James Amos may single-handedly have moved the Mansfield, OH music culture to a point where he influences them more than he realizes. Funny how a guy who spent years living in Austin, Texas and still travels there for SXSW has settled in a blue collar town an hour north of Columbus, Ohio.

The scene has definitely benefited from James though. His band TV Movie is just one facet of this. This band is alternative/new wave with a distinct DIY ethos that can be heard in the music. The production is polished, but not overly so. I’m looking forward to catching their set at Worst Kept Secret Fest VII and hearing some tunes from their forthcoming release, titled Reel1 (more on that later). James was gracious enough to answer our pre-festival Q&A:

Q: What is the best beverage to enjoy at one of your shows?

A: A Jameson shot with a sprinkle of Molly and a splash of LSD.

Likewise, what usually keeps you going onstage?

In addition to watching people dance after doing a Jameson shot with sprinkle of Molly and a splash of LSD, we personally enjoy tasty craft brews with shots of Jameson.

You have a task of getting a person to one of your shows, but they will not hear your music before you go onstage. What do you say?

TV Movie is essentially New-Wave with a number of eclectic elements thrown together, such as post-punk, electro, dance, and Rap. We like to rock out and get people dancing, all in one show.

What’s most encouraging about the current state of the music industry?

At a local and regional level, the level of diversity is amazing and at the same time more of these bands have music available to take home with you.

What’s been some favorite releases of the band so far this year?

Bright Light Social Hour ‘Space is Still the Place’
Faith No More ‘Sol Invictus’

Who from Columbus definitely needs to be heard more in the outside of Ohio (other than you, of course!)?

There is a lot of good music coming out of Columbus these days and it’s hard to keep up, but here are a few! Gelatinus Cube, Friendly Faux, The Up All Nights, Curse of Casandra, Damn the With Siren

Name the best live band you’ve seen: what made it memorable?

On a big name level, Roger Waters no doubt has the best arena show! Nobody does arenas better!

On a more recent note, I’d say Sphynx from Austin, TX. They get the entire crowd dancing their asses off!

What is the most memorable venue you’ve played and why?

Tough question! We’ve played small showcases at SXSW, so it’s great to see some of my old friends there and get to hear so much other great music!

Who inspires you? Doesn’t have to be a musician.

Pat Chase (from Gelatinus Cube)

Since we’ve already discussed your live show, tell us what it is about your upcoming records that you are most excited about.

Very excited about our upcoming release ‘Reel1’! It’s a concept album that tells the story of one man’s journey that occurs in one night. Starting off with a break-up, his journey takes him from a stagnate and mundane cycle into learning to view life in a new light, whether it be real or fantasy.

What’s your favorite method of discovering new music?

I like Bandcamp! You can spend a lot of time searching to no avail, but when you find something unique it’s well worth the time!!!

Star Wars Ep 7 – yay or nay? why?

Everything I have seen so far is very promising!!!! Seems like J.J. Abrams is re-setting it back more to the original style, after George Lucas really mucked things up with overdone special effects and family geared adds.

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