James is a singer/songwriter in the band Beach Slang.
What was the food highlight of your year?
There’s this little neighborhood spot in Philadelphia where, pretty much every day, I eat a thing. The first time they said, “Hey man, the usual?” it felt like my place, you know? I suppose it’s less about those dumb black beans I get and more about the good hearts who hold that little shop together.
What was the music highlight of your year?
Fest 13. Every single perfect thing about it.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
We were on tour in Toronto during Canadian Thanksgiving. We had no idea. This really sweet girl with dark hair and soft tattoos baked a bunch of amazing things and shared them with the lot of us. And that’s how we celebrated being thankful—in our van, eating pumpkin cupcakes, with a pile of Canadians, outside the spot where they filmed that Scott Pilgrim thing. It’s how days like that are meant to roll out, yeah?