Just me. Although I've been known to experience bouts of schizophrenia due to the fact that I may have absorbed my twin in the womb. Or maybe he absorbed me.
Okay, the schizophrenia part is a joke.
Influences
The Beatles (group and solo), Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Badfinger, Elvis Presley, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin, Elton John, Jim Croce, Don McLean, America, Pete Ham, Leonard Cohen, Chicago, Eric Clapton, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, pre-"Bad" Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, The Band, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Bruce Springsteen, Sarah McLachlan, Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Gin Blossoms, and of course Spinal Tap.
My favorite song by each band/musician (like you care!):
BEATLES: Help! (followed closely by The Long and Winding Road)
SIMON & GARFUNKEL: The Boxer
BOB DYLAN: Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
BADFINGER: The Name of the Game
ELVIS PRESLEY: Kentucky Rain (followed closely by If I Can Dream)
BILLY JOEL: Piano Man
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Thunder Road
JOHN LENNON: Woman
PAUL McCARTNEY: London Town
GEORGE HARRISON: Be Here Now
RINGO STARR: Photograph
PAUL SIMON: American Tune
THE SHINS: Australia
ROLLING STONES: Angie
LED ZEPPELIN: Stairway to Heaven
AEROSMITH: Dream On
THE WHO: I'm Free
PINK FLOYD: Us and Them
TODD RUNDGREN: Just One Victory
CAT STEVENS: Morning Has Broken
HARRY CHAPIN: A Better Place to Be
DON McLEAN: Vincent
AMERICA: Sister Golden Hair
PETE HAM: It Doesn't Really Matter
QUEEN: Don't Stop Me Now
LEONARD COHEN: Hallelujah
SMASHING PUMPKINS: Tonight
GIN BLOSSOMS: Hey Jealousy
SARAH McLACHLAN: Adia
NIRVANA: Lithium
MICHAEL JACKSON: Billie Jean
PRINCE: Little Red Corvette
BEE GEES: How Deep is Your Love
WILLIE NELSON: On the Road Again
ELTON JOHN: Your Song (The Last Song is great, too)
THE BAND: Up on Cripple Creek (naturally!)
Sounds Like
I've heard "Beatlesque" and "Dylanesque" at times. I've also gotten occasional comparisons to Cradle of Filth, but that's probably a reference to my office.
Creativity has always been a means of spiritual breathing for me. From the time I could walk I've has been immersed in writing and drawing, always trying to find new ways to express myself in ways unique from the casual spoken word. I grew up in Maine and entered into music relatively late in life, years after a failed attempt at becoming a trombone impresario in fifth grade; and a few years after puberty, since during those great years of awkwardness and acne my singing became relegated to Marge Simpson impressions.
That changed in 2000, toward the end of my junior year at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, when I formed a folk-rock/classic-rock trio, Waking the Neighbors, with two friends. Along with singing cover versions of songs we loved we also wrote our own music, which inspired me to put pencil to paper (or crayon to toilet paper, depending on when inspiration struck) for the first time to create my own songs.
In a way, music was a marriage of the writing and art I had produced before, since the composer is painting a portrait of words through a variety of rhythms and chords. Once I wrote my first couple of songs, I was hooked, and people liked what they were hearing.
Fortunately, they still do. Fifty songs later, I've played a number of different venues, from coffee houses and restaurants to major theatre performances and festivals, as well as TV shows like "207" in Portland, Maine.
I released my first album, "Sandpapered Dreams," in 2005 and my second, "Memorywall," recently hit stores. You can learn about them here and also by searching for Alex Lear at http://colbybookstore.collegestoreonline.com.
Creativity has a way of immortalizing how you feel and who you are at a particular time in life. I believe that is what has drawn me to create for so many years. My songs are pages from the story of my life, and I invite you to read them. YOU CAN GET MY CDs AT BULL MOOSE IN PORTLAND, BANGOR, AND WATERVILLE, MAINE, AND AT http://colbybookstore.collegestoreonline.com!
"Memorywall" is now available on "Memorywall" is also available onAmazon
Thank you for taking the time to visit my site. My new record 'Another Winter' is now available on iTunes. I hope you will take a moment to listen to my music. Thanks and please visit me again. -Michelle
Hey!! how have you been? I was thinking about you the other day, wondering if you played bars or anything?! The bar I work at likes to get new music in and they are in need of something different!!! If you're interested let me know!! Hope you're great!!!
Hey Alex, this is Brendon Nibarger with the Quansigamog Handtub Association. I just wanted to say thank you for both articles, they were outstanding!! You did an excellent job on describing the experience of a dying sport. I also wanted to thank you for coming down to the muster and pumping the handtub with us. Hope you enjoyed it and maybe make it to some more musters!