Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, guitarist James Valentine spent most of his early career teaching guitar lessons in his hometown. It wasn’t until a coworker entered him and his band, Square, into the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands that his talent started to gain recognition. After winning the competition in 1999, James made the move to Los Angeles where he would eventually join the LA-based band Kara's Flowers, which would soon become Maroon 5. After a successful debut record and three Grammys later, Maroon 5 has gone on to become one of the most successful names in music today. In this episode, we speak to James about his early years with Maroon 5, how the hit show The Voice impacted his career, and much more. Mentioned in this episode: James' Ernie Ball strings: Electric - http://ernieb.al/2p7J27u Acoustic - https://ernieb.al/2PCJgfW , https://ernieb.al/2ky6FlG Ernie Ball Music Man Valentine: https://ernieb.al/2UmdR89 New Slinkys: https://ernieb.al/2l9fOkQ Intro Music: Lightning from a Gun by Eat The Wolf ernieb.al/2kCHJxf Outro Music: The Vacant Shapes