HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TENNESSEE VALLEY LIVING) - On this edition of ‘Sounds of the Valley,’ a local musician who has been hitting stages around North Alabama and beyond for more than two decades is in the spotlight!
James Irvin is a musician who can do it all. From rocking out on the drums in his early 20s for well-known entertainer Microwave Dave to becoming the frontman of his own bands, his talents have taken him to many places over the years. Each experience has brought along its own set of lessons.
Irvin’s music journey began early in life. Born and raised in Center Grove, Alabama, he says music was deeply rooted throughout his family tree. So, a love for music was practically inevitable.
“The first performances for me would have been pretty early teenage years and it was usually playing drums in the band that my dad was in. Shortly after that I had me and my sister were both writing songs.”
— James Irvin
Irvin says he officially hit the local music scene after scoring a gig at the Big Spring Jam, a music festival that used to happen annually in Huntsville.
From there, he found early success after impressing North Alabama music icon Microwave Dave with his drumming skills.
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“Microwave Dave came in and heard me play and then pulled me aside and talked to me and offered me the job. I was like ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll take it.’ That was my first experience getting on the road and playing out of town...”
Irvin says the time he spent performing with Microwave Dave and The Nukes played a big role in catapulting him even further into the music scene, with many other local musicians seeking him out to be a part of their performances.
These successes led to Irvin having the opportunity to eventually be the frontman of his own band, The Nerve, and even release his own solo albums, as well! He says switching up roles keeps things interesting for him.
“There’s some weeks where I’m, you know, playing drums all week or there’s some weeks where I’m just playing solo gigs all week... It breaks monotony and it keeps it fun for me.”
Over the course of his more than two decades working stages all over, he says that despite the lows that can come with being a full-time musician; there’s no other life he’d rather be living.
“I’ve gotten to do some pretty incredible stuff, and I’ll have that for the rest of my life. I’ll have those memories and pretty much any friend I have, anybody I know. Rich or poor, whatever. I know them from playing music.”
Irvin says he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. He’s hoping to continue performing for as long as he can. Along the way, he also wants to continue inspiring crowds— young, old, and everyone in between— through music.
“I’ve had people come up that heard me when they were a kid and that got them into it [music]. You know, it’s unbelievable that, you know, you made that impact...”
Irvin gave the ‘Sounds of the Valley’ team an exclusive performance of his new, currently unreleased song called “You Only Get One.”
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To listen to more from James Irvin, you can stream his music on Apple Music and Spotify.
Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with when and where he’ll be performing and more updates!
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