It's amazing how time flies! It seems like only yesterday that I first approached Artichoke Musicabout doing a summer solstice concert in the wonderful venue behind the store.Now our 3rd annual concert in this series is approaching!
A few months ago there was even doubt about whether Artichoke Music and the Backgate Stage would remain open past May. Thanks to the support of the local music community and help from theRegional Arts and Culture Council things are looking a little better. But Artichoke still needs your support.
So I invite you to come on down to our 3rd annual Summer Solstice Concert at Artichoke. I will be performing with Whit Draper and Sarah Linderman. AJ Rock and Phil the Peddler will open the show.
This will be our last show in Portland for a couple of months as we hit the road for Orcas Island, the Oregon Country Fair and the K Records Festival. See our summer calendar for details.
One more thing.....You may recall a few months ago we put on a benefit for KZME Radio. Well they are still scheduled to begin broadcasting later this year (all local music, all the time). If you would like to learn more about this new station, meet the staff and other local musicians, come on down to the Art Spark event at the Radio Room 1101 NE Alberta, June 17 from 5-7pm. This will be a fun networking event and a chance to get involved in what promises to be a major shift in the broadcast radio paradigm for local music. I will be there too.
Thanks! I hope to see you soon. -alan
Remain in Light album production begins - April 1, 2010
Spring is here and we are busy as ever. We're about 2 recording sessions into our debut album 'Remain in Light'; just finishing rhythm tracks for the first 8 songs. We'll be at this for the next few months or so with a release hopefully sometime this summer. The album will feature our core trio of Whit Draper (guitar, bass), Sarah Linderman (cajon, drums, percussion) and myself (voice, guitar, bass, walkabout dulcimer, piano and other stuff), as well a host of guest musicians that you probably have heard of.
In the meantime we have 3 shows for the month of April as we kick of our 2010 performance season. See calendar for details.
Support Local Music - February 26, 2010
Imagine a local radio station that only plays local music, in a variety of genres, all day every day. It's coming and you can help. Our First Saturday at the Flying Cat this month will be a benefit for KZME Radio which is scheduled to begin broadcasting later this year. This is an idea whose time has come and Portland is the perfect place for it to happen. So come out and show your support for local music. See the calendar for details.
We are going to be using our First Saturday Concert Series to raise money and/or awareness of local music and/or music education non profits. If you want to share your ideas with us, leave a comment on our blog.
We hope to see you soon. --alan
Welcome to a new Decade!! - December 31, 2009
So before we get into a discussion about whether the decade begins in 2010 or 2011, let me just say that 1970 was in the 70s, not the 60s. OK? :-) Either way, I am wishing all of you the best for the New Year that we can all agree is about to begin.
New Years schedule conflicts are requiring that we move our First Saturday performance at the Flying Cat to the Second Saturday, this month only. Whit, Sarah and I will all be there and perhaps a special guest or two. Then it's off to Orcas Island for another performance at Doe Bay at the end of the month. Details for both of these shows are available on our calendar page.
Recording sessions for our debut studio album begin in February with a hopeful release date in time for our annual Summer Solstice show at Artichoke Backgate Stage.
As you can see we have big plans for 2010. Happy New Year! We hope to see you soon.
The Season is approaching. Thanksgiving this week and then the activities that lead up to winter solstice and the holidays. We have one more show this year and I am thrilled to report that sister Sarah Linderman is back from her tour with Felina's Arrow. I'm looking forward to working with her again, first live (December 5 at the Flying Cat) and then in the studio for the upcoming debut ARTB release. I will keep you posted here with updates but in the meantime, follow ARTB on Twitter.
Fall Back - September 13, 2009
The Alexander’s Real Time Band Summer ’09 performance season is over but not forgotten. It was our best summer yet, starting with the debut of the ARTB trio at the Artichoke Summer Solstice show in June and ending with a fun west coast tour that included the Oregon, Washington and Northern California. Two of the highlights of that tour were the K Records Fest/Helsing Junction Sleepover and our performance at Doe Bay on Orcas Island.
We heard some great music at the K Recs Fest including a lively set by LAKE (their new record is lots of fun) and the performance art of Tender Forever (doing fine after her breakup with Beyonce:-). We want to give a big shout out to the crew at Helsing Junction for the great food, swimming and camping provided. This is still one of my favorite gigs of the summer and I look forward to playing there next summer.
The crew at Doe Bay is also awesome. We love the venue and the natural beauty of Orcas Island (see the pic above) and we have been invited to play there again as well next year.
As fall approaches we are looking forward to recording the very first ARTB studio album. Expect performances from Sarah, Whit and I (as the core trio) with guest appearances by Poeina & Felicia (Felina’s Arrow), Mary Sue Tobin, Hershel Yatovitz and others.
And you can still catch us live as we continue our First Saturdays series at the Flying Cat through the end of 2009. Check the calendar page for details.
It's taken me awhile to get this up, but above you will find a 10 minute video to give you a taste of what it was like at this years Oregon Country Fair (click on the image to start the video). There were literally hundreds of musicians performing at the Fair this year in all genres. Sarah and I had a blast listening and/or jamming with them.
No rest for the weary however, the summer has much more music in store. On August 1st we will begin a series of First Saturdays at the Flying Cat (check the calendar page for details). We hope to see you there. Live music venues in Portland need your support.
One final note. I have finally started using Twitter to spread the word about our gigs. The mailing list is still the best way to get updates (just enter your email address in the text box on the upper right hand of this page and click on 'join') but if you prefer you can follow Alexanders' Real Time Band on Twitter at http://twitter.com/realtimeband or just subscribe to the Twitter #pdxmusic feed.
Last weekend I did one of the most important concerts of my life. I was playing for my newest granddaughter, Araelia. I know she loved it, because after the show we had to change her diaper! We also just finished our second annual Summer Solstice Concert at Artichoke Backgate Stage. Thanks to all that came to hear us play (a full house). Felina's Arrow put on a great set despite being up for 48 hours in the studio and on the highway the night before. I had so much fun playing bass on their set. I love their song writing. My band (pictured below) was none too shabby either. It was only our second performance as a trio. I look forward to many more.
Now it's off to the Country Fair (Venita, OR), Airplay Cafe (Portland, OR), The K Records/ Helsing Junction Sleep Over (Rochester, WA) and Doe Bay (Orcas Island, San Juan’s, WA). Check the calendar page for details. I hope to see you there.
Boy does the Flying Cat know how to throw a party! Susan and Tina pulled out all of the stops for this one. Free food, free wine, free pastries and (of course) great music! It was the official grand opening of the Flying Cat. It was also Susan's birthday so lot's of reason to celebrate.
It was also the world premiere of my new band!! I use the word 'band' loosely these days because everyone is so busy, there is no way to predict how often we will be able to all get together and play. But in my perfect world, these are the musicians that I hope will be there with me for many gigs to come.
I am speaking of Whit Draper (guitar and bass) and Sarah Linderman (cajon and percussion), both pictured above. Some of you may be familiar with Whit as the former guitar player for Back Porch Blues during the peak of their tenure on the music scene. Sarah is the current drummer for Felina's Arrow. The three of us have found a very cool sound that is fresh, unique and accessible (if I do say so myself :-)
Most of you reading this probably know that I usually perform alone as a solo artist (even though I bill the show as Alexander's Real Time BAND). I do enjoy the spontaneity and audience exchanges that go with that type of show but I also enjoy being able to work with other musicians and the variety that comes with group improvisation. Well now it feels like there really is a BAND. So don't be surprised if you come to a show and see this trio instead of just me. I think you'll have fun anyway.
Oh....and before I forget.... Let me give a shout out to guitar hero Hershel Yatovitz for sitting in with us last night. It was awesome!!
Just got back from a weekend of sun and music up at the farm. Helsing Junction Farm, that is. Home of the annual Helsing Junction Sleepover and K Records Music Festival (August 21-23). The place is looking good. No sign of the floods that consumed the valley for the last 2 years. Expect a rockin' festival this year thanks to the hard work of the Helsing Junction crew, including Jared Snyder (pictured with me above, next to his faithful K9 companion, Taxi)
The show at Star E Rose for the April 2009 Last Thursday Art Walk was lots of fun. Always a colorful street scene, the overflow that caught our 2 sets seemed to enjoy themselves. I want to give a special shout out to the mighty Sarah Linderman for doing the entire show with me and rockin’ the house. We both had a blast. I look forward to playing with her again soon (for sure at the Artichoke show in June).
Last Sunday a group of friends and musicians got together to remember our dear friend Jeffery Dawkins (pictured above), who passed away almost exactly a year ago, April 29 2008. It was a small but fun gathering with good food and, of course, music. Rest in Peace, Jeffrey. May sweet music caress your spirit.
The show at Hawthorne Theater last week was both sweet and sad for me. On the one hand, it was a blast to play with both Felina's Arrow (pictured above) and the mighty Quadraphonnes in the same evening. But is was sad knowing that this was one of the last shows for Felina's Arrow before moving to Arizona.
We have been close musical allies for the past 3 years and I'm gonna miss them like crazy. But they will be touring and we do have a show planned for summer solstice at Artichoke Music. So it's not goodbye, just so long for now.
'Smoke Another Day' on You Tube - February 11, 2009
A few years ago, I composed and performed the musical score for this short comedy secret agent spoof of a movie. The movie and music were written, shot, scored and produced in 48 hours as part of the 48 Hour Film Festival. The film director just put it on You Tube last week. Check it out.
It was almost a year ago to the day that I set up this web site to track my performance activities as Alexander's Real Time Band (ARTB). 2008 was a great year for ARTB with performances at Artichoke Music, the Oregon Country Fair (Venita, OR), the K Records Fest/Helsing Junction Sleepover (Rochester, WA) and Doe Bay (Orcas Island), just to name a few.
Speaking of Hershel, his new CD, 'HY Time', was released right before Christmas and it sounds great (and I am not saying that just because I sing on 2 of the tracks). For those of you who don't know, Hershel is the long time lead guitar player for pop singer Chris Isaak. This is Hersh's debut solo record so be sure to check it out on CD Baby.
I am in the process of putting together my 2009 calendar. Artichoke, the Oregon Country Fair, Doe Bay and Helsing Junction will most certainly be in the mix again this year (and a bunch of new venues as well). I hope to see you at a show or two but whatever you do, have a healthy and happy new year.
It seems like everyone is social networking via the net these days. I have purposely avoided My Space but I recently created a Face Book presence (search for 'Alexander's Realtimeband).
More importantly, I also recently created a social networking site for folks like me who enjoy original music in an intimate setting. I call the site Singer Songwriters Network and the web address is www.singersongwriter.ning.com
If you enjoy the kind of stuff I do in my solo show or if you like singer songwriters in general or if you are a songwriter yourself, visit the site and sign up. You can share info on your favorite artist or promote your own shows. You can blog, chat, post to your hearts content and perhaps get turned on to some new music in the process. Have fun!! -a '
I just finished my set at the Doe Bay Resort in the San Juans and it was lots o' fun. There was a full house of Orcas Island locals and resort visitors. The food was gourmet and the audience was very engaged. These types of audiences make all the difference for me as a solo performer. When the audience is with you, the music is that much stronger. And the staff was also top notch. If you were there and you are reading this blog let me say 'Thank you' sincerely (especially to Fabrice and Freddie).
My CDs and DVDs are now available for sale in the Doe Bay General Store and they have invited me to perform there in 2009. Look here for more details as they become available.
Doe Bay is a great place to visit and chill. In addition to great food and vistas, there is hiking, a spa with massage, hot tubs, sauna and general good vibes. Check it out next time you find yourself in the San Juan Islands.
Helsing Sleepover - Take me to the River - August 28, 2008
The 2008 Helsing Junction Sleepover and K Records Music Festival (August 15-17) was a great success. The weather was hot, the river was cool, the food was organic, the movies were eye catching and the music was awesome. The organizers say over 500 folks made their way to the farm over the weekend (some shown above). So we were able to raise a little more $$$ for flood relief (yeah!!).
My favorite acts this year were Lake and Mirah. Lake has a new album of original pop songs that is very, very catchy. This could be their year. I also had a blast backing up Jared Snyder on bass during his set. He played a little guitar on my set as well (thanks, Jared).
This is still my favorite event of the summer and I look forward to performing there again next year (if the creek don't raise).
This show wraps up my summer season. Now it's time for fall and winter studio work. Looking forward to new tunes and a new record for next spring and summer. Check Dub Squad Music, BMI during the coming months for more details on how that work is going. Thanks for listening!! -a
Long Live the Oregon Country Fair !!!!! - July 17, 2008
So much fun!! Great music. Great art. Great food. Thanks to all who came to hear my set(s). Thanks also to the SH Crew and Community Village for hosting my performances. Click above to see my report on this years Fair!
Helsing Junction recovers slowly from December Flood to prepare for Summer Music Festival - July 6, 2008
I just returned from Helsing Junction Farm to see how the place is recovering from last winters devastating flood. Click here to watch the video. There has been lot of progress but still more work to be done. This year proceeds from the Helsing Junction Sleepover and K Records Music Festival (August 15-17) will go to flood relief for the victims. It's a great cause benefiting regional farmers as well as home owners. Mark your calendars. You will have lots of fun and help others in the process. I hope to see you there!
Summer Solstice is Coming - June 13, 2008
I am very excited about the show I have coming up on June 21st. I'll be doing a double bill with my good friends Felicia and Poeina, AKA Felina's Arrow. If you haven't heard their music yet (or even if you have) you are in for a treat. I first heard them playing at the Farrmer's Market in downtown Portland about 4 years ago when they first blew through town. I have been a big fan ever since. Now they live here and the local music scene is all the better for it.
We will each be doing a set. We have also been rehearsing a few songs we can do together (just for this show) so even loyal fans will get a taste of something new.
Not only do I get to play with my friends but we get to do it in my favorite Portland listening venue, Artichoke Backgate Stage. The venue is all ages and smoke free. The audience and the acoustics are great. It's a great room for music lovers.
This show just might sell out so be sure to come early to make sure you get a seat. Visit the calendar page for venue address and show time.
Jeffrey Thomas Dawkins died at around 12:51 pm April 29, 2008.
Four of his friends stood around him holding his hands and letting him go. Jeffrey died peacefully and appeared utterly at rest.
more music on planet earth! - April 21, 2008
Greetings Earthlings!
In honor of Earth Day, I want to share with you a very moving (at least for me) Flash video I discovered the other day on the web. It's called 'The Story of Stuff' and it has me rethinking a lot of things about my lifestyle as it relates to the planet. The URL is http://www.storyofstuff.com/ . It's about 20 minutes long and it helps to have a broadband connection. If you like it, please share it with as many folks as possible.
And now for the commercial: I had so much fun at the Star E Rose 'Last Thursday' gig last month that I have decided to do it again. I will be starting a little later this time (like 7:30 PM) to coincide with the flow of the Art Walk patrons.
Thanks for listening and be kind to your Mother (Earth).
Hershel Yatovitz makes guest appearance with Alan at Star E Rose - March 28, 2008
The show last night at Star E Rose was a blast ! The highlight of the evening was the guest appearance of guitar virtuoso Hershel Yatovitz (http://www.myspace.com/hershelyatovitz) for the second set. I first became aware of Hershel about a year ago while watching Austin City Limits on PBS. He was performing as the lead guitar player for pop singer Chris Isaak (a gig he has had for over a decade). I was blown away by his performance and as fate would have it, two weeks later we met each other for the first time at a party. As it turns out, even though he tours and performs all over the planet with Chris and other rock luminaries, he lives right here in Portland. We have since become fast friends. It was an honor and a gas playing with him last night. The audience loved it too. This guy can play the guitar! Check out the photo on my gallery page at http://alexandersrealtimeband.com/photos.html .
Boy does the Flying Cat know how to throw a party! Susan and Tina pulled out all of the stops for this one. Free food, free wine, free pastries and (of course) great music! It was the official grand opening of the Flying Cat. It was also Susan's birthday so lot's of reason to celebrate.
We have been close musical allies for the past 3 years and I'm gonna miss them like crazy. But they will be touring and we do have a show planned for summer solstice at Artichoke Music. So it's not goodbye, just so long for now.
I just finished my set at the 
The 2008 
I am very excited about the show I have coming up on June 21st. I'll be doing a double bill with my good friends Felicia and Poeina, AKA