Life & Work with Alex Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Wilson.

Hi Alex, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My earliest musical memories are of dancing in the living room with my family to my folks’ favorite classic rock CDs. While my parents aren’t musicians, per say, music is still a very big part of their lives, and I consider myself lucky to have grown up with the tunes of their time. I particularly enjoyed the explorative nature of progressive rock, and quickly began to foster a love for experimental music.

The soundtracks of video games, movies, and anime were also enthralling to me. The sonic worlds provided escape and solace from the ennui of small-town desert life, especially during those long, too-hot-to-go-outside summer days. At six years old, I asked my mom if I could take piano lessons and began my musical journey. Throughout middle school and high school, I elected to learn and play various instruments in school ensembles and local bands in an effort to explore and learn about different musical genres.

My interest and passion led me to Flagstaff to study music at NAU. Through the program, I met Owen Davis and became a recurring performer in Flagstaff’s Interference Series. The series is Flagstaff’s home for experimental and innovative music, hosting performers from all over the world. The series exposed me to ambient, avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and noise music, which has all heavily influenced the music I make. Around this time, I also started working as an instrument repairman at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange. Working at Bookman’s helped me acquire the gear and knowledge to create and record my music, and exposed me to more music than ever before in my life.

Digging through customers’ vinyl, tape, and CD trades each day greatly broadened the variety of music that I listen to. I’ve released four projects so far, the most recent being Planet Beach, a concept album that soundtracks the ultimate interstellar vacation destination, inspired by 60’s exotica, bossa nova, and surf rock. After getting my master’s degree in Climate Science from NAU, I moved to Phoenix to search for new opportunities. In my time here I’ve had the enjoyment of jamming with some great local bands. I play bass and synth in the Tempe-based indie rock group Cheap Hotels and recently began playing keys with a new neo-soul band, Civilized Criminals.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Finding musicians to play the music I’ve written has been challenging, especially with conflicting schedules and the rest of life’s unpredictability getting in the way. Most of my musician friends are busy with their own projects as well. Though it seems silly to me now, I had difficulty sharing my work with others, so I slowly learned to play and record the instruments I wanted to hear in my tunes. This may not be the way I wanted to do it, but my music wouldn’t be the way it is today if I hadn’t done it this way.

Because I was doing it alone, with no way to afford studio time or have my music professionally mixed, I took inspiration from other DIY-fi musicians out there and did it myself. The DIY sound and the unique nature of the music itself may be a turn off for some people, so I feel very grateful for the support I’ve gained thus far. Fortunately, performances through the Interference Series and selling physical releases of my music at Bookman’s has been a great help to get my music to more folk’s ears.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One element that sets me apart is that I record all the instruments and engineer my recordings myself. The pride and satisfaction I feel seeing my projects through from start to finish makes up for any loss of fidelity along the way. It gives me the opportunity to experiment with the recording and mixing process itself and shape the soundscape of my recordings in unconventional ways. I also primarily write instrumental concept albums. Writing my albums as an entire piece, as opposed to a compilation of individual tracks, allows me space to construct narrative within my music and tell a story without words.

As a big collector of physical media, I typically listen to full albums rather than individual songs from an artist, and that certainly shaped how I unite and create flow between individual tracks. Some might say that albums are a dying media in today’s digital world, but within local scenes, it’s experiencing a well deserved renaissance. What is most unique about my work is that I primarily write space-themed music. I choose to set my music in space not only because of my career as a scientist, but also because to me, space is a place of refuge within all of us where we can escape to live separately from life’s anxieties for a little while. Interplanetary exploration is a theme across multiple genres, making it a great medium for mixing different styles and sounds that inspire me.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Definitely. Not being able to perform live was tough for us gigging musicians, but at the same time, Covid united the music community in a cool way. I usually shy away from social media, but it served as an important tool to promote, support, and connect with fellow artists in a very isolated time. Many independent artists like myself use Bandcamp to share and sell their music; ‘Bandcamp Friday’ is a “first Friday” style event that began in March 2020 where all of the sales that day go directly to the artist. This is a great way to show financial support in a time where it’s harder to find opportunities to perform live. For me, Covid drove home how the local scene is driven by artists showing support for one another.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alex-wilson.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexwilsonmuzak/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-yKb-T-p5vPp0LGwPmJllQ/videos

Image Credits
Lydia Chase