Allston Pudding: How are you feeling going into this weekend?
Latrell James: I’m glad I’m performing on Friday because I don’t have the whole weekend to think about it.
AP: Then you can just enjoy the festival.
LJ: Exactly.
AP: How’s preparation going?
LJ: I’ve been rehearsing with the same guys for the last three months pretty consistently, so t’s a little fine-tuning and seeing how we can make a moment special, but that’s really it.
AP: Do you prepare any differently for festivals vs. other shows?
LJ: Not really. I’m big into crowd engagement and making sure people are involved in the performance, so it doesn’t matter if there’s 40 or 4,000 people, I’m gonna treat it the same way.
AP: Who else are you excited to see on the lineup?
LJ: I’m hoping I get to see T-Pain, Infinity Song, Mike.. I really want to see Remi Wolf too.
AP: If you could collaborate with anyone on the lineup, who would you choose?
LJ: For me, it’s obviously T-Pain. That man is part of the soundtrack of my childhood. To work with him would be amazing knowing that he’s also a producer. I gravitate towards people that do both, because I do as well.
AP: What else do you have going on for the rest of the summer?
LJ: Gonna put out an EP really soon, maybe June or July and the goal is to perform that a lot. There’s gonna be visuals for that as well, a whole rollout. Right now, I’m just working on Boston Calling and then I can start shooting the visuals.
AP: Any songs in particular that you’re looking forward to performing this weekend?
LJ: Absolutely I’m doing two off of the new EP. There’s a song called “Damn” and a song called “Go For Broke”. I’m looking forward to testing out the audience, and “Damn” is so engaging. It’s gonna cause something, people are gonna feel it.
AP: If you could bring anything to the festival, like a set up or activity or food, what would you bring?
LJ: They need a basketball court [laughs]. I’m always dribbling a basketball. Either that or I love yo-yos. I’m always doing tricks with the yo-yo, that would be amazing.
AP: Honestly, having a yo-yo or hacky sack competition in the middle of the festival would be fantastic.
LJ: That’s all I’m saying!
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