New Writer Introduction: Raistlin James

Hey Pit Nation! I am so excited to be a part of this awesome blog! My name is Raistlin James. I am a drummer, a metal lover, and an aspiring writer. I currently write poems and short stories, but am looking further into novels as of late, and now have set my foot in the door of writing about my favorite thing, music. In this article I will be introducing myself as a local musician and my journey so far. Stay tuned if you want to get to know more about me! I promise the next article will be more fun and exciting, but first you have to deal with the back story…DEAL WITH IT!

I’ve known Savage Annie for about two years now. Annie first discovered my band, Dirt Halo, and I when we were playing regularly at “The Chxrch” in Las Vegas. Later down the road, we were granted the opportunity to be featured on a Savage Annie Interview back in late 2018. You can find the interview on YouTube or find the link to it somewhere on Annie’s page. Bug her about it, she Loves that! Anyway, it’s been an awesome journey meeting people and submerging myself into the incredible metal scene here.

A Little History..

I started drumming at the age of 8 or so. I started really getting involved in music at 13. The picture above is me in my first band, Subtle Revolution, based out of a small town called Sprague River, Oregon. Accompanied by my sister Roxy Gunn, Subtle Revolution really set my career in motion. One of our biggest shows was held at an eclectic movie theater in Klamath Falls, Oregon called The Ross Ragland Theater opening for a movie debut. Following my rather boisterous start into the world of drums was my introduction to Marching Band.

From eighth grade through my senior year of high school, I learned as much as I could about all the rudiments and different styles of drumming. I even took two years of drum set lessons to educate myself in Jazz drumming and Latin percussion. So, with nearly 15 years of drumming on my side, I decided to hunt for a band here in Las Vegas.

My first venture here in Sin City was an Indie Rock band by the name of Irie. A few months go by, a few awesome performances to pave my way onto bigger and better stages. I decided I wanted more in 2016 when I found Dirt Halo on a Facebook post buried in a Vegas Metal Page. I had been listening to harder bands such as Tool, Chevelle, and Avenged Sevenfold for a long time and was interested in pushing my limits with a metal band. So, here I am almost 3 years later bragging about it! And to add to that further, I will be on tour playing drums for Las Vegas band The Nocturnal Affair in April! I. Am. Pumped! I’ll add the flyer down a bit further.

Well Pit Nation, this has been really fun to let you guys get to know me. You will be seeing more of my articles every now and then. I will have plenty of awesome content for you coming up shortly like reviews and some other cool stuff. I am even trying to convince Annie to let me have my own segment on music from an Artist’s standpoint to provide information and maybe some tips and tricks on how to start or further pursue your own career!

Be sure to keep giving the love to Annie and following Into the Pit with Annie for the best metal articles and reviews in town! Take it easy, everyone! And thank you Annie for letting me infiltrate your page! Peace out.