By Noe Gutierrez
Morgan James will tell you she was a late bloomer when it came to the music business. If you have heard her sing and perform you’d believe that she’s been doing this for most of her life. The reality is she is new to the limelight and struggled at an early age with stage fright. “While I always dreamed of being a vocalist and involved in entertainment as a child, I was extremely shy,” James admits. “Last year I attempted karaoke, took a musical theater class, joined my church music team and sang for an audience for the first time. It was exhilarating! While I was still terrified and nervous, I knew I had to push myself to follow my dreams.” Those butterflies have turned into a passion that is unmistakable every time she sings. “I am still new to the biz, but I am very happy with my experience in the music world so far and the Coachella Valley has been very good to me. I am proud to call this home.”
That pride will be on display as Pocket Yellow, James’ band, will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on Saturday 9/13/14 at 8 p.m. at Plan B Entertainment & Cocktails. This will also be the cornerstone venue’s 3rd Anniversary Party. Plan B owner and operator Jeannette Krehbiel has been one of Pocket Yellow’s biggest fans and supporters in the band’s short time.
Pocket Yellow has less than a year under its belt and has rapidly become a frequent performer at some of the more unique venues in the valley. Places like The Tilted Kilt, Johnny Rockets and Schmidy’s Tavern have hosted the band in its infancy. In addition they have performed at private birthday parties, charity events, weddings and festivals.
The versatile band is made up of James, also a fluatist, on lead vocals and Johnny Carmona on guitar and background vocals. “I started singing country with one of my theater classmates and was introduced to Johnny. We wanted to experiment with several genres of music and try to find our sound so in September 2013 we formed Pocket Yellow and the two of us got to work writing original music and pulling in meaningful cover songs.” Pocket Yellow uses a rotation of close friends to fill the other traditional positions of bass and drums. “Over the last year we have played several gigs with great musician friends like Isai Munoz on bass and Sean Poe and Lucas Buendia on drums. All were high school friends and former bandmates of Johnny.”
James grew up in Huntington Beach, California where she developed a love for all types of music. “Musical influences for me ranged from my favorite musical- The Phantom of the Opera, to Boys 2 Men, Mariah Carey, Nirvana to anything Chris Cornell. Right now my favorite bands are Two Door Cinema Club, the Fratelli’s, Cage the Elephant, Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys.” Influences for the band include an eclectic mix of blues, alternative and progressive rock citing inspiration from bands like No Doubt and Muse.
James wears many hats in addition to lead vocalist for Pocket Yellow. She is a dedicated mother with a wide range of life experiences. “I received my bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies while on the education path to becoming a teacher. I supported myself through college by selling insurance. Once I graduated I decided to continue with insurance and opened my own agency. Soon after I had the first of two children and decided to be a stay at home mom, homeschooling my children while teaching at our homeschool co-op.”
Along with those achievements came the open door to migrate to our area and cultivate a musical career. “I moved to the Coachella Valley four years ago and the musical bug kept nagging at me. I just never felt completely satisfied without music and knew I had to pursue it to fill my soul as well as be an example to my children that you can do anything you put your heart and mind to. I’ll keep surrounding myself with talented musicians. I am trying to better my guitar playing skills and would like to learn piano, especially because Pocket Yellow operates many times as a two piece band.”
James has also used the mic for reasons other than singing. “In the last few months I decided to use my not-so-long-lost sales and marketing skills and create events for venues such as the successful Tilted Kilt Open Mic Competition, The Jam Sessions at Plan B, Desert Beatz and even more in the works.”
There is a sincere enthusiasm that emanates from James when she is involved in a live show or as a host. She truly loves what she is doing. “I love all music. I am inspired every day by musicians I meet who refuse to be pigeonholed into a specific genre because of their age, ethnicity or gender. I got a late start in music and have met musicians much older than me just starting out. The pop industry may label a person expired after age 25, but music itself beautifully has no bounds.” She does not waver from the self-imposed responsibility to her voice and advocating for others. “Rock music may seem male dominated, but it doesn’t mean that women should keep themselves from pursuing their passion in that style. Just as someone who may dress in a hip hop style should be free to play heavy metal. Songwriters, singers & musicians all play a part in music’s uniqueness and diversity by offering a different perspective that might not often be heard. I have found my passion in music and I hope to encourage others to follow their passion and I will do all I can to help others achieve success and create a sense of community here in this valley and beyond.”
Look for new Pocket Yellow music coming soon. In the meantime go to iTunes and download their single ‘Royal Affair’ released on May 15, 2014. Pocket Yellow will again be performing at Plan B Entertainment & Cocktails with Kyd Icarus and Justin Beepboop on Tuesday 9/16/14.
Check out:
Facebook.com/MorganJamesOfficial
facebook.com/PocketYellow
BOOKING INFO:
http://pocketyellowband.com/contact-me.html
Facebook.com/TiltedKiltOpenMicCompetition
Facebook.com/TheJamSessions
Facebook.com/Desert Beatz
Photos by Aaron Carlsson
