The Life And Times Of Peni James.


Words & Interview: Mitchell Peters

Peni James truly is a punk-rock poet. He always has been and always will be. The singer-songwriter lives in the quiet town of Fowler, Calif., and makes some of the best rock'n'roll music these ears have ever heard. Peni James (aka James Z) and I are friends. In high school/early college, we played music together in Jaded, a hard-rock-death-grunge-metal band based in Sanger, Calif. Later, we shared the stage during open mic jam sessions and coffee-shop gigs throughout Fresno and Central California. I've observed the evolution of his songwriting and still can't get enough. He is, hands down, my favorite musician in Fresno. But that's not the reason I've decided to post random interview questions with him. To be honest, I don't know why. Maybe I just admire his honest, intelligent responses that sometimes make me laugh or smile. That said, listen to his tunes and read this interview. The questions weren't asked in any sort of order, so let us call it an improvisational interview among musicians and friends. It'll all make sense soon enough.

Do you think you were born to play music?
Nah. I wasn't born to do anything. It was just something I grew up loving and ended up being able to do. Growing up in average environment during the '80s and '90s, I was exposed to a lot of average things -- listening to the radio on the way to the mall, watching MTV between cartoons. There where some variables that got thrown in though. I've had a few really special teachers that kind of pointed me more in that direction.

In fourth grade, I had a teacher who was an Americana nut and just musical. It was like "The Music Man" or "The Sound of Music," or even "Mary Poppins." Someone just came out of nowhere and taught the class about Woody Guthrie and old folk songs -- like "Erie Canal" and even some Peter, Paul & Mary. He even taught us how to recycle and how we could all be driving cars with tires that would never wear out.

There were a few other teachers down the road that were like that, and they sort of cultivated my love for music. And I think out of that love I grew the ability to make and play music. But seriously, I wasn't too good at it until these incredible people helped me out. I had a saxophone teacher when I was 11 who had me struggling with the Peter Gun riff to playing 12 Bar Blues solos overnight. These were just regular community schoolteachers.

I'd love to believe that the ability to play music is natural, but it takes a lot of love and work. Everybody starts from scratch. I bet even Mozart did. But he just had that love and passion for it.

You're a huge fan of Bob Dylan. If you met him, what would you say?
I'd tell him that -- besides all the music he wrote -- the thing that impresses me the most about him is his knowledge of the music he writes. I'd ask him if he'd take me as a student. The stuff he knows is worth more than all the tea in China.

Is there a lot of tea in China?
Not anymore. It's mostly pirated American stuff I hear.

Anything else you'd tell Dylan?
I'd ask him why "Ferdinand the Imposter" is all messed up, fidelity-wise. Then I'd tell him I think it sounds all right anyways. But seriously, I'd ask him to teach me the foundations of what he knows. It would be like... until he started to teach me how to write a song, I had never known how to write a song. I've already learned a lot from him, and where it comes from. But he probably could show me more, mathematically wise.

What music have you been listening to lately?
Nineties indie radio. Stuff, like Sebadoh, Sonic Youth, Broadcast, Cat Power and Guided By Voices. I found an all-Pavement (Internet) radio station. It has been a few years since I've listened to Pavement, so the songs have the same vibe they had the first time I heard them.

And what vibe is that?
Like, "It's only teenage wasteland."

What's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of "rock'n'roll"?
Blue jeans and girls dancing. No, wait. Loud guitars and girls dancing. Honestly, I think of the music. The rhythms and melodies. The different songwriting methods used since people like the Eddie Cochrane or Buddy Holly up through John Spencer Blues Explosion. The mix of blues and country. The echoed vocals, treble guitars, rolling basses and dance beats.

The image thing is sort of an afterthought. And it's sort of different now, too. People really can't rebel with image anymore. All you can do is just be yourself. I guess that's still rebelling against conformity. But it's not like back then where you could really get in trouble for looking weird.

But the music to me is still extensions of 12 Bar Blues with wild stuff going on. It still has the same sort of spirit about it. Rock'n'roll kind of came together from fractions of other styles of music, and it has sort of been re-dissected. But it still has that spirit in its new forms.

You know, if you would have asked me this question a few months back, I would have said rock'n'roll reminds me of a secret weapon. Slip it into a stiff society -- paranoid and on the verge of self-destruction -- and the next thing you know, you've got people stuffing daisies in muskets and world leaders who got there by writing pop tunes. If you ask me, it's the reason the Iron Curtan fell and part of the reason why humanity still has a chance. You can't kill a spirit.

Which artist(s)/band(s) do you think best represent "rock'n'roll"?
I'd go with Bob Dylan and The Band. They know more about what rock'n'roll is than anybody. From pure rock'n'roll music knowledge to stuffing the songs with poetry and ideas. They're real rock'n'roll geniuses. I heard that Marlon Brando once said the two loudest things he ever heard where The band and a freight train going by.

Kind of a morbid question, I guess, but who is your favorite dead musician?
Keith Moon -- he lived and died for rock'n'roll [laughs]. Nah, nobody should abuse themselves like that. But man he was cool. Syd Barrett and Jimi Hendrix are a close second. I was going to say John Lennon, but it wouldn't be fair to George Harrison. Rick Danko is pretty awesome, and dead, too. But I don't know if I really have a favorite. There's this really long list and I really love everybody on it: Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones. It's tragic, but they're not without their legacies. They left some powerful music with us. This sucks. Now I feel like listing every dead musician I like. I should have just stuck with Keith Moon.

Which song on your MySpace page would you recommend to a first-time Peni James listener?
Either "Green" or "Le Buss Stop," if they're on there. At this very moment, I'd suggest "Minds Eye Blues."

Why that one?
The lyrics are playful and the music is simple and fun. "Minds Eye Blues" has a cool sounding middle. They also have a pop edge to them.

To Be Continued...