Jim has not only run the sound at the Crocodile since it opened, he has installed each and every piece of gear that makes everything sound so lovely. He just got a new mixing board, which makes him very happy.
What's the best experience you've had mixing a live band in recent memory? "The New Pornographers with Neko Case the other week--they dedicated a song to me. I don't think anyone else in the audience noticed, but Neko looked at me from the stage and said, "This one's for Jim!" I did a little bow toward her to acknowledge it; it was really sweet."
Favorite local band of the moment? "Kinski rocks heavy; I love those guys. Sushi Robo is pretty cool--I like those guys too. They have two guitars, bass, and drums, but they try really hard not to sound like guitar rock."
Rumor has it that all the local bands love the woman who's running the monitors for you. "Ashley Binks, yeah."
Where did you find her? "She's another ex-Art Institute student who approached me about wanting to get more experience in the 'real world.' She's been coming along fabulously; she's my ace number-one student. She's very good at picking up the way that I want things to flow throughout the night, and she's also really good at dealing with people. A lot of bands, especially rocker guys, are really surprised about how confident she is. They'll be all like, 'Oh, it's some chick doing monitors,' and then it turns out that she really knows her shit, and better than a lot of guys in town."
If the Crocodile suddenly closed, what would you do? "Cry."
And then after that? "I would probably try and look for someone who wanted to create a club environment like we have. One of the things I do best is run house sound in a club.... I've got, jeez, 16 years of experience now? I'd probably try and find a way to continue that."
So you wouldn't consider switching careers? "No, if I wanted a job that was a pain in the ass, I'd go back to working in a warehouse. I've got the best job in the world. Why change it?"
