. Maybe a little weird … but as I said earlier, if you can “think it,” it IS possible!
Stream “Alligator” now
https://open.spotify.com/track/3dMhzHMEwzw61GRMKuZdvz?si=97e02d8adc5d40e5
and follow their socials
https://www.instagram.com/wretchedpuppets/
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