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Premier Guitar, Oct '06: Artist Profile  - Jim McGorman
Backstage at Rockstar: Supernova - Part 3

 

The second season of the Rockstar reality series has come to a close and Rockstar: Supernova has crowned Canadian Lukas Rossi the new lead singer of the super group. Jim McGorman of the Rockstar house band provides us with a recap of this year's show and informs us of where the members of the band go from here. As Jim celebrates the release of the new Jamestown CD, he also provides us with an update of where his solo career is heading and what the show's incredible success has meant to him as an artist, in our third and final chapter of "Backstage at Rockstar: Supernova." 

 

Hi everyone, I'm back! In case you didn't catch last month's article, my name is Jim McGorman and I'm part of the Rockstar house band. 

 

The past two seasons have featured contrasting styles of music; from a house band perspective did you find one more challenging then the other?

 

Not really. Although this year was more rock music, I still feel diversity within the season.We still went from Peter Gabriel to Billy Idol. From Aerosmith to The Killers. It's always challenging to play multiple styles within the same set.

 

The house band is going to open the premiere dates for Supernova New Years Eve in Las Vegas. What can we expect from this show?

 

Well, first let me set the record straight, because there seems to be a lot of confusion about this. The house band is not playing in Las Vegas. It is the only town we are not playing. Not really sure why, but we start the tour January 16th. The show will start with the house band playing with Dilana, Tobay, Magni and Storm. Then the Panis Channel - then Supernova.

 

As a solo artist, your band, Jamestown, has just released its premiere album, The World is Falling Down. Tell us about the band, the music and your contribution to the project?

 

Well, Jamestown is my baby. I've been working on music my entire life, and this is my first full-length record. I wrote - or co-wrote - all the songs, produced the record, and obviously played guitar, keys and sang. I've been working with a lot of the same musicians over the years in L.A.; the drummer (Dave Allen), bass player (Jon Button), and I have been working on original stuff for almost seven years. The three of us played for Michelle Branch when I was her Musical Director from 2001 to 2002. Emerson Swinford (guitar) and I have been writing and playing together for longer than that, and David Levita (guitar) has been a great contribution to the recording process. Though we are all pro players and are generally really busy working on other projects (to pay the bills), this is something we have done for ourselves. I am incredibly proud of the record and how we all worked together to make it happen.We'll see where it goes from here.

 

It has had to have been an insane few months doing the Rockstar gig and finishing up an album. How did you juggle all this? You must have had many late night trips to Starbucks.

 

I'm not going to lie to you; it's not easy. I just took a two-day break (the first I've had in 5 months) to go see the Philadelphia Eagles play in San Francisco. I'm a huge football fan. But now, I'm right back to learning songs again. It's fun, but it can be very tiring. The important thing for me is to live in the moment; you can get so caught up in the hype of the show, or the possibilities of things, but you have to remember to have fun with it. I am very fortunate that people pay me to "play" for a living. It's easy to take it for granted, but I am constantly reminding myself of how lucky I am.

  

As the show has grown to incredible proportions and the house band members have truly become rockstars, how do you feel this entire experience has impacted your career, and what have you learned from it all?

 

Well, that's kind of an odd question for me to answer, especially because I don't consider myself a "rockstar." I always tell people, "I'm not a rockstar, I just play one on TV." The show has definitely helped my profile as a musician for hire, and it has put me in front of an unbelievable amount of people - which helps me get my music out there. So, it has been a nice shot in the arm for my career. As far as what I've learned from this, there would not be enough space and time for me to tell. Plus, if I told you, then you'd tell someone, then they'd tell someone and I wouldn't have anything for myself. Just kidding, but really, I am the kind of person that loves learning, loves observing and evaluating. During the last few seasons on Rockstar, I have seen a lot of things that I will take with me and use in all aspects of my life. It would be great if we could keep it going for a while, but if not, I had a great time and will take the memories with me.

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