Emma & James Music reflects on headlining Pho Cao in Scottsdale with original songs, full-band energy, and a powerful night of Arizona live music.
On June 19, Emma & James Music had the chance to headline Pho Cao in Scottsdale, Arizona as part of a special night called Femme Frequencies. The show was put together by promoter Chris Crockett, and the theme fit the night perfectly. His wife, Thea Crockett, opened the evening, followed by the husband-and-wife duo George and Georgia, and then Emma and James Music closed out the night with Emma as the lead vocalist and focal point of our full-band set.
For us, this was more than another gig. It was our first time officially playing Pho Cao outside of the open mic setting, and it felt like a milestone. We had played the open mic there before, which is how Chris first saw us. Then he and Thea came to our show at ASU Kerr on May 15. After watching that performance, they wanted to book us for Pho Cao. That is one of the beautiful things about the Arizona live music scene. One night can lead to the next opportunity when people are paying attention.
From Open Mic to Headlining Pho Cao in Scottsdale
The show ran from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the room had a great energy from the beginning. Going into the night, we were hoping for an audience that would be open to our style of music. Emma & James Music has always leaned heavily into original songs, with a handful of covers that match our sound and Emma's vocals.
We are not trying to be everything to everyone. We are trying to create something honest, soulful, bluesy, cinematic, and a little unexpected.
Before the show, we felt prepared. We had two full rehearsals with the band, and Emma and I already knew the songs well. The goal was to bring the other musicians into the world of the songs and let everyone find the groove together.
Most of us met through jam sessions, so there is already a level of trust in the room. If something shifts in the moment, we are used to listening, adjusting, and finding the pocket together.
That ability to adapt became more important than we expected.
Thea Crockett Opens the Night
Thea Crockett opened the show, and this was a big moment for her. Up to this point, she had mostly played open mics, usually two songs at a time. For Femme Frequencies, she stepped onstage alone with her guitar and her voice and played a full 45-minute set.
That is not a small thing.
Thea was nervous, but once she started, she looked like a true professional. She spoke to the audience, gave background to her song choices, and sang beautifully. There is something special about watching an artist step into a bigger version of themselves in real time. She did exactly that, and it set a meaningful tone for the rest of the night.
Sharing the Stage with George and Georgia
After Thea, George and Georgia took the stage. We have known them for a couple of years, but this year we have started doing more shows together. This was our second time sharing a night with them for a gig, and our styles complement each other very well.
George and Georgia are seasoned pros. They have both been in music for most of their lives as individuals, and they have been performing as a duo for around five years. George is amazing on guitar and also sings. Georgia plays bass, adds percussion, and has an absolutely gorgeous voice. Together, they harmonize in a way that captures the room.
Sharing the night with another husband-and-wife duo felt natural. There was also a real sense of community between the acts. We even had shared fans there to support the show. Emma and I look up to George and Georgia as mentors. They feel like brothers and sisters in music, the kind of people who have your back and want to see you grow.
Bringing the Full-Band Version of Emma & James Music to Life
For our set, Emma sang lead vocals, and I played guitar. We were joined by PA Dave on trombone, Chris Perrin on bass, and Stokes on drums.
As a duo, Emma and I bring a more intimate version of our songs. With the full band, those same songs become something bigger. The drums and bass give the music a toe-tapping pulse, and the trombone adds tasteful fills and solos that lift the songs into a different space. It still sounds like us, but with more movement, more energy, and more room for the audience to feel it.
We played mostly original music, including "Can't Sleep," "I Get a Fever," "As the Sun Goes Down," "I Need Another Hero," "Leopard in a Cage," and "Savior."
We also included a few covers that fit our sound and Emma's voice, including "Broken Bones" by Kaleo, Peggy Lee's "Fever," "Can't Go Back" by Dennis Lloyd, and "Feeling Good" by Muse.
Peggy Lee is probably the closest match to Emma's soulful, sensual vocal style, although Emma never tries to copy her.
With the other covers, Emma loves taking songs originally sung by men and making them her own. She changes lyrics when needed so they fit her voice and perspective, and she also removes anything that would not fit the family-friendly tone we want our shows to have.
The Moment the Band Clicked
From my perspective as the guitarist, I felt the show click by the end of our second song, "Can't Sleep." The next song was Peggy Lee's "Fever," and we already had some people in the audience dancing.
Honestly, the band felt locked in even earlier than that. During sound check, we played Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight" to get the full band sound together.
Instead of making the audience hear the same part repeated over and over, Emma started improvising the lyrics and making them about the sound check itself.
The audience started laughing. Then they started cheering. By the end, they were calling out for more sound checks.
That was the first sign that Emma was on fire that night.
Later in the set, she had the audience cheering through our original song "I'm Gonna Whine," with a massive cheer at the end. She repeated that audience interaction during "Can't Go Back," and the crowd stayed with her. She was not just singing the songs. She was leading the room.
"As the Sun Goes Down" and the Magic You Cannot Fake
The strongest moment of the night may have been our original song, "As the Sun Goes Down."
We wrote that song earlier this year as part of a songwriting challenge, and it has grown into one of the songs that feels most important to us. At Pho Cao, it hit hard. The audience seemed to lean in and hang on every word.