A Closer Look At James Michael

Sixx AM recently released their latest single, "Are You With Me Now?" which is track 9 of the This Is Gonna Hurt CD and it just got me thinking about some of the talent that went into the making of this album.  Together, the band - Nikki Sixx on bass, DJ Ashba on guitar, and James Michael singing lead for Sixx AM collaborate to make this one of the most inspiring rock albums I have ever owned and listened to.  But today I wanted to focus on James Michael who is also a producer, musician, songwriter, sound engineer, and mixer.  This guy is just amazingly talented!

I was reading a little bit more about James Michael to learn how he reached this level of success.  If I were actually employed as a journalist for a celebrity magazine, I might've actually had the opportunity to interview him instead.  Then again, I'd probably be so star-struck by his bad-ass good looks and talent that I'd never be able to conduct an intelligent interview.  Ha!  So as a big fan, I just try to get as much info as I can from the sources available.

And here's something interesting to know - James Michael's last name is actually Michel but he changed it to avoid it being it being constantly misspelled.  Makes sense.  And as a youngster, he learned to play piano (wow!  just like me!) and sang in his high school show choir.  He moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s and started on his way to pursue his dreams.

Did you know he even recorded a solo album in 1990 - Inhale?  I think he sounds totally different on that album than he does with Sixx AM.  It's a rock album but more of a pop-style, kind of reminding me of Rick Springfield. It's a pretty cool album, although, I really think the hard rockin' style of Sixx AM was a much better fit for him. 

As a music producer and sound engineer, James Michael is the genius behind much of the successful music that we listen to from other bands as well.  To name a few of those other artists, check out Papa Roach, Meat Loaf, Alannis Morrissette, Hillary Duff, Motley Crue, Halestorm, Saliva, and Trapt.  I don't think James Michael gets much sleep with all the work he does with all these artists.  Whew!

But if you want to read more about James Michael, visit his official website at The Official James Michael.  And if you like the collage I made at the top of this post, you can make one yourself very easily at Photovisi.  It's really fun!