NYC based Shayfer James weaves surprisingly genuine musical landscapes that evoke the gauzy, sweaty sexuality of gulf-coast barrooms and the fantastical, narcotic mysticism of a Lewis Carroll-inspired three-ring circus. Mr. James’ noir-infused, piano-driven music swaggers from dark danceable anthems to harrowing ballads with jazz lilted satire and whiskey-dirt grit.
Check out “Good Life,” (below) the animated new
Read on for James’ inspiration behind the song…
I drew the initial inspiration for “Good Life” from a Jersey City mural by the amazing artist Joe Waks called “U-S-A-Rama.” The mural offers incredibly witty commentary on capitalism in America so I ran with that imagery. There are even some direct references to elements of the mural in the lyrics. One of the things I love most about songwriting is delivering stark messages playfully and I had a lot of fun doing that here. The playfulness was magnified further by producer Jeremy Gillespie’s instinct for the fun, unconventional drum groove, and Caitlin Grey’s incredible bass playing. The whole thing went off the rails when director Kate Douglas got her hands on the song and dreamed up for the music video. Which is basically a twisted infomercial in hell. Start to finish everything about this song has been fun to create, and I hope that translates. We all need a bit more silliness these days.
