On Thursday, July 12, Nashville will once more play host to phenomenal L.A.-based guitarist/singer/songwriter Shane Alexander.
Already having three albums under his belt along with quality time onstage opening for the likes of Jewel, Lisa Marie Presley, John Prine and most recently Seal, Alexander has been bringing his hauntingly beautiful music to the masses a little at the time.
Whether one realizes it or not, we are likely already familiar with many of his songs as the majority of his current album Stargazer have been licensed for use on a number of high-profile television shows on FOX, MTV, ABC, ABC Family, CBS , Lifetime and Nickelodeon.
“It’s definitely true that the more work there is the more work you get," explained Alexander during a recent phone interview with O&AN from his home in Los Angeles.
“I’m getting exposure for my music that I might not have otherwise, not to mention the extra income that it helps to bring in so I keep doing the work I love. It was a like a revelation one day that told me I could be secure in the strength of the songs because they were getting plenty of attention.”
Having only made a handful of appearances in Music City, Alexander is well worth the opportunity to see him perform. His songwriting has an ethereal quality that draws in the listener like a siren’s call and resonates on a wavelength that speaks directly to the human condition. His music as a whole—and most especially that on Stargazer is the music of the moment, telling stories that could be the lives of anyone anywhere.
The music is such perfection that one would be surprised to hear it was recorded with session players over the course of four days.
“We all literally met on a Friday and practiced for about three hours,” said Alexander, “then we did all the drum tracks the next day along with bass and scratch vocals. We recorded it all live and it still amazes me how quickly it came together.”
Though Alexander’s live shows in Nashville are typically performed solo acoustic, the music looses none of the complexity and pathos it possessed with a full band. In fact, Alexander’s comforting iron-hand-wrapped-in-velvet voice blends effortlessly with his instrument which he plays with the gentle intensity of an old lover creating a mythic listening experience unlike any other. One almost hopes that Alexander’s next recording will be a live one in order to capture those ethereal moments onstage.
“It’s tricky for me because I’m an independent artist and I’m a little torn,” explained Alexander. “On one hand, when you’re on your own label no matter how much you may believe in your songs they may never get to be in front of the number of people to get the exposure they need to have, so you have this compulsion to tour an album for as long as it takes. I definitely have other records in mind that I am starting to visualize already, but I just don’t know when yet.”
Shane Alexander will be performing at 3rd & Lindsley on Thursday, July 12. For more information on Shane Alexander visit www.myspace.com/shanealexander. All of Alexander’s music is available for purchase on iTunes and www.CDBaby.com.