We were lucky to catch up with James Von Boldt recently and have shared our conversation below.

James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I never strayed from the creative path, but I do wish I had accepted my fate as an artist instead of a gun for hire much sooner even if I am grateful for what it gave me. Nobody is ever perfectly ready to take a big risk and therefore everybody is ready enough.

James, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is James Von Boldt and I have lived a lot of lives. I have been a singer at The Venetian in both Las Vegas and China, a sword fighter at the Excalibur on the Las Vegas Strip in the Tournament of Kings show, a production manager at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and a part owner of the multi Emmy and Grammy winning recording studio and production company, Monster Sound and Picture.

I have composed music for Intel, MGM, Kevin Smith, Netflix and Universal to name a few. In 2023 I exited my business to pursue my work as an artist full time in my band Von Boldt. In a world where everybody has access to write and record music, stock music libraries and AI music, it is so common to hear tired, uninspired music from social media to film, I carved out a career by standing out creatively. Unlike many other composers who play it safe, some of the biggest brands on Earth have trusted me with their sonic needs because I am unafraid to compose music from that honest and integral place music is supposed to come from.

As Von Boldt, my music mixes horror and macabre themes with high energy music to inspire you to live your life with death as a motivating factor. I want the audience to face their fears and become what they were meant to be before the inevitable end. Plus, who doesn’t love a good horror movie or Halloween party?

You can find me haunting venues all over America, Mexico and South America at the moment. I also still compose music for games and film.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s got to be honesty. It isn’t easy to make a living as a musical artist, but it is easier than denying your true self. To wake up free of the shackles of the lies you tell yourself when you are dishonest is rewarding enough to get you through the darkest of times.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

That’s an interesting question.

If the market determines the value of a product, recorded music is worth about $10 a month to the general consumer. Of course the bulk of that will go to the streaming services so in a way the ability to stream music is more valuable than the music’s creation.

One thing that can’t be streamed or AI generated is the live music experience, so that’s why tickets and merch prices have increased. It’s become the last frontier for artists and that is not necessarily a bad thing. With all that said, it is also easier than ever to develop a personal brand online and in many ways a band or musical artist is exactly that.

I am not the type to whine about the state of the game, I’d rather get better at playing. So from where I am standing, the best way to support an artist is to show up both in their analytics, merch stores and live shows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vonboldt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vonboldtband
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vonboldtband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vonboldtband
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/VonBoldt?fbclid=IwAR37H_DWvUVhxKN-aPhwzjh8DUk_zqNyAb-JJKNVmN3MFfe_SegWDqjO-7g