I AM DONE!
I finished the article for the www.jookey.com ezine, and the deadline is today! Yippee! I'm done! Here is the article I wrote. (English majors, pwetty pwease be kind...)
I wonder which indie artist I will feature next....
I recently had the chance to interview Alec Gross, a passionate songwriter and performer from Washington, D.C. His band, Alec Gross & The Districts, plays throughout the city in many different venues, from pubs to cafes. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him - not only is his music great, but he’s a very lively and entertaining person! His music doesn’t fit into any set genre, so he gave his tunes a new name: Whisky Rock.
Alec got his start being a musician from the first day he got his guitar. He was caught by it from the first strum. Alec had always loved being in front of others and singing. When he got his guitar at fifteen, he had already been singing in choirs and taking voice lessons - he even wanted to be an actor at one point.
When he first started his lessons, Alec wanted to be a blues guitarist. He studied for six months, learning chords and proper ways to play. After six months of the blues lessons, he took off on his own and started writing songs that came to him from many different types of inspiration. His music is purely soul inspired. It resonates true human feelings and emotions.
Alec gets his inspiration for his songs from everything he sees and hears. Any time he sees an experience or emotion expressed well, he gets inspired to write a new song. This could even be in the form of movies, paintings, or even other songs! He loves to express other people’s emotions with his own music and words in new ways. One of Alec’s songs, “Asbestos”, is based on the movie “Lost in Translation”. He took the idea of how two people can be “love-proof” because they are married, but they still fall in love with the metaphoric lyric “I’m fire proof, but you burn right through.”
This natural musician got his start playing in various coffeehouses throughout high school. When he moved to New York to attend NYU, he really started to delve into his music and songwriting. After graduating college, he knew what he was going to do, and he knew he had to get out of his hometown from Bucks County, P.A., to do it. He was drawn to the district because of his day job. In the district, he and his friend Max Sorensen searched for musicians in the area to form a band.
Alec’s band “Alec Gross & The Districts” is made up of himself and four others: Max Sorensen, Jim Donohue, Jay Harden, and Marc Levine. Max is an old friend of Alec’s from Bucks County, P.A., whom Alec played with in high school. According to Alec he was the “hot shit” guitar player back home. The rest of the crew - Jim, Jay, and Marc, were found on Craig’s list. Jim plays electric and double bass. Alec is really glad to have him on board because he adds that bass line to the music that really gives the music a firm ground. Jay plays keyboards, piano, organ, and synthesizers for the band. Alec often uses more his talents for piano and organ than the synthesizer and keyboards. Marc handles the rhythm with drums and percussion.
To Alec, music is everything and all he is working for. It means the passion of his soul and life. He would not be able to accept his life if he were just to give up and work a straight job without any music. To him, his life wouldn’t have much meaning without the tunes and vibes of what everyone loves - no matter what the style - music.
Towards the end of the interview, I asked if Alec had any advice for those musicians who have barely made the first step in their journey. He said that to really make it in today’s scene is to hit every open mic you can and really start making your connections. You need to become a regular in every venue, and start meeting the people. Most importantly, don’t lose your drive and ambition. Alec personally knows some great musicians from his home town who just didn’t have the drive and ambition to just take that first step out into the real world. Music has got to be the main focus.
Alec has a new CD soon to be released titled “Huckster.” The concept of the CD is that youthful finding of maturity, and being aware of your own vulnerabilities. A few songs from the CD can be sampled from his MySpace page: “Win or Lose”, “Oh Little Girl”, and “Just A Boy”. The other songs on the CD are just as great and inspiring as those three: “Piscataway”, “Fix My Dreams”, and “Jonie Mitchell Was Right (123).”
Reserve March 4th on your calendars! To celebrate this new release, Alec Gross & The Districts will be playing at the World Café Live in Philadelphia, P.A. Included with the $10 entry fee will be a copy of “Huckster”! To catch this passionately inspiring musician in action, and for more info about this happening guy, head on over to his website and his MySpace page. You’ll quickly find a list of upcoming shows, and even samples of his music! Alec is one guy you’ve got to see, or at least check out his music. He will go far, shooting for the stars!