James Iha

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Image:James iha.gif James Yoshinobu Iha (井葉吉伸, Iha Yoshinobu or ジェームス・イハ born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is a Japanese American rock musician and runway model, most famous as the rhythm guitarist in the highly successful alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins.

Iha attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, the same town that singer and lead guitarist Billy Corgan was born in. He currently lives in Manhattan, New York and co-owns independent record label Scratchie Records with D'arcy Wretzky, the ex-bassist for the Pumpkins, and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne. Scratchie has signed bands such as Fountains of Wayne, The Frogs, and Fulflej. James for a while dated fellow bandmate D'arcy Wretzky.

Iha wrote or co-wrote some of the Smashing Pumpkins' songs. He wrote "Blew Away" on Pisces Iscariot, "Bugg Superstar" on Earphoria, "Take Me Down" on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, "...Said Sadly", "Believe", "The Boy", and "The Bells" on The Aeroplane Flies High, "Summer" on the "Perfect" single and "Go" on MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music. He co-wrote with Billy Corgan "I Am One" on Gish, "Soma" and "Mayonaise" on Siamese Dream, "Plume" on Pisces Iscariot, "Farewell and Goodnight" on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and "Tribute to Johnny" on The Aeroplane Flies High. He also sang the band's covers of The Cure's "A Night Like This" and Syd Barrett's "Terrapin". During his time with the Pumpkins, James also appeared on recordings with other bands, including Ivy, to which Adam Schlesinger also contributes, and Fulflej.

In 1998, Iha released a semi-successful solo album, Let It Come Down, his only solo effort to date. A music video was also aired for Be Strong Now which was released as a four-track single.

Since the Pumpkins' breakup in 2000, Iha has pursued many projects. He continues to contribute to other artists' recordings, such as Don't Be Sad on Whiskeytown's Pneumonia released in 2001 and further guest appearances for Ivy, but made bigger news when he joined rock band A Perfect Circle in July 2003 in time for their Thirteenth Step club tour. He has since appeared on their 2004 album eMOTIVe as well as contributed remixes of Blue and Outsider. In 2003, he formed Vanessa and the O's. The group released an EP Plus Rien in Sweden the same year.

More recently, Iha has collaborated on musical and fashion design projects in Japan. With the help of longtime friend and manager Isao Izutsu, Iha started the clothing label Vapor in 2001. Iha also scored the Japanese film Linda, Linda, Linda, released in late summer 2005.

In June 2005, Corgan announced plans to reunite the Smashing Pumpkins. It was rumoured that the band would reunite on the second day of the Coachella music festival in California in April. However, this rumour was proven false; according to 91-X XTRA-FM music director Marcos Collins, who spoke to Billy Corgan's label, Reprise Records, "Reprise said that for whatever reason Billy backed out of it." [1]

On March 31st, 2006, Pitchfork Media reported that Iha will be featured on Norwegian pop singer Annie's follow-up to her highly successful debut, Anniemal, which will reportedly be out near the year's end. [2] Iha also remixed "Me Plus One", a track off of Anniemal. [3]

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