Scott Alexander News

Scott Alexander's newsblog. It goes all the way back to his birth!

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Another Great Review
Here's another great review from Indie-music.com. I'd really like to thank them for clearly taking so much time to not only listen to the CD, but also visit the website.

By Thomas D. Szewc

There’s a spectacled man with tray full of vegan cookies standing in front of you, extending his hand. ‘Who in the world is this guy?’ you may ask yourself. Next you’d probably think ‘what does he want?’ Well, his name is Scott Alexander, and he’s a singer/songwriter who, simply put, wants to make friends.

Scott Alexander Makes Friends is a three-song collection featuring classic guitar work and even the occasional bassoon solo. While his skill on these instruments is particularly interesting, the biggest draw here is the extremely entertaining social commentary. Barely any lyric goes by without actually saying something significant or having some kind of multiple layers to it. What benefits Alexander the most is that the message never gets too heavy handed or preachy. In most cases, the words end up being too witty to allow that to happen, as can be seen in these lines from “F’ing Technology:”

A robot took a photo of me driving my Toyota,
Through a stoplight in Mendota Minnesota.
The red I did not see, I was watching a home movie,
On the dashboard of the car in front of me ...

It’s satire on the modern day world such as this that makes Scott’s songs so enjoyable. You’ll find numerous instances where you’ll be thinking to yourself ‘oh man, that’s so true’ or ‘wow, I never thought about it like that’ as you’re giggling through the absurdity of it all. The humor remains well written through all three songs, but at times can be a bit darker than you may initially expect. “Unfortunately Fat” strikes me as a song that will really induce some varying reactions from different listeners. Without holding nothing back, it examines what it’s like for someone to look upon an overweight individual with a sense of superficial sympathy. However, it’s the last line of the song that brilliantly brings the whole moral commentary around:

The reason that I stare,
And judge you so unfair,
What I feel is inside of me,
Is showing on the outside of you ...

I think it’s entirely impossible to talk about this album without bringing up Alexander’s unique way of promoting himself. After all, it goes hand in hand with the actual CD. The title isn’t just a clever play on words; Scott really wants to be you friend. Take a stop by his website and you’ll find a specific section where you can introduce yourself, tell him a little about who you are, or just send him whatever thoughts are on your mind. Scott then hopes you’ll do your part to help your new found friend get some attention by spreading the word around about his coolness. He even offers a handy list of ways to do just that (hey, looks like I got step #5 down. Woo-hoo!).

However, don’t think it stops there. If you find yourself at a Scott Alexander performance, expect to get some free vegan cookies made by the man himself (and I’ve had vegan cookies before; they can be pretty damn tasty). I can’t say I’ve ever seen such a creative way of trying to get yourself known to the public; there’s something about the hands on approach that just really feels special.

There’s only one honest problem with Scott Alexander Makes Friends, and it’s the same problem that comes with any three song album of this quality: it feels way too short. What you get is entirely worth every penny you pay, but you will definitely wish you got to spend some more time with Scott. Considering his well thought out marketing approach, I’m slightly disappointed Alexander didn’t offer more meat to the central product. Consider this, however: Scott Alexander wants to make friends, so perhaps the small track size is just his way of introducing himself. Works rather nicely in that context, doesn’t it? Either way, I recommend any potential friends to check out www.scottalexandermusic.com and download the extra track “NP Radio,” which I hereby nominate as a possible theme song for the Indie music way of life. At the very least, it gives you one more song to enjoy, and I promise you will enjoy it.
Another Review.
Check out my latest review in Hot Indie News! This is a brooklyn based mag which I have absolutely no connection to. Not only is it flattering, but they really seem to get me. . . Except I'm not a nerd.
Indie-Music Top 25 CD's of 2007!
Indie-music.com has just named Scott Alexander Makes Friends one of the Top 25 Cd's of 2007!

Indie-music.com reviews between 300-350 cd's each month. Here's what they had to say:

"Sometimes it takes more than performing astounding music to be a truly memorable musician. Thanks to his unique method of self promotion and all around sense of humor, Scott Alexander left the most lasting impression on me this year. Here is an artist who appears to genuinely want to make friends with his fans, even going as far to bake some vegan cookies to be given away at each show. With a melodic singer/ songwriter style and songs busting with modern day satire, there's no reason you shouldn't be checking out this CD. Go ahead ... we'll be here when you get back"

To read the full article, click here.
My Little Pony Music Video
I've just made my first music video with the help of Rebecca Blakley. The video received a "TOP TEN" rating on ourstage.com within it's first week of being posted. Please check it out and share it with your friends!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KZv6uqwCJFk
Scott Alexander Makes Mistakes
After three studio changes, several thousand dollars, and oh I don’t know. . . 10 years of songwriting, my first CD is done! I’m very proud of Scott Alexander Makes Mistakes. I realize that there are a lot of things about this recording that make it less accessible than it could be. The album showcases imperfection and inconsistency. It is void of bass, drums, steady beats, and traditional song structure. Stylistically there is a great variety and I find it incredibly difficult to answer questions about genre. Also, I used as little compression as possible, meaning that the volume has a much greater range that a pop album, so in many situations listeners will find themselves adjusting the volume.

I knew that a lot of the things I have been doing in making this album may have been counterproductive, even foolish. But in addition to my anxiousness to capture my own idealism, I wanted to learn. Mistakes has certainly achieved its initial goals.
Time to brag a little. . . and then a little more.
Hello friends,

I know that nobody really cares to hear me brag. But hopefully I can offer you fodder with which YOU can brag about ME to your friends.

Today April 3rd, my song “Fucking Technology” has been made the indie rock song of the day by the thousands of users on Garageband.com http://www.garageband.com/genre/indie

“F’ing Technology” was also voted “Best Male Vocals” for the week. http://www.garageband.com/picks/indie

And also, it was voted “Best Lyrics” http://www.garageband.com/picks/indie?|pe1|aMTeP27grOnzbQLyISswWNwjVE3ZRJdlWpP-kJqapo67

And oh yeah, it was also voted “MOST ORIGINAL” http://www.garageband.com/picks/indie?|pe1|aMTeP27grOnzbQLyISswWNwjVE3ZRJdlWpP-kJqapo6zvA

Meanwhile on Ourstage.com, my public service announcement “Stop Putting Crap on the Net” was rated #2 out of 171 other videos in its channel. http://www.ourstage.com/video/archive/entry/OIYSYCVWDVOI-cut-the-crap

And let me not forget to mention the latest great review of Scott Alexander Makes Friends, which refers to me as a “punk Garrison Keillor” http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2008/03/review-scott-alexander-makes-friends-ep.html

So please tell everybody, because it’s far less effective hearing it from me!

Remember, Scott Alexander Makes Friends is free to download and copy, so please share it with your friends.

If you haven’t already please DEMAND ME at http://eventful.com/performers/P0-001-000041502-5/demand?bg=black&fg=FFFFFF

Happy Spring!
Scott
www.scottalexandermusic.com
myspace.com/scottalexander

News

Baltimore City Paper's Pick of the Week
After several months of being ignored by the press, I'm suddenly the Baltimore City Paper's pick of the week!

"Local musician Scott Alexander doesn't really fit into any categories. The Peabody-trained bassoonist and ethnomusicologist turns to Frogs-meets-Godz creepy-funny guitar-folk for 2004's Scott Alexander Makes Mistakes. And he really revels in his cheery awkwardness. The repeated "I don't want to deal with you" lyric in "Make a Difference" is so perfectly pitched it sounds like exasperated sigh and necessary push, and its utter lack of sarcasm gives it a bitter twist. And the title alone of "Ethical Pervert" maps the boundaries of Alexander's lyrics fairly well. Joining him this afternoon are Citizen Rahne, the bodaciously bawdy singer/songwriter outlet for Charm City Kitty Rahne Alexander; the video-game twitchery of Temp Sound Solutions; and New York's dance-folky Mossyrock. The show is free, but canned goods and clothing will be collected for the homeless, so try not to come empty-handed"
Being Featured in a Documentary Film
I will be featured in an upcoming documentary by Melissa Lefton. Click here for the website!

One of my dear friends called me, concerned that this documentary will actually be a mock-umentary and to look out. Melissa is a very sweet and energetic person who has a lot of fun and tons of talents. I really don't think her intent is to make fun of me, but I would certianly welcome it if she did.
I've Moved (again) to Brooklyn.
Rebecca and I finally moved to New York! I’d already been performing regularly up here before the move. We are living in Greenwood Heights, or “South Slope” as the realtors call it. It’s exciting, so let’s see what happens.
My Interview in La Boheme Verite Magazine
To read my recent interview in La Boheme Verite click here.

Tell me what you think!
Publishing a new Column on CDbabel
The latest issue of my column, Our Music, is now up. Click here to read it!

It is the first of a two part series on MP3's. I'm very excited to have an outlet in which to be more overt about my, shall we say, socio-musical agenda. It was very difficult to come up with a title, but I settled on Our Music because what I'm really trying to push is a sense of ownership in our culture. It's not only our responsibility to pass down tradition, but also to change them. Musicians and fans should be as active as possible in this process. Industry has done most of the work for too long.

I'm hoping to combine some scholarship in this venture without having to hide my own passion on the subject. I hope you enjoy it. It's the first writing I've done since college and the first time I've ever written in this style. Your feeback is more than welcome. You can leave it here or write to mail@scottalexandermusic.com
Reviews!
Check out the first batch of reviews!

Urban Folk

Music for America

Boog City

It's great to be getting some reviews from the press, but I REALLY want to see more reviews from you!

Post your own review on my cdbaby page by clicking here!
Scott Alexander Makes Friends- a New CD and More!
My new CD is now available as a FREE download from my website or 4.99 on CDbaby.com. Scott Alexander Makes Friends, however, is more than just a CD, it is also a website, and whole new approach to my performance campaign for your love and attention.

Many of us fantasize of befriending our favorite superstars, but for an underappreciated rockstar such as myself, I fantasize more often about befriending anonymous masses of people. It’s true that I use the word “friend” somewhat loosely. But I’m not the only one: Everyone from politicians to strangers on the internet seems to be throwing out the term. Why?

Collections of friends are the ultimate expression of success. While most collectors seek quality, quantity can also contribute to value. Friends define, comfort, hurt, entertain, challenge, and love. As vain as our collecting habits may seem, we need friends.

While some of us may temporarily feel dissatisfaction with those we are friends with, I find it far more common to feel dissatisfied with those we are not friends with. Our inability to touch the majority of those who surround us leads to as much discomfort as the realization of the literal interpretation of this metaphor.

My personal determination to realize music as a career stems largely from my desire for more relationships. And my success depends upon it entirely.

So, Scott Alexander Makes Friends.

Background

A Kiss
I’ve been at UCLA for a couple weeks now. I’ll write about that later. Something much more important has come up that I wasn’t expecting. I’m not even sure if my last relationship has ended (made a great song though: OO II). I am not romanticizing when I say I couldn’t take my eyes off Becky from the moment I met her. Soon after, she asked me to go on a walk with her. She is incredibly warm, thoughtful, beautiful, playful- incredible. I had really intended to play the field here (what a field it is compared to Peabody!), but everything feels so right that I cannot help myself from falling in love with this woman. I can’t stop thinking about her. I keep thinking I spot her all over campus and am crushed when the faces turn into someone else’s. It is an understatement to say that I find it extraordinary that she has not caused me to feel the least bit unfocussed or outright insane.

Our first date started just has everything has felt, in complete sync. We both were looking for each other; she wanted to ask me to go to the beach with her and I was going to ask her out to dinner. The two proposals went together harmoniously. The moment we got off the bus we found a great vegan friendly-restaurant, allowing us perfect timing for a spectacular sunset on the beach. Neither of us have much of a stomach for cliché. The kiss happened after, in front of a car dealership, waiting for the bus. As we rode back to Westwood, my arm around her for the first time, I asked her, “So when do I get to meet the family?” I used a joking tone, but really I was letting her know that I can tell she will change my life forever, but things are so good right now, I am too busy enjoying the moment to really think much of the future.
Apparently, I’m a Freak.
So I’m back in Minnesota and I’ve started going to Grass Jr. High School. My friends from before seem to be shying away from me. I talk funny and with this long hair they are afraid of associating with a “freak.” Or maybe that’s my own self-consciousness. Nobody here even knows who my favorite band, Nine Inch Nails, is. I’m sure they will soon enough though. It seems like I’m going to have to start over AGAIN. There are some really cool people on my Odyssey of the Mind team that I’ve become friends with. We took 2nd place at the WORLD finals this year. I am compelled to be more creative all the time.
Back to Baltimore
I’m just finishing things up here at ULCA, I’ll be graduating magna cum laude in a couple weeks. It’s hard for me to say what I’ve actually learned here. I’m certainly no expert on anything. I am very tired of being an academic. I never wanted to study music in order to share my findings with scholars. I just want to be a musician. I’m just tired I guess, tired enough to repeat myself. Ethnomusicology has without a doubt inspired me in countless ways and so has my teaching fellowship at Washington High School in Inglewood.

I just want to be a musician now and see what happens. Becky and I have decided to move to Baltimore. We’ve both had enough of LA for now and Baltimore is quite affordable and hopefully I still have some connections there.
Conservatory- Too Conservative?
I’ve been having a lot of panic attacks lately. All I do is practice, with no time to soak up much inspiration or feel any sort of involvement in anything. On a good day I would rephrase that as, “I’ve been having a lot of panic attacks lately but it is so nice to have nothing else to worry about other than making music.” I still don’t like how that sounds so I have made a very big decision.

I have been accepted to the ethnomusicology program at ULCA and will be transferring there next fall. I intend to double major in bassoon, but it will be difficult to get all of the credits in two years. I just don’t think I could take any more school than that.

I’m also very excited this summer to be directing my own chamber music program in Minnesota. The goal is to create a summer music program that exists entirely out of an academic context and puts more personal choice in the hands of the participants; I am targeting musicians who are not hard-core life devoting practicers. I had a very casual commitment myself to music until high school and almost quit from the pressure to be good and take expensive private lessons. I’ve come to realize here at Peabody that while the “serious” musicians strive for perfection, what I find most compelling in music is the humanity of it. The most unique and beautiful voices are the ones who make mistakes. I’d rather hear a person sing who is shy and embarrassed to do so that most opera singers. This summer I’m hoping to get more people to sing.
First Grade Stinks.
The boundaries in my school district changed. So instead of going back to Moreland, I am now in the first grade at Somerset. It sucks. On the first day of kindergarten, I simply told the other kids that I was popular (and also the leader of the boys team) and it worked: I was popular! But at this new school, a social hierarchy already exists, and I feel really awkward and nervous so I just act really obnoxious and nobody likes me.
The kids have more money too and make fun of the clothes my mom made me. Luckily they don’t know she also cuts my hair.

I like learning to read and science, but I’m not so fond of “Mad Minute Math.” My absolute worst subject is handwriting.

Oh yeah, and my teacher is a total bitch. And I don’t mean to stereotype women, I mean she truly reminds me of a mean and nasty pregnant dog . . . with rabies.
Freshman Year Retrospective
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. My father’s law firm went belly up, so it sounds like my parents are poor again, though it’s always hard to tell with them since they worry about money whether or not they have any. I had my first girlfriend. I really truly thought she was going to be my only girlfriend. It started out so wonderful and ended so awfully, bringing out the very worst in me . . . so far to the point that my friends called my parents worried that I was going to kill myself. I don’t think I ever was going to, but the way I was feeling and acting certainly scared me. The threat of my parents intervening, much less even knowing about what was going on, however, really shocked me. It was like the next day I realized that my life was in my hands and that I’d better pull myself together and start enjoying myself again. I wouldn’t say I’m over it or anything, just that I know that I will be, which is all I need right now. In addition to having truly great friends, it really helped that I had just started to learn to play the bassoon. I’ve really been getting into it, practicing way more than I ever thought possible. I pretty much never watch TV anymore. My Odyssey of the Mind team went to the World Finals again, to be around so many people celebrating creativity is truly a utopia. I want to start my own revolution, my own country of creativity . . . I think I will call it New Scottland.
Full Fledged Ethno
The ethnomusicology program is nothing short of amazing. I came hear hoping to expand my understanding of musical functions and aesthetics and that is exactly what I am getting. I am particularly fascinated by American Indian music and street musicians. Anthony Seeger, Pete Seeger’s nephew, director emeritus of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and first and foremost a brilliant professor, has agreed to mentor me in a project to produce a professional quality recording of street music. One of my other excellent professors, Tara Browner, got me really determined to bring some of the genius of these musicians to light by actually making fun of one of my new favorites, Hisao Shinagawa.

Bassoon has not been going so well. My teacher here has turned out to be a complete self-aggrandizing asshole that truly believes the practice of music should be painful and nauseating. He is entirely disrespectful of all that I hold so dear about music. I lashed out at him in a master class being given to my quintet by the principal flautist of the L.A. Phil for interrupting her in order to yell at me. I really didn’t want to stop studying something I’ve put so much dedication and love into and asked to sit down and talk with my teacher. Instead he responded to me with a childish and insulting email. As I result I have dropped lessons and the possibility of a double major. I really hope I am able to find an outlet to keep playing in, but I am so disgusted and distressed by all that has happened I really don’t feel like getting near a bassoon these days. I am so glad to have Becky’s shoulder to cry on throughout all of this.

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