Unfortunately it looks like it might not get posted
. Would have been fun to hear Casey sing, "Tusk is in the house", again.
James and Lauren were who drew me into S10 to begin with (@ the time, Lauren showed some rock 'potential' from her audition, singing Aerosmith, IMO.) So I was looking to back a couple of 'rockers' that year.
Having seen Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker, Judas Priest (3 times), Ted Nugent (before he became such a nut case), Pink Floyd (twice), Boston (twice) Aerosmith and Motley Crue among others I certainly can appreciate the guttural/heavier side of music. So it shows the impact Haley has had on me for me to be so fully 'all in' on the ride she has taken me to the point I attended a Jazz show in NY@Carnegie. Especially that I had not really listened to jazz before, beyond Steely Dan (I saw twice) or Boz Skaggs.
That's why it irks me whenever an item about Haley appears @ MJS that, inevitably, some 'James' fans will get on to post their usual dissertation on why Haley didn't 'make it'/bores them/doesn't know how to perform (some even expressing the disingenuous statement that, they "like Haley,
but..." then go into why they DON'T 'like' her.) The tenor of their posts being more of ridicule than objective, constructive critique, as if Haley has purposely done something to insult them. It's gotten to the point where I don't even feel like posting on James' threads/posts any more, not because of anything James has done, more that interaction with some of his fans (@MJS, at least), feels, figuratively, dirty. Perhaps an over reaction on my part, and doesn't happen as often as I perceive, maybe that I also like James, I'm a little more sensitive to the criticism from some of his fans.
Of course, I don't speak about all of James' fans. A small group, like yourself and a couple of others, like me, can compartmentalise the talent and enjoy it for it's essence and understand that each genre has it's unique quality that offers differing musical perspective, some requiring energy while others take a more nuanced approach. Did they really expect Haley to jump around the stage shooting pyro while performing Miles Davis' jazz in Vegas?
Anywho, there was a line used by the Monty Python lads that applies, "I may not know much about art, but I know what I like". To my ears, I gravitate to the music and performer who stirs my soul, fills me with elation, captures my imagination...makes me
feel 
regardless of the genre.
Bottom line, I have found myself excited about music and listening to music again, and a large part of the reason is Haley, Casey, and yes, even James.
