However, despite the fact that JIMMY EFF never strays too far from his dream-pop roots, his music is always fresh and interesting, with an eclectic mix that includes elements of alt-rock and even experimentalism.
Know more about Jimmy and his new release
What is your real name?
James Foster
What's your official Stage Name (showbiz name)?
Jimmy Eff
What do you do (fashion, music, comedy, artist, dancer, etc.)?
Music
How did you get into what you do (music, modelling, art, dance, etc.?)
I first picked up a guitar and started learning back when I was about 15/16. That was in the late 90s, near the end of "Britpop" - Oasis, Blur etc. It was also when I first took notice of music, and it sowed the seeds of a new passion.
What field or genre are you into and give a brief description of what your career/profession/ field feels like?
I grew up listening to a lot of different bands - from Madness and Queen to 90s guitar-based pop. A lot of my early inspiration came from the 90s sounds, but it has also been shaped by a lot of more recent punk/folk-rock/folk-punk artists too, the likes of Frank Turner, Green Day and Will Varley. I was lead guitarist in two bands prior to my present project and had never really written many songs. But I started to build a bit of a collection and decided it was time to go out and play some gigs, and do some recording. I'm lucky to have supportive people around me, from my family and friends, through to people I have met on my musical journey.
Who or what inspires you or motivates you? And why?
I spent 4 years as Head Of Music at a community radio station, and spent a lot of time listening to new music from independent artists. I always tried to support acts as best I could, and hearing the music that people were releasing was inspiring. There is a lot of great music out there, beyond what gets played on commercial radio and in the charts. Listening to what these artists were doing inspired me to make an effort to take the plunge myself.
What was your first project and the people you worked with and which year?
My first proper band was back in 2005, an indie band on the Birmingham, UK scene called The Rebellion. After The Rebellion, I joined a grunge band called Nerve Centre. Our singer/songwriter left to move to New York, and the band split. My first solo EP was released in 2013, called The Road. Jonny K, the drummer from Nerve Centre has joined me all the way through my solo journey, accompanying me on cajon at many of my gigs and playing drums and percussion on my recordings. I don't really consider myself a solo artist, we're more a duo because of that.
Jimmy_Eff-The_Better_Start-EP_Cover
How many projects do you have so far?
The Road EP was released back in 2013. In 2016 I released a single, "Tea With The Queen" which was intended to be the first track from a new EP. Sadly the project fell through. We released our latest single "You're Not Alone" in October 2021 and The Better Start EP (featuring "You're Not Alone") was released in December 2021. The Road EP is the only release not available on Spotify.
How long have you been doing what you do?
I wrote my first song back in 2002. Only really in the past 10 years or so have I focused more on writing and recording my own tracks.
What is this new release about?
The Better Start EP is a collection of songs written over the past 6 years. Please see the press release info for the track specifics.
Who and how many people worked on it?
The recordings were completed back in March 2021. They were recorded and mixed by Jonny K and myself. They were mastered by Pete Maher at Topfloor Recordings.
What can your previous and new audiences anticipate from you in the future?
We're excited to head into 2022 with this release, to go out and play some shows supporting this and the other songs we have. We have some time in the diary in 2022 to record an album, so that will be exciting to get that out for people to listen to!
Tracks:
1. "Can You Feel It?" - For a long while this has been our set opener. The first song in any set should be a statement of intent, and I think this song fits that perfectly, with the opening line "it's time to wake up the whole damn street". Often when we play this live, we segue into "Rock n Roll Queen" by The Subways at the end.
2. "I Would Walk" is a song that has been around for a long while, more than 5 years in fact. It was written as part of our previous band, but never got recorded. It brings across my love of 90s indie, inspired by Supergrass and Noel Gallagher's notion of writing songs about the universal truth.
3. "You're Not Alone (Clean)" & 4. "You're Not Alone (Explicit)". "You're Not Alone" was written after a close friend tried to take his own life a few years back. He did that thing that most men are guilty of - bottling up their negative feelings and not seeking help. Thankfully his wife was able to get him the help he needed. The song is a call out that no-one is alone and there is always someone to talk to. The explicit version contains the word "bullsh*t", with the clean version replacing this with "hogwash". You're Not Alone was released in October as a free download from our Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages.
Have a listen to this EP, its amazing! You can also follow him on his Website, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5wEEAhRKImljXVKI9xpB0k?si=gfhv6BD9TeuB4TD9qvDNCQ&dl_branch=1
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