An ample crowd at Anodyne Coffee in Walker’s Point was alive in anticipation on a scalding Sunday evening, awaiting Milwaukee’s own Emmitt James to emerge with his new EP, We Got Food At Home, a release that explores the links between friends, family, food and finances. The merch table featured James’ homemade jerk rub alongside the more typical CDs, LPs and T-shirts. The spirit of collaboration with supporting act Dak duBois was running high, and so was the A/C.
Supporting Act
Milwaukee’s Dak duBois, hyped for “blending modern indie pop, ’70s funk/soul and psychedelia”, opened the show with props to Anodyne’s staff for unionizing and thanking them for cold Diet Coke, which frontman/lead guitarist Dak Wright called “the cigarette of the refrigerator.” Before tearing into a bluesy, eclectic set, Wright suggested the crowd all “join a union. If you don’t know why, I don’t know … read something.”
At the peak of their rockingly well-played set, James enters the Dak duBois equation. James gracefully grooved over their “Shakedown Street”-era Grateful Dead-like beats, grabbing the crowd gently by its ears before giving way to “hands”, introduced by Wright, who claimed that “appendages are at maximum amount” in Anodyne. James backpedaled into the shadows as Wright slid over to a synth, meandering into a menacing corridor of sound to … where? I’m not certain, but wherever Dak duBois ends up there’s sure to be Diet Coke in the fridge.
Emmitt James: Superfly Vulnerability
Before the show, I was fortunate to sit down and chat with Emmitt James. We talked talk therapy, the price at McDonalds, Marvin Gaye’s divorce LP, being on the losing end of the battle with anger, Ahmad Jamal’s hooks, The Four Agreements and rapping about real life.
In 2023, James returned to Milwaukee from Los Angeles, but not before creating Undeniably Ground-Breakingly Excellent, a name he plucked from an LA music critic who heard his lyric “I’m at the point I know I’m good at this” and told him, “You are good at this, now go out and become undeniably groundbreakingly excellent.” James sprung to action shortly thereafter, collaborating with some friends to make the record in just three days, without samples, completely from scratch. “Production-wise,” James said, “I think it’s the best thing I’ve put out.”
It’s Giving Healed Black Man, his 2024 full-length release, delivers the concept of a therapist offering firm but friendly counsel that James’ songs counter, support, outrun and reinforce. For example, on “Sleep When I’m Dead”, she says, “Lack of sleep will have you dead sooner than you need to be”, to which James replies, “I ain’t gonna lie, I’m addicted to the work … sleep when I’m dead gotta get that money first.” The words are not skits or scripted: “Our conversations took place through voice messaging,” James told me. “All of the messages are natural.” His songs and her words intersect in playful yet meaningful ways throughout the record.
James says he broke IGHBM into three sections: “Relationship stuff, work stuff (overworking yourself, self-care) and anger stuff.” The structure works because there are no gimmicks, only organic call-and-response between individuals who care about where they’ve been, where they are and where they’re going. It’s Giving Healed Black Man is a glorious exercise in expressive, superfly vulnerability mixed with moveable and deeply grooved beats. It points to an exciting future for Emmitt James and his creations.
As people drop by our table to support James and offer encouraging words, he slips off to the merch table with his distinct offering of items. “T-shirts are cool, but I do tangible, funky things with merch,” he said. “Velvet thongs, chocolate chips, juice, and it’s all to point people back to the music.” Before he left, James took time to credit a sturdy foundation in the Four Agreements, principles from the self-help book of the same name by Don Miguel Ruiz, along with his choice to explore therapy, a choice many men struggle to make, for providing pillars for his incredible creations.
Emmitt James’ Performance
Before launching into his new EP, We Got Food at Home (which James said had been tentatively titled You Got McDonalds Money), he stated his mission for the evening, which he demonstrated through a scrunched-up face and a satisfied nod: “Our goal is to make you make this face at least three-and-a-half times.”
James explained the reason for the foodie-themed EP: “I’ve been a barista in LA and I’m back in the coffee game in Milwaukee,” which he said inspired and informed his creation. “I had a collaboration with Discourse Coffee called Jerk and Turf Latte, which featured my jerk dry rub. Mr. Wings’ recent flavor of the week was jerk hot honey, which was made with my jerk dry rub.”
The songs explore diverse territory in food, including “Plantain Tortillas”, which James said came to him as he sought healthier ways to enjoy his favorite eats. “If Your Orange Juice is Yellow, It’s Not Real” and “Room for Cream”, which explores undercurrents at play in a joke told too often: “Heard you like your men like your coffee/is that a compliment or kinda racist?”
Backed by trumpet, electric guitar, bass and drums, James’ songs breathed full of life and exploration, giving a beautiful Brian Wilson’s Smile vibe to his lyrics about food, health, nutrition, relationship dynamics, the everyday struggles and the eternal joy of a great meal and an attentive lover. James encouraged the crowd to join in on the hook of hooks for the evening, hollering “Baby, we got food at home!” which was the response to his song-sung suggestions that we stop for Wendy’s or other such monetary options.
As he wrapped up his tight set, James called up a surprise guest from the crowd to add smooth jazzy vocalizations to what he considers his thesis statement song, “Tryna Heal”, from It’s Giving Healed Black Man. On a night near the onset of global conflict, James brought us closer together by being wide open with his heart and soul and when he told the crowd “We got one more song” they yelled “No! two more … three more!” He obliged and the evening felt pleasingly full. Oh, I made the face James prescribed four or more times, no doubt.
Emmitt James will perform with a 25-piece band at his third-annual Big Band BBQ fundraiser for Your Move Milwaukee at Third Space Brewing on Aug. 23.
