The pulse around Canalta Hotel was palpable as evening dawned on Wednesday, April 6 and fans and supporters of David James started filing into the lobby.
Dressed in a tan shirt, black tee and black jeans, James appeared to be composed and excited at the same time as he chatted with fans and the hosts of the evening, the local radio station Q93.3.
James had just released a brand new EP entitled Songs About A Girl, and a new single to the radio and was out visiting the folks at Q93.3 and thanking them for all of the support thus far.
"It's also a great opportunity to meet the fans who make all of this happen – we're putting on intimate acoustic shows for the listeners of each station we're visiting, which have all been an absolute blast," said James. "The world is continually becoming 'smaller' through the use of technology and provides a gateway for fans to stay connected with their favourite artists, but on the flip side it makes promoting music much easier for an artist, with fan-artist interactions becoming more frequent and more immediate, which is very cool."
According to James, he typically tours around with his band, but sometimes he likes to change it up and perform acoustically either solo or with another guitarist.
"The album Songs About A Girl isn't just about one individual person for me," added James. "instead, I think I just gravitate toward writing and singing songs that are honest, passionate, and authentic, so what could be more fitting than love?"
The people who attended the event enjoyed the music as they interacted with James and laughed at his anecdotes.
"Inspiration is a funny thing ... you can't really force it, only guide it without stifling your creativity," said James. "I'll always sing songs from the heart, songs that mean something to me, that I connect with – whether the subject matter changes, well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
James and his team are in the final stages of deciding their summer touring schedule and as James said, "very excited about probably our biggest show of the summer at Boots and Hearts in Ontario, which will be a total blast, so we're really looking forward to it."
"Most people in music will tell you it's all about 'the song', so if it's something you're truly passionate about, write the absolute best songs you can," said James. "Never stop writing, create something honest, something you can believe in, something that gets you excited."