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Singer/songwriter Alx Green recently began a Caffé Nero tour around England. Hailing from Chester, England, Alx produces Americana style music. InAlternative had the opportunity to interview Alx at his set in Cambridge, England. Filling in some benefits and challenges of touring on his own, as well as inspiration and creative process for his music, we got to know Alx a little better through this interview. Kicking off our interview, Alx talked a bit about how his tour has been going so far, stating, "It’s been really good, yeah. I started in Brighton, at the bottom of the country, and that was my first one...From there, I went up to London, I’ve had quite a few in and around London the past few days...So I’m really kind of halfway through the tour now. But they’ve been really well received, it’s a really lovely way of meeting people that aren’t necessarily 'gig goers.' So, you know, people that just pop in for a coffee." While Alx has been having a great tour so far, he also talked about the benefits and challenges of touring all on his own. Touring with only himself, his gear, and a van, Alx talked about some of the challenges that come with this, stating, "Lugging the gear around! Carrying that is really difficult. So especially with a lot of these cafes being in the center of cities, they’re really hard to access, and that’s too much equipment to carry once by myself, so I have to do three or four journeys. My neck is killing me from carrying it all. So that’s definitely a challenge in traveling on your own." Despite these challenges, Alx is still able to find benefits of touring solo, "The benefits of it is the only schedule is mine. I decide when and where I move, the places I stop etc, which is really nice." Beginning to talk about performing, Alx explained which song is his favorite to play live, and why.
Alx stated that his favorite song to play live is "Something Better" off of his EP "My Way Home". There is also a backstory that came with this choice, as Alx elaborated, "So I used to work in a job I wasn’t happy in. I did it for a long time and I ended up getting ill and all sorts of stuff, but I decided it wasn’t working for me anymore. I always did my music on the side, and never even considered it. But one day I went in and handed in my notice. I bought a van, I got a bed in the back of it, picked up my guitar and I took off around Europe. I went on a three and a half month tour. Just going wherever I could, I really had no plan... But that was four years ago and I haven’t gone back to the job, so that song kind of encompasses all of that... So it’s got a lot of emotion behind it for me, anyway." Alx also recommends this song as one for first time listeners to get a feel for his music. Another of Alx's songs that has a very interesting backstory is "Morning", which currently has about 10,470 streams on Spotify. Alx explains why this song is unique, and the creative process behind it, "It’s such a great question to be about that song. So I woke up randomly at three in the morning, and I don’t know why, I was just sat there and I woke up. I had kind of a head full of lyrics, but they were all jumbled up. But I was wide awake... So I got up, I happened to look out my window and it was really beautiful, big field covered in mist, just kind of getting like twilight-y, it was just really inspiring. And all of a sudden all these lyrics in my head started kind of coming together. So I just got my phone, as I always do, and I just wrote a few of them down. I didn’t think anything much to it, and then I went back to bed... I forgot about it for a few days, and then um, I’ve got a little home studio, and I went in there a few days later with no intention of doing anything... And I had a melody, like bouncing around in my head and I was like ‘I need some lyrics’, and I just picked up my phone and was like ‘Oh, the other night, I wrote some’ and it just fit so well, and, it was the most effortless songwriting I’ve ever had. It was done within about fifteen minutes.” Along a similar idea, Alx discussed what his usual creative process looks like aside from this specific song.
Learning what the writing and production process usually looks like for Alx gives a better idea as to why “Morning” is such an interesting and unique song. Alx states, “I’ve played the guitar the longest, so that feels the most natural to me, so I pick up the guitar every day...That’s normally how my songs start out, is just I’ll come up with, like, a little chord progression or, like, a riff or something, and then I’ll play that for a long long time. Then normally I have to really, like, just zone out when it comes to lyrics. That or they either come to me instantly. I seem to write in a different, almost, style when I write the lyrics first, which is interesting. I’m gonna try and explore that a little bit more.” To wrap up our interview, Alx let us know some of his plans for the future.
Alx states that he does plan to continue pursuing music, and mentioned his ultimate goals as an artist, “I mean my goal is ultimately I’d really really like to get on like a tour supporting, maybe one of my influencers. That’s kind of like my goal at the moment. I’m not really after like a major label or anything like that. I don’t really feel like my music needs it...I think if I could just get the audience, to get the chance to play to people. I’d just be happy being able to play a show of my own that sold out, that would be the dream for me. I would love that. I’m not after like, fame and fortune. I just like to play my music. So I’m going to be doing plenty more tours.”
Be sure to keep an eye out for new music or tours from Alx by following him on social media, which we have linked below. InAlternative would like to thank Alx for taking the time to talk to us, and we wish him the best of luck on this tour and others. Links to stream Alx’s music are also linked below!
Follow Alx:
Stream Alx’s music on Spotify