Charles Alexander

Bio:

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When you first see Charles Alexander perform, two questions pop into your mind.

The first one is  “Is that really his name?” 

The next one tends to be, “Is that really his voice?” 

The reason you ask those questions is that you find them both unbelievable.  The answer of course is “Yes!” on both counts.

Charles was playing self-written songs in the bars and clubs of his native Malaysia, at a time when it simply wasn't safe to do so.

“Exuberant, intoxicated club audiences expected performers to play The Eagles' ‘Hotel California',  John Denver's ‘Take Me Home Country Roads ' and Led Zeppelin's ‘Stairway to Heaven,” he remembers, “But I had more fun playing my stuff.  However, it was always interesting when I did pull an original out.  They kind of looked at me weird – in a bad way.”

Fortunately, he escaped those trial by fire days unscathed.  Those early audiences also proved to be excellent training grounds. “It taught me to get to the point…and quickly!” says Charles appreciatively.  That education has helped him hold his own in Nashville, where he now resides. 

For Alexander the challenge of crafting a commercially appealing work is just as rewarding as writing a personal, introspective, stream of consciousness composition.  Charles grew up listening to all kinds of music.  He is especially fond of the sounds of Motown, The Beatles, Elvis and the singer/songwriter movement.  As a result, his songs are infused with R&B, soul, folk, rock and even world influences.

He's a songwriting bioinformaticist who spends as much time mining the Human Genome Project databases for vital information related to biomedical research as he does matching lyrics to melodies.  “When that whole genomics music genre takes off, I'm gonna be right there.  Riding that wave...” vows Alexander. 

Charles also hosts a monthly Nashville community writer/artist showcase entitled "A Night On The Edge." The showcase features unique acts that are left of center.

His “other life” has inspired a song about DNA called “Twisted” in his upcoming debut CD.  The album entitled “Immigrant” thematically revolves around social justice, one of Charles' great passions. The songwriting draws from his own experiences as a relative newcomer to the United States.

After becoming a dad for the first time in 2003, Alexander his working on delivering Immigrant, his first solo effort in 2006 on the de Novo recording label.  His other interests include having a good time, civil liberties and digital rights management issues.

Member Since:

July 31, 2005

Members:

Live lineup varies. In the studio the ensemble was:
Tim Thompson & Robert K. Wolf(guitars)
Charlie Chadwick, Allen Collins & Tisha Simeral(bass)
Steve Brewster, Rich Malloy & Kim Risburg (drums)
Amy Frederick (keys/B3/piano)

Influences:

Anything Motown, Stax, soul, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Steve Earle, Sting, Annie Lennox, David Arumugam & The AlleyCats, P. Ramlee, the incredible older brother I never had and in the spirit, Tom Prasada-Rao, the phenomenal Karen Savoca & Pete Heitzman and those kick a** Nashville songwriters like Gretchen Peters, Marcus Hummon, Mary Gauthier, Buddy Miller, Tia Sillers, Darrell Scott and a whole bunch too many to name...

Sounds Like:

I don't know - you decide...

Record Label:

de Novo Records/Outside The Box Music