3rd and Vanburen, Eugene
541-735-1051
James Book
MUSICIAN,
RECORD PRODUCER
AGE: 52
James Book had some moderate success in what he calls the
“former” music business in the late ’90s when his band The Flys
scored a one-hit-wonder with the song “Got You Where I Want
You.” In 2009, Book relocated to Eugene from SoCal. He began
producing records at Ninkasi Brewing Company as what Book
describes as “a pillar of our marketing.”
Otherwise, Book says, he moved to Eugene to make “records,
beer and offspring.”
With Ninkasi, Book has worked with artists from as far away as
Dallas, Texas, but also with local artists such as Tyler Fortier, Marv
Ellis and WE Tribe as well as local favorites from Portland, The
Shook Twins. Ninkasi’s current “resident artist” is Neal Williams,
bassist with popular Eugene band Gazelle(s).
“We recently tracked their new full-length at my buddies’ place
in Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, and we are mixing
it in Eugene now,” Book says. “Ours is a cross-marketing approach.
We try to support artists [to] meet their own goals and definitions of
success, primarily in studio and through production support.”
Tell us about producing records in Eugene, Oregon?
Eugene is such an isolated scene that it makes for super creative
musical experimentation, but at the same time can also be isolating
for some artists that hope to expand out of the area. It can sometimes
feel like you are stuck in a beautiful musical garden. The jam bands
and post-reggae band stereotypes are arguably stigma. That may
not always translate well outside of Cascadia, but I think both those
genres and especially some of the bands we have in Eugene flying
those flags are amazing.
How is technology changing music in Eugene?
Technology and even the notion of a musical “instrument”
will continue to evolve while maintaining a consistent sense of
“Eugene” culture and place.
I’d like to see [Eugene music] continue to head where it’s
heading. It’s good to see live music attendances begin to grow again
and especially in such a wide variety of musical micro-niches,
thanks in no small part to new venues, [from] Hi-Fi’s ambitious
booking approach to the solid standards like Black Forest. How
cool is it that that place is still always free, but good bands also
play there?
There are so many little musical movements happening at
once here, and art is such an abundant part of everyday Eugene
life. Living here is great, and Eugene is just enough of a “best kept
secret” to make it continually alluring if you keep your ears open.
The music trove in Eugene is probably as deep as one would dare
to venture.
Eugene and
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Fresh hand cut fish right
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House made sauces from
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Our chefs have Over 40 years
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42nd and Main, Springfield
541-505-8962
eugeneweekly.com • A pril 13, 2017
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