As a true artist never rests, James sat down with me all the while drawing our interaction, we spoke about his beginnings in art and music, and how he melds both visuals and sound to create his masterpieces.
You’re a multi-faceted artist, so what artform came first?
Art and drawing. My older brother was an artist, so I followed in his footsteps. The person who taught me how to play guitar was my cousin, Billy. Years later, I found out he actually didn’t know how to play guitar.
So would you say that you came from an artsy family?
Not so much my parents but my mom’s side of the family is from Quebec, and back in 2004, I did a project where I was rediscovering my french roots. I found all sorts of music and art. My grandfather was a fiddle player, and my aunt Doris played music, so there’s quite a bit of music on that side.
You're mainly a guitarist, but do you play any other instruments?
I've been playing a lot of piano lately. At the festival, I might even add that to the set.
Can you go into developing your sound, especially when you first started?
There was a band in my neighborhood called the Crop Circles. They were a bunch of friends of mine who played music, and I always wanted to be but was never in the band. I was writing and playing my own music alongside what they were doing. I just never stopped where that band folded a long time ago. My interests are varied. I like old-timey music. I like Elvis and Ray Orbison, but my songs are probably a mixture of country, folk, rock and maybe some old-time jazz. The last full album I did was called ‘Vanished Days.’ That one was about farming in the early 1900s in the Red River Valley. It was all a part of an artist residency that I did while I was in North Dakota. I had unearthed all of these poems and prose that was written in the 20s and 30s and rehashed them into an album.
When you’re writing songs, do you visualize how it will translate through different forms – performance-wise or through music videos, and all these other avenues?
I don’t really know how it comes together. It’s never the same, but I know for [Vanished Days] there was just such a tight visual component to it because I was drawing throughout the whole residency. Now I’m starting to work on another record. I have at least ten songs, but not all of them have visuals tied to them, while some of them do.
I have one song where I was asked to enter a poem contest with a poem and a piece of art. The piece of art I had was a bicycle, and so the poem is about the bicycle from the bike’s point of view. As it goes through the seasons, it’s talking, and you can almost feel time is passing. The bike is talking like, ‘remember when we went down the ditch and ran into the tree swing?’ and all of these fun things. Now birds are pecking at its seat and taking stuffing for its nest. Spiders are going through its spoke. It’s sad, but it’s like life, right?
Would you say that your songwriting or your artwork is very story-based and autobiographical?
Yeah. I think I'm at a moment where they are. When I look through all of my albums, there are songs about telling stories about yourself, and experiences you've gone through. When I was doing the one about other people’s experiences, Vanished Days, it was something different. Now this new one, I have a song about my brother. I have a song about my dad and my family. I’m cycling through that, but I don't know if that’s what the album will be in the end.
Collaboration is a big thing at Harvest Sun, so is there anyone on this year’s list that you hope can jump in on your set?
Every year Al Simmons seems to collaborate with everybody. I love his work, and last time I was doing a tweener, and he jumped up and played some harmonica. It was fantastic. This is the first time I'm going to be playing the main stage, so I'm excited. This time I'm going to have Joanna Miller. She’s been my drummer forever and Rafael Reyes, who plays with Mariachi Ghost. He’ll probably play a mixture of steel guitar and guitar.
Because you dip into so many parts of the arts and culture scene, from your perspective, why do you think Harvest Sun is so important, especially in Manitoba?
I think the difference between it and other festivals is that it’s 100% local or Manitoban, where with other festivals, if you're local, you play once, and then you don’t play there for years. I like the repeat business for everybody. I love seeing Al every year, and Ego Spank, and Rick Neufeld. It gets to be a sort of reunion every year, so it becomes kind of like a family.
Catch James Culleton at The Harvest Sun Music Festival in Kelwood, MB - August 16 - 18th. There’s only a few days left to snag your tickets!
Tune into the Harvest Sun Instagram on August 15th, as he takes over our feed and reports live from Kelwood as he preps for the fest and creates the annual mural!
Check out all of James’ work, from drawings to music at his official website.
Janet Adamana is the Founder/Editor-In-Chief of Sound, Phrase & Fury Magazine - a Winnipeg-based digital publication dedicated to promoting independent artists and industry professionals from all over the world. More than just about inciting hype, she interviews/writes to capture an artists’ essence and their greatest passions to ignite meaningful connections between fans and really great bands.