{"id":109,"date":"2024-01-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2024\/2024\/01\/17\/interview-richard-james-of-neighbor\/"},"modified":"2024-01-17T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T18:00:00","slug":"interview-richard-james-of-neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2024\/2024\/01\/17\/interview-richard-james-of-neighbor\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard James of Neighbor Talks “Silver” and Neighbor Nine, ahead of Weekend Shows at Putnam Place and Levon Helm Studios"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neighbor will make their way to Saratoga Springs<\/a> for the first time on Friday, January 19, having grown a sizeable following in the Northeast over the past five years. They’ll also be at Levon Helm Studios<\/a> the next night, January 20, for an intimate show, sure to be packed with diehard fans on what looks to be a frosty night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Speaking with singer and keyboardist Richard James, one had to know – how did it take so long to come to Saratoga Springs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Every time we come to Putnam Place with Pink Talking Fish<\/a> is a blast, and I wanted to make sure the first time we played there with Neighbor, it was a packed house and the date made sense. Having not played Saratoga Springs definitely has driven up interest in the show, and could be the start of something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neighbor is the creation of childhood neighbors Richard James (vocals, keys) and Lyle Brewer (guitar), plus Dan Kelly (bass) and Dean “The Dux” Johnston (drums), together combining ambitious composition, soulful balladry, and a fearless approach to improvisations with intent, creating Neighbor\u2019s \u201cdown home\u201d sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While James was touring with Pink Talking Fish, Brewer went on to teach guitar at Berklee College of Music, and in 2018 they revisited playing music together. With no barriers, it was like they were back in middle school, writing songs and performing together. The two are now finding balance after five years, between songwriting and jamming on (mostly) original material each night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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photo by Chris Capaci<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Having just celebrated their 5 year anniversary as a band earlier this month<\/a>, but four years ago in early 2020, Neighbor was just getting warmed up when COVID hit, shutting down the live music industry. Thus, in the years that have followed, they have been strategic with their touring schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“All members of the band have families and kids. Lyle is an instructor at Berklee College of Music<\/a>, and Dean is drum chair at Milton Academy<\/a> outside of Boston, so routing needs to work out among balanced schedules and family obligations”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, while also trying to push as hard as they can without burning out or taking away from instruction at these music schools, maneuvering the the band’s direction deftly. The band, collectively, wants to make sure they are not overwhelmed by how much is going on – the number of shows, the time on the road and away from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a band, Neighbor wants longevity, and they\u2019ll defer to taking the slow road instead of rushing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"neighbor\"
photo by Chris Capaci<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Neighbor saw its genesis well before 2018, going back to when James was on the road with Pink Talking Fish. \u201cI\u2019ve been writing since I ever got into music. Once I got started with Pink Talking Fish, I toured for six or seven years straight, compiled all this original music, and it was eventually time to do something different,” said James. After spending a day in New Orleans with piano legend Jon Cleary and gaining clarity towards a vision for his music, he began a Tuesday night residency at Thunder Road in Somerville<\/a>, recruiting childhood neighbor Lyle Brewer, hence the band name, Neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Neighbor\u2019s five year anniversary, they decided to go back to their roots and recently announced a five week residency, one week for each year as a band, to pay tribute to how things came to be what they are now. James recalls those early Neighbor shows. “There are so many weird, crazy antics we would do at Tuesday night residencies in the past, special guests, switching up instruments, keeping fans on their toes and coming back for more the next week.” They look to bring back this magic with their upcoming residency at Soundcheck Studios, starting February 20 through March 19, every Tuesday night. “A lot of people travel to see us, and although we play the songs differently each night to keep it fresh, to give it that extra factor (horns), keeping it interesting where fans won\u2019t want to miss a show” said James.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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