Meet James Lane | Podcast, Writer, Musician.

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Lane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, how do you think about risk?
It’s unlikely without risk, whatever we want or desire likely requires a little bit of risk to make happen. Last year, I created a group chat called Club Risk. While it’s partially a space for random life updates and funny memes. The main purpose is for people to share stories of risks they’ve taken. Every time I check in, I feel inspired to pursue my passions and go the extra mile. A quote I heard a few years ago that stuck with me is “I rather regret something I did than didn’t do.”. I try to apply that quote to my life on a fair regular basis and it’s brought me to some incredible places. Imagine for a moment, you have the chance to have an amazing experience of something you know you would enjoy, but the fear creeps in if you should do it because of judgement, failure, or possibly the unknown. In these moments, I ask myself: would I rather regret not taking this chance or regret not knowing what could’ve been? Well, I’m here to tell you the truth: most things we actually do in life doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, nor will it be remembered. However, the moments when we take risks and create impactful moments that help shape us does. Therefore, when there is an opportunity for me to enhance my life and potentially impact someone else’s life, I try to act on it and I encourage others to do the same. A simple trick that helps me decide is by asking myself: will this decision or action negatively impact me a year from today in a significant way? The answer almost always is no. So with that in mind, the risk often feels too small not to take. I think of risk with the mindset of all the things that could happen if I take the chance, instead of worrying about all the things that might happen if I don’t. These moments of risk for me are about forming connections, creating new opportunities, and turning dreams into realities. Next time an opportunity arises, take the chance. I know I will and I hope you do too.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Podcast – The Shaky Experience podcast focuses on interviewing bands at the height of their creative careers. I dive into conversations about their biggest moments, whether it’s playing a major festival like Coachella, sharing wild stories from performing on Late Night Television, or reflecting on memories from their tours, like their most memorable fan interactions. It’s an absolute blast, and I’ve loved building connections with so many artists I’ve admired for many years. Previous guests have included AHJ of The Strokes, We Are Scientists, Nada Surf, Dirty Projectors, Cults, and many others. To keep the show sustainable, I aim to partner with an underwriter for each episode. I’ve worked with nearly 20 different companies, who’ve sent me their products to review. If their budget allows, we also negotiate compensation for tailored shout-outs during the show. The podcast has even been quoted in major publications such as NME, Consequence of Sound, Yahoo, MSN, Fightful, and a few other platforms. The podcast itself came together in the most unexpected way. It started with a flyer I made to find friends or creative projects to be a part of, being I was new to Denver. I hung it around town, and someone from MSU Denver’s radio station saw it, invited me on-air to talk about the flyer, and eventually offered me a show. From there, I built a portfolio of my work, which led to a position with a Colorado NPR affiliate. During that time, I reported on a wide range of stories and hosted interviews with notable figures, including Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock. When I was laid off during the pandemic, I decided to take everything I had learned into creating The Shaky Experience podcast in the spring of 2020. It’s been an incredible ride and seeing the guests who’ve joined me on the show has been surreal. The entire experience has been more fulfilling than I could’ve imagined and I’m excited to see where it takes us next.

Writer – I write for 303 Magazine, contributing a monthly feature called New Colorado Music, where I shine light on local artists and give their recent releases the attention they deserve. I also attend concerts, festivals, and events in an ambassador role, occasionally writing reviews to share my experiences. This job truly feels like a dream come true. I’m very grateful to represent the publication and contribute to its mission of better showcasing Colorado’s creative communities. Throughout my time, I’ve had the honor of conducting Q&As with established artists like Tycho and 311, as well as a few others. It’s truly been an amazing learning experience and a very rewarding opportunity to support and celebrate the artists shaping Coloraod’s music scene.

Musician – The Shaky Experience (band) founded in 2010. We’re an indie, noise pop duo (Thom Merrill and I) with lots of comedy banter and antics in between songs and occasionally within our online presence. We’ve maintained a decent following from the start and are always so grateful for all the support and love we get. The key has always been to encourage our fans to be their most authentic selves and do whatever they feel during our sets and while engaging with us online, as long as it isn’t harmful to anyone else.

We’ve witnessed a lot of goofy, crazy, fun, weirdo things during our shows. A few highlights I can briefly mention is crowdsurfing while playing guitar with a mic stand precariously balanced next to my face, absurd band t-shirt design contests, fireworks and sparklers mid-performance, life sized cardboard celebrity cutout battles, and FaceTime jam sessions projected onto a screen during live shows. One of our strangest highlights was our livestream series Food Porno, which went moderately viral in another continent thanks to a miraculous algorithm bump (don’t ask). Our merch? Let’s just say it’s some of the most unique finds you could get (I’ll leave it at that haha).

Some notable performance highlights include:

Santa Fe Portals Fest 2024
The Underground Music Showcase 2018 & 2020 (livestream)
Washington DC’s ADMO Porch Fest 2022 & 2023
Artscape Baltimore 2020 (livestream)
Maryland Institute College of Art’s All Night Vigil Music Festival 2019

We’ve also been featured in several publications over the years, and it’s always a joy to see people connect with what we’re doing. We just really love each out as bandmates / friends and we love our fans / attendees. We’ve played at least one show a year since we started and hope to continue to do that for the rest of our lives. If you’re still unsure what we’re about, I would just encourage you to come see it for yourself, it truly is a “shaky experience”.

Poetry –

In 2018, after two incredible years in Denver, I moved back to my hometown of Baltimore. The city had been amazing, I was doing so much creatively, but I’d just come out of a long relationship and felt a pull to return home. Within that time, I started writing new songs, but they didn’t feel like anything I had created before. Instead, they felt more like storytelling and focused heavily on wordplay.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to do with these pieces, I recorded just the vocals. A friend suggested pairing them with lo-fi beats and that idea changed everything for me. What started as an experiment evolved into five poetry albums. The first of these albums – Hookup Culture 2020 Pt. 1, was inspired by an article naming Denver “the worst city in America for dating, again.” It became a concept album reflecting on my own experiences dating in Denver, bridging spoken word with an archive of lyrics presented as poems. One track, “Verbal Escalation,” was even published in a poetry book last year which was a humbling honor for me.

It was a very unique and vulnerable experience sharing what felt like a personal diary of my life out into the world. Although, I became inspired to write more and experimented a lot while reciting them live throughout these past few years. Almost every time I recite them it shocks the audience because they don’t typically expect a guy playing loud indie, noise pop to hard stop playing guitar and loop a chord to start conveying edgy words through poetry.

The marketing for these releases became its own creative journey:

Posting abstract flyer images with QR codes in grocery stores, including a f*ke “Trader Joe’s art gallery” I curated.
Sending out f*ke ransom letters with my brand weaved into it.
Convincing influencers to share my album on release day.
Partnering with Metaverse Radio, where one album streamed in regular rotation for a week.
Selling NFTs of the audio files for cryptocurrency.
Sharing f*ke “thief” images in random online groups, linking back to the album.
Premiering an album on NPR New Mexico, the day before our set at a music festival in Santa Fe.

My next goal is to release a book compiling all my poems, their backstories, and the unconventional marketing techniques I used. I’m so grateful to everyone who supported these poems and to the people who inspired me to write them, you all are truly something else haha.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Denver has so much to offer, and I have a few spots that I always recommend to anyone visiting.

First up is FM Boutique, run by Fancy Matthew, who has curated one of the coolest collections of clothes, vinyl records, jewelry, gifts, and more. The shop itself is a vibe, and sometimes Matthew hosts DJs right in the store. He also throws a dance party a few times a year called Weird Touch, which is hands down my favorite event in the city. I’m a big fan of everything he does and find myself coming back to his shop and events regularly.

For dinner, Illegal Pete’s on S Broadway has a soft spot in my heart. The patio, the vibes, the happy hour, it all just hits differently for me. I have countless memories there dating back from when I first moved to Denver back in 2016. However, if I’m picking a favorite food spot in the city, it’s got to be City O’ City. The menu is packed with delicious options, and everything is vegetarian. I love this place, the food, happy hour, and staff are all amazing.

When it comes to drinks, The Thin Man and Pon Pon are two of my favorite spots. These bars bring together a feeling of local art, music, and culture. Some of the most random and fun moments I’ve had in Denver happened at these places. I’m a huge fan of aesthetics when deciding if I like a place and these spots easily have some of the best decor and art in town. Another gem is Forest Room 5, this place feels like a local version of Rainforest Café, but cooler. They also host fun events, like The Flea Market Comedy Show, which is put on by two hilarious Denver comics (highly recommend).

When exploring the rest of Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park is at the top of my list. It’s one of my favorite places in the world, filled with super awesome memories (thank you Kim). Another top contender is Great Sand Dunes National Park, where you can sled down the sand hills which is a thriller experience like no other. Lastly, Mesa Verde is criminally underrated. It’s a bit of a hike from anything, but totally worth it. It’s a spooky, mysterious, yet beautiful place. By far more people need to visit here because it is remarkably different than anything you will see anywhere else in the US. This is my perfect itinerary for anyone visiting Colorado, each spot offers something unique, and together they showcase the best of what the state has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The three people that have had the biggest impact on me are –

Lisa Stone, this woman adopted me out of foster care when I was 4 year’s old. At the time, she was in her early to mid 30s. She didn’t have to do that, she could’ve lived a normal life and not had to worry about raising a child, but she choose me instead. I can never express enough gratitude for what she did. It is very likely my life would be completely different without her. She shaped my life to what it is and I love her so much for it. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago at the age of 55, due to heart issues and Lymphoma cancer. She was lower class and worked long and late hours to support us. That being said, I try my best to come at things as if I’m living the life she never had the chance to enjoy. I always express a high abundance of gratitude every time I travel or have a memorable life experience i.e being asked to be featured in this article. Lastly, I have a daily gratitude list I’ve updated every day since she’s passed away. It truly has made me reflect and understand how lucky I am to be alive and live a life for both of us, but as one.

My best friend, Mike Wolf. He’s the wildest, most adventurous guy I know, and he’s had a major influence on my life. In our late teens to early twenties, we had CRAZY life experiences. This includes winning a Mercedes car through a Facebook contest, managing the Instagram account of a very famous actor, comped passes to exclusive events, concerts, and festivals. We didn’t have traditional jobs, but instead would make money by doing focus groups, clinical trials, and brand ambassador gigs. We auditioned for television shows, sitting in the audience of Late Night Television sitcoms, and being background actors for different television series and movies and hanging out with the cast members (not to mention the super amazing catering lol). Taking the bus to NYC at 4am and last minute Couchsurfing on a stranger’s floor, those times were pretty surreal, but always a story. There was a lot of astrology, missed connections, random celebrity run ins during those times. It’s been amazing and I’d say he’s taught me to embrace the moment, live now, don’t wait for tomorrow.

And my other best friend / bandmate Thom Merrill. He’s the most abstract, creative weirdo I know. He takes the imagination of art, culture, and lifestyle to another level and it’s extremely fascinating to see. I generally gravitate to the strangest person in the room and am always curious to meet and learn from people that live unconventional lives. Thom by far takes the cake for truly being his most authentic self at all times and it’s very inspiring. He’s a person that isn’t concerned about the opinions of others, but is genuinely focused on his creative journey and his loved ones. I think that’s as cool as it gets and makes me always curious to learn more from him.

I feel lucky for this trio of people being apart of my life. They all have taught me several things that helped create the person you see before you. Lastly, I’ll quickly add The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday, The 48 Laws by Robert Greene, and TB12. There’s plenty more, but this is a solid list for now.

Website: https://jamesrichardlane.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesrichardlane/

Twitter: https://x.com/JamesLanee

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShakyExperience/

Other: Podcast

Music
https://jameslanee.bandcamp.com/album/rated-r-vacations

303 Archives
https://303magazine.com/author/james-lane/

My winning video on The Price Is Right
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgi5q2xb8tI