Once a member of Kalamazoo’s Funktion, Elk Rapids’ Jeremy Reisig spent years and thousands of dollars to perfect his one-man band act and audiences love it. He plays SpeakEZ Lounge on Wednesday.
Uplifting Message: Brotha James, aka Jeremy Reisig, uses his live looping to interact with audiences. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
THE ARTIST: Brotha James
THE MUSIC: Pop, dance music, hip hop, rock, funk
WHERE YOU CAN SEE HIM: 8 p.m. Wednesday at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids for Local Spins Wednesdays; Brotha James also plays at 7 p.m. Sunday, opening for That 1 Guy, at The Stache inside The Intersection in Grand Rapids.
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Live performances by Brotha James tend to mesmerize audiences, marrying elements of one-man bands, family-friendly fan interactions, comedy routines, the circus and multi-instrumental dexterity akin to juggling.
Challenging Experience: Perfecting his one-man show was a huge investment.
But this Elk Rapids live-looping wizard and former Hope College student – whose real name is Jeremy Reisig – really views it as a spiritual, audience-inspiring mission, with his self-produced music blending rock, pop, funk and soul.
“I’m on a mission to add massive value to people all over the world by using music to deliver an uplifting message of believing in ourselves and going after our dreams,” said Reisig, 35.
“The looping has gotten amazing feedback in every environment. I’ve been all over the country testing markets in the past 12 months and it’s a great vehicle to spread the message. The uniqueness of the looping is an instant attraction in most environments to even the most skeptical listeners.”
He plays SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids at 8 p.m. Wednesday. He also stopped by Local Spins Live on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) this week to demonstrate his live-looping technique. Check out a video of that performance below, along with a video of his song, “Animal,” which he submitted to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts contest. Listen to the Local Spins Live radio podcast here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Live with Brotha James
Admittedly, Reisig conceded, it took him years and the investment of thousands of dollars in electronic gear to perfect his live-looping show, which involves the recording and playback of music in real time, layering drum beats, rhythm guitar parts and more to create an impressive one-man band performance.
AN ‘AMAZING PROCESS’ AND MAKING IT ALL ABOUT THE AUDIENCE
“It’s been an amazing process and easily the most challenging experience of my life so far. Many times I wanted to quit,” he said. “Before this project, I had never really been a singer, never played guitar other than around the fire, never played keyboards, never looped or played with a drum pad. Finding a way for them to all talk together has been crazy.”
Winning Performance: Brotha James won the play-in contest in the electric category for the Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
That’s not to say that Reisig isn’t an experienced musician. The Elk Rapids High School graduate has played drums or percussion in numerous bands over the years, including Suttons Bay’s Give Us Your Money, Traverse City’s Soul Patch, Los Angeles’ Greenstix and, most recently, Kalamazoo’s Funktion.
He cites northern Michigan musician Ryan Whyte Maloney and his brother, Sean Reisig, as major influences in honing his craft while working with them on different band projects.
Reisig, who moved to Elk Rapids at age 9 from a 500-acre farm in Illinois and at various times attended Western Michigan University, Hope College and Northwestern Michigan College, started working on live looping after members of Funktion “started to take a step away” from making that band their primary focus. He released an album, “Animal,” under the Brotha James moniker last year.
“I think intensely about my sets and the environment I’m in,” said Reisig, who presents special inspirational shows for children in schools across the state and encourages audiences to participate by playing percussion instruments with him during his shows.
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“I make it about the audience and not about me. Getting them involved takes away from me being able to show off my skills on my instruments or vocals.”
That attitude and hard work has paid off: Brotha James in January won a “play-in contest” for the Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, topping four other acts to earn a performance slot in the March event at Kalamazoo Valley Museum.
“The message (is) being authentic and reflective along the way and practicing gratitude,” he said. “The more we are grateful for what we have, the more we’ll bring joy to the activities and people in our lives.”
Learn more about Brotha James on his Facebook page.
VIDEO: Brotha James, “Front Row” (Local Spins Live)
VIDEO: Brotha James, “Animal”
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
This dude is great!! Can’t wait to see him!!