Music for Television
Story and photography by Stephen Faure
Inside Northside loves to shine the spotlight on talented people who call the northshore home. The latest in this growing list of artists is a singer/songwriter who goes by the name AM (“A, M”—not “am”), a rising star on the Los Angeles music scene whose music you may have heard on a television set near you.
A graduate of Mandeville High and Loyola University in New Orleans, and now based in Los Angeles, AM was recently back home performing at the Mandeville Seafood Festival and in the French Quarter to promote his new album, “Soul Variations.” Inside Northside caught up with him while he was taking a break from performing and doing his own catching up with family and friends.
He’s enjoying astounding success with his music being placed in television shows and motion pictures. All ten songs from AM’s debut album “Troubled Times” were placed in film and television shows, including HBO’s “Big Love,” MTV’s “Real World” and ABC’s “What About Brian.” Movies where AM’s music can be heard include “Butterfly Effect 2,” “Life with Fiona” and “Flakes,” a film shot in New Orleans that is to be released later this year.
AM’s music is in the background as millions of people get their caffeine fix in 5,000 Starbucks stores across the country, which added AM to their in-store music play list. Starbucks is also playing AM on its XM satellite radio channel, Hear Music.
Three songs from “Soul Variations,” his newest album, which recently debuted locally at the Louisiana Music Factory, have already been placed in television shows. One episode of ABC’s “Kyle XY” featuring two of AM’s songs, “What You Hide” and “We Will Remain,” aired in late August. So far, he’s had 38 total song placements in film and television.
“I never thought this was something I’d be considered to be an expert on,” AM muses as he talks about his invitation to be a panelist discussing music licensing during the Dfest Music Conference and Festival (where he was also invited to perform) in Tulsa at the end of July.
Classic Songwriting
AM’s manager, Mia Crow of Visionworks Music, believes AM’s classic songwriting has been the key to his success in film and TV. “What places AM apart from other artists trying get their music placed simply is very good songwriting,” Crow says. “His music is cinematic; he’s very visual in his writing and he’s also a huge film buff. He just loves the medium.”
What is the AM sound? His music has been compared to James Taylor, Jeff Buckley and Wilco. AM cites a number of artists who influence his work: Jackson Brown, Daniel Lanois, the Flaming Lips, U2, Coldplay, The Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and The Eagles among them.
AM’s Roots
“I was born in Tulsa, but we moved to Mandeville when I was a kid,” AM says. He started performing publicly when he was about 15 years old, playing in a cover band with some other students from Mandeville High School. They called themselves Clairvoyant, and AM remembers his first gig at the Dixie Café in Covington.
After high school graduation, AM became a philosophy major at Loyola, which ended up being a great course of study for a songwriter. “I attribute a great deal of my lyric writing to the fact that I was able to study philosophy in college. I got to read amazing books. It really helped shape my world view in a way that’s valuable as a writer,” he says.
Although he didn’t perform much while living in New Orleans and attending college, AM did take full advantage of the city’s active music scene. Tipitina’s and The Howlin’ Wolf were a couple of his favorite venues back then. “I stayed focused on the jazz and funk circuit. It’s really what New Orleans has to offer that you can’t get anywhere else,” AM recalls. “I’m a big Walter Wolfman Washington fan. I love going to see Kermit Ruffins. I love the whole party aspect of those guys, especially Kermit where he has those big barbecues after the show.” Treme’s Hi-Ho Lounge was a memorable venue for AM, where pianist Henry Butler “was amazing—he blew me away.”
Change of Scenery
After graduating from Loyola, AM decided it was time to pursue his music career—and get away from the heat and humidity. “I lived in Louisiana a long time and thought, ‘I need to see what other climates are out there.’
“I was always fascinated with Los Angeles,” AM says of his decision to move west. “Maybe it would be an easy place to struggle, you know? The weather’s nice—nicer than in New York,” he recalls thinking.
“I moved out there, started playing music wherever I could and finally found my way to a little place called the Hotel Café, which became the place where I developed my sound and was able to put a band together. That’s also where I met Jamie Myerson, the guy who produced my first record.
“We decided to make a record, and, not too long after, it found its way to a radio station in Los Angeles called KCRW. They started spinning the record a lot. It wasn’t even released; it was a demo, basically. That started catching the attention of producers, music supervisors and directors. I began to get a lot of e-mails and calls about using my music in movies and TV shows.”
What’s In a Name?
Why the stage name AM? He says, “I could start going under my given name; that would be kind of boring. That’s one reason. Another reason is that it kind of pays ode to a time past, listening to the radio in the AM radio days.
“I wanted to retain a sense of mystery, which I feel has been lost in modern-day music culture. It’s all about writing blogs and telling everyone what you ate for breakfast. We’re kind of spoiled now. When I grew up, I almost wanted to know about the personal lives of the people I liked to listen to. But then again, I didn’t really want to know, because it was the mystery I was attracted to. I always liked artists who had names like Bono and The Edge from U2—even people who would change their names to make it read better, such as David Bowie [David Jones] or Bob Dylan [Robert Zimmerman].”
Back Home
AM came back to Mandeville this summer to visit friends and family, promote his new record and scout recording studios. His first gig back in the area was at the Louisiana Music Factory. Accompanied by his band (Mark Getten on bass, Jesse Nason on keyboards and Michael Castro on drums), AM played a subdued set to a cozy and appreciative crowd.
AM topped off his trip home with an appearance at the Mandeville Seafood Festival. Four Unplugged’s Rick Windhorst, who’s on the festival board that booked the performers for the festival, was pleased to be able give the Mandeville native a hometown stage to unveil his new material. “We usually don’t book too many original acts for the festival. It was a change of pace and a really good thing all around. He’s very talented,” Windhorst says.
“It was really an amazing show,” AM notes, happy to be back in a part of the world that has fashioned his life and music. “My kind of laid-back view of life was definitely shaped by living down here. Growing up in Mandeville and living in a place like New Orleans have shaped how I am and how I approach things.”
He would like to come back to record his next record. “If all goes as planned, I do want to record my third record down here. I’m visiting different studios and trying to figure out how to make that happen. Some of my first record was written here, but I’ve never recorded here. That’s my goal.”
AM will be returning to the New Orleans area this fall and will be performing at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on October 11. More dates may be added. For an updated schedule, or to find out more about AM and hear samples of his music, visit www.amsounds. com or www.myspace.com/amsounds.
