After a summer spent restructuring our businesses, refining our live setup, and preparing behind the scenes, Emma & James are starting to see new growth in the Arizona music scene. September brings new gigs, original music, unexpected opportunities, new connections, and a clearer picture of where we want this project to go next.
If we had to describe this summer with one word, it would probably be restructuring.
July felt like clearing out an overgrown garden. We were pulling weeds, removing things that were costing too much time or money, and trying to stop wasting energy on systems that were no longer helping us move forward.
August was more about preparing the soil and planting again.
Now, as we move through September and look toward October, we are finally starting to see some new growth.
That does not mean everything suddenly takes care of itself. A new garden still needs water every day, and you have to keep watching for the weeds trying to sneak back in.
But for the first time in a while, it feels less like we are repairing things and more like we are progressing.
Some of that progress is already showing up in the music.
New Arizona Live Music Gigs Are Filling the Calendar
One of the most encouraging signs is that gigs are beginning to appear again.
Some of them are planned months ahead. Others seem to land in our laps with only a few days' notice.
That has become one of the interesting differences between our duo and full-band performances.
The larger band shows tend to be planned well in advance. Duo and trio opportunities can appear almost out of nowhere.
Fortunately, part of what Emma and I worked on this summer was making sure we have enough material prepared that we can jump into a multi-hour duo performance without needing weeks of rehearsal first.
That preparation is starting to pay off.
We have also booked two new full-band shows.
On October 10, Emma & James will perform at Arizona BBQ Shack in Scottsdale from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, following two 30-minute opening performances beginning at 6:00 PM.
Then, on November 22, we will perform at Yucca Tap Room at 9:00 PM as part of a three-act night running from 8:00 to 11:00 PM. There will be a one-hour opening act before us and another one-hour act closing the evening.
We are also working with a venue owner on a special full-band event for the new year.
That one is especially exciting because it is moving closer to the type of concert-style Emma & James show we eventually want to create.
We are not ready to share all the details yet, but there will definitely be more about that in a future Behind the Music update.
A Last-Minute Phoenix Showcase Reminded Us That the Duo Is Enough
One of the newest opportunities happened so recently that it almost missed this article.
Earlier this week, we met Julian, one of the coordinators at Two Second Media in Phoenix, after being there for an interview connected with Desert Vibe and The Morning Show.
He asked if Emma and I would be interested in performing a 30-minute set Friday night as part of the first soft opening of a new open-mic-style showcase.
We said yes.
So on Friday, September 4, we found ourselves upstairs in a film production studio performing in a bar and lounge setting with great sound, constantly changing stage lighting, and a completely different atmosphere from most of the places we normally play.
Because it was a soft opening, the audience was small.
But they were listening.
And sometimes that matters a lot more than the number of people in the room.
We played several of our originals, and afterward those were the songs people wanted to talk to us about.
We received some wonderful feedback, met people who quickly felt more like new friends and fans, and left feeling like something meaningful had happened even though it was not a huge crowd or a major advertised show.
Then another door cracked open.
The sound engineer working the event liked what we were doing enough that he offered to introduce us to another part of the production group connected with the studio. They have an artist spotlight concept called Raise the Bar, which is filmed in the same bar and lounge area where we performed.
That is really all we know at this point, so we are not going to get ahead of ourselves.
If something develops from it, we will share more in a future article.
But the bigger takeaway from Friday night actually had very little to do with where the opportunity might lead.
It was what the performance did for us.
Emma and I love the sound of our full band. When the bass, trombone, drums, guitar, and vocals all come together, it creates something that two people simply cannot reproduce by themselves.
But there can also be a downside to becoming accustomed to that bigger sound.
Sometimes when it is just Emma and me again, there is a quiet little voice in the back of your mind asking whether the duo is somehow less significant without everybody else behind us.
Friday night helped put that feeling to bed.
We were not just enough as a duo.
People loved what we were doing as a duo.
They listened to our original songs, remembered them, talked to us about them afterward, and wanted to hear more.
That was a confidence boost we did not realize we needed.
The band adds something special to Emma & James Music.
But it does not create Emma & James Music.
That still starts with the two of us.
Arizona Open Mics Are Turning Into Real Opportunities
That experience also fits a larger pattern we have been noticing.
A surprising amount of our momentum has come from simply continuing to show up.
Several bookings have begun with us performing somewhere as a duo. A venue owner sees us play, approaches us about doing a show, and then learns that we also perform with a full band.
From there, we can send over our electronic press kit with full-band information and performance footage.
Open mics have also continued introducing us to musicians, collaborators, friends, podcast guests, and entirely new parts of the Arizona music scene.
For our latest What's Vibing in the Desert adventures with Desert Vibe Podcast, we made the drive north to Glendale to visit Coyote Oaties, an open mic we had been hearing a lot about.
It definitely lived up to the hype.
Our full review is scheduled to publish the week of September 7, and we are already looking forward to returning. We are also discussing a future Emma & James duo performance there in the new year.
Exploring farther into northern Phoenix has introduced us to musicians who know an entirely different collection of venues and performance opportunities.
It reminded us just how large the Arizona music community really is.
You do not necessarily have to leave the state looking for a better music scene.
There is a lot happening right here.
Sometimes you just have to drive a little farther, walk through a different door, or say yes when somebody asks if you are free Friday night.
What's Vibin' in the Desert Expands for Season Two
That same philosophy is influencing what we are doing with Desert Vibe Podcast Season Two.
After the main interview portion of the podcast, Emma and I are now helping lead a new segment called What's Vibin' in the Desert.
The goal is to eventually have representatives covering approximately eight different regions of Arizona, from northern Arizona all the way south.
Instead of us sitting at a computer and Googling events, we want people who are actually involved in those local music communities telling listeners what is happening.
Each representative gets a couple of minutes to highlight at least two venues, events, open mics, jams, or other opportunities musicians can get involved with.
It is our attempt at a more boots-on-the-ground approach.
Our open mic review articles have shown us how useful firsthand information can be. Musicians often want more than an address and start time.
They want to know what a place feels like, how things work, who goes there, and whether they are likely to feel comfortable walking through the door.
We are hoping our regional representatives can bring some of that same personality and firsthand knowledge to the podcast.
We also have a big Desert Vibe event coming up.
On October 3 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, Desert Vibe Podcast will celebrate its Season Two anniversary at North Mountain Brewing.
A group of musicians who have appeared on the podcast will each perform a couple of songs, along with hosts Glen Gardner and Walt Richardson, and Emma & James.
It should be a fun afternoon and a great representation of what Desert Vibe was created to do in the first place: bring Arizona musicians together.
Building a Full-Band Show, Not Just a Setlist
Behind the scenes, we have continued rehearsing with the band several times each month.
Our bassist and trombone player have been consistently involved, and we have added quite a few songs for everyone to learn.
Drums continue to be the hardest position to keep consistent.
We currently have several drummers we can call when needed, which means our arrangements sometimes have to stay flexible enough for someone to step in without months of rehearsal.
That can be challenging because the drummer really is the heartbeat of a song. If the rhythm is moving in unexpected directions, everyone feels it.
Still, the bigger picture is encouraging.
We now have roughly 90 minutes of full-band material that we are working toward having completely locked in.
That matters because our long-term goal is not simply to stand onstage and play songs.
We want to put on a show.
Emma and I both come from live performance and acting backgrounds, so we naturally think about the audience experience.
Eventually, we want people to leave an Emma & James concert saying:
"That was a great show. I would absolutely go see them again."
The band gigs we are booking now are an important step toward that.
First, the music needs to sound and flow smoothly. Once that foundation is solid, we can begin adding more of the show-style elements we have in mind for future concert performances.
Our In-Ear Monitor Experiment Continues
We are also still learning our new in-ear monitoring system.
Emma and I have been using it regularly during rehearsals at home, although we have not yet tested the complete system with the full band or at a live show.
So far, we really like what it is doing for our rehearsals.
In-ear monitors expose everything.
For me, that means I can hear little guitar mistakes that might otherwise disappear into a loud room, which forces me to play cleaner.
For Emma, hearing her own voice more clearly makes it easier to know exactly where her notes are instead of trying to find them through a wall of instruments coming from a traditional stage monitor.
There is still a difference between making something work comfortably at home and proving that the entire system will work reliably onstage.
That is the part I wish we could magically skip.
Until we test it properly in a live environment, it remains one of our works in progress.
New Original Emma & James Music Gets the Open Mic Test
We have also written a couple of new original songs over the summer.
One is called Never Look Down, which we have already tested at an open mic and think has a lot of potential.
Another is If You're Gonna Throw Rocks, a song inspired by bullying. The first draft is finished, but now it has to survive our normal testing process.
Whenever we introduce a new song, whether it is an original or even a new cover, we like to play it at around three different open mics before deciding what to do with it.
Sometimes a song needs changes.
Sometimes it needs to disappear.
And sometimes we completely underestimate it.
Our first original song, I Need Another Hero, almost ended up in the trash pile.
Then we played it with the full band.
It became our trombone player's favorite song, and several people in the audience told us how much they liked it.
That experience changed our rules.
Now, before completely abandoning a song, we want to hear what happens when the band gets hold of it.
Sometimes the thing a song is missing is not another rewrite.
It is another musician.
We currently have around five songs, including originals and covers, somewhere in that testing and development process.
Our first live album, Emma & James Live at the ASU Kerr, is also still in production.
That recording comes from our first full-band concert and will eventually give people another way to hear what this project sounds like when all the pieces come together.
Collaborating With Musicians Across the Arizona Music Scene
Another favorite development lately has been how comfortable we are becoming collaborating with other musicians on the fly.
Our bassist and trombone player have joined us at open mics.
Guitarists, including Glen Gardner and Dave Grossman, have jumped in and added lead guitar.
Our friends George and Georgia have joined us for backing vocals.
And at Arizona BBQ Shack, Chef Joe has hopped onto the drums during our songs and instantly added another layer of energy.
Those moments are rawer and more spontaneous than a carefully rehearsed performance.
It feels more like a jam.
There is something satisfying about knowing Emma and I understand the structure of our songs well enough to keep everything together while another experienced musician jumps in and brings their own personality to it.
Those are some of the moments when music feels the most alive.
Why Building the Business Still Matters to the Music
The biggest lesson of this summer may not actually be about music.
It has been about protecting the life that allows us to make it.
Some of the restructuring we have done with Emma Mattison Fitness and the Academy of Superior Online Coaching is beginning to create new opportunities.
That is exciting, but we are also being careful.
The last thing we want to do after removing something that consumed a tremendous amount of time without producing results is immediately replace it with another opportunity that does exactly the same thing.
We are trying to be patient enough to determine whether new growth is actually fruitful or whether it is just another weed wearing a disguise.
Those businesses matter to Emma & James Music because our goal has always been independence.
We want to build sustainable businesses that allow us to pay our own way and pursue music because we love doing it.
We are not building everything around the hope that someday somebody will "discover" us and suddenly make the entire thing possible.
For anyone taking an independent path, we think taking care of the business side matters.
It gives you more freedom to protect the creative side.
Get inspired by other artists. Discover a new sound. Experiment with styles that excite you.
But do not spend all your energy trying to become somebody else.
Take the inspiration, mix it with your own experiences and personality, and see what comes out.
That is usually where the interesting stuff is hiding.
After a summer of pulling weeds, rebuilding systems, rehearsing, writing, experimenting, and occasionally wondering whether any of it was working, things are starting to feel fun again.
There is new growth.
There are new shows on the calendar.
There are new songs waiting to be tested.
There are new friendships and collaborations developing throughout the Arizona music scene.
And every once in a while, something as simple as playing 30 minutes for a small room of people reminds us that the thing we have been building was already there.
The band can make it bigger.
The opportunities can take it farther.
But Emma & James starts with Emma and James.
For now, we will keep watering the garden and see what grows.