As excuses go, it was a good one. When the Examiner called in on former Glen Innes resident James Haselwood recently, he was detained in rehearsals with Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, courtesy of his gig with television show The Voice.
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Earlier the musician had returned to Glen Innes in March, performing alongside partner Katie McNamara to transport the local Town Hall back to the Swinging 20s for the Red Cross Ball, but since then has snagged a job that saw him performi
ng less than 20 feet away from international producing sensation Will.i.am, pop queen Kylie, Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden and Puerto Rican pop legend Ricky Martin.
Snagging a few minutes in a busy pre-production schedule, the former local turned bass player for the popular talent show offered up an insider’s look at a hurtling career in music that struck its first notes while the eclectic muso was still studying at Glen Innes High School.
Forming a fledgling band with close school friends Kent Eastwood and Craig Campbell, James said the local atmosphere and wide-ranging support for the creative arts in Glen Innes fostered his interest in music, making regular appearances in local pubs and clubs throughout his high school career.
Fostered by veteran local creative and performing arts teacher Glenda Crosby, James said he and his friends were hooked on the performance buzz and inspired by his local supporters to pursue a career in music.
Enrolling in Southern Cross University after graduating from high school in 1995, James spent three years completing a bachelor of arts in Lismore, majoring in contemporary music studies.
“It’s a great course at Southern Cross,” he said.
After three years immersed in the finer points of performing and production, James said it didn’t take long to see where his career was heading. With major Australian production houses based in metropolitan areas, James shored up his tertiary studies and went in pursuit of the top of the Australian musical field.
Between 2004 and 2013 the local musician made his mark across a wide variety of genres alongside headlining acts such as Natalie Imbruglia in 2005 and 2009, recorded by numerous major production houses including Sony BMG and Island Records, before he had a chance reunion on the streets of New York City with fellow university student turned The Voice music director Scott Alpin.
After returning home, the two stayed in contact and when an engagement with the John Butler Trio left a space for an up and coming bass player on the hit television show, James slotted neatly in among fellow musicians Adam Sofo, Warren Trout, Michael Dolce and Chris Kamzelas.
Taking inspiration from the blues and soul legends of the past century, James said the change to produce music across a milieu of genres for a chain of talented vocalists live to air for thousands of viewers was a big demand.
“It’s really unique. I’ve never done a gig like this before,” he said
“I’m lucky enough to play with some really great artists.”
From performing alongside headliner international artists to the sheer bulk of eclectic material on The Voice, James said when the music is good and the artists are sincere, good times are guaranteed.
Mingling with some of the biggest names in music, the former local turned collaborative high-roller has capped a whirlwind career of performing both domestically and on an international scale and said music is something that crosses all boundaries.
“It’s inherently collaborative,” he said.
“When you get into a group of people, you bounce off each other. It’s a very social kind of thing.”
Reflecting on career travels across the Asian continent, James said music traversed all cultural boundaries and was a language everyone spoke.