Good morning my friends and thanks for checking back in here.  We appreciate your visits, and this site continues to blow up as a result, with hits and visits increasing every week!

Everything continues to be great, but of course not perfect.  I always want things to happen faster, but unfortunately that is not how it works.  Patience is an acquired trait for me, and it comes hard, but I'm getting it.....slowly.  I guess I gotta be patient to acquire my patience.  Hurry up and wait mother*ucker, lol!

Well, as most of you know, all the ten songs are basically completed for the next cd.  I'm having mixed feelings about one song though, "If I was a Freak," so that one me end up being a bonus track.  It's a cool song, but I'm just not sure it stacks up to the other nine in song quality.  Moises and Richard are ok with it, but I'm having mixed feelings personally. 

You know what that means though, one more song to write!  The tenth song I wrote for this cd was the hardest song to write for me, ever.  I had some form of writer's block, which is something I never get, but I think it came from burnout caused by pushing myself so hard, not sleeping, and just working myself to death. The final result though is a song I feel is my best ever, so I guess it was all worth it!  That one is Song #10, and I'm still not revealing the name until we play it live.  

Hopefully the new final song will come easier.  If not, I'll just do what I always do, which is work my ass of until it happens.  Now it has to be better than Song #10.  The bar keeps rising!

Tonight is going to be an awesome night.  The local casino Speaking Rock is having another free concert with Cheech and Chong, and the band War.  We are so lucky to have these guys bringing us all these great free concerts.  A huge thanks to Speaking Rock! Cheech and Chong are basically superstars, and probably won't be performing live much longer, and I guess it's sort of a reunion for them.  To my knowledge, I don't think they have performed together in a really long time, and these guys are hilarious!  I won't miss it.

Other than that, not much new here.  The hard work continues, down in the trenches; the stuff nobody sees.  Nobody knows when we will pop our heads up and throw a show, but I promise it will be our best performance ever, individually or as the Alexx Band! You have my personal guarantee on that, so don't miss it!

Well, it's about that time to get to the day job, the one that pays the bills.  Papa needs a bunch of new sh*t!  Have a very awesome day my friends, thanks for visiting, and come back soon!  

Don't forget to spread the word, because it is you guys that are making this whole thing take off.  Please continue to share the following links and frequent these sites as well:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic  (Our Artist/Fan Page.  Like the page while you're there.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook Page--PARENTAL ADVISORY! Make a friend request to join my friends list.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD!)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Live Concert Videos of us and many other great bands.  Be sure to check out the "ALEXX FULL CONCERT VIDEO,"  which is a recent full concert video of a recent performance.  It was a great show!

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_  (Follow us for frequent updates.)

Thanks so much for being you and supporting us.  We appreciate you very much!  Have a beautiful weekend and stay cool.

Alexx

 

Hey friends, I'm back.  Sorry about being away, but I've been having both computer and internet problems.  Computer tech is coming tomorrow, so we should get all that cleared up.

This will be a shorter post, because I have to get back to The Dungeon, but I'll give you a quick run down of what's up.

Things are good, very good!  The new songs for the upcoming follow-up to Escaping the Dungeon are basically finished, music and lyrics.  I'm extremely happy with the new songs.  They are a bit heavier, and some a lot heavier than the Escaping the Dungeon songs, and that is as planned, so I'm really happy with them.  I never use "filler" songs like most bands seem to do, so they're all good, and all meet or exceed my own personal standards.

Some congratulations are in order to a couple of my favorite people, first to our drummer, Richard Gerome, for completing his Master's Degree from New Mexico State University, (NMSU.)  He's a smart guy and worked hard to achieve this great accomplishment.  Congrats Richard!

Secondly, I must congratulate another good friend, Jose, aka "Str1ng5 (pronounced strings,)" our guitar player, who will be getting married on Friday.  We wish him the best, and have no fear, he will be returning to the line-up very soon, in time to record the new cd with us.  Congrats Str1ng5, we wish you much happiness!

We have band rehearsal tonight (without Str1ng5,) and will be working on the newest 3 songs so Moises can finish writing his bass lines and Richard can do his thing on the drums.  Yes, I'm excited to get to play them with the band tonight!  These guys are such great players, and I never have to tell them what to play; they just do it, and always play some incredible sh*t!

So the focus has been on the new songs, and some of us are more anxious to get into the studio to record than to get out and play, but we're not going to rush anything.  We've waited this long, plus we need the stuff to be well rehearsed before we go into the studio, because it costs money to record in the studio, and the best studios are expensive! 

Personally, I have the most fun playing live, and am a firm believer that that's what music is about, peforming music for people, and interacting with the crowds, so you know that's coming too! 

Yes, we'll get out soon and play some selected shows at selected venues around town to both have some fun and to let the songs gel and evolve.

Other than that, survival is a priority, so if you're in El Paso, send us some business.  We sell all types of floors, including wood, laminate, carpet, tile and vinyl, and also install what we sell, unless you choose to install yourself or have an installer, in which case we can sell you the materials:

     Flooring by Alex and Alex, 9861 Dyer St. Suite 18, El Paso, TX 79924, (915) 755-6100.

We have a great selection, do excellent work, and always save all of our customers big money! We give FREE ESTIMATES, so give me a call.  I will give you the personal service you deserve.  Your business or referrals are appreciated, and it supports independent music!

Hey, I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about the new Black Sabbath album, "13."  These guys were one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a musician and to play guitar and sing in the first place! They're returning to their roots on the new cd and that is so cool!  They actually got together and listened to the first Sabbath album, and the goal was to recapture the vibe of that early, monumental rock album, After hearing it the other night on the radio, I think they were very successful at achieving that goal.  I know I'm buying it as soon as it hits the stores!

I guess it's sort of coincidental, but I listened to a Youtube video of Sabbath playing their classic song Paraniod in 1970, and couldn't get over the guitar tone, which is why I went more retro with my guitar rig recently, getting rid of my fancy Digitech Guitar Processor and Foot Pedal, and going back to a couple of stomp boxes plugged straight into my  Vintage Marshall JCM 800 Lead Series Guitar Amps.  It gives me a tone extremely close to the tone on that video, and makes me wonder why I ever went high tech.  The straight in Marshall tube sound is the sh*t my friends!

So, that's about it my friends.  If you want to hear a recent concert performance by us, and I recommend it because it's a very good performance, is go to www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, and look for the "FULL CONCERT VIDEO."  I'm certain you will enjoy it, and don't forget to catch us live when you get a chance!

Eventually, we will take it around the world to all of you.  I wish that could happen tomorrow, but we still have pleanty of work cut out for us before we can make that happen, but it is one of our main goals, and I believe we will achieve it!

Thanks for your interest and support.  You are making sh*t happen for us, whether you realize it or not!  Like our Facebook Artist Page and share it on your social networking sites and with your friends and family.  That will make a huge difference at some point and we appreciate the support.  The Artist page's address is www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

To hear the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FREE and to get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Thanks again, and have a beautiful day/night my friends!

Alexx

 

Hey friends, thanks for checking in here.  We appreciate that!  Just a quick update today due to lack of time.

Everything's pretty good and keeps getting better.  We're keeping ourselves underground for the moment.  I literally haven't had any time to go out and book shows, but I will get to that real soon.  I'm no longer interested in rushing things.  I'm finally learning to be more patient, which is against my nature.

I have spent the last week and a half finishing the new songs for the next cd.  The results have been great.  I think my songwriting continues to evolve and improve. It just makes sense to keep raising the bar along with our own personal standards. There's no sense in staying the same!

So all the new songs are done.  10 new ones!  I continue to "work" the songs each night, and they continue to evolve and get better.  Last night I worked on the newest three, and they took some leaps upwards.  I think I'll just play those three again tonight, because tomorrow night I'll show them to the band, so I want to have them at least somewhat memorized.

Songs 9 and 10 are among my favorites ever because they rock harder and the vocals are screaming and loud; very agressive.  The whole cd is heavier in general, but the last two songs especially. That's how I wanted them to turn out, so I was quite successful in that respect.  I think all the songs are actually much better overall than the Escaping the Dungeon songs, and that's quite a statement coming from me, because I am very proud of each and every song on that cd. 

Tonight, solo rehearsal.  It's about 8:30 pm here, so I gotta get going.  I'll have a better and longer update next time.  I'm pretty tired right now from this El Paso, Texas heat (close to 100 degrees,) so I better go sneak in a meal and a 30 minute nap before heading back to The Dungeon to rehearse the new songs.  I have a feeling it's gonna be another very long night!

Thanks again for your continued interest and support.  Don't forget to share our music and our sites and pages with everyone you can.  It helps a bunch, and we need your support, to take this thing to a higher level and to help get us to some bigger stages. 

Here are a few of the more important links to check out and share:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Our Artist Page.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Page.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the entire cd FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Live Alexx in Concert Videos and much more!)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Frequent Updates.)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com  (This site, the center of my on-line universe.)

Thanks again for the support my friends.  You are really making a difference!  Have a great day/night and come back soon,

Alexx

 

Hey everybody, thanks for visiting my site today.  Glad to have you back!

Everything's pretty good right now.  I finally finished the last song for the up-coming cd.  It was actually quite a challenge writing the last few, because I was actually getting tired of writing songs, sort of getting burned out on it.  Not that I don't enjoy creating new music, but I had spent a bunch of time over the past couple of months writing the songs, and got to the point that I just wanted to have them finished so I could go back to focusing on playing music rather than writing. 

This was my first time setting out to write 10 songs in succession for a cd.  This was another reason for wanting to get it finished, just the enormity of the task.  It's not easy to come up with 10 new songs in a short time, if you want them all to be good songs, rather than just songs. I was not willing to settle with any song I didn't think was really good. 

I don't know about you, but I like to listen to full cds of an artist I like sometimes, rather than just listening to a bunch of songs from different artists.  The problem there is that it's actully not that easy these days to find a cd that's full of all good songs, from beginning to end.  Too many bands use "filler songs" just to complete the cd. Personally, I won't settle for mediocrity when I know I can do better. 

So, yes, it was really hard work, but thankfully the songwriting is finished, and yes, I'm extremely happy with that fact, and also with the results, the songs themselves.  Not a single filler; not a single mediocre song in my opinion, and I do my best to evaluate each song objectively, as if it was written by someone else.  These all passed that test! 

Now back to rehearsals!  Some people view rehearsals as work, and they are, but for me, they're always fun, and I always look forward to getting together with my bandmates and making music.  It is one of the true joys in my life! 

Obviously it's more fun to get on stage and perform for a crowd, and the bigger the better, but even in our rehearsal space, The Dungeon, with no audience, it's still a lot of fun for me!

So, suddenly, we have two complete sets of original songs, all very good songs in my opinoin, and all the material we need to record the follow-up cd to Escaping the Dungeon!  We've already performed most of the new songs at our last two shows, and the audiences really liked them.  We now have three more new ones that nobody's heard.  It's always really fun to introduce the brand new songs to audiences and check out their reactions.

So that's where we are today my friends.  Back to rehearsals, and on to booking shows.  The plan is to do this cd forwards, instead of backwards, like I did when I started working on Escaping the Dungeon, basically by myself.  This time, we'll rehearse, play shows, and tighten up all the songs and let them evolve before going into the studio to record as a band. 

This also gives us time to raise money for the project, since we are currently independent and have no record company to finance the recording.  The more well rehearsed the songs are, the less studio time required to record them, and thus a less expensive project.  Lord know's we are not made of money, and recording in a quality studio is far from cheap!

Well that's about it for now my friends.  Thank you very much for your continued interest and support.  Don't forget to please visit and support our other pages and sites.  Here are some links to our main sites and pages.  You can just click on them to get to the sites and pages, or you can copy and paste them to your browser and to your own social media sites, to share them with your friends and family.  You'd be surprised how much that helps further our music!  Here are the links:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic  (Our Artist Page; please give it a like and share it.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook Page.  Feel free to make a friend requset.)  I do post some slightly more controversial stuff on this page occasionally, so beware of that.  Nothing really bad though.

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic  (Here you can listen to the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.)  I also have some video and other stuff on there, including another separate Music Blog.

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic  (Live Concert Videos of us and also a bunch of major artists, and more.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_  (Follow us for frequent updates.)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com  (This, our Main Site.  Please share it!)

Well, thanks again for visiting.  Pleasce come back soon, and have a beautiful day/night my friends!

Alexx

 

Good morning my friends!  Traffic is blowing up here, and it makes me happy.  Thanks to all of you for your interest and support, and keep coming back!

I put another blog up on my Reverbnation earlier today.  You might want to check that one out too.  It has some things that might be of interest to you, and you should check out that site anyway if you haven't yet.  There, you will find all kinds of independent music, and everybody's on there, even artists from your area, and also almost everywhere else in the world.  You will find some great undiscovered talent and music for sure! 

My page is www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  There you can listen to the whole Excaping the Dungeon cd uninterrupted as you browse the site and even when you browse other sites of do your computer work.  We also have some video up and will be posting more very soon.  We already have video to post, we just gotta make the time.  It will happen, soon!

Much is going on even sometimes it doesn't seem like it.  I am on a verge of a breakthrough on writing the final song for the next cd.  I kicked around some ideas last night, and I'm on the right track.  I think it will finally come today, finally.  Obviously, I could have already written another song, but just a song will not do.  The standard is set.  I want the final song to be the best one in the bunch, and it's gonna be a heavier one.  Maybe the heaviest I've written.  Well see.  That heavy side of my playing has really resurfaced, and I'm gonna make the most of it!

I have much more to say, but I've gotta go.  I'll post more tomorrow.  It won't be possible today, sorry.

Don't forget to like my Facebook Artist Page, because I update there multiple times everyday, since I can do that from my phone.  If you "Like" the Page, you should get all the updates, and/or information on where to find it.  That address is www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic  You can also follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

Gotta go.  Thanks for your interest and your visit.  I appreciate you!  Have a beautiful, awesome weekend.

Alexx

 

Hey friends, thanks for checking in here.  I appreciate your visit!

Man, yesterday was such a strange day.  It started off great, then sort of went down hill, mostly due to my own fault, and then ended on a very sweet note.  I'm glad it's over though, and today's a new day.

So the sweet note was that I worked on one of the new songs last night that I've been writing, and some how it took a sudden turn towards the heavy side.  I love most styles or genres of rock music, particularly the harder rocking stuff; not what they call metal today with growling vocals instead of singing, but just good, agressive, loud and heavy guitar rock, but with good vocals where the vocalist actually sings, rather than growling.  That growling really doesn't do a thing for me personally.

Well anyway, when I was working the vocals on the song, something just clicked and suddenly I found myself singing much more agressively, causing my guitar playing to take the same direction.  The result, a much heavier sounding song than anything on the Escaping the Dungeon cd.  Acutally, that was my intention when I began writing songs for the cd, because I do want the next cd to be heavier, louder, and more agressive.  Most of the songs are, in fact, heavier by design, but this one happened sort of by accident, and I'm loving the sound of the song much more now with this new tone and attitude.

Today, I'll be focusing on my day job, the one that pays the bills, but hopefully tonight I'll get started on the final song for the cd. I put 10 songs on the last cd, and plan to use the same number of songs on the follow-up.  The one from last night was number 9, and I have lyrics written for the final song, number 10, so I just need to come up with the music.  Hopefully the basic idea for the music and the structure will come to me today or tonight, and I'll have a rough version of song 10 sometime before sunrise.  We'll see what happens.

As far as my day job, I have a business here in El Paso called Flooring by Alex and Alex.  We sell and install most types of flooring, including wood, tile, laminate, carpet and vinyl floors.  My emphasis is on keeping my overhead down so that I can keep my prices down.  I'm actually quite good at that, because I've been in the business for a long time, and know it well.  So I save all my customers a bunch of money, give them great value and service, and I make some money in the process.  Every deal I do is win, win.  I'm not satisfied any other way.  If I don't give you great value, I am not happy, so I make sure to do this for every customer.  That's what keeps them coming back and referring us to family and friends!

Anybody in El Paso needing flooring, please give us a shot at the deal.  We will save you a lot of money because we kill the competition on price, and the bonus is that your purchase supports local music, and I have a great selection of flooring to chose from. 

Flooring by Alex and Alex is located at 9861 Dyer St., Suite 18, El Paso, Texas, 79924, in the Courtyard Plaza Shopping Center.  I advise customers to call first, because I sometimes step out to do measurements.  If you call ahead, I'll definately be there when you arrive.  The phone number is (915) 755-6100.  If you happen to be active duty military, ask for your additional discount.

Well that's about it for now.  I've got to go make some money to keep everything going.  Have a great, awesome day, and come back soon.

Don't forget to check out my other pages and sites to get the all the updates, hear the music, and watch our videos.  Here are some links.  Please share them with your friends and family.  You can just click a link to get to the site or page, and you can cut and paste the links wherever you like to share them with people you know.  Here they are:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic  (My Facebook Artist Page--Like the page while you're there)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook Page--Make a friend request)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (To see Alexx Concert Videos and much more)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_  (Follow us for frequent updates)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hear all of our recorded music and much more)

www.alexxofficialmusic  (This site, my Official Website, for all the history and more)

Thanks for your visit and your continued support, and come back soon,

Alexx

Good Morning (well it's exactly noon here now.) Happy Memorial Day Week! So as the title of this post indicates, this site is blowing up with visits and hits from all of you! Yes this makes me very happy. This site is the center of my musical universel,and I can't thank you guys enough for your interest and for your visits. Keep coming back! My Facebook Artist Page is doing quite well for being fairly new. If haven't "Liked" this page please do. This is where I post most of my updates and comments several times each day. Please "Like" it and share it with your friends and family. Here is the link. Just click on it to get to the page and then click on the "Like" Button. Be sure to share it too! Once you "Like" the page, you'll be getting all my updates automatically. Modern technology; you just gotta love and hate it, but this is a good side of it! www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic Well, Memorial Day Week is here. Of course, many of you from other countries may not be aware of the significance of this American holiday and tradition. Memorial Day is celebrated, I believe, on the last Monday in May. Anyway, it is on a Monday at the end of May, and happens to be next Monday. On Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who lost their lives in defense of our great nation, and of our liberties and freedoms. Personally, I always think of the uncle I never met. He was a true American war hero. I believe he was still a teenager when he lost his life in combat, trying to save his buddy who was hit by enemy fire, in an American fighter jet. He was the first one ready to evacuate the plane when it was hit, but instead he stayed on board to try and save his buddy. Yes, I come from very loyal roots! They, unfortunately both expired when the plane exploded into a fireball, and thus I never met him. He was honored with an El Paso Park on the Westside of town being named after him several years back, Francisco Delgado Park. Thinking about you this week Uncle Frank. Maybe I'll see you up there some day. Anyway, there's always events around town on Memorial Day Weekend, and most people get next Monday off work. It's usually beer & barbeque time for most Americans, myself included. So this year, I gotta decide whether to attend the KLAQ Radio Station barbeque/concert, or the fairly new Neon Desert Festival, which is also a concert with a bunch of good bands. Last year, I went to both. I got to see one of my favorite bands last year at Neon Desert, the great El Paso band Sparta. If you haven't heard of Sparta, check them out. They are great and one of my favorite songs of theirs is Takiing Back Control. Check it out on Youtube. Trust me, if you like great rock music, you will love Sparta! Another, seperate reason why Sparta is one of my favorite bands is that their frontman, Mr. Jim Ward, one of El Paso's most successful musicians ever, played a huge role in my Escaping the Dungeon cd being made in his and Gabriel Gonzalez's Clap of Thunder Studio in El Paso. These guys were so generous and helped me so much to make the cd a reality, and I am forever grateful, and a Jim Ward and Gabe Gonzalez fan for life. The cd wouldn't be what it is if not for them! This year, KLAQ is bringing the recent Grammy Winners Halestorm, and a band that is new to us around here, Young Guns, among other bands to this year's barbeque. I haven't heard much of Young Gun's music, but I really love thier new single "Bones." You will probably find me at the BBQ on Monday. With beer, bands, and bikinis at this local waterpark event, it's hard to go wrong. Plus I usually get to see a friend of mine vomet in a trash can there, lol. Yep, the last two years in a row. Well, I think that's all for now. Don't forget to continue to support my sites and pages including this one, my Official Website, www.alexxofficialmusic.com, my Facebook Artist Page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, my Youtube Channel where you can see a bunch of LIVE ALEXX CONCERT VIDEO, plus a bunch of major concerts recorded by me here in El Paso. I get really good audio and some up front and center of the crowd video. If you turn it up, it's literally almost like your up front in the crowd. My Youtube Channel is www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic. Check it out; you won't be dissappointed! Also, you can follow me on Twitter to get the most frequent updates at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ and you can hear the ENTIRE ESCAPING THE DUNGEON CD FREE AND GET A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD AT: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic I also have a Facebook Personal Page, www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic. Make a friend request there if you like and I will accept it. Band rehearsal last night was great. Got a lot of work done. We'll be back at it Thursday. It just keeps getting better. That's what hard work does! Well, have a great and beautiful Memorial Day Week and Weekend my friends. Thanks again for your visit and all your support. You are apreciated! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BUT PEACE, BECAUSE PEACE IS BETTER!

 

Hey friends, thank God it's Friday.  The weekend's here, like a mother*ucker!

Well we have many good things in the works; things that will take some time to make happen, but we will make them happen.

So most of the material has already been written for the follow up to Escaping the Dungeon.  We have decided to hopefully record at the legendary Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas a few miles outside of El Paso.  It's an isolated place with top notch facilities and state of the art equipment, said to be worth in the millions of dollars.  We still have to go speak with them about the cost, but we know it's not gonna be cheap.  We'll just have to work our a*ses off to pay for it, because we want the best.

I was extremely lucky when I recorded Escaping the Dungeon.  That was recorded at Clap of Thunder Studio here in El Paso.  That was like a gift from God and Gabriel (Gabe) Gonzalez and Jim Ward were like the angels of the place.  I could never thank them enough for all they did, and so affordably.  They made it happen for me, and Gabe contributed so much, from his great engineering and production to his generous playing contributions on the cd.  Everything, and I do mean everything he did was so great, and I am very grateful!  That was, however, literally a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I am lucky I was able to make it happen scheduling wise and budgeting wise.  My instincts told me at the time that this was the place to record, and that I better do it before something came along to fu*k it up.  I was right, because they have since closed, I assume due to their many other interests and projects.  You can only spread yourself so thin!

In addition to recording the next cd, we also are planning to do a professional quality video. That is also in the works.  Money, money, money!  Everything costs so much money if you want to do it right, but is there really any other way?

We have several upcoming shows to announce soon as soon as we have confirmation on the dates.  We're learning to be more patient (slowly,) so we're getting away from rushing things, which I have a tendency to do.

On a somber note, another of my former band members died sometime back, and I just found out.  He was a great guitar player named Rick Gallardo.  He could play, but had a severe alcohol problem, which apparently directly or indirectly did him in.  He will be missed. 

In spite of his problem, Rick was a great person, and we created music back then, that I don't think we could reproduce now.  We were young and I still had my full vocal range (pre-vocal chord surgury.)  The band was called Thunder Road, a name taken from the custom motorcycle shop in Hollywood, California.  We were doing covers, including several Guns n Roses tunes that few bands would attempt, especially 3 piece, particularly because of the vocals and guitars.  We did Civil War, You Could be Mine, Sweet Child of Mine and more.  Vocally, I could hit every single one of those high notes, and powerfully.  People would sh*t, because Axl, the singer of Guns n Roses, couldn't even come close to hitting those notes live.  Rick was amazing on the guitar.  I was playing bass and singing, and his brother Willie "Cowboy" Gallardo was on the drums.  R.I.P. my friend Rick!

Well, I can't mention Rick without mentioning my other former bandmate that passed away, Tony Chavez.  If there was ever a great and special guitar player in my life, it was Tony, so let me tell you about him. 

Well Tony was the first and only one-handed guitar player I've ever seen or heard of.  Tony had a birth defect, and his right hand did not fully develop.  He didn't have a complete right hand, and had no fingers; only stubs where his fingers would have been.  Tony wanted to play guitar, so he found or made a way.  He would custom carve finger pics to fit over the stub where his thumb would have been and he lerned to play like a mother*ucker!  He had the greatest ear too, probably perfect pitch! Tony was not only a great one handed guitarist, but also a great motocross rider and a greater person.  He taught me a lot about the guitar early on, spending hours and hours of his time teaching me to play.

Tony was such a great player, truly amazing, and I also miss him very much.  He played with me in my first gigging band, Last Minute.  We had a lot of fun together, even playing the Main Stage of one of the first El Paso Street Festivals.  (My mom actually got us that gig when she was alive.  She had great connections!)

 

Tony died of throat cancer.  He had gotten a tumor on his vocal cords, as I later did, but his was malignant, while mine was benign.  The last time I saw him, he could barely speak.  He passed a few months later.  Thanks for all you taught me Tony!

 

It was and especially frightening experience for me when I got the tumor on my vocal cords, because of what I witnessed happen to Tony!  I also totally lost my ability to speak, and thought I would never sing again.  That's what I feared the most, more than death itself, believe it or not!  Thankfully, mine was not cancerous.

 

Well this computer I am using is screwing up, and I can't take off the italics, so I guess I'll stop here. 

 

Don't forget to support our pages, as that helps immensely!  Here are some links to use and to share with your family and friends.  Please do!

 

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Artist Page--please give it a like!)

 

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook Page; Send me a Friend Request.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic  (To hear my music and video and for a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_   (Follow us for frequent updates.)

Thanks for your visit, interest and support.  Check back soon; I update here frequently.)

 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Hey friends, good afternoon (or morning or night wherever you are!)

Well everythings great here.  I'm feeling awesome today since I got 8 hours sleep.  I literally can't remember how long it's been since I've gotten 8 hours!  So, that can't last because there's never enough hours in the day to do all the things I need to do, but for today, it feels great!

I need to thank all of you who are visiting my page even if it's your first time here.  To those returning, I thank you even more!

The hits to this site continue to explode, increasing daily.  Thanks all of you who have liked my Facebook Artist Page, and for those that haven't, it takes only 2 clicks.  Click the link, and click "Like."  Here's the link: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic  Thank you for taking 5 seconds to do this!

So, I had a small let down and let it get to me.  In the context of the big picture, it's actually such a small thing.  It's sort of big and small at the same time, big because I wanted it, small because there's so much more out there, and so many good things to come, and some really great things in the works!

Well during the process of accepting this dissappointment, I may have offended a couple of people.  That really wouldn't matter to me, but they're actually really good people, and if they read this, they'll know who I'm talking about. To these two people, sorry if I offended you.  I apologize.

So, moving on, I've been discussing the live music scene around here.  Here in the El Paso, Texas music scene, things started changing a bit around the time I was forced to step away for a while, which turned out to be a long while.  Well, I'm back now, but this situation remains to some extent.

The situation is that many of the local original bands began, and continue to play for free.  Well, in reality, playing for free is paying to play, because all musicians have expenses, and it costs us money just to get to the gigs.  To the club owners, well it's fantastic.  I mean, you pay a band to play, or you get multiple bands for free.  I am a business man with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Management and Music from the local university (UTEP,) so obviously, I know music and business.  As a businessman, if I can have a service provided for free, or pay for it, I'm probably gonna take the free one, because it's better for my bottom line.

Well if we look at the big picture, there are places where people pay to play, for exposure, and these appearances sometimes have value and get results.  I'm referring specifically to clubs in Hollywood, such as the legendary and world famous Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood California.  Well numerous bands have been discovered playing the Hollywood club scene, bands such as Van Halen, Motley Crue, Guns and Roses, and many more.

There is a big difference, however, and in most places, I very strongly believe it is ubsurd for bands to play for free.  As far as Hollywood goes, there are many record companies withing easy driving distance to the Hollywood clubs, and the record execs do frequent these clubs when searching for new talent.  So, being discoverd in a Hollywood club is possible, and clubs there realize this and charge bands to play.

What so many musicians and bands around here refuse to realize, is that playing here for free has little or no value, unless their goal is to be known locally, and this is true in most cities.  Bands play here free all the time, and say they do it for the "exposure."  Well, once they start playing for free, the clubs get used to it an stop wanting to pay bands.  The quality of their entertainment diminishes, but their bottom line improves, so they continue having mostly not so good bands, play their clubs for free. 

The bands wind up paying to play, because they have expenses, and the clubs get free entertainment, good or not, and most don't care about the music and will even tell you that.  They care about the bottom line, because they're all for profit businesses operate to make money, and if they do not make money, they're soon out of business. 

The ironic thing is that there are no major record companies within 500 miles of El Paso, and more significantly, no bands have ever been discovered in an El Paso Club, so this "exposure" has little or no value.  I personally think that if you're gonna play for free on a regular basis, your sending a message, conscious or unconcious, that your music and performance have little or no value, and you know it.  That is the plain truth my friends, the plain truth!

So, we continue to play for pay, and have no intention of changing that.  Our equipment costs us money, our sound people and roadies need to get paid, our rehearsal space costs money, and on and on.  We know our performance is worth money, and we promote ourselves so that people show up.  Then we give them a good performance so they stick around all night and buy drinks, thus making the club money.  We know our promotion and performance has value, and we charge accordingly. 

Music is a business, that's why it's called the "music business." Like any other business, if you don't make money, you will not be in business long.  That is one of the most basic principles of business. We don't make a lot of money playing, but we cover our expenses and put something in our pockets every time. This is what separates the amateaurs from the professionals--money.

I think I'll stop here, because I want that to be my last thought of today's entry.  I want to leave the musicians thinking about this, because you guys (and gals) work hard, have expenses, and your music and your performance has value.  Don't ever forget that!

So like I said, we have some great things in the works and some big surprises coming.  I'll keep you posted. Please continue to support my pages and sites.  Here are the main links.  Please cut and paste them to your social network pages, and share them with your friends and family, and most of all, please check out the sites and pages yourself.  I think you will enjoy the content:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Facebook Artist Page -- Please "Like" it while your there.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My personal Facebook Page -- Send me a Friend Request.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic  (To hear all my music for free.)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic  (For live concert videos of us and also of many major rock bands.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_  (Follow us for frequent updates.)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This, my Official Website.)

Thanks for your visit and all your support!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Well guess what? I'm back. Short senteces. Wow. Lol. Anyway, on this beautiful El Paso Mother's Day, I'm feeling good; feeling no pain. Exhaling. Breathing. Here we go with more short sentences. Anyway, my point. Beginning on this beautiful day, a new feature of my blog, Alexx's Link of the Day!

So, since I have some recent live video, I'll be highlighting them initailly, giving you a link to click on to see some live Alexx stuff. We'll keep recording; keep it evolving, and we'll keep keeping it real real! We'll be bringing it to you my friends!

In Phase 2 of the Introduction, I'll start to throw out videos of El Paso concerts of major bands, recorded by me, personally. Let me tell you, when you see the videos of the major concerts I record from up front center, in the thickest, most insane of crowds. It's like you're right there, up front and center, and let me tell you, that sh*t gets really crazy at times. I know. Been doing that sh*t for decades. Experienced. Like a mother*ucker.

Actually, I have so much concert video I've never posted, simply because I have no time to sort thru it to decide what to put up, not to mention the uploading. I always just want to play. Anyway, the focus is the Alexx stuff now so that's what's coming. Hopefully we'll be able to do a real video soon. I think we can turn some heads if we get that done right. That's next. But in the mean time, I'll be throwing up stuff from upcoming shows, plus some amazing concert footage from a rock and roll soldier, like a mother*ucker. Me.

So, with no further adue, (hope I spelled that right,) Here's the First Link, my Full Concert at Soho in El Paso on Thursday May 2, 2013. It was a fun night. Great place, great show, great crowd. We gave em all we got. A glimpse into our souls. This is only the beginning. This is where it starts. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_02mh21nZqI

Enjoy it my friends. I know I did, you guessed it, like a mother*ucker!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS AROUND THE WORLD!

Alexx

 

Hey my friends! Thanks for visiting again, and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all you mothers, and no, not you mother*ucker, lol!

Hey well, being mother's day, I've found myself really reflecting today due to my personal circumstances. For those of you who may not know, I'm a single dad and sole parent. I've been doing this for about a decade, which is what forced me to put my music on hold. Yes, being a mom, is a tough job. Very tough!

So I've been raising three kids as a sole parent since Alexx Jr. was 5 days old. I aready had custody of my two girls, one 18 months and still in diapers, and the other barely three, and just out of diapers.

It's funny, because I had been basically kicked out of school at the age of fifteen for various offenses, but mostly for non-attendence. Well, I liked money, but wasn't qualified to do much of anything, so in adittion to my, ahem,cough, cough, "business" as a vendor at the time, I took a job roofing.

Well let me tell you, I hated roofing, you guessed it, like a mother*ucker! I won't go into a discussion on roofing, but I will say I thought it had to be the very hardest job in the world, period, until I became a sole parent of three, essentially babies. Trust me, that made roofing seem like a day at the beach!!

When I took custody of Junior, I would hold him and say, fuuuuuuuuuuuck, how the hell am I gonna do this? I don't know how to be the main caretaker of babies. I always had women to do that!

Then here I am, doing literally round the clock feeding, changing diapers for two, bathings, entertaining, doctor visits, and on, and on, and on! It's like fu*king killing me here. I'm constantly exhausted, and just trying to survive financially; selling all my sh*t, musical equipment included!

Whoa, it's exhausting just thinking about it. But you get the picture. It was tough, as a mother*ucker, and still is! But at the same time quite rewarding. These kids give me so much unconditional love, more than I could ever imagine! Yes, so I guess I would have to say, it has definitely been more than worth it, and that, would be an understatement, and no, I would never have it any other way. And yes, I still do it, and run a full- time business, and work full-time on music. My plate is still pretty full.

So Happy Mother's Day to ME, and also to all you mothers out there. I have much respect for you, and wish you a beautiful day!

My kids made me really cool Mother's Day cards too. I get to double dip with both Father's Day and Mother's Day, lol! Well yes, I earn it.

Anyway, alls good with the music. Still writing songs, and loving the new songs. They come so easily now too. They just kind of pop up out of nowhere and just flow.

I was a bit dissappointed that I didn't get a certain gig that we wanted to play. I have no control over those types of things, so it would be fruitless to waste my own, valuable time dwelling on anything negative. Moving on; there will be bigger and better things, and bigger stages. It's just a matter of time, but we're moving in that direction, slowly but surely. I believe, you guessed it, like a mother*ucker!

Anyway, 1:37 am Mother's Day. I'm gonna get back to the music. PEACE!

Thanks for the love and support. Please share the music and the links to my sites and pages. Let's really get this thing off the ground. I can't do it by myself. Here are the links:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Please "Like" my page!)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the new cd and get a Free song download!

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (My Official Website. All the background, history, pitures, blog, etc.)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Live Concert Videos Galore!)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow me for constant updates.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My personal facebook. Become a friend there too!)

Thanks for visiting; come back soon!

Alexx

 

 

 

 

Hey everybody, welcome back to my site, and thanks for checking in!

Everything's still going well. Finished a new song last night. It's a rocker as you might guess, and it's called Freak Flag. Here are the lyrics:

Freak Flag

If I were a freak, I'd fly my freak flag high

If I were a freak, I wouldn't question why

If I were a freak, I wouldn't deny

If I were a freak, I'f fu*kin let it fly

 

If I were a freak, I'd play some rock and roll

If I were a freak, I'd fu*kin lose control

If I were a freak, I'd fu*kin let it show

If I were a freak, I'd let you know

 

Yeah, I am a freak, and I won't deny

Yeah, I am a freak, I'm flying it high

And we are both freaks, let's fire it up

Yeah we're all freaks, we can't get enough

 

It's a gift from above and I don't know why

So many times it has made me smile

So many reasons why I'll go til I die

I'm not gonna walk, I'm gonna fly

 

Tell all the hypocrites to jump off a cliff

Tell all the hypocrites, that they can eat sh*t

Puff it and smile, and laugh in their face

Don't inhale on them, cause that's just a waste

Copyright Alexx Delgado dba Dungeon Entertainment, May 9, 2013

I finished the music to Freak Flag last night/this morning also. I'm really liking the sound, and will probably post a rehearsal video of it on my Youtube Channel next week with the full band.

Speaking of my Youtube Channel, I posted video of the last two shows up a few days ago. The link to my channel is www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic. One of the videos is a full concert video from last Friday, May 2. It is 56 minutes of the entire show, all original Alexx songs. This is the direct link to that full concert video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_02mh21nZqI

So the not so good news is that we were passed up on for the local baloon festival concert line up. It's kind of a shame, because we would have done a great job for them, and thrown down like a mother*ucker, but we obviously have no control over those decisions.

It seems like the selections for these El Paso festivals are usually almost political in nature, and I'm obviously not very politically correct. It just kind of sucks to see some of the same lame bands play their boring original music, or even worse, cover songs. I mean, seriously, it's boring, but so be it.

Anyway, I'm not gonna cry about it; moving on. There are more local festivals coming, so we'll see what happens. We probably won't look to get booked for any out of town festivals this summer, but we definitely will next year.

I'm past doing things hastily, and continue to grow more patient. When the time is right, those bigger, better gigs will happen for us, and they're not that far off. By next summer we'll have two full-length albums to play and tour in support of!

Well at least we know we're now ready to play any gigs that come along, big or small. I don't think there are any stages too big for us now. I'll hang my toes over the edge of any stage, no mater how big or how large the crowd, anywhere, and show them what we're made of. We stand ready for whatever comes our way, you guessed it, like a mother*ucker!

I spread myself so thin, so I just really haven't had time to go out and book the shows. I'll be on that over the next couple of weeks, but maybe what we really need is a good booking agent. That is probably also close on the horizon. It definitely has to happen at some point.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Have a fantastic day/night, and keep coming back. I'll hopefully post some more stuff up here tomorrow or Saturday, so be sure to check back.

Don't forget to share our sites, pages, and links with all your friends and family and on your social media pages. Here are the main links:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Artist Page, for all the music updates.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook. Feel free to send a friend request.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hear the new cd and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (For more frequent updates.)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This site, my Official Website.)

JUST COPY AND PASTE THE LINKS ON YOUR FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, AND/OR CLICK THE LINKS TO GO DIRECTILY TO THE SITES AND PAGES!

Thanks as always for your visit and your continued support!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey friends, hope all is good with you. Thanks for checking in. I do appreciate that!

Everything's still going well. Things just don't happen as fast as I like, but I'm learning to be more patient. Things are moving forwards and upwards, slowly but surely.

Today my music will be featured on Museboat Internet Radio, at 3pm MST (our time.) Thanks to Mary Dunham King and Andy of Museboat for continuing to give us airplay. Please check out their station. It's really cool and they play some great independent music! Here's the info and the links. Just click on one of the links:

MuseBoat Radio will be playing Alexx on Spotlight Music Show w/Mary Dunham King

Wed. May 8th at 10pm GMT 5pm EDT 4pm CDT 3pm MDT 2pm PDT
Thurs. May 9th at at 1am EAT 5am WIB
Replays every 3 hours after that!!

To CHAT & LISTEN: http://museboat.wix.com/multimedia
To JUST LISTEN: http://museboatradio.listen2mymusic.com/

Yta Von G of KLAQ 95.5 FM EL PASO RADIO and www.klaq.com will be interviewing me soon, I'm assuming this week or next. I'm really looking forward to that as well. She's a really cool person, and she and her radio station KLAQ have been quite supportive of me and my music, so I appreciate them and am more than happy to do the interview. It is my understanding that the interview will be posted on-line, so I'll give you the information and the link as soon as it's up.

The local festivals are coming up, and I am still hopeful that they'll give us a slots to play. Those are always a lot of fun, and I haven't played one in years, mainly due to my absence from the scene for over 12 years. But, needless to say, I'm back, so hopefully they'll ask us to play. That will give us some great local exposure.

The plan is still to play in and around El Paso as much as possible, before embarking on a West Coast tour. I just love the West Coast, and can't wait for that, but we have plenty of loose ends to tie up before booking a tour. I'll definately let you know all the dates before we head out. I'm not sure yet what month that will be, but it will happen.

I had stopped pursuing a record deal because I didn't have a solid, dedicated line-up of musicians. I'm very happy with the current line-up, so it's getting time to start contacting record companies again and following up with the ones I've made contact with already. I have had some interest, so hopefully something will pan out.

Only time will tell, because the entertainment business is so highly competitive, and very few bands gain commercial success. I believe we do have a fair shot though, based on the songs themselves. I believe in every one of the songs on Escaping the Dungeon, and I think the new songs are even better! I don't think will have the sophomore curse that many bands do, because of the quality of the new songs, and the fact that my songwriting is constantly evolving and improving. That's what hard work does!

So, I continue to work hard on a daily basis with the intent of making good things happen. They just don't happen by themselves, and that is a fact.

That's about it for now my friends. Don't forget to check out Museboat Radio, and to support my pages and sites. That helps a whole lot, and things are working so far because of you guys and your support. Here's the links to my main sites and pages. Please share the music and the links with all your friends and family. Since I have no label support, it's up to us to spread the word.  Please share them on all your social media pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic ("Like" this Facebook Artist Page for frequent updates and information.)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hear all my music FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD!)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (To see videos of our shows and also major El Paso concerts.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow us for frequent updates.)

www.alexxofficialmusic (This site, my Official Website.)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Facebook Page. Send a friend request and I will accept it.)

Thanks again for visiting.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Have a beautiful day/night my friends,

Alexx

Hey friends, thanks for checking in. There has been quite a bit going on around The Dungeon. Great shows and more.

Congratulations to our drummer Richard Gerome for completing the requirements for his Master's Degree from NMSU (New Mexico State University,) last week!

Today's blog entry is at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic Just click the link to the left to get to that site.

I posted video of both Thursday and Friday's shows on www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic Again, just click the link to get there.

Don't forget to "Like" our Facebook Artist Page: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. IT IS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE ALREADY, AND THAT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION.

PEACE,

Alexx

 

Good morning/afternoon/night my friends! It's actually late afternoon right now here in El Paso. As always, thanks for your visits and all your support. It has and continues to make a huge difference!

My Facebook Artist Page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic is getting slammed with "Likes" left and right from all around the world, night and day, every day, largely due to support from you guys. I really appreciate that and thank you very much for spreading the word and making it happen.

While I'm still very far from my goal of one million Facebook Likes as an artist, 7,000 + plus Likes is a respectable number for starters. To my knowledge, no other El Paso bands have that many Likes, except for the very few who have gotten major label record deals. We are a fairly new band, as far as the solo project, and the page is pretty new also, so we're actually doing very well in that respect.

Hopefully, with enough hard work, we will be one of the next El Paso bands to be signed to a good label. I believe strongly in the music and the songs, and the audiences always react very positively to our music. My belief is that it all comes back to the songs. It doesn't matter how good the players are, if the songs are not good, you will have little potential for commercial success. You need to have both great players and great songs to have any real chance at commercial success.

Our current line-line up is great, and I am very happy about that, because it took probably 9 months to put this together, and I went through so many players, before putting this band together.

The visits to this, my Official Website, also continue to grow and grow. The link is www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic It is getting hits and visits from around the globe, including some from countries I hadn't even heard of. Hopefully, I'll eventually get to travel to all these countries to play shows for all of you, especially if we can get a deal with a good record company to provide tour support. I very much want to bring the music, the live show to all of you. Hopefully with a lot more work and some luck, that will become a reality!

We are still the Number 1 Rock Band from El Paso, Texas on Reverbnation. We actually hit Number 1 quite a while back, and stayed at the top for quite a while, but farily recently have been fluctuating between #1 and #3. Once again we are holding steadily at the #1 Spot. You really should check out this Page, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, because you can listen to the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd for FREE there, and also get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD!

We played two shows this week, one thursday on the other last night, friday. Both shows went very well, and we got a huge number of compliments, including compliments from the owners and managers of both venues. We'll get with them next week to see about booking more shows in their establishments, and we will be announcing more shows at other venues, as we get confirmation on the dates.

Thursday night's show we played our original music only, and Friday, we did our show, plus I performed with my side project, Like a Hurricane as the opening act, so it was twice the fun for me! Like a Hurricane is the Neil Young Tribute Band. Both bands were very well recieved, and we will be doing many more shows together as a two band line-up.

It only makes sense to do the dual band thing, because my drummer and I play in both bands. Our sound engineer Dave plays guitar in Like a Hurricane, I play bass (instead of guitar) in Like a Hurricane, and do lead vocals and front both projects. All the members of both bands are already part of the same team/organization. Plus I love to play bass and guitar, and I get to do both with the dual band arrangement.

Basically, that's why I say that we're not a band, we're an organization. We're an opening act, a sound crew, and a headling act all rolled up into one package comprised of a total of only five people, plus our roadies who come and go. It just makes sense for so many reasons to do both these bands, and the consensus is that both the bands sound great!

Well, that's about it for now. I'm pretty tired, having gotten only two hours sleep, so I'll get some rest. You'd think I might take a night off tonite, but I'll probably work on some other new songs I have in the works, and try to finish them. Nothing good comes easy, and I need to make some things happen. I work harder than the rest, I guess because I want success more than most. Hopefully, we'll start seeing some bigger rewards for all this hard work soon. Only time will tell.

Have a beautiful weekend my friends, and thanks again for visiting. Please continue to share my music, sites and pages with your family and friends and continue to help spread the word. Thanks for all your support. Here are the links. You can just click on them to get to the sites, or copy and paste them wherever you like:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Facebook Artist Page)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hear all my music free and get a FREE song download)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (For frequent info and updates)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This site, my Official Website.)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Hey my friends, thanks for visiting my website again. I appreciate that!

Well it's probably been about a week or so since I last posted an entry on here. Sorry, been really busy, but busy is good!

So I really enjoyed my 4/20 Week. It was GREAT! I guess it was just like another week, but the symbolism was cool.

For those of you from other parts of the world that may not be familiar with the relatively new American celebration of 4/20, April 20th, it's basically a day for celebrating in unity for a fairly large segment of the American public, the pot (marijuana) smokers, aka, stoners, freaks, heads, and all those other interesting labels. Personally, I like stoner. So basically, it's a day for all the marijuana smokers to get stoned, all day long and all night long!

So anyway, my opinion on marijuana laws in almost every state, with the exception of Colorado and Washington, who only very recently changed their laws, that they are complete and utter bullsh*t! My reasoning for this is that alcohol is legal in all 50 states, and alcohol has much more harmful direct and indirect effects on the person consuming.

As far as direct physical effects,regular consumption of alcohol can and does cause serious damage to the user's internal organs, and brain. These effects eventually can, and in many cases do, reduce the life of the individual. Alchol Poisoning, from excessive consumtion kills many of our youth every year.

These things are not speculation, they are documented, scientifically proven facts. By indirect effects, I am referring to the consequential damages caused to others by the drinkers behavior and acivities. Countless motor vehicle accidents, industrial accidents, violent acts, legal problems, damage to families, and the list can go on and on, almost infinately, have also been directly related to or have been caused by alcohol consumption.

Alcohol has no useful medicianal purpose. Marijuana has many. Alcohol and prescription drug overdoses also kill thousands annually. In contrast, there are no known documented deaths attributed to a marijuana overdose.

In the United States, many people in still look down on marijuana smokers, due to both the stigma, and also due to the fact it is illegal, yet the same people consume alcohol on a regular basis. If that's not a hypocritical segment of society, I don't know what is.

So anybody who has read my blogs already knows I speak my mind, rarely hold back, and I never sugar coat anything. I call things as I see them, period. As far as the 4/20 celebration, tradition or holiday, I fully support it and enthusiastically participate in the celebration!

Don't get me wrong though. I'm not encouraging anyone to smoke marijuana, especially kids. That, I believe is every mature individuals choice, which they are going to make, whether it is legal or not. I will say that I firmly believe that alcohol is much more harmful, and the marijuana laws in this country suck.

Ok, whew, got that out of my system, lol! Anyway, the music thing keeps getting better. We've been working very hard rehearsing and getting ready for more live performances, and have improved greatly as a band as a result. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is the sound and the performance. I'm excited. I'm fired up like a mother*ucker. We are gonna throw it down, every time, and we're not holding sh*t back.

Playing it live is what it's all about. Performing for others. Entertaining people. Money is great. We all love money, but at this point, there's not a lot of revenue flowing in. It takes a lot to get to the point of making any real money in this business, and very few ever get there.

But if it was only about the money, most musicians wouldn't spend their time playing music. They would do somthing that pays dividends immediately, rather than hope to hit that musical lottery which is commercial success. Musicians play music because they love to. I know I do!

We'll be playing two shows next week. Thursday May 2, we'll be performing live at Soho's Coctail Lounge at 500 N. Oregon St. in the Union District area of downtown El Paso. I have yet to step foot in the place, but I happened by the place the other night and it looks really cool from the outside. From what I have heard so far, it is a pretty cool place.

At the Soho show, well be performing with two other El Paso bands, Jo Hobo Witness and Undying Hate. My friend Blue from the Hobos asked us to play, and he's a very cool person, and they're a cool band, so we were happy to join in on the fun. And yes, we fully intend to throw it down, you guessed it, like a mother*ucker!

The following night, Friday May 3, we'll be playing a show with my side project, "Like a Hurricane" at 6-Strings, 1160 Airway Blvd., El Paso. Like a Hurricane will open, and then my band will throw down the entire Escaping the Duneon cd Live, and also the new songs that will be on our upcoming sophomore cd which will be recorded sometime next year.

For those of you who may not know or remember, Like a Hurricane is what we call "A Celebration of Neil Young's Electric Side." That's a fancy way of saying that we're basically a Neil Young Tribute Band, that's not gonna try and look like Neil, like many "Tribute Bands" would do.

Our plan is that we're just going to do our very best to do his great songs justice each time we perform them. I just want to give such a performance of his beautiful songs, every time that we play them, that if he were in the audience, and he could be some day, that Neil himself would love it, and actually feel proud of how we played his songs. Believe it or not, I think he would. I think he would smile and just love it, like a mother*ucker!

In the Alexx band, I do lead vocals and guitar, and in Like a Hurricane, I do lead vocals and bass.  It's pretty cool because I spent years playing bass in all the bands I've played with and now I do guitar on my own stuff.  I get to do both now, like almost every show.  We are our own opening act in most cases.  How fu*king cool is that?

Well, it's 3:15 am. I'm suddenly feeling tired as a mother*ucker. Guess I'm out for now. I'll be back sooner next time though.

Have a beautiful day or night wherever you are, and thanks, as always, for visiting. Peace!

P.S. Please continue to share our pages, sites and links, including this one. Spread the word, spread the music. I can't do it all myself, but we can make something happen, and I will personnally back it up. Share the links. Thank you all!

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hea the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd and get a FREE Song Download.)

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (For the most updates, pictures, etc.--Don't forget to "Like" the page.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow us on Twitter for the most frequent updates.)

www.youtube.com/alexxofficialmusic (Subscribe to my Youtube Channel. Concert vids galore and early demo stuff)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This Official Website.)

Thanks for your support!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey my friends, thanks for visiting again!

Well, another beautiful spring day in El Paso so far. It's supposed to get windy later, but right now it's just awesome. I hope your day is starting off as well as mine, because mine has started off great, and I know it's going to get a lot better!

I thought I was having an early rehearsal today with my side project, "Like a Hurricane," which is "A Celebration of Neil Young's Electric Side," but I was wrong. We re-set that for tomorrow and Friday. Good thing is that we do have rehearsal tonight for my main and "real" project with my band.

Some people tend to view band rehearsal as "work," and a sacrafice of time, which is something I literally can not comprehend. For me it is all about getting together with my band, which in this case includes some of my very best friends, playing music, which is something I love to do, and getting better at what we do, which is, of course, play music. Yes, we work on music, but to me it is just great fun!

Anyway, my mind took a journey into my past earlier this morning, when I found myself sitting across the street of an apartment complex that I used to frequent, and a beautiful memory returned to my mind.

It was right after graduating high school, and was an incident that most teenage boys, or young men, only dream or fantasize about. Two of my good friends that I hung out with on a daily basis had just rented their first apartment, and were the first of our group to do so. Well, you know what that meant, party central like a mother*ucker!

So, I guess you would say we were sort of bad kids. We were known as the bad crowd, the tough guys. The ones nobody wanted to fu*k with, and when they unwisely did, they usually got fu*ked up.

I was the most entepreneuriel of the bunch. It's funny, because we all started out in "the business" together, but I was the only one who went on to have any real success in the business. I would always make a good profit, and always continue to re-invest it. The rest of the guys were lucky to break even, usually smoking up what would have been their profit. They obviously really didn't understand the concepts of business, which came so naturally to me.

I can openly say all this, because it is way beyond the statute of limitations now, having been close to two decades since I got out of the business, and all the money I made, I enthusiastically and continually blew, because I never wanted to get caught with it, and have it taken away.

I say it straight out now with little or no fear of retribution, because it was so long ago. The business I was in was marijuana distribution. It acutally began before high school, and I started out as small as you can get. In the beginning, it was not really distribution at all; rather, I guess some would call it dope dealing. But I never sold drugs, only marijuana, and so I never actually hurt anyone with my product, which is more than any drug dealer can say. Drugs are undeniably harmful, and in my opinion, marijuana is not. In fact, I firmly believe that marijuana has very many useful purposes, which is a whole other story that I'm sure I will get to some other time.

I know for a fact, that alcohol is much worse than weed, and is a drug, that causes great harm to users, yet is perfectly legal in 50 states, and in most places around the world. So the general public, most of whom consume alcohol, yet condem marijuana, basically because it is illegal, are a bunch of fu*king hypocrates.

Alcohol is glorified in commercials and advertisements world-wide, and marijuana is condemned. Alcohol is poison; marijuana is a herb made by God. Many people have died from alcohol consumption, and no one has ever died from marijuana consumption. Alcohol can make otherwise peaceful people violent and completely out of control, and marijuana basically makes everyone peaceful. But as I said, that's another topic, and we'll leave that one for another day.

So, anyway, back to the story of my "past life." Well one day, I went over to my friends apartment, as we would on a daily basis. I pulled up in front of the apartments, and saw a very beautiful young woman standing in the door, two doors down from my friends' apartment, in a black bikini. I remember it like it was yesterday.

To an 18 year old male, it was almost like a vision to see such a beautiful chick standing there in a bikini, and it immediately got much better. I parked my truck and started to get out. By the time I was outside the truck, she had already walked over to my truck.

Her name was Michelle. She was not a girl, but rather an extremely beautiful twenty-four year old woman. I had a girlfriend at the time, but I was very young, and at that moment, my girlfriend was the furthest thing from my mind. She walked up to me and asked me if I had a light. I pulled out my lighter, and she pulled out a big fat joint and put it in her mouth. I happily lit the joint for her, and we smoked it together. I really don't know why she picked me; maybe it was just timing.

So, we introduced ourselves, and immediately became friends. I was basically floored by this beautiful "older woman." It was a thing most teenage boys only dream of.

Michelle, I soon found out, was a dancer, or what most people call a stripper. So I went from hanging out at my friends apartment every day to hanging out at Michelle's apartment every day. It didn't take long for us to go from friends to "friends with benefits."

My friends were all immediately jealous. They just couldn't figure out why this girl picked me, and quite frankly, neither could I, but I definately didn't care. I just hung out, and milked it for what it was worth. I was in teenage boy heaven! My friends would all try to get close to her in hopes of stealing my spot, but she wanted me! Just that memory has me smiling ear to ear as I type.

So anyway, Michelle and her roommate, a less attractive dancer, did not have a car, so they enlisted me to drive them to work every day, which I more than happily did, religiously. Every evening, when I would drop them off, I would go in and have a beer, which Michelle always paid for, in addition to giving me way too much money for "gas" every time. I used to love watching Michelle dance, because she was not only the most beautiful dancer at the club, she was also, by far. the best dancer. Boy could she move that body!

So every day I would go over. Michelle would cook me an awesome meal, usually steak, and sometimes seafood. She'd give me beer, share her weed, and give me some very sweet loving. Being a stripper, she sometimes sold her sex, but for me it was always free, and being a teenager without a lot of money at the time, I just enjoyed every benefit she had to offer. Boy, I wish there was a time machine, because I'd be in it right now, headed to Michelles apartment, lol!

So, anyway, I later went on to making a bunch of money in the marijuana business. I basically made sh*tloads of cash, hung out at all the bars, which were, to me, both business and pleasure outings, where I met and discussed business with my clients, and met many strippers. I never paid any of them for sex or even bought table dances. I bought a lot of drinks for the dancers, stuffed a lot of dollars in g-strings, made a lot of dancer friends, and basically lived that life, when I wasn't "working."

Anyway, as great as that life was, it wasn't meant to last forever. While it lasted, I lived and enjoyed it to the fullest. I alwasy had sh*tloads of money, had tons of the nicest, most badass vehicles, and people kissed my a*s everywhere I went. Everybody wanted to be my friend. Cars, houses, vacations, and everyday was a party. The down side of the business is that I went to jail more times than I would like to recall, and paid tons of money in lawers and bondsman fees, and other related legal expenses.

I had a knack for business in those days as I still do. I would do like Scarface, and buy low and sell high, and maximize my profits. I had balls of steel, and a great business mind for that business, and rarely hesitated to put it all on the line. But, it isn't a field that is known for great longevity. It got to a point, where if I got caught again, I was going to go to prison for a long time, and the risks had begun to exceed the rewards, so I made the decision to permanently retire from that business.

As I said, all the money I made in that business is long gone, as is everything it paid for. All that remains are the beautiful memories. Now all my business is legal, and I know that I will eventually make more money legally than I ever did illegally, and no one can take it away from me.

Currently, I basically just get by, because I spend much of my business hours on music stuff, which currently does not make me money. In fact, it costs a lot of money in lost income and equipement and other related music expenses just to keep it going, but this is what I want to do, and where my heart is. If I don't make it in the music business, which is one of the toughest business in the world, I will likely die trying.

So, that's about it for now. I thank all of you for your interest and support. Please continue to support our sites and pages and share them and our music with everbody you know. I am on a mission, and that mission is to take my music all around the world to all of you. Here are the links to my main sites and pages. Please support an share them:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Artist Page)

https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts (My Fan Page)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (To hear the entier Escaping the Dungeon CD uninterrupted and FREE)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Concerts and early Alexx Demos)

Thanks again for all your support!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey my friends, good afternoon. Thanks once again for visiting; I always appreciate that!

Well, I'll start out on some different topics today before getting to the music. The music, of course is what this site is about, but I sometimes write about other things going on in and around El Paso, Texas, for those who might be interested. A couple of big non-music events are happening today and tomorrow, so I'll start there.

Well the big event today in El Paso was at about 6:45 am. The famous El Paso landmark, the Asarco Smokestacks went BOOOOMM and fell down. The tallest of the two was, I believe, somewhere over 800 ft. tall and the smaller one probably 500-600 feet high. So they dynamited them both down in about 10 seconds total.

While they were landmarks, they were also great symbols of industrial pollution. They used to pump most of the smoke out in the wee hours of the morning while most of El Paso was sleeping, I assume calculatedly, so that much of their pollution would go unnoticed. If you'd pass by in the early morning while they were in operation, you could literally taste the pollution in the air. It was truly aweful. So, they were cool as landmarks as long as they were not in operation, and the plant had been shut down for many years now. It's actually pretty cool to watch though. Here's a link to a Youtube video if you want to check it out. It's worth a veiwing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CRKdavTmiQQ#!

Anyway, they're gone now! So tomorrow, another demolition, this time El Paso City Hall. A perfectly good, beautiful, and structurally sound building that us taxpayers paid for will be imploded in the morning. They recently demolished another perfectly good and valuable building adjacent to City Hall, the El Paso Insights Museum, a science museum for children. If I remember correctly, the Insights building was valued at approximatelly 7 million dollars, and City Hall, I believe 58 million.

Such a waste, and they are demolishing them to make room for a minor league baseball park, one that is sure to become a hugh liability to El Paso, and yes, we taxpayers will be the ones paying the bills. El Paso has a long history of corruption of public officials who regularly cut closed door deals, selling their influence and votes. Probably over a dozen are currently either in prison or under indictment for making these type of deals, yet the good ole boy system shows little sign of change.

The ballpark deal was executed swiftly, behind closed doors, without voter approval, and you can bet your a*s there were large sums of money passed all around under the table to facilitate the deal. While those involved would like to deny and hide the facts, that is the simple reality of the matter. Now the City Departments are spread around in different rented locations, rather than all housed in one City owned building. I mean, what sense could this possibly make. Answer, none, other than the greed of the owner's group bringing in the team and the officials taking the bribes. They are the ones that are benefitting, and the taxpayers are the losers paying the bill.

El Paso aready has one minor league team currently operating in a perfectly good stadium, yet the average attendence is probably 200-300 spectators per game. So to believe that the population will support another team enough to make this fiasco of a deal profitable and beneficial to the City is simply a farce. We taxpayers should be bracing ourselves for a bunch of tax increases, because they are certain to come very soon.

Regardless of what taxpayer's want, this deal was pushed through extremely quickly and efficiently, and we will be paying for it, and the principles and their cohorts will benefite greatly at our expense.

So, enough about non-musical topics and things we have no control over, and on to the music.

As far as music we have good things happening. We're gearing up for the first big show with the new line-up, which will be Friday May 3, at 6-Strings, 1160 Airway Blvd. in El Paso. It will be my first time playing that venue, so that always makes it a little bit more exciting for me. Also, we will be playing new songs that the public has never heard, songs that will be included on our follow-up to the current cd, Escaping the Dungeon. We will also play the complete Escaping the Dungeon cd, as well as three or four very choice classic rock cover tunes.

I am extremely happy with the new songs. I believe that songwriting is one of those things that continues to get better the more you do it, and I believe the new songs are some of the very best I've ever written. The previous cd, had included 5 new songs that had never been performed in public, and 5 that were already crowd tested and approved. The follow-up cd will consist of all new songs, written after Escaping the Dungeon was released.

So, the 6-Strings show will be exiting for me for several reasons, including a new venue, and new songs, and a new and much more modern and powerful PA system than the one we had been using. We plan to shoot live video at the show as well, so that should be cool too!

Tonight we have a full-band rehearsal here in The Dungeon, and more next week. Some people feel rehearsal is work, and it is, but personally, I always enjoy rehearsing, especially the with the whole band, and also the solo rehearsals that I do almost every day. Tonight the whole band will be here, and we're all great friends, so it's just an opportunity to get together with some of my favorite people, and get some fun work done at the same time. What can be bad about that?

Well that's basically all that comes to mind right now, and it's time to close up shop at my business and get ready for rehearsal. I know I went off on those non-musical topics, so next time, I'll try to stick to the music.

Thanks as always for visiting, and have a great weekend! Please support our other pages and sites. You will find a lot more Alexx stuff on those.

You can hear the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FEEE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. Please check it out. You can just click on the link and you'll be there as fast as your computer will take you.

Please also "Like" our Facebook Artist Page www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey friends, thanks for visiting! A lot's been going on lately, so I'll cover a few different topics today.

Well the big local news in El Paso are the demolitions going on this weekend. Our city legislators and some wealthy investors in town decided for the voters and the taxpayers that they will be bringing a minor league baseball team to town, and that we tax payers will be paying for it. Of course they didn't talk about the part of us paying the bill, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

El Paso has had a minor league team in the city, the El Paso Diablos for decades now. It used to be run by a local businessman named Jim Paul, who was a masterful promoter. The original ball park known as "Diablo's Stadium" used to be on the city's south side near the Mexican Border. Paul eventually made a deal to have a new stadium built on the northeast side of town, which is known as Cohen Stadium. It is a beautiful stadium, and remains in good condition today.

While Cohen Stadium is a nice facility with a beautiful scenic view of the Franklin Mountains, the public has not supported the Diablos in recent years. They had been affiliated with a Major League Baseball Team, but lost the affiliation years ago. Since Jim Paul was such a brilliant promotor, he was always coming up with new innovative ideas to draw the crowds, and had quite a bit of success. For whatever reason or reasons, he sold the team years back, and ever since, it has been a floundering venture.

The games I've attended in recent years have had an average of only maybe 200-300 spectators on a given night, if that. El Pasoans will just not support a team enough to make building the stadium and bringing in the team feasable. We wll be paying the bill on this one too folks, so have your wallets and purses handy.

So anyway, back to the demolitions.  The bigger one of the two will be the destruction of El Paso City Hall, to make room for the new ballpark.

They have already demolished another great facility next to City Hall, The El Paso Insights Museum for the same reason, to make space for the ballpark. It was a wonderful children's science museum, and was a great asset to the community. Both buildings were relatively new and structurally sound, and worth well over $50,000,000 dollars between them. I can't remember the figures, but I believe the combined values are somewhere around $65,000,000.

But around here, value is not as important to our city leaders and representatives as money it is. Money speaks loud and clear in El Paso's City and County Governments and Courtrooms. The good ole boy system is still alive and well here, and has evolved into the good ole boys and girls club in modern years. These ole boys and girls love money so much, that they're quick to take the cash under the table behind closed doors, in exchange for their votes and influence. A large number of officials, judges and representatives are currently in prison for these activities and more are pending trials and sentencing, and these are just the small percentage that have gotten caught. For each one caught, dozens continue to get away with it and prosper from it. Some things never change!

So this weekend City Hall and also the world famous Asarco Smokestacks are coming down on Saturday and Sunday. The two Asarco Smokestacks were, I believe about 700 and 600 feet tall, and were landmarks that could literally be seen for miles. There was vocal resistance and movements by El Pasoans to save all these landmarks, to no avail. Our "represntatives" closed the deals swiftly and quietly right in front of our eyes without voter approval, for personal gain. Simple as that.

Anyway, I'm just sitting here in "The Dungeon," in the back of my business, Flooring by Alex and Alex, in Northeast El Paso, killing time in between customers. Business has been pretty good, but it can always be better. I've got mouths to feed and plenty of bills to pay, and it costs money to keep the musical activities going. Thankfully things begin to pick up this time of year, since a lot of people do home improvements in the springtime.

On the subject of Flooring by Alex and Alex, those in and around El Paso can help support independent music and independent business by coming to us for your flooring needs. My business philosophy is that in order for it to be a good business deal, both must parties benefit from the deal, and I live by that philpsophy. Business owners and managers, in my opinion, must take good care of their customers and give them great value for their money in order to earn their business.

I take good care of my customers by saving them lots of money and giving them great value and service, and they take care of me by giving me repeat business, and by referring me to their neighbors, family and friends. We have an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau, so please keep us in mind when you are replacing floors!

If you're in the El Paso area and you need tile, wood, carpet, laminate or vinyl floors, call me for a Free Estimate at (915) 755-6100. I have a showroom at 9861 Dyer St. in Northeast El Paso, 1 block South of Trans Mountain Rd./Woodrow Bean/Loop 375, with a huge selection of all types of floors, and I'll give you the right kind of personal service and value. We also install what we sell, unless you prefer to do it yourself.

So, getting back to the music, I can't complain, even when business is slow. I'm grateful to be able to work on music stuff here at work! I can crank up the Marshall amps or the Ampeg Bass rig and the PA, and get loud as fu*k anytime I want to, day or night, and trust me I fully take advantage of that on a daily basis. Not many musicians who have to keep a day job to survive have such a luxury! That's precisely what I'll be doing in a few minutes when I log off of here.

Well, I somehow just got an incredible case of the munchies, so I've been pigging out on candy, lol! That should give me plenty of energy and motivation to jam. As tough as it is carrying the load I have, God I love my life! :)

Last night was fun. I judged the Battle of the Bands at Chapin High School here in El Paso. I've done that for several years, and I enjoy watching the kids, most of whom are just starting to play in bands, perform. Some of them are pretty good! Congrats to the winners, If We Were Turtles, Ryan Lyle, and Endeavor. I've had the pleasure of seeing Ryan play several times now, and he's quite the entertainer already. He injects a lot of humor into his songs, and he's clearly a crowd favorite at the school for good reason. He's pretty good on the guitar already too. Keep playing guys; it only gets better!

So for us it's band rehearsal tonight and Saturday. We've been writing and rehearsing new material for the live shows and for our next cd. We have seven new ones completed and several more in the works.

Our next show will be on Friday May 3, at 6 Strings, 1160 Airway Blvd, El Paso, Texas at 9:00 pm. I just found out a couple of hours ago, that the band that was to open for us will not be playing, due to a personal issue within their band. That's too bad, because I enjoy sharing the stage with them and watching them play. They're a young band, but they play from the heart, so it's cool.

So with only three weeks to go, it's either find another opening act right away, or resurrect a side project I had started with our soundman, David Richie, called Like a Hurricane. Like a Hurricane is "A Celebration of Neil Young's Electric Side." We've played one show before together, and also did several open mics. People really like the show and the music.

Being that I can never get enough rehearsing or playing, that's what I've decided. Dave will be there anyway running sound, and he loves to play, so we'll just do that. That makes us completely self-sufficient as a unit, because were a band, an opening act, and a sound crew all in one, leaving all the musical bases covered. The icing on the case is that I play guitar with the Alexx band and bass with Like a Hurricane. I love to play both instuments, and I'll get to do exactly that! How cool is that?

Well, my guitar is looking at me like, get off that damn computor and play me, so with that in mind, I'll be signing off now. Thanks, as always, for visiting. I sincerly appreciate that, and I thank you for your interest and support!

Don't forget to share our music with all your friends and family and share our pages and links. Here are some of the main links; you can cut and paste them wherever you want and just click on them to get to the pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Artist Page with daily updates)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Page where I put some crazy stuff--make a Friend Request if you wish)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the Escaping the Dungeon CD and get more updates)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Concert Videos, Early Alexx Demos, and soon to come videos of Alexx Shows)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow us for frequent updates)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This site)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Just a short update post today my friends.

This site's still blowing up with more visits than ever and growing every day, thanks to all of you. For those of you who are sharing my music and my pages with your friends and family, I can't thank you enough, and I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. You are the reasons our fan base keeps growing and growing!

Well, inspite of this site's growth and the increasing fan base on our Facebook Artist Page and on Reverbnation, we're still underground in a sense, which is both good and bad I suppose. It's good because my band's line-up is still in it's infancy, even though everyone in the band brings a wealth of knowlege, experience and talent to the group. The next show is around the corner, at 6 Strings, 1160 Airways Blvd here in El Paso. This venue is new to us, as it had not been established our last time around. I love playing new places and meeting new friends and fans!

So, with only two shows under our belts as a band, the new line-up is getting excited and beginning to work hard as we prepare to blow it out like a bunch of mother*uckers at 6 Strings. As I have said before, I'm extremely satisfied with the line-up for the first time since writing, recording and releasing Escaping the Dungeon, my first dip into the solo artist trip.

Everyone in the band (except me, lol,) is an awesome person and a great musician. Moises, Richard and I go way back to the days when I fronted the El Paso band "Shovelheads," and they both played with the very popular cover band of the time, "Max Alley." While Jose aka "Strings" is a new friend to all of us, he fits right in as if we'd known him forever.

Three of the four of us are making a return to the scene that we essentially grew up in as musicians after long lay-offs. We've all gone through the stages of breaking away the rust of the long lay-offs and are sounding better than ever. I've gone through surguries for carpel tunnel syndrom, and also vocal chord surgury to remove a large tumor, and have fully recovered. In my opinion, both my playing and singing are as good or better than ever, and that is truly a blessing. Granted, although I did lose the highest end of my vocal range over the years as every singer does, my voice is as powerful as ever. For these things I am extremely grateful to God!

So now the time has come to begin booking lots of shows, and to step up and show the world what we've got and what we're capable of, beginning right here at 6 Strings in El Paso, Texas, and then with the grace of God, to the rest of the world eventually. Yes, even though we are in the most highly competitive business in the world, I think big and have big goals and dreams. Would it make any sense to think and dream small?

Honestly, I can't wait to take our show around the world to all of you! Unfortunately, this may not happen until we get record label support, and with a lot of luck we may gain that sometime in the relatively near future for tour support, marketing and distribution assistance, so that we can take our music to the masses and our show around the globe. Hopefully that dream will be realized!

So in the mean time, it's here down in the trenches, here in The Dungeon, working our butts off, writing new music, and building and perfecting our chops. Nothing good is easy or free, and success will not come without working hard, and working smart. As a band, we all believe in the music and each other. We just need to continue what we're doing and hopefully the rest will come in due time.

So the weather sucks today here in El Paso. I'm hunkered down here in The Dungeon paying dues and getting the work done. I'll be signing off now so that I can run through all of our songs solo on guitar and vocals, and possibly fininshing new song number 8. Once we have ten, and have them well rehearsed and polished by playing them live, we'll get back in the studio to record the follow-up to Escaping the Dungeon. Until then, it's bust our asses, getting the work done.

As always, thanks for visiting and thanks for your support!

Don't forget to share our music with all your friends and family and share our pages and links. Here are some of the main links; you can cut and paste them wherever you want and just click on them to get to the pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Artist Page with daily updates)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Page where I put some crazy stuff--make a Friend Request if you wish)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the Escaping the Dungeon CD and get more updates)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Concert Videos, Early Alexx Demos, and soon to come videos of Alexx Shows)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow us for frequent updates)

www.alexxofficialmusic.com (This site)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey friends, thanks for checking in here!

Everythings moving along, never as fast as I would like, but that's just me. I'm a fairly impatient person, and I want it all, like yesterday! Anyway, I'm gradually learning to be more patient.

Well in my previous bands, we were usually booked in bars and clubs anywhere from two to seven days per week, almost every week, and the bookings came fast and easy. This time, things are much different, but there are reasons for that.

First of all, many of you know that I sort of did things backwards this time. (Those who haven't kept up since the beginning of this solo project can just scroll down through all the blog posts to get the whole story; it's all here.) By doing it backwards, I mean that I wrote all the songs myself, found an old drummer I used to play with, and went into the studio and recorded the CD. I did not have a band at all at the time.

So I recorded Escaping the Dungeon here in El Paso, Texas at the now shuttered Clap of Thunder Studio. During the first 6 day work week, I was very ill with the flu. Normally, I would have probably re-scheduled the sessions due to illness, but since we had already re-scheduled the sessions once for financial reasons, I didn't feel right rescheduling a second time, and decided to move forward with the project.

That first week was like heaven and hell. I was very ill, but also elated to be working in the newly opened Clap of Thunder Studio, co-owned by Jim Ward, the front man of Sparta, Sleepercar and The Jim Ward Project and guitarist in the legendary El Paso Band At the Drive-in, and the great Gabe Gonzalez, who so generously contributed his playing on the CD, in addition to his awesome engineering and production work.

So, I basically stocked the kitchen at Clap of Thunder with healthy food and beverages, tea bags for hot tea, lots of flu medications, and camped out there for the first 6 day work week of the sessions.

During the first week, we managed to record all the basic instrument tracks. We recorded the drums first, which took a day and a half of me working patiently with the drummer Rick, because he couldn't remember all his drum parts. I then started laying down the other instruments one by one myself, beginning with the rythm guitars and the bass. Then Gabriel (Gabe) Gonzalez (of Sparta, Sleepercar, and The Jim Ward Project) layed down the acoustic guitars and the lap-steel slide guitar parts. Next, I recorded improvised guitar solos, which at the suggestion of Gabe I later structured note for note and re-recorded in later sessions. Being that I had larengitis due to the flu, I made no attempt at recording any vocal tracks that first week, because it would have been a total waste of time.

It took about a month for my voice to return to normal. During the down-time I worked on composing and structuring all the guitar solos. When my voice felt strong enough, I went back in and layed down all the vocal tracks and re-recorded the guitar solos. The rest of the time was spent mixing and mastering the whole cd, which came out great. In hind site, I am greatful for and amazed at the work we managed to accomplish that first week, against all odds.

So, as far as doing it backwards, I say that because I wrote, recorded, mixed, mastered, produced and released the CD without having a band. It was basically just me. Rick, the drummer, quit during the sessions because he was upset that he broke a microphone with his drum stick (which I had to replace.) So I exited the studio with Escaping the Dungeon in hand, all by myself.

The hardest part of the whole project was putting the band together. I guess you have to go through a bunch of coal to find the diamonds. I went through so many musicians trying to find the right line-up. Each time I would think I had a fairly good line up, someone would flake out and it would all fall apart.

I don't know if it's like this in other parts of the country or the world, but in El Paso half the musicians are unemployed, or under-employed and living at home with their mothers, I kid you not. Needless to say most of these guys lack the ambition or the energy needed to make something big happen, and are content, living at home under a free roof, and eating free food provided to them by their mothers. Therfore, they are in no dire need of being successful at anything, and their work ethic and attitudes reflect that directly.

So it was very frustrating putting the right band together. I went from playing bass, to playing guitar, back to bass, and back to guitar, based on the available musicians at the time. Thankfully, after almost a year's time, the line-up is in place. I'm back on guitar and it feels right. The band itself also feels right, and hopefully we will have no more line-up changes anytime soon. We all get along great and have what I feel is great chemistry as a musical unit, and all the members are competent, educated, professional level musicians. The proof is in the pudding, which is the sound, and we are now sounding like one cohesive musical entity; like a fu*king rock and roll band, like a mother*ucker!

I believe everything happens for a reason, even if the reason or reasons may not be clear at any given time. For some reason, I had to go thru all this sh*t to get to where we are today. So now we begin lift off as a band. We've played two shows with this line-up, and both shows went well, inspite of some equipment failures, etc. Our PA went out right before we started our set at Squee Tones Guitars, and had to use a tiny entry level PA system which was available at the venue. Now we have a new PA; bigger, better, and just what we needed.

Our other PA went out for a reason; we needed a better one. Now we're ready for the shows; the bigger the better and the more the merrier. We now have two hours of rehearsed music, including the ten songs from Escaping the Dungeon, seven new songs that we're already playing, and several choice cover tunes that we will throw in when needed. The covers will unmistakenably be played our way, with our stamp on them, and we have several more new originals in various states of completion.

The next show will be on Friday May 3, at 6 Strings, 1160 Airway Blvd., El Paso, Texas. The show starts at 9:00 pm. This time we'll pull out all the stops, and make it a show to remember. Straight up, we're gonna throw down, like a mother*ucker, so be there if at all possible. It will be one to remember!

With a little luck, hopefully we'll be able to play some of the up-coming local festivals this summer as we plan the next steps of our musical journey. The basic plan is simple; to play, and play and play. To tighten up our sound as a band, and to develop the new songs. I love the new songs and so does the rest of the band. Every one of them hold up to the songs on Escaping the Dungeon, and most are probably even better. We'll let the fans decide that, but I can say for certain, that there is not a weak song amongst the seven completed new ones.

Three more good songs and we'll have the material for the follow-up cd, most or all of which will most likely be recorded at the state of the art Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas. It's definately something to look forward to.

This Wednesday April 10th, I'll be judging the Battle of the Bands at Chapin High School in El Paso, Texas. This will be my third year judging, and it's always fun and entertaining. The high school bands in El Paso have a lot of talent, and I'm sure this year will be no exception.

So that's about it for now. Tonight I'll rehearse at The Dungeon by myself, running through all the songs on guitar and vocal and maybe finishing another new song. Thanks, as always, for visiting. Have a great evening and a great week, and check back here soon!

Don't forget to share our music with all your friends and family and share our pages and links. Here are some of the main links; you can cut and paste them wherever you want and just click on them to get to the pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Artist Page with daily updates)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My Personal Page where I put some crazy stuff--make a Friend Request if you wish)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Hear the Escaping the Dungeon CD and get more updates)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Concert Videos, Early Alexx Demos, and soon to come videos of Alexx Shows)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Follow us for frequent updates)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey, my friends, Happy Easter to you all!

It's a beautiful Easter Day here in El Paso, Texas. Sunny and calm; 81 degrees! Spring is in full bloom, and unfortunately, so are the mulberry trees. Pollen city, and my eyes just keep watering. I hate that. Thank God for Allegra, or my allergy sympotms would be much worse! Oh, well, guess we gotta take the bad with the good.

Well the traffic to this site keeps growing and growing. Thanks so much for all your interest and support! I'll put up a list soon of all the home countries of all of you visitors. I'd do it now, but it's a long list, and I'm feeling sort of lazy right now.

Last week was really long, like every other week lately. I've been working my as* off in both my day job, my flooring business, (Flooring by Alex and Alex,) and on the music, both new and old.

I'm really liking the newest songs. I beleive my songwriting has improved immensely, and the proof is in the pudding, the songs!

Yes, I'm feeling very tired and a bit hung over. Will I ever learn? I don't think so, lol! Well my kids went to an Easter party and hunt, and left me behind. I'll probably catch up with them in a while after I take a short, but well deserved nap.

I believe I am the hardest working mother*ucker that I know, but I have a lot of work to get done in hopes of realizing some of my dreams, particularly my musical aspirations.

Anyway, I now have seven new songs good enough to put on the new cd. I think I'll record the new cd two or three songs at a time. That will make the financial burdon of the recording sessions easier to manage, and I think we will actually get better results, focusing on two or three songs at a time, instead of ten! Also, this approach will allow me to get some new music out there sooner.

On the Escaping the Dungeon cd, I had a serious case of the flu when I recorded the basic tracks. At the time, I didn't want to reschedule the sessions a second time, since I had to reschedule once due to financial limitations, but I honestly don't regret that, because the tracks came out great, and I am satisfied with the results.

The only song I have mixed feelings about is We Better Open Our Eyes. It actually came out really good, but it is much more polished than the original version, which is quite raw. Gabriel (Gabe) Gonzalez layed down some cool acoustic guitar tracks, which changed the song completly, sacrificing some of the rawness while adding some polish. I'm considering re-recording that song in it's original raw form for the next  cd.

Well my computer is pissing me off right now because it won't let me turn off the italics, and the paragraphs are not separating, so I'll be cutting this entry short. Sometimes I love computers, and other times they are extremely frustrating, like now!

Anyway, on a final note or thought, it's about time to start thinking about which studio I will record in next time, since Clap of Thunder Studio, where I recorded Escaping the Dungeon closed it's doors, apparently for good. If money wasn't a concern, I'd do it at the world class Sconic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Since money is a concern, we may or may not wind up out there. We'll see..........................................................

Well,, thanks to these italics that won't turn off, and the lack of paragraph separation, I'm out for now. Thanks as always for your visit, and your interest and continued support. Please share my music, this website, and all of my pages, (Like, Become a Fan, Subscribe, and Follow.)

Here are the links. You can cut and paste them to your browser or to your posts, or simply click on them to get to the pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (My Facebook Artist Page---PLEASE LIKE TO GET ALL THE UPDATES!)

https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts (My Facebook Fan Page--PLEASE LIKE!)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (The Page where you can hear the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FREE!)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (PLEASE FOLLOW FOR UPDATES!)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (FOR CONCERT VIDEOS, ALEXX DEMOS, AND SOON TO HAVE NEW ALEXX SHOW VIDEOS--PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!)

Thanks again for visiting. Please come back soon!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Good morning to the greatest fans and friends around!

Hey, well sorry it's been a while since my last post. I try to come here as often as possible, but I usally try to make significant posts here, so it takes quite a bit of my time, which I never have enough of!

Things are coming together in certain ways, both tangible and intangible, and I thank you guys for a lot of the intangible stuff.

My Facebook Artist Page is really beginning to take shape. By the way, if you want all the updates, I post on facebook several times a day, because that only takes a few seconds or a couple of minutes. All you have to do to find my page is click on this link: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic and my personal page, which I invite all of you to is www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic. Please like the Artist Page while you're there, and if you want to send me a friend request on my personal page, I will accept it, because I value and appreciate all of you!

So, largely thanks to you guys, my Facebook Artist Page is approaching 6,000 likes; not an astronomical number, but not bad for a fairly new page. Not long ago, I was at 42 likes, lol! Admittedly, I am far from my goal of 1,000,000 likes, but I believe I will get there in time. So, my next major milestone will be 10,000 likes, and then every ten thousand, until I get to 100,000, and then every hundred thousand, until I reach my real goal of one million likes. Thanks for your help to this point, and please share my Pages and my music with all your friends and family. That's how we will make it happen. I can't do it alone!

So, I just finished an awesome breakfast, cooked by the best chef I know.............. ME! :) Hey, well modesty is not one of my forte's, but also, I don't know any chefs, lol! So, it was Ribeye Steak and Eggs, with flour tortillas. Good sh*t!

I guess the main things that have occurred in my life since my last post would be the new songs I have written, and the acquisition of a new and quite badass PA System, ideal for playing clubs. The old one took a sh*t, and we had to do something, so we decided to go full out, and get what we really needed, and we did. It literally shakes the whole building and sounds AWESOME!

So, as summertime approaches, we will see if we can get bookings to play some of the local festivals in and around our home base, El Paso, Texas. I think, based on the music itself, we have a good shot. We hope to play them all, but realistically, that is unfortunately unlikely, yet not impossible. I think certain people are waiting to see what's really up with us, and that is fine, because, yes, we are the real deal, with plenty to prove.

As far as the musicians in the band, three of the four have Bachelor's Degrees in music related fields from the local university, The University of Texas, El Paso, (UTEP.) This is the same UTEP featured in the major film Glory Road, which tells the story of the UTEP'S 1966 basketball team, (then known as Texas Western College,) which broke the color barrier in college sports, by beating an all white Kentucky University team, with the first starting line-up of all African-American college basketball players in the United States. The team was led by the late, great, and now legendary Don Haskins, as head coach.

So three of the four of us earned Bachelor's Degrees, mine being a Bachelor's of Multi-Disciplinary Studies with Concentrations in Music, Marketing, and Management, which I recieved in May, 2010. The fourth band-member Jose graduated from the famed Musician's Institute in Hollywood, California.

Our drummer Richard will recieve his Master's Degree in an unrelated field (History,) in May. His studies have put a damper on rehearsals, but we all realize the signifacance of his efforts, and with him being such a great person and friend, we have decided to bear with it and be patient. Good things are worth waiting for.

So that's about all I have time for right now. As always, thanks for your interest and support! Please remember to "Like" our Facebook Artist Page, support our other pages, and share our music and our Pages with all your family and friends. It really does make a HUGE difference! I will post the links below. You can copy and paste them or simply click on them to get to the page(s.) Here they are:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Our Artist Page)

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (My personal Page)

https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts (Our Fan Page)

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Where you can listen to the entire Escaping the Dungeon cd FREE!)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Twitter Page)

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Alexx's Videos)

Thanks again!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

 

Hey friends, thanks for visiting again!

FYI, yesterday's post was basically a partial update on the state of Alexx music, so you probably want to scroll down to read that post.

Today, we're going to veer off the musical path somewhat and discuss the state of El Paso, Texas, USA, where we are currently based. No, my friends I have no fear of being controversial, and I don't often hold my punches when it comes to topics I feel are very important, so get ready for me to lay it on the line, and tell it like it is. If I piss off those running the El Paso City and County Governments, great, because to put it bluntly, they are a bunch of corrupt, self-serving, bribe soliciting and accepting as*holes, and that is just the plain truth.

So let's begin by saying that I have lived in El Paso all of my adult life, and spent most of my teenage years here. I was born here, but spent the earlier part of my life living in beautiful, sunny Southern California, specifically Los Angeles, and also La Habra, which is in Orange County. Since I have spent my adult years here, and do pay attention to what is going on, let me give you my perspective on somthing big that is occurring right now, at this moment.

First of all, Texas is the most backward-ass state in the nation. It is governed and run by the "Good old boy" system of government, meaning that those with money and power work the system to their fullest advantage, and strictly for their own personal gain, at the expense of the rest of us, and yes, we the taxpayers pay the bill for their activities and endeavors. I would say from what I have seen, that the El Paso City and County Governments should be at or near the top of the list of corrupt governments in Texas.

Currently, I would say that the number of El Paso Government Officials and their associates either under indictment or in jail or prison is easily in the dozens, and there are hundreds more who are still actively working the system, that haven't been caught yet. What those in this "Good old Boy" system, which is acutally now the "Good old boy and girl" system, do is sell their votes and influence, in exchange for money and "favors,' sexual and otherwise.

Cash deals behind close doors literally happen daily, and the trend continues, even after so many have been caught and convicted. These fools cannot seem to resist the lure of money and sex in exchange for supporting the causes of those providing the money and sex, in other words, the bribes.

Personally, I know this for a fact to be true, specifically judges taking bribes, because I have bought my way out of legal trouble more times than I can count. Does this make me any better than them? Well I'd actually have to say yes, because I have never held office of any kind, and have no intention of doing so, and I am not being paid a salary by the taxpayers for their representation. Additionally, I am not stealing tax payer money, or stealing anything for that matter, nor am I charging expenses of living beyond my means to the taxpayers.

So, I could go on and on with a list of these officials and their offices or positions held, who are currently incarcerated or under indictment, but I'm not gonna take the time to compile that list, because I have better things to do with my time. Anyone wanting names and specifics need only read the local newspaper, the El Paso Times or research it's database. I even wrote a letter to the Editor of the El Paso Times recently regarding a new baseball stadium that is being built at taxpayer expense, without voter approval. They refused to print it for obvious reasons. I think you can figure out why.

So what is going on this week is the demolishing of City Hall, a building worth tens of millions of dollars, a perfectly good and beautiful building, and also El Paso's Insights Museum, which is a fairly new building also worth millions of dollars. Why would they destroy these perfectly good buildings which were paid for by the taxpayers, without taxpayer approval? Well I'm pretty sure you can figure that one out too. The owner's group bringing in a Minor League Baseball Team to El Paso is led by a local billionaire and several other wealthy individuals. These buildings are being razed to make room for their facility, and the City Departments, which had been housed in City Hall are now being spread around downtown into rented facilities.

So, El Paso already has a minor league team, the El Paso Diablos, who also have a beautiful and fairly new ballpark known as Cohen Stadium. The ironic thing is that El Pasoans give minimal support to that team, even when it's winning. I have been to numerous Diablos' games only to find the beautiful stadium almost empty, with only a few hundred in attendance. What makes these fools think they will fill the new stadium? Answer, they don't. All they can see is the money being handed under the table, and the other "favors" they are receiving for their support and their votes.

So, this is what is going on in a nutshell. City Council voted to knock down City Hall and the Insights Museum, a wonderful, science museum for our children. The pushed the deal through very quickly and quietly, without voter approval. Yes, they are knocking down these great buildings, that we taxpayers paid for, to build a ballpark that El Pasoans neither want nor are willing to support, and one that we will have to finance and pay for the losses that the team and the ballpark will incur, for years to come. The chances of this ballpark making money, as my statistics professer would say, is "practically zero." And the amount of money to buy these council votes? Well, also pratically zero in comparison to the bill the taxpayers will once again be stuck with, when we have to bail out the ball park.

I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how this deal got approved and rammed down the taxpayers throats so quickly, and no does it take a genious to figure out who are the true beneficiaries of this deal. It is the good old boy and girl's system at work in it's full glory. The good old boys and girls will be the minor beneficiaries, and the owners group the major beneficiaries. The taxpayers will pay the bill for years to come.

So, these buildings are being razed as we speak. What a great city we live in. What a great city to leave as so many do. Personally, as soon as I can afford to get out, hasta la vista El Paso, and "California here I come, right back where I started from." And yes, I will get a prescription for medical marijuana, something that may never be possible in the "great state of Texas," and live happily ever after!

Thanks, as always for visiting, and come back soon. I will get back to the music next time. Have a beautiful week!

Don't forget to support my pages:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

Thanks again for visiting!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

ALEXX

Hey everybody, Happy St. Patricks Day!

Well I apologize for not posting here in a while; I've been so busy! So, I'm back, and I'll try to get back to the daily or almost daily posting herel. You do know that you can keep up with all the current updates on my Facebook Artist Page, which is where I post several times daily, because it doesn't require much time. When I post here, it's usually a long post and takes me much longer.

Anyway, I hit 5,000 likes today on Facebook. It's a nice milestone, and I thank all 5000 of you who showed support by liking the page! Only 955,000 more to go and I'll be really happy. No easy task, and most artists will never get close, but I'm not most artists, and I believe in our music. I also love challanges, and love accomplishing things that most people think I can't do. Thankfully, I do that all the time! :)

This is the link to my Facebook Artist Page. I post alot on there so check it out. Please like it while you're there, if you haven't already: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

So all's really good in the Alexx Camp. Business is good for one thing, and that's important because I have lots of expenses to cover to keep this thing going, and have to eat. Don't forget, those here in El Paso, that I own a flooring business, and that's what is keeping food on the table and a roof over our heads while I pursue the music career.

My business is called Flooring by Alex and Alex. We sell wood, tile, carpet, laminate and vinyl floors, have a huge selection, install what we sell, and kill the competition on price. We have an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau, and take good care of our customers. My business philosophy is that in order to be a good business deal, both parties must benefit, and that's how we do it, every time! Come in and check out what we have to offer if you need floors. If you know anyone who needs floors, send them my way. You will not regret it, and don't forget that your purchase supports the music!

FLOORING BY ALEX AND ALEX, 9861 DYER ST., SUITE 18, EL PASO, TEXAS, 1 block south of Trans Mountain Rd./Woodrow Bean/Loop 375. Please call first to make sure I'm in, or to make an appointment for a FREE ESTIMATE. (915) 755-6100. I will give you personal service.

So, the music is going well. I've written many songs since releasing the Escaping the Dungeon cd last July, and have introduced 6 of them to the band so far. We have been rehearsing them for probably 3 weeks now, and played all 6 yesterday at our gig at Squee Tones Guitars, Amps and More, to good response. The guys in the band all like them, and I value their opinions, because they are all great, seasoned musicians.

The gig yesterday went well. Squee Tones is a new business, and hasn't been getting much turnout for their Saturday free shows yet, but we hope to help change that. I'm sure that will happen naturally, once more people know they are there, and know about the free shows. The owner Frank, who is an awesome person by the way, told me he hadn't had that as many kids in his store as he had yesterday, ever, so we did good.

The highlight of the show for me was playing with my son Alexx Jr. He's only 9 years old, and mostly self taught, but he is just a natural born drummer and performer. He turned pro now, and gets paid when he plays. People always love to see him perform, and like me, he just loves it, and has never had any stage fright. Yeah, we're both just show-offs, lol!

The big thing for me is the new line-up. Three fourths of the band, myself included, have bachelor's degrees or better from the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP,) with music related degrees, and are all very competent on our instuments. Most importantly, while we have occasional disagreements, we all get along extremely well and are good friends. That is so important, because a band is almost like a marriage, with mutual goals and much time spent together. I've known Richard, the drummer, and Moises, the bassist, for many years, and the second guitarist Jose just fits right in, as if we've known him forever.

Since I released the new cd, I've been through close to two dozen musicians trying to find the right line-up, and this one just feels right.

So, that's about all I have time for right now, but I have a lot more to say on the subject of music and also other things. I'll make another post in a day or two. As always, thanks again for visiting, and for your continued support. Please don't forget to visit and support my other pages. Here are the links:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

Thank you and I appreciate all of you. Have an awesome week and check back soon.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Well, as expected, Hellyeah threw down like a mother*ucker at Speaking Rock! It's always better when you have a designated driver and you're a designated drinker!

Today, beautiful weather in El Paso. Just pigged out on one of my amazing desert creations; time for a nap.

Have a great Sunday my friends!

Like my Facebook Artist Page: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

Thanks,

Alexx

 

Well it's another beautiful day today in El Paso. I woke up with a sore throat and a bit of an earache, but I'll get over that. It kind of sucks because I shouldn't sing for a few days, but I know I will anyway!

It's little chilly outside still but it's warming up already. I think it's supposed to get up to 70 degrees farenheit today, sunny and calm. Not bad for the beginning of March. We had a very mild winter, so it'll probably be a hot summer this year. When it gets really hot in El Paso, the tempertature can get as high as like 113 degrees. While that is rare, it's not unusual to get over 100 degrees for weeks in a row. Life in the desert.

Well, I must say I'm very happy with all the traffic and support I'm getting on this site. Thank you all for that, and as always, thanks for your interest and support of my music. Without you guys, there wouldn't be much point in it.

The CD is still selling pretty well both on-line and locally. in the stores and shops around El Paso. It is actually very difficult and time consuming to market, promote and distribute music for an independent artist. I can attest to that first hand, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. If I can break even or turn a modest profit distributing the music myself I will be doing great for now. I'm at least half way there so far, and this is the first time I've done this, so I can't complain.

So, I live in El Paso, Texas. Sadly, El Paso is still such a backwards ass place; it's like we're living in the old west. A very few bands out of El Paso have been major success stories, but those few have taken their music to levels of success most musicians only dream about. They have achieved success by both working extremely hard, putting theirselves in the right places at the right time, and yes, of course, by leaving El Paso.

The three recent major success stories have been the El Paso based bands At the Drive-In and their spin-off bands Sparta and The Mars Volta. El Paso should be very proud of them, and many are. The are major-label success stories and are living "the dream." Unfortunately, the majority of El Pasoans couldn't care less. Sad but true, and these sucessful bands have stated in interviews that they couldn't get any radio support and very little support in general in their home town at the time, and wer forced to take their shows on the road. Of course that was inevitable, but more local support would have been nice.

Sadly, that seems to still be the case today. While there are currently quite a few venues in which local bands can showcase their music, the fan base in general is still pretty weak. We have been quite fortunate to be having good turnouts at our shows, but many bands are not having much luck filling venues.

I have fairly recently been to numerous venues around town to see local bands play shows, and for the most part, the clubs are pretty bare with tons of empty seats, and very small crowds. Some shows I've been to probably had 15-20 people at most at any given time, in attendance. That's pretty sad for a city of about 700,000 people which also borders with Juarez, Mexico, a city with a population of almost 2,000,000 people. For only 20 or so people to show up, well that's pretty sad, and I don't say these things to be negative, but rather just making honest statements based on my personal observations and experiences.

From my personal experience, the on-line local support has been even weaker. My Facebook Artist Page has been receiving thousands of "Likes" in a fairly short period of time, and for that, I am extremely grateful. The only sad part of it is that almost all the likes have come from new fans around the globe, basically everywhere except El Paso. And try getting your "Facebook "Friends" to like your Facebook Artist Page, lol! It's about like pulling teeth, no kidding!

I haven't had presence on Facebook very long and have only about 400 "Friends" on there. Out of the 400, only 44 have "liked" my Artist Page! And, believe me, I make it extremely easy by regularly posting the links all over Facebook, including my own pages, and yes, most of these "Friends" are local.

El Pasoans are often heard complaining about "Brain Drain," where locals leave the city for greener pastures after completing their educations. In addition to "Brain Drain," El Paso suffers from a sever case of "Talent Drain," because local artist are forced to leave El Paso in search of fame and fortune. And yes, some have been quite successful.

The sad part about the Brain & Talent Drain phenomenoms is that the Brain Drain is often by choice of the individuals, but in the cases of Talent Drain, the artists have no choice but to both leave town in pursuit of thier dreams and also in search of support, because nobody really gets much here. That is the plain truth based on my personal observations, and I have been in El Paso a long time----probably too long, and I yearn for leaving for home, the West Coast, where things can happen pretty fast if you are ready, and if you place your self in the right places at the right times, you might just get that big break you're lookin for! And yes, it is still America, where dreams come true all the time for those who work the hardest, the smartest, and with the most passion!

So, crying and bitching is never gonna help and trying to educate El Pasoans of this sad reality doesen't seem to help either, so what do local artists do? Well, of course, they leave, just like that, and some of them realize their dreams away from El Paso. And make no mistake, El Pasoans expect loyalty and appreciation from the few locals that find success elswhere, even though they gave them no support, until after the artist had made it. Why don't the successful bands play shows in El Paso, except on the rarest occaisions? Well I'll let you answer that.

Personally, I am an extremely loyal person by nature to those who have helped and supported me over the years. No, I don't forget their support and yes, as I said, I pay attention to who is actually supporting me and who is not. On that thought, I have to give special thanks to Glen Garza, his beautiful girlfriend Yta, Ray Monroe, and KLAQ 95.5 FM El Paso Radio for the support they have given me, and also to Gabriel Gonzalaz and Jim Ward of Clap of Thunder Studio, and most of all to all the fans who have purchased my CD's and my merch, and those who have come to our shows. And yes, as I mentioned, I do pay attention to these extremely important acts of support, and yes I do know who you are and I thank you again, as I do when you buy the merch or just show up. You are all sincerely appreciated, always, and are a great source of faith, hope, and belief in what I am doing, and what I am trying to accomplish. And yes, I do belive in my music and my mission, and all of you are largely responsible for that. I thank you!

Please continue to frequent this website. It has been off the hook with support since it's inception, and you all are the reasons. Please also support my other pages and sites. Here are the links; you know what to do, and I thank you for it!

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

Thanks again and have a beautiful weekend!

Alexx

 

Happy Friday evening my friends. TGIF (thank God it's friday!)

Well this website it blowing up with tons and tons of hits from all over the world! Thanks, as always, to all of you for your interest, support, and visits to this page!

Everything is great here in El Paso. The weather is beautiful again. The new band line-up is perfect in my opinion, and I think this one was meant to be and will gel. Moises, our bassist and Richard our drummer have been my friends for many years. They are both great people and great musicians. Jose, our other guitarist, is also a great person and a great musician. We all get along great, and that is such an important part of the dynamic. Everyone brings a lot to the table, and I think the group is much bigger and better than the sum of it's parts, and is very well rounded. We all seem to compliment each other's playing extremely well, and we seem to have all the bases coverd!

Last night's rehearsal was probably the best we've had. We went through the new original songs and worked on a few of covers we are going to add to the set list. The new covers are Simple Man by Lynard Skynard, Thank You by Led Zepplin and Turn the Page by Bob Segar. All three are great classic rock songs.

So at the present time, we have 16 original songs we're playing and 5 cover tunes. That will probably be the approximate ratio we will wind up with. 80% Originals and 20% covers. To be honest, even though we all love the cover songs we're going to be playing, the only reason we'll play covers is to satisfy the venues that want cover music played. For the most part, we'll only play covers when they're required. The El Paso club scene is still behind the times in that respect, but we'll do what we have to do to play all the clubs that we want to play.

As far as the new original songs, I think my song writing continues to improve, and the new songs keep getting better and are coming to me with less and less effort. This is a trend that I expect to continue. Thankfully, I rarely seem to get writer's block. It has always been that way for me, and for that I am grateful.

Tonight, I plan on staying in The Dungeon to work on music. I'd like to go out for a while, but there's aways an incredible amount of work to be done to keep improving the music and to keep adding songs to our song list. Tomorrow night, however, there is another free concert at Speaking Rock Casino. Volbeat will be the headliner. I love their music, so I'll probably go. It's hard to pass up great concerts when they're free. El Pasoans are extremely lucky, because Speaking Rock continues to bring in a ton of great bands for free concerts. It is great!

So, I guess that's about all for now. I have to eat and then head back to The Dungeon to get some work done. It takes a lot of my time, but it is a labor of love, and I love to sing and play, even when I'm alone. For that reason, it's not so bad.

If you haven't already, please "Like," "Follow," "Subscribe," "Become a Fan," and "Friend," my pages. Whether you have already or not, please share my links and my music with all your friends and family. It really doesn't take much, and it helps further our cause and our music more than you might imagine. Here are the links. You can cut and paste and share them wherever you think is appropriate:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

Thanks again for your continued support and interest. Without that, things wouldn't be happening nearly as fast as they are. I sincerely appreciate all of you! Have a great night and a great weekend.

Alexx

 

Happy Friday evening my friends. TGIF (thank God it's friday!)

Well this website it blowing up with tons and tons of hits from all over the world! Thanks, as always, to all of you for your interest, support, and visits to this page!

Everything is great here in El Paso. The weather is beautiful again. The new band line-up is perfect in my opinion, and I think this one was meant to be and will gel. Moises, our bassist and Richard our drummer have been my friends for many years. They are both great people and great musicians. Jose, our other guitarist, is also a great person and a great musician. We all get along great, and that is such an important part of the dynamic. Everyone brings a lot to the table, and I think the group is much bigger and better than the sum of it's parts, and is very well rounded. We all seem to compliment each other's playing extremely well, and we seem to have all the bases coverd!

Last night's rehearsal was probably the best we've had. We went through the new original songs and worked on a few of covers we are going to add to the set list. The new covers are Simple Man by Lynard Skynard, Thank You by Led Zepplin and Turn the Page by Bob Segar. All three are great classic rock songs.

So at the present time, we have 16 original songs we're playing and 5 cover tunes. That will probably be the approximate ratio we will wind up with. 80% Originals and 20% covers. To be honest, even though we all love the cover songs we're going to be playing, the only reason we'll play covers is to satisfy the venues that want cover music played. For the most part, we'll only play covers when they're required. The El Paso club scene is still behind the times in that respect, but we'll do what we have to do to play all the clubs that we want to play.

As far as the new original songs, I think my song writing continues to improve, and the new songs keep getting better and are coming to me with less and less effort. This is a trend that I expect to continue. Thankfully, I rarely seem to get writer's block. It has always been that way for me, and for that I am grateful.

Tonight, I plan on staying in The Dungeon to work on music. I'd like to go out for a while, but there's aways an incredible amount of work to be done to keep improving the music and to keep adding songs to our song list. Tomorrow night, however, there is another free concert at Speaking Rock Casino. Volbeat will be the headliner. I love their music, so I'll probably go. It's hard to pass up great concerts when they're free. El Pasoans are extremely lucky, because Speaking Rock continues to bring in a ton of great bands for free concerts. It is great!

So, I guess that's about all for now. I have to eat and then head back to The Dungeon to get some work done. It takes a lot of my time, but it is a labor of love, and I love to sing and play, even when I'm alone. For that reason, it's not so bad.

If you haven't already, please "Like," "Follow," "Subscribe," "Become a Fan," and "Friend," my pages. Whether you have already or not, please share my links and my music with all your friends and family. It really doesn't take much, and it helps further our cause and our music more than you might imagine. Here are the links. You can cut and paste and share them wherever you think is appropriate:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

Thanks again for your continued support and interest. Without that, things wouldn't be happening nearly as fast as they are. I sincerely appreciate all of you! Have a great night and a great weekend.

Alexx

Good Monday Morning my friends!

Well, it's a chilly day in El Paso today. The Sun is shining bright and winds are calm, but the temperature is just above freezing right now at 8:45 am. Good reason to stay inside for a while and work on promoting my music and my business, which pays the bills and allows me to continue to pursue a living in music.

Like most musicians, I am currently unable to support myself with music alone. Actually, if you look at the current income derived from my music, the expenses of the rehearsal space, a portion of the utilities, the cost of acquiring and maintaining equipment, and paying for lighting and sound reinforcement, it very quickly becomes apparent that it actually costs us money to keep the music flowing even, though we don't play for free. The expenses exceed the revenue, simple as that!

The other side of that coin, is that if it was just about the money, I wouldn't be playing music at all, because I can make a great living relying solely on the revenue from my flooring business, and have much more free time on my hands. That in a sense though is sort of catch 22, because I love to spend my free time playing music!

Yes, I have always made great sacrifices, including a large portion of my potential income, in order to continue to make music. I have placed most of my eggs in the music basket, rather than focus on maximizing my income derived from flooring. So, to summarize that thought, if money was the most important thing to me, I would not play music, except possibly as a minimally part-time hobbiest. I would just work 40-60 hours per week in flooring and make a comfortable six figure income.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, and what your personal beleifs, values and priorities are, music is one of the most important things in my life, second only to my family, particularly my kids. I would never be happy, no matter how much income I was making, if I left music behind, and therefore I refuse to do that. It would feel like I left one or more of my kids behind!

The biggest difference I see between the flooring business and the music business, are the odds for succeeding. In any business, there is a very high failure ratio. It is a proven fact that nine out of ten new businesses fail within the first two years. Only ten percent make it past the second year, and a much smaller percentage continue to be profitable over a long period of time. In the music business, it is more like one out of several thousand artists are able to make a successful living, and much fewer enjoy any longevity in the business.

Fortunately for me, I have been self-employed since I was a kid, and have had a successful track record. My businesses have supported my musical endeavors since I was a very young. I have educated myself in both the principles of business and the fundamentals of music, recieving my Bachelor's of Multi-Disciplinary Studies with Concentrations in Music, Marketing and Management from the University of Texas, El Paso, (UTEP,) in May of 2010. It took me many years to complete my studies, attending off and on, usually part-time, while I ran my businesses to make a living, and spent as much time as possible writing and playing music.

As competitive as most businesses are, and failure rates being astronomical in most businesses, the entertainment business is always a much bigger long-shot, and a higher risk, because the perks are so great and the payoff huge for those who attain even moderate success in the music business. But, music is in my heart, blood and soul, giving me very little choice as to whether or not to continue to pursue a career in the business.

My ancestors were famous entertainers in Mexico, and I got the bug from them. My grandfather on my mother's side is a legend in Mexico, having written the Corrido de Durango, the State Song of Durango Mexico, along with hundreds of other songs. His name was Miguel Angel Gallardo, and he has been immortalized with a larger than life statue of himself in it's own Plaza in the Capitol City of Durango, Durango, and he is entombed in The Rotunda in Durango, Durango, along with the First President of Mexico, and a number of other dignitaries from Durango.

My grandmother and her sisters were also famous actresses and entertainers in there time, also in Mexico. So there is no question as to whether it is in my blood, because I feel it everytime I perform.

Success in the business is almost like hitting the lottery, but the difference is that winning the lottery is based on luck, and there is little you can do to substantially increase your odds. In music, while luck and timing are big factors, you can increase your odds of success through not only working extremely hard, but also by working smart! In spite of that however, it remains a huge long-shot, and I know this well. Many may call me crazy for it, but I gotta follow my heart and my gut, and I will either make it, or I will die trying, and I don't put a lot of stock in the opinions of others, as they relate to my own opinion.

So, anyway, all is well in the Alexx Camp, and we finally have great personnel who will hopefully stay in it for the long haul. The music climate here in El Paso is good with most bands working well together, sharing bills and supporting each other, and with several having from major to moderate successes, and as a result garnering the rest of the El Paso Scene valuable attention and support. Yes, folks, as in most business ventures, timing is everything, and the time is ripe for El Paso musicians. So the gold is out there my friends. It's time to start or continue busting our asses, supporting each others shows, buying our local band's cds and merch, and promoting ourselves and each other. Together we are stronger!

Don't forget to support my sites and pages. Please "Like," "Become a Fan," "Follow," "Subscribe," and SHARE ALL OF THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! Here are some of my links to my most important pages. Just click on them to get to the site/page:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.revebnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN HEAR THE ENTIRE ESCAPING THE DUNGEON CD FREE AND GET A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD AT www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

Thanks as alway my friends for visting. Please support our local music scene and our bands; that's where it all starts,

Alexx

Good Sunday afternoon my friends!

Well, I'm normally bursting with energy, but not today, lol! Yeah, it was pretty busy last week, and a long night last night. Moises, our bassist and I went to The War Room to support our friends Revati, and then made our rounds, starting at Adrian's, then to Coconuts, and finally to Aviators's before winding up back at The Dungeon. Long but pretty fun night, and we got to see several live bands perform.

So, what to do? Sh*t, I think a nap might be appropriate about now, and then hit The Dungeon to finish re-working a new song and revising the lyrics.

So, basically, we're mainly working on adding material to our set list. By the end of next week, we should have about 20 good original songs ready for live performance, and we'll start working on some more covers. We'll probably add about six more cover tunes to our repertoire, so that we have about ten really good covers for the local clubs whose patrons want to hear cover tunes. That will give us about three hours of music of our own, and will continue to bring an opening act, to give the venues a full 4 hours of music, (including breaks.)

We'll just play some carefully selected covers that we all really like, to satisfy that demand when necessary, but the focus, of course, remains on original music. The covers will include great songs from classic rock acts like Led Zepplin, Guns and Roses, Black Sabbath, Lynard Skynard, Steppenwolf, etc,, along with some new and popular rock radio tunes. We'll do what we have to do to book as many shows as possible, and play our music for as many people as possible.

So, right now, were also in the beginning stages (early planning stage,) of doing our first short tour in support of the new CD. We still have plenty to do before we're ready to head out, but you don't plan these things at the last minute.

It looks like the plan wll be to head West, on about a 10-14 day tour,beginning here in El Paso, thru New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California, and then back through Las Vegas and Albequerque, before returning to El Paso. We will probably do 10 - 12 shows in selected cities along the way on this first mini-tour. I really love the West Coast, so it's bound to be a lot of fun! We should tenatively head out about mid-summer.

In the mean time, we'll continue to play local shows as we tighten up the songs and our sound. We gotta be ready for when that great opportunity arises. You just never know when that could occur.

So, those are our short term plans, and that's about all for now. I hear my pillow calling me!

Don't forget to "Like," "Follow," "Subscribe," and "Become a Fan" on our pages! Here are the links. Just click on them to get to our pages, and then take the appropriate actions in support or our music. It doesn't require much of your time, and it makes a huge difference. Here are the links; just click on them:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

Thanks, as always, for your interest, time and support, and have a fantastic week!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

If any of you need floors, (wood, tile, laminate, carpet or vinyl,) we kick everybody's ass on price, have a huge selection, we install what we sell, and have an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau! FLOORING BY ALEX & ALEX, 9861 Dyer St. Suite 18, El Paso 79924. (915) 755-6100. We'll save you a ton of money and your purchase supports local music!

Give us a shot and we'll earn your business, and I will personally assist you with your purchase, and oversee the installation if you choose to have us install for you. It will be a win-win situation. That's how we do business, and that is my promise and guarantee!

Thanks for your support,

Alexx

Well this site is really blowing up with tons of hits from around the globe. I thank each and every one of you for your visits and for your interest in my music and my journey.

We all have ups and downs. Yesterday sucked for me, but today things are beautiful again. We just gotta roll with the punches, and keep moving forwards!

I think you will enjoy today's blog entry, but it is on my Reverbnation Page today. This is a very important page, and I use it a lot to promote my music, as do most bands and artists, both locally and globally. You should really check it out. There is a ton of great music on there from both unsigned and signed musical acts, and it's all FREE! Hear tons of new music there, including mine, 24/7!

To get to my Reverbnation Page to read the blog and hear the COMPLETE CD, click this link: www.reverbnation/alexxofficialmusic. You can also sign up for FREE if you like and then you can "Become a Fan" of my music on there. It helps further the cause.

Please don't forget to "Like" my www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic , to "Follow" me on www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ , and to "Subscribe" to my www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic , to keep up with all the latest. It also helps further our "cause."

THANKS, AS ALWAYS, FOR VISTING, AND PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Good morning my wonderful friends and fans.  Thanks, as always, for visiting and for your continued support!

It's a very beautiful day here in El Paso, Texas.  Sun shining, winds calm, and a high today expected of 69 degrees (one of my favorite numbers, lol!) 

Life actually could be better, but I'm sure that holds true for all of us!  In spite of that, life is great, things still slowly but surely keep falling into place, and everything just keeps getting better!  I'm grateful for my health, my family, friends and fans, and for the music that keeps me alive, thirsting for more.  You guys have been instrumental in helping get this thing off the ground, and we do have lift off!

So, I have held off all this time in booking more gigs, because we really didn't have a solid, committed line-up of musicians to play the shows to the level at which we must play, until now.  I am extremely happy to report, that after countless line-up changes, and musicians coming and going, it seems the correct line-up has fallen right into place.  We're all good friends, and all skilled, knowledgable, and seasoned musicians, who get along great.  That my friends is most of the battle - finding the right people to work with!  So now, what more could we ask for?  Although I haven't yet been able to get out to the venues, the time has arrived to book as many good gigs as possible, to continue to share our music, and to grow our following.  I'll get out there sometime this coming week and should have good new to report very soon on the gig front.

The goal from the beginning with this project was to record a quality cd of some of my better original songs, in a quality studio, with a quality engineer/co-producer, package it properly, and to begin distributing it independently, as we seek out a good record label to help us promote, market and distribute the music globally, on a large scale.  We also hope to find the right label to facilitate tour support for a world-wide tour.  Obviously, we've got to crawl before we walk, and walk befor we run; we are past crawling, and are somewhere in the walking stage.  With good label support, we will very quickly be off and running!

In a short time, we have accomplished quite a bit, with sucessful early gigs, conventional and internet radio airplay, thousands of likes on our Facebook Artist Page, mad traffic on this Official Website, a #1 Rank on Reverbnation's Rock Charts for the El Paso, Texas Region, and a #3 Reverbnation Rank in ALL GENRES of music in the El Paso Region. 

Our recent shows have been great, with good turnouts and with the crowd sticking around all night spending money, thus making the venue managements happy.  That's what it's about; entertaining and pleasing the crowd, and the management and promoters, particularly since the latter are paying us with their hard earned cash!  Yes people, it is an art, but also a business, if your intentions are to make music professionally.  As in most professions, if you wish to be successful, you must above all, work hard, and work smart!

All indications are that we are beginning to garner the type of attention we need, in hopes of attracting record label interest.  Now the plan is to play as many local gigs as feasable, to evolve and tighten up the songs and the sound, readying ourselves for our first mini-tour to the the West Coast. 

As I've probably mentioned, I am a Southern California boy, having grown up in La Habra and Los Angeles, California, and that I am very much in love with the West Coast, Pacific Ocean, California beaches, and the Hollywood Music/Club Scene.  I really can't wait to tour the coast, and I think we have a much better chance of getting a record deal by making good contacts, and then bringing the shows to them; to their turf, rather than expecting them to travel to see us at one of our shows.  It's pretty much a no-brainer!

So overall, largely due to your support, we are off on  our journey, and have every intention of continuing to work our asses off, in the hopes of putting ourselves in the right place, at the right time, and to grab the ball and run with it, "like a mother*ucker!"

If you haven't yet, please "Like," "Subscribe," "Become a Fan," and "Follow" the following pages and channels.  It's very important and helpful, but also very quick and easy; just click on the links, sign in or up, and click the appropriate buttons to show your support.  Here are the links:

Facebook Artist Page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic,

Alexx Music Support Team Page, https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts,

Reverbnation Page, (to see Local, National and Global Rankings and to HEAR THE WHOLE NEW CD FREE,) www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic,

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_,

Youtube: www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, and "Friend" us at www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Well Happy Valentine's Day my wonderful friends and fans. I wan't you to know that I love you all and appreciate the support!

Well everything's pretty good. Band practice was cancelled yesterday because one of my bandmates couldn't make it, but that happens. Anyway, it gave me the opportunity to work on my new songs. I ran through six new ones over and over. They're pretty tight now and the vocals have really evolved. They're sounding great, and the guitar parts are rocking, "like a mother*ucker!" I think my band will be really impressed. They haven't heard any of them yet.

So today's Valentine's Day but I have no Valentine except my awesome kids. That's ok, they're the best. Anyway, going out tonight to a club known for it's beautiful women. Some are supposed to model my Alexx Clothing. I have some tiny, tiny shorts, basically like panties or bikini bottoms and some really skimpy and cool chick shirts, in several variaties. I have quite a selection, and they look really cool on hot chicks. I always wanted to have my name on a bunch of hot chick's asses, and now I do! How cool is that? :)

So, I guess that's about it for now. Time to head to The Dungeon to run through the six new songs a few times and maybe whip out one or two more that I have completed.

This page is now really getting a sh*tload of visits. As always, thanks so much for visiting, and also for all your support!

If you haven't yet liked, followed and subscribed to my pages, please do. It honestly helps a lot and I am very grateful for those of you that do. I make it easy by putting the links up here, so all you have to do is click on them and then click "Become a Fan," "Like," "Subscribe" or follow. Here are the links again: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT VALENTINE'S DAY! PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Well good evening my friends! Thanks as always for visiting and for your support.

Well, tonight should be a fun night. Fat Tuesday means music, beer, ganja, and lots of titties being flashed. Such a beautiful holiday!

So, as usual, I will be a designated drinker tonight. I have a designated driver, so I should be safe from law enforcement. That's always a good thing!

We'll be hitting one of our new favorite clubs, Adrians. The place usually has plenty of beautiful ladies, and I suspect they will be in a Fat Tuesday festive mood, and hopefully will be liberally flashing those titties. I know I'm gonna have fun!

So the music is going great. I stayed up til about 6 am. playing guitar and singing. I had fun, all by myself, in The Dungeon. So, I basically took the day off. I really don't do that very often, so it's ok. Besides, I have put myself in a posititon where I can basically do whatever I want, whenever I want, and if I don't want to do something, I don't. How cool is that?

So, Alexx remains the #1 Ranked El Paso Rock Band on Reverbnation, and all the bands are on there. Even more significantly, as of today, we are the #2 Ranked Band in ALL GENRES, in the El Paso, Texas Region. Still looking at that #1 Overall spot. I think it's just a matter of time.

I haven't spent much time record label shopping lately, cause I've been so incredibly busy. We've started booking more gigs now, with some success, but I haven't yet gone out to pound the pavement and book the gigs. Hopefully I can start on that later this week. I think so.

So, the plan is still to play everywhere around town as much as possible, to tighten up the songs and the sound, and hopefully land some good spots at the upcoming local festivals. I think we have a really good chance of getting to play every one of these festivals, but only time will tell. Wish us luck!

So by the end of next week, we should have full two hour set of music to play. That should suffice, being that we will be having specials guests perform at most of our shows.

We have begun working with a very cool El Paso Band called Revati. I really like these guys, as they are very unselfish and have supported us at our gigs. I really enjoy playing with them. They're young, but really cool and very entertaining. I always enjoy watching their perfomances. I consider them friends, and wish them great success. I think they have a shot at something bigger if they keep at it. Who knows, we may some day be supporting acts for them, but for now, we're clearly in the driver's seat, and they don't seem to mind. I think we all have fun sharing shows together.

So, it's getting a little late, so I think I'll stop here. Thanks as always for stopping by, and we look forwards to bring you bigger and better news in the fairly near future. Don't forget to "Like" my Facebook Artist Page: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, "Friend" us at www.facebook.com/alexxdmusic (that's where I post some of my crazier stuff, and I am currently accepting all friend requests,) "Follow" us on Twitter to get the most current updates: www.twitter.com/alexxofficialmusic, and listen to the CD and become a fan on www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. You can also get a free song download on the Reverbnaton Page.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

We have some new shows to announce and will be booking a lot more shows now that we're fully ready. I don't have all the new dates with me, but I'll post em up with some other updates tomorrow. Im tired as fu*k. Going to sleep early for once. Sorry about the short post, but I'll make it up tomorrow.

As always, thanks for visiting and for your support. Please hit up my other pages and channels. I put quite a few updates today on those. Please "Like," "Subscribe," "Follow," and "Become a Fan" on these:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_. www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Good morning friends. Welcome back and thanks for visiting!

Yeah, yesterday really sucked. Everything went wrong and got milked by "the system" for about $1000. Some of it was my fault; some not. Our legal system, especially in El Paso has become a money making operation for the city, state and the courts. It's really no longer about justice, it's about money and revenue raising.

I had to pay a $140 parking ticket for "parking in a handicapped space," however, it wasn't a handicapped space at all, but rather a loading zone I put in front of my business. I built a ramp to get my motorcycle up the curb to park in the showroom of my flooring business, Flooring by Alex and Alex. There are clearly marked handicapped parking spaces at either end of the building, with signs and handicapped symbols painted on the asphalt. Mine is clearly just a loading zone with a ramp and diagonal yellow lines marking the space.

It turns out that a fat ugly racist redneck bitch that frequented the business next door called the cops to report that I was parked in the space, because the fat bitch wanted to park there. While she had a handicapped sticker, she didn't appear to be handicapped at all, but rather just fat and lazy, not to mention ugly as fu*k. The cop couldn't be that stupid or poorly trained, but rather just a dick with a badge who has been trained to screw as many people as possible, for the sole purpose of raising revenue for the city.

It just reinforces my opinion that most cops are dicks, plain and simple! So, since I failed to set a court date within 10 days, I was forced to pay the ticket, or I could not register my vehicle. The bastards figured another way to get into our pockets, and do so every chance they get. Did I fail to make the court date in time? Yes. Was there any violation of the law? No. Did they take my hard earned money? Yes. Do they suck big di*ks? Absofu*kinlutely!

So I also had to pay some other civil extortion fees, some my fault, some not, and all excessive. That's the American "System" these days. The lord giveth and the government taketh away, and the more laws they make, the more they take. That is just reality of the state of the Nation, the State of Texas, and the City and County of El Paso.

Anyone from El Paso knows that our lawmakers here are totally corrupt and thrive on taking bribes in exchange for favors, extortion, and they break the very laws they enact, on a daily basis. They literally feel they're above the law, and know that they basically get away with everything, and thus they have little fear of being "caught." Yes, the good ol' boy system is alive and well in El Paso, Texas!

So the legal problems got to me a bit and I paid all the applicable extortion fees. I will also say for a fact, and all local law enforcement knows this whether they admit it or not, that almost all, if not all law enforcement officers in El Paso, lie in court, under oath, in order to gain convictions and extort money from innocent victims of their corruption. From what I have seen, heard and read, most also violate the very laws they enforce on a daily basis, such as purgury, drinking and driving, assault, drug abuse, rape, traffic violations, and the list goes on and on.

Law enforcement around here are probably the biggest criminal group around. One cop I met in El Paso on a personal basis once bragged that he was "a member of the biggest gang in the world, and they wear the color blue," and from what I saw he lived that lifestyle to the fullest.

Countless El Paso Judges, law enforcement officers, and law makers have been caught and convicted of crimes in recent years, and have been fired and/or prosecuted. Many are in prison today. Those are all well known and well publicised facts, yet the system of corruption sill thrives and prevails at our expense.

So the legal problems, and the fines and fees were part of the reason yesterday was a really bad day, but the main reason was that it was the anniversary of my mother's death. That was the most awful and painful experience I have had in my life, and I have broken numerous bones, including breaking my back in two places, have been beaten by clubs, assaulted by more than one 300 pound man, hit with bricks and bats and more.

Those things were nothing compared to watching my mother suffer every day in intensive care for over two months, and the worst day and the most painful experience I've had was the day I recieved a call from the hospital telling me to get down there immediately. I was with here holding here hand when her heart suddenly started to slow. I watched the heart monitor numbers drop lower and lower, until finally reaching zero and the alarm rang out. It was like someone stuck a knife in my gut. It fu*king hurt like a mother*ucker. I didn't cry out loud, but I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face. The woman who gave me life and carried me in her womb was gone, forever. I just couldn't help re-living that experience yesterday. I couldn't get that scene out of my head. Yes, it really sucked.

But that was yesterday, and sometimes we have to let go, as hard as it is. We all go through similarly painful experiences. I still have a life to live, and have a lot of hope and faith. I must be strong for those around me, especially my kids, and now my father, whom I also take care of in my home. He is the greatest man I have ever met in my life, and I have met some important people. None of them can hold a candle to my dad. He is the greatest role model I have, and I strive to be more like him, but will never be the caliber of person that he is. Every day I see him slowing down now and struggling to do simple things that he used to do with ease, and am reminded that he may not be around much longer. I do everthing I can now to make his life easier and better, and look after him as much as possible, as he has done for me all my life. When that day comes, I will have few regrets, because I know that I do everything I can to repay him for all the things he has done for me.

So anyway, today's a much better day than yesterday. The music is thriving. We are just starting out basically with my solo project, but it seems very promising. The gig Saturday at the Iron Horse Saloon went really well. We had a great turn-out and everybody stuck around til the very end. It was possibly the best performance of my life, and the goal is always to do better every time out. I am confident I can and will do that. With a lot more hard work, persistance and a little luck, I may even achieve commercial success with my music. That would certainly be the icing on the cake!

So, I guess that's it for now. Please visit and support my sites, pages and channels. I will put some links below. All you have to do to get to the sites/pages is click on these links:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, https://www.facebook.com/alexx.dmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts

IT'S INCOME TAX REFUND TIME. IF ANYONE NEEDS FLOOR, WE DO KICK-ASS WORK, HAVE AN A+ RATING WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS, HAVE A HUGE SELECTION OF CARPET, TILE, HARDWOOD AND LAMINATE AND WILL SAVE YOU A TON OF MONEY! FLOORING BY ALEX AND ALEX, 9861 DYER ST. SUITE 18, EL PASO, TEXAS 79924. (915) 755-6100. YOUR BUSINESS SUPPORTS THE MUSIC SO IT IS WIN, WIN, WIN. HIT US UP!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Everthing's well at the Alexx Camp. The gig on Sunday was great! We played two sets of Alexx music, plus I played a set with a side-project called Like a Hurricane, which was a Neil Young Tribute Band.

The Alexx sets went over best, but the Neil Young stuff also went over very well. I play guitar and do lead vocals on the Alexx stuff, and played bass on the Neil stuff, and also did lead vocals. That made it fun for me, because I love to sing and play guitar the most, but bass was my main instrument for about 15 years, and I still love to play bass. With the two bands, I got to have my cake and eat it two, so to speak, playing both instruments, and fronting both bands.

The problem with the Neil stuff, was that one of the members was just always so grouchy, bitter with his own life, and had the tendency to try and take it out on me, which never went over well. The ironic part of that, is that the dude doesn't own a car or a stitch of musical equipment, other than a guitar strap. He was using my guitar, amplifier, PA and lights, plus I was transporting him back and forth most of time, and buying him food, beer, and other things. In spite of all this, he felt like he could vent his grouchy bitterness on me, and treat me disrespectfully. When he did that after the show, that was the last straw. Like a Hurricane played it's first and last gig that night, and I have no regrets over that dissolution. My original stuff is much more important to me!

So the gig went extremely well overall. We had a very good turn-out, and almost everybody stayed the whole night. At closing time, there were still a lot of people in the venue, which is somewhat unusual in El Paso. The owner said she was hearing nothing but good things about us, and that everybody liked the show. Sucessful night! Thanks to Linda and The Iron Horse Saloon for having us!

Many other things are happening with the Alexx Band. We're still getting some radio airplay on conventional radio, and also on some internet radio stations. The CD is selling pretty well localally and globally, even though we're really just beginning to play shows. There is a website called Reverbnation that all the bands are using these days to promote their music. The site ranks bands locally, nationally and globally. I tend to pay the most attention to the local ranks, because that is where it all starts.

Alexx is currently the #1 Ranked Rock Band in the El Paso Region, and the #3 Ranked El Paso Band in ALL GENRES! There are two hip artists ranked at #1 and #2 overall, but I think we will blow by them once we play some more shows.

The current plan is to play around town as much as possible, to tighten up the sound, and to let the newer songs fully evolve. Then we will take the show on the road. The main goal of getting signed by a good record label remains in tact, but we have to earn it first. It is a ton of work doing all the promotion, marketing, distribution, booking, managing, and all the other things myself, but at this point, we can't afford to pay for these services, so we are doing the best we can, and are having some successes.

Once we get label support, we can pass most of these duties to the record company, and focus on recording and performing our music. When we can finally make a good living or better solely off the music, we will have achieved success, and I will not stop pushing until we either get their or I die or am incapacitated. I am one hundred percent committed to the music and pursuit of the dream. Most of the people I began playing with have since given up and left the dream behind. I am not those people, and my dream lives on.

So we have three more gigs booked at the Iron Horse. We would have a lot more bookings, but I held off on booking more shows until I had a solid line-up. Today, I do, so it's time to start filling the calendar with bookings. That should happen pretty quickly, once I get out there and beat the bushes. There are many places in El Paso that book rock bands and the local scene is actually quite ripe, with several local bands getting signed recently. We hope to be the next, and I think we have a good shot, even though we are in the most highly competitive business in the world.

So, I think that is about all for now. I'll get back here to make another posting in a couple of days. I just haven't had time lately to post every day here, but you can get more updates on my other sites. Visiting the sites not only gives you all the updates, but it also supports my music. I will post all the links to those pages and sites at the end of this paragraph. Please support these pages and sites:

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic (Please "Like.")

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic (Listen to the CD and "Become a Fan," "Like and Share" the page and the songs, and comment.)

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ (Please "Follow.")

www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic (Please "Subscribe")

https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts (Please "Like")

It only takes a minute to click on each link and Like, Follow, or Subscribe, and it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Thanks as always for your visit and your continued support; you are appreciated. Without you I am nothing, and with you there are no limits! Please take the time to support the above pages by clicking on the links I provided above.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Hey, well things are still going awesome my friends.  All I've sacraficed, all the dues I've paid, all the blood and sweat are beginning to pay off.  As my song says though, "It's a Long Way To The Top!" 

Well, as you may know, I did make it to the top of Reverbnation's Local Rock Band Rankings.  It's just the local ranking, but I'm climbing rapidly on the National and Global Rankings too!  To check it all out and HEAR THE ENTIRE ESCAPING THE DUNGEON CD FREE AND GET A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, JUST CLICK THIS LINK: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, and while your at it you can very quickly click this link to "Like" us on our Facebook Artist Page: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.  That's extremely important if you want to help me really get this thing off the ground!

This Saturday, February 2nd, we will perform the ESCAPING the DUNGEON CD and more at the Iron Horse Saloon, 4930 Hondo Pass Ave in El Paso at 9:00 pm, with special guests Revati, and also my side project "Like a Hurricane," a "Celebration of Neil Young's Electric Side."  All the acts are gonna rock like a mother*ucker, so you really don't wanna miss this one.  We'll see you at the show!

Had a little scare yesterday and wound up in the emergency room.  They thought I had a blood clot in my leg, and did an MRI, because they said it could be fatal if it travelled to my lungs.  It turned out ok, but it just reminded me how short and fragile life is, and of the fact that it can be taken away in the blink of an eye!  Take nothing for granted, and live each day like it's your last, because you never really know!

We had a great reharsal last night with the Alexx Band, and have another today with Like a Hurricane.  Alls going well in both projects, and we can't wait til the show.  After that, time to go into booking mode and start filling the calander.  It's all really beginning now, and it's gonna be a fun ride.  After being away from the music scene for so long, I am really excited to be back in a big way.  We're gonna ride this thing as far as we can take it, "like a mother*ucker!

Thanks for the support.  Don't forget to like, fan, subscribe and follow my pages: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_, www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic, and join my Alexx's Underground Music Militia at:https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!  WITHOUT YOU I AM NOTHING, AND WITH YOU THERE ARE NO LIMITS!

Alexx

Alexx invades his old home, the Iron Horse Saloon, Sat Feb 2 @ 9PM. Everybody show up. We have a huge show planned with Special Guests Revati and Like a Hurricane, and want you all to share it with us!

1. Special Guest Revati.

2. Alexx Short Set, (Escaping the Dungeon CD - LIVE IN IT'S ENTIRITY!)

3. Like a Hurricane (A Celebratiion of Neil Young's Electric Side.)

4. Alexx Long Set (Escaping the Dungeon CD and MORE!)

5. Invitation Only Jam Session (Not open Mic.)

We're the #1 Ranked Rock Band in El Paso. Check it out & HEAR THE WHOLE CD FREE, and GET A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD AT: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. SEE YOU AT THE SHOW, "LIKE A MOTHER*UCKER!"

"Like" us at www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

"Follow" us at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

"Subscribe" to our Channel: www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic.

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT. WITHOUT YOU WE ARE NOTHING AND WITH YOU THERE ARE NO LIMITS!

Alexx

Hey friends, well it's actually almost noon here in El Paso now.  Hope all is good for all of you today.  Everything is great here!

Sunny and calm in El Paso right now.  I think it will get close to 70 degrees here today.  That's nice cause it was cold as sh*t all last week.  Now I don't have to let my spoiled dog in at night!  :)

Well I had a lot to say yesterday, but I can't remember much right now, lol!  Escaping the Dungeon CD sales continue to increase.  Maybe I can make most of my money back soon, lol!   Well, it's a start, but the real money won't start flowing til I get a record deal.  I need a big cash advance!  Yeah, always such a long shot, but the odds keep getting better.  I just need to keep pushing the music.

Next gig is 8 days away.  It's at the neighborhood bar that I sort of grew up in, so that should be a little bit more fun than our other bar gigs.  Our good friends Revati will open the show.  Then we'll probably do two Alexx sets, playing music of the CD and more, and finally we'll end with a jam session with some of our good friends joining us on stage. 

Those of you here in El Paso, show up for all the fun.  We'd love to see you all pack the place!  I haven't been booking more shows yet, but after this gig I'll get on that.  We need to fill the calendar and play as much as possible, so that's the plan; book gigs and play, play, play!

The Neil Young tribute is sort of on hold right now as we focus on the real project, my Alexx stuff.  We'll probably play some songs on this upcoming gig at the Iron Horse Saloon.  Why not?  I think this crowd will really get off on it.

So, I'm enjoying being the Top Rock Band Locally on Reverbnation.  I encourage all of you to visit that site and "Become a Fan" of ours on there.  You can listen to the entire Escaping the Dungeon CD on there for FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.  JUST CLICK THIS LINK TO GET THERE: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. 

Also, please like my Facebook Artist Page.  JUST CLICK THIS LINK AND CLICK "Like." www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic. 

Well, gotta  get my a*s to work now.  Need to make some cash.  Anyone in El Paso who needs carpet, tile, hardwood or laminate floors can call me at (915) 755-6100 or stop into my showroom at Flooring by Alex and Alexx at 9861 Dyer St., El Paso, Texas.  I'll give you a tour of The Dungeon and save you a bunch of money on your floors.  Buy from me and we both win; I save you big money and I make a little.  This income supports my music so bring your business my way!

Thanks for all of your support.  It is making a huge difference that will hopefully pay off big someday.  I really do appreciate it very much!

ps. Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ to get the most recent updates!

Thanks for visiting, and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Drummroll Please! .............................................................................................................................................

ALEXX HITS #1 ON REVERBNATION'S LOCAL ROCK BAND RANKINGS FOR EL PASO, TEXAS!!! I could never have done this without you guys, and I offer to you my sincere thanks and appreciation. You guys really ROCK!

Yes, I was successful at reaching for a small golden ring, and grabbing that motherfu*ker! As we say in Texas, Yeeeee fu*king hawwww!!!

So, things have been really busy lately. I realize that those that come here often want some new content when they take their valuable time to come to my site. For that reason,I appologize to my regular readers for not updating here for almost a week, and will try to make up for it with more frequent updates in the coming weeks.

With this in mind, I have decided to keep this page as the main site for my blog, although I will continue to put some shorter blog entries on my Reverbnation Page, and put my short, quick updates on Twitter, several times a day, making twitter the obvious choice for the most current updates. My Facebook pages will also have various, freqent updates.

This way, you will see many exclusive, detailed updates on here when you visit, and at the same time, you will find different, exclusive updates on all my other pages and sites, making it necessary to visit all these sites to keep up with all the updates and details of my musical journey, which has a very long, history, but in some ways has just begun!

I cannont overemphasize how important visiting my other sites and pages is in supporting my music as fans and readers. These visits increase my position in the music communities, both locally and globally. It's really pretty complicated, but please trust me on this one. When you "like," "follow," "become a fan," and "friend" me on these pages, it raises my status from a music business perspective. And, yes, music is as much of a business as it is an art, if you hope to sustain yourself as a professional musician, as opposed to a hobbiest!

So here are all the links to my Twitter, Facebook, and Reverbnation Pages. Please continue to support my music by joining me on all of them, or at least as many as your time or computer access will allow. They are listed in order of their current importance, and all you have to do is click on each link to get to the site or page:

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. (This is the easiest site to hear my music, and you can click on "Play All" at the top of the Song List, and listen to the music in the background as you view the other pages or do your work.) Please "Become a fan on here," listen to and "Like" the songs, and "Like" the page. Even listening to the music increases my rank slightly for each song play.

www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ Please "Follow" me on this page. This is where you will find the most frequent updates and details, which are sometimes a quick view directely into my mind at any given time.

https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts This is my Facebook "Cause" Page, with the cause being furthering my music, until and beyond reaching one of my main goals in life, which is to land the elusive record contract. Landing a good contract with a good label will mean that I will be able to make a decent living or better in music, and to work at my musical career full-time. This is my newest page of all, and is off to a bit of a slow start, as my others did. It is feeling early growing pains, with only 13 "Likes" on the page as of this writing. This is a nice place to show your support at this time, my friends! It is a fan site for my fans which I call "Alexx's Underground Music Militia."

So now, going beyond celebrating my recent achievement, and covering the site and page links and illustrating the important impact these sites have on my musical career and status, I think it's about time to get back to the current state of Alexx Music!

Well, the next live show is in less than two weeks at my neighborhood watering hole, and bar I sort of grew up in, The Iron Horse Saloon. As the name implies, it is a "biker bar," but is really more than that. It's just a cool place to drop in for a beer and to see some live music on weekends. It is on Hondo Pass Ave., here in El Paso, and is literally a block from my house. Many of my friends, both new and old, frequent the place, so it should be a fun night of musical celebration, and visiting with our friends. I am definately looking forward to the show, and the next three shows we have booked at the club! The Iron Horse is at 4930 Hondo Pass Ave and the show will begin at 9:00 pm, Saturday February 2, 2013. Don't be late because we may even start earlier than that. I will post the starting time on all my pages and sites a few days befor the gig.)

So the plan for this show, is to showcase my Escaping the Dungeon CD, but there will be a lot more to the show that just that. Our good friends Revati, will playing with us again. They played our last show with us, and are a really cool band. If I had to compare their style and sound to a popular well known rock band, it would have to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers. These guys are really cool, and may actually go somewhere if they stay together and keep at it. So far, they're doing well, having just recently won the "Battle of the Bands" at Tricky Falls here in El Paso, Texas, over some pretty good bands. Congrats to my friends Revati on their victory!

In addition to Revati, my new band and side project, Like a Hurricane, a tribute/celebration to Neil Young's electric musical side will perform, and they Alexx Band will perform one or two sets. We will also have a short jam session with a bunch of our musician friends at the end, if time allows. It will be a good show, so those in the El Paso area be sure to stop by and check it out. If you love great rock music, you will not leave dissappointed, and we look forward to seeing you at the show!

So, that's it for now. I still have more rehearsing to do tonight in The Dungeon. Have a great week and thanks so much for visiting and for your support. Together, we are going to take this musical trip as far as we can push it. The way I am seeing things at this point, their are now limits for us, so lets do this. Don't forget to support my other sites and pages. That is also so important!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Hey friends, thanks for checking in!  Everything is great. 

Getting over a cold, but feel really good, because of everything that's happening!  The cd continues to get airplay on conventional radio and on internet radio shows.  I'm at #2 on the Local Rock Band Rankings on Reverbnation.  Band line-up keeps looking better.  The new bass player Jose is really good, Daniel is great on guitar, and I have my good friend Jaime on drums now.

Next rehearsal for the Alexx Solo Project is Wednesday, and we're all looking forward to it.  It's gonna rock.  I'm very happy with the current line_up with Jose on bass, Daniel on guitar, Jaime on drums and myself on lead vocals and guitar.  The Neil Young Tribute band, "Like a Hurricane," my side project is also looking up, with Jaime on drums and Dave on guitar.  I'm playing bass in that band, and I love to play bass.  I've been torn between whether to play bass or guitar, so with the two projects I get to do both; I get to have my cake and eat it too!

That's all for now cause I don't have much time.  I'll try to make up for the short post next time.

Have an AWESOME day and week.  Don't forget to "Like" my www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic and to check out my www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic page.  At the Reverbnation Page you can hear my whole CD for FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.  Also, for the most frequent updates, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

Keep rocking people,

Alexx

Alexx thanks Glen Garza, Ray Monroe and KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio and www.klaq.com, El Paso, for playing my music again on their Q-Connected Radio Show!

MuseBoat Radio will be playing Alexx
on Planet Indie Music Show on Jan 15, 2013

Much thanks to Taunjua TJ Clark and Mary Dunham King of Museboat Radio for playing my music on their shows.

TIMES: 5amWIB 1amEAT 10pmGMT 5pmEST
4pmCST 3pmMST 2pmPST
REPLAYS EVERY 3 hours!!!

To CHAT & LISTEN: www.museboat.wix.com/multimedia
To JUST LISTEN: museboatradio.listen2mymusic.com/

TO SUPPORT ALEXX MUSIC "Like" my Facebook Artist Page at www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

JOIN ALEXX'S UNDERGROUND MILITIA AT: https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic#!/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts

LISTEN TO THE Escaping the Dungeon CD FREE at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL AT www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic TO WATCH A BUNCH OF EL PASO, TEXAS CONCERT VIDEOS OF SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ROCK BANDS, (Recorded from in the crowds, front and center, with killer audio.)

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING MY MUSIC!

Alexx

 

Good morning my friends and thanks for checking in. This week is off to an amazing start and it just keeps getting better! Well where do I start?

Hmm, well first of all a huge thanks to my friend Glen Garza and to KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio (www.klaq.com,) El Paso, Texas. My music will once again be featured on KLAQ'S Q-Connected show, which airs tonight (Sunday January 13th,) from 10 pm to midnight, Mountain Standard Time (9pm PST, 11pm CST, and Midnight EST.) They have been very supportive, especially Glen, and I cannot thank them enough. Tune in to hear a bunch of great new music, including some great El Paso rock bands!

Secondly, much thanks to TJ Clark, of Museboat Radio, Independent Music Radio. My song Long Way to the Top will be featured on her show, TJ's Muse Bridge on Museboat Radio, at www.museboat.wix.com. She has featured my music before, and continues with another of my songs, so please log on to check out her show. It will begin today at 2pm PST, 3pm MST, 4pm CST, 5pm EST.)

Thirdly, I'm up to 500 likes on my Facebook Artist Page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic. I'll be much happier when it hits 500,000, but 500 is a great start, and I am grateful for that. A sincere thanks to all 500 of you who have liked my page, and I encourage the rest of you to do so. Every like really does make a difference!

Rehearsals are going great for my solo act, Alexx, and we've begun working on a Neil Young Tribute Band on the side, called Like a Hurricane. The line-up is set for that act. We will be the opening act for most of the Alexx shows, and also play the casino circuit for fun and money. At this point, we can actually get paid more for the tribute band in most cases, and we all have bills to pay. More importantly, I love Neil's music and it is fun to play his songs. People often compare my music and songs to him, so it kind of makes sense, and the songs come to us easily and sound good. For me, although the solo stuff is higher priority, the more I play, the happier I am, and it just makes me a better, more well rounded musician. These things are the motivation for the tribute.

If you want to support my music, please go to www.reverbnation.com and click the "Become a Fan" button on my page, "Like" my www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, follow me at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_, and subscribe to www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic.

THANKS FOR VISITING, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Alexx moves into the #2 spot of Reverbnation's Local Rock Rankings and into the Top 10 of All Genres in the El Paso Area! Thanks to all of you for making this happen. Without you I am nothing. With you, there is no stopping us! I can almost taste that top spot now, and I am happy, "like a mother*ucker!" Hide your moms now peeps, lol! Check it out:

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.

 

https://www.facebook.com/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?fref=ts

RECRUITING ROCK AND ROLL SOLDIERS TO ALEXX'S UNDERGROUND MUSIC MILITIA. TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN. YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR NOW! JUST CLICK THE LINK ABOVE, LIKE THE PAGE, AND THEN GO TO www.alexxofficialmusic.com and LIKE THAT PAGE TOO. THEN YOU'RE IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR. WELCOME TO THE MILITIA!

 

https://www.facebook.com/AlexxUndergroundMusicMilitia?skip_nax_wizard=true I JUST FORMED ALEXX'S UNDERGROUND MUSIC MILITIA. CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO CHECK IT OUT!

NOW RECRUITING MEMBERS. YOU ARE PERSONALLY INVITED TO JOIN!

THANKS FOR VISITING, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey everybody, thanks for visiting again!

I've thus far told the story behind the lyrics and the making of the other nine songs on the "Escaping the Dungeon" CD, which brings me to the final song, Track 10, "Losing Control Again."

If reading about the song backgrounds, about my musical history, or my perspectives on the current music scene and environment interest you, you probably want to scroll down further after you read this entry. I have the rest of the songs described here, as well as the history of my music since writing and recording the Escaping the Dungeon CD, and much more! There are about six months of Daily Entries there, so there is plenty to read, if you enjoy reading about my musical journey, and the work and obstacles involved in the pursuit of my musical dream, which is to earn a good living playing music, and bringing my music to the masses.

Losing Control Again also features some beautiful and powerful lap-steel slide guitar playing by Mr. Gabriel Gonzalez. His work does an amazing job of creating the emotions surrounding the story told by the song. I think this song is a must-listen for all!

So, on to Losing Control Again. This song is basically about a friend who went through a very dark period in his life, and found an outlet for his feelings through the use of drugs.

He quickly finds himself in a downward spiral, caused mainly by the drug itself, but eventually gets tired of the insanity induced by the drug, and his need to acquire more to supply what eventually became his habit.

The lyrics start out with the lines "losing control again; that's what you say my friend. Losing control again; will this night ever end?

This first verse is broken into two parts, and is basically describing how the drug would take over control of his thoughts and actions, which often made for some very long nights for him and those around him. The drug literally made him insane when he was under it's powerful spell.

In the bridge section, which comes next, the lyrics state that he has finally had enough of the sick lifestyle in which most addicts live, and finally gives up the drugs completely, cold turkey.

This does not solve or take away the problems which, in part, led him to the addiction. He still has problems, but no longer uses the drugs to hide from the problems, which has only allowed the problems to grow and multiply. He now faces his problems and deals with them, and in doing so, his life begins to improve immensely.

The final verse is a repeat of the first split verse, and serves as a reminder of the miserable trap and life that the drug brought along with it. It turned out to be a nightmare, and a lifestyle far better left behind, or even better, avioded in the first place.

As musicians, and just as people living in this day and age, we have all known people who have taken that ugly path. We may not even know though, because there are many functional addicts, who successfully (for the most part,) hide their addiction from friends, family and co-workers.

Make no mistake, drug addiction is an ugly, pitiful lifestyle, and a rut none of us want to fall into. So my only advice, is don't; just don't!

Thanks for visiting my Page, and please become a Reverbnation Fan of mine at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. It only takes like two minutes to set up your account and become a fan so that you can like my Page and songs.

You can also "Like" my Facebook with just one click while you're on there, or just click on this link: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic to get there immediatly. You can also follow me on Twitter to get the most frequent updates on www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ Just click the link and click "Follow."

I also have a Youtube channel which you can subscribe to. It has a few demos of the songs from the CD and has a bunch of killer rock concert videos with great audio, which I recorded myself, front and center in the crowd. If you turn up the volume, it's literally like you're right up front in the crowd. That link is www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic. Don't forget to subscribe while you're there!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Well, I've begun to put some of my blog posts on www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, including my post earlier today, because I want everybody to check out and support that page as well. It's a good post too, so you should click on the link above to read it, but here's an extra one for today, a continuation of the stories behind the songs on the Escaping the Dungeon CD. (On the earlier post I covered the song "Live to Ride.")

We are already up to Track 9, Long Way to the Top. This song is another of my older songs that has been played live more times than I could begin to try and count. Obviously, people like the song and have responded well to it, otherwise I would not have put it on the CD.

The CD version is true to the original, but I updated the guitar solo, which I think is quite an improvement. When I used to play it live with my old band the Shovelheads, I would play bass, not guitar, because it was a three piece band in which I was the bassist. My old right-hand man Bobby Rodriguez was the guitarist, and would play the guitar solos.

I used a Dunlap Crybaby Wah Pedal on the CD, and now use the wah on my Digitech Control One Foot Controller in conjunction with my Digitech Effects Processor when I play the solo now. I think the new solo adds to the song, making it better.

The song is about the pursuit of a dream, and the work required to make the dream become reality. And yes, it's true that when most people I know are out recreating and having fun, I am hard at work, paying dues, and preparing myself for making that big break happen. Without hard work, very little happens, and many dreams die on the vine. Nothing good happens by accident; you must make them happen.

Personally, I know better and know what it will take to make my dreams come true, namely hard work and dedication. Yes, I take this work seriously, and work harder and put in more time than most. Fortunately, I have put myself in a position where I can work on my music at my business when I am waiting for walk-in traffic. I have plenty of dead time in my business, and I fully take advantage of it, constantly practicing, rehearsing and writing new songs, while most serious musicians I know are working at a job with little meaning, and a job that they hate. Yes, I am blessed to be in this situation, but as I have said before, I made this happen. It did not happen by accident or without a great deal of hard work.

So, the song talks about the required hard work, the frustrations, and the fact that early on, there are few rewards for your sacrafices and hard work, but that these things are a huge part of the puzzle that a musicain must put together and complete in pursuit of success in the business. It also mentions that it is in my blood and I just can't stop. My desire, drive and dreams won't allow it.

The chorus of the song states that it's a long way to the top, sometimes you feel like you're gonna drop (because of the countless hours of hard work,) but that you keep going because you just can't stop.

The final verse discusses the countless frustrations encountered along the way. the endless dues that you must pay, and the fact that you must make your own break to get to the top. It will not happen by itself or by accident.

So, that's Long Way to the Top. We only have one more song from the CD to cover, "Losing Control Again." I will cover that one soon.

Don't forget to check out my earlier blog entry on www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, and to "Like" my www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, and for more frequent updates "Follow" me on www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ JUST CLICK THESE LINKS AND YOU'RE THERE TO THESE PAGES IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE ;)

THANKS FOR VISTING, AND FOR THE INTEREST AND SUPPORT. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Today's Blog entry is at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. Just click on the link to the left and you're there in the blink of an eye!

THIS IS THE FIRST ENTRY FOR TODAY; I JUST PUT UP A SECOND ONE ON THIS SITE, SO YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN TO READ IT AND ANY OF MY OTHER ENTRIES SINCE I BEGAN MY BLOG; IT'S ALL HERE. JUST DONT FORGET TO GO TO www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic to read today's earlier blog entery. IT'S A GOOD ONE ABOUT MY SONG "Live to Ride," AND MORE!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic Alexx breaks into the Top 3 of Local Rock Band Rankings on Reverbnation,at #3. I can almost touch the Number 1 spot with my hands now. CLICK ON LINK ABOVE TO SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT AND TO HEAR THE ENTIRE "Escaping the Dungeon" CD for FREE! You can also get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD WHILE YOU'RE THERE!

Become a fan on my Reverbnation Page, follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ and "Like" my Facebook Artist Page at www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

Just click the links and you're there. It takes only a few seconds of your time and helps a lot!

Thanks and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE' THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Hey everybody, T.G.I.F. (for those not familiar with the acronym, Thank God It's Friday!)

Well, its cold as fu*k in El Paso today. Snowy and cold in the "Sun City." So, what to do on a cold friday night you ask? Well what else; stay inside and play music loud as fu*k! What a concept, lol!

Yeah, El Paso drivers don't know how to drive on snowy or icey roads, since it is the "Sun City." Hell, they don't even know how to drive in good weather, lol! Sad but true. So going out in a car in this weather is a risky propostition. Add alcohol and drunk drivers on a friday night, and there's a good chance something bad could happen. So being a little wiser now (I hope,) I'll take the play guitar loud as fu*k in The Dungeon option as a no-brainer.

Yes, I work hard every day and night in that Dungeon, when I'm not out playing a gig. It is work, and sometimes even feels like it, but it is necessary, and gets results. The hobbiest musician goes out and plays an occaisional gig, and then puts down their instrument until his or her next gig, and returns to their "life" in the mean time. Well, music is my life, and how does anyone get better without work? Answer is they don't! They stay the same, and those hobbiest musicicans wind up playing the same tired cover tunes literally for decades. I know that, because I know many of those bands and musicians, and probably none will every get further than playing in a bar band, and for obvious reasons. Hard work gets results; laziness does not. And no, "their ain't no rest for the wicked," especially me!

So as the New Year begins, after some deep reflection, I'm first of all grateful for not only where I am, but also where I've been and the things I have accomplished, particularly in 2012. I'm also grateful for all the bad things that I have endured in my life, for they have made me who I am today, and I am very proud of myself as a parent, a musician, a businessman and a person. Everything happens for a reason. This I firmly believe.

As I have probably mentioned several times, I feel very stongly that 2013 is going to be a huge year for me, and I hope it is also for all those un-sung heros who work their as*es off in pursuit of their dreams. Yes, it is still America where I live, and it is still "the land of opportunity." But if you're like me, no one is going to give you much of anything. We have to work hard and then go out and get it. We must make our own breaks, because if we wait until a break comes and slaps us in the face, we will grow old and eventually die waiting. That is reality for most of us; the cold hard truth.

Life is what you make it. I truly believe that. And yes I am one hard working mother*ucker! And yes, I am full of confidence (some probably say I'm full of something else, lol,) and I strongly believe in myself, my music, and my knack for making good things happen, often out of nothing, by believing in myself and working my as* off. Workin hard and working smart. I have started over many times, with literally nothing, and made great things happen. I have literally put it all on the line more times than I can count. I am a gambler, and sometimes gamblers win, and sometimes we lose, and often they are big wins or big losses. But that is the most common trait of self-made millionaires, the willingness to take a gamble. Yes, this sounds like boasting, but it is not. It is the simple truth and illustrates the value of hard work.

Which brings me now to talking about another of my accomplishments, another of my labors of love, Track 7 of the new disc, a song entitled "We Better Open Our Eyes." This is the most serious and meaningful song I have ever written. It is about real life, and today's society. To read all about it, please go to my blog at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. This is where I am continuing this blog entry. The entry will be titled T.G.I.F. Jan 4, 2013 (Part B.) Please check it out and "Become a Fan" and "Like" the page and songs while you're there. Also please go to www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic and like that page also. This helps support my music and supports me as an artist. Thanks and see you on Reverbnation.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

I woke up today on the first day of 2013 to beautiful weather and sunny skies in El Paso, matching my outlook for the coming year. No hangover and feeling great. I'm gonna do things right this year, beginning today!

In hindsight, 2012 was great. A lot of progress was made and some great things happened. The highlight for me clearly was the writing, recording, production, initial marketing, and local and global distribution of my new CD, Alexx, "Escaping the Dungeon." The CD came out great, has been well recieved, and is an accurate representation of me as both a musician and a person. It is a close and personal look at me, Alexx, and a clear glimpse into my soul. I am extremely proud of the CD!

My gut has been telling me for quite a while now that 2013 is going to be awesome, and my gut is usually right. I feel it in my bones, and I haven't felt this good in a very long time; not as far back as I can easily remember. Positive signs are everywhere!

The first thing I do today after getting something to drink is to log on to my laptop and go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.

I started my Reverbnation page only 28 days ago, and have closely monitored my ranking on the site, since launching my page. I was initially ranked at 170 out of over 300 local bands in the Rock genre or category, the largest of all categories locally on the site.

Since day one, on December 4, 2012, by the grace of God, I have leaped up in the rankings on an almost daily basis, passing well known and established local bands, literally by the dozens. On December 4th I looked at my initial rank of 170, and then immediately looked at the number one slot, and knew that is where I need to be. I knew that getting to Number 2 could never truly satisfy me.

So today, January 1, 2012, Alexx breaks into the Top 5 of Reverbnaton's Local Rock Ranking, coming in at................(drumroll please,) .................................. #4! To say that I am happy about that would be an understatment. I am elated and grateful to the fans who have gotten me there so quickly. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You are sincerly appreciated!

Due to recent events, reaching that Number 1 spot, and I know that I will, although it will take some time, is bound to be met with mixed emotions. The reason being, is that the holder of the Number 1 position happens to be the band Ministry, who are now based out of El Paso. They are a major and well established band with many albums and world tours under their belt, and are truly a great band. I am actually a fan, and love their heavy sound. Their Reverbnation rank is probably not even important to them, as it currently is to me.

But the reason is not that I have so much respect and admiration for the band, but because of their recent casualty, and loss of their guitar player, Mike Scaccia, who recently collapsed on stage and later died after performing with his other band. I can't help but feel for them, but this is clearly not personal, and is an important aspect of my current plan to gain the attention of certain record labels, in the hopes of getting a real shot in the business, with a good record contract on a good label.

To Al Jourgensen and Ministry, my sincere condolences. Please carry on, as you know Mike would have you. I am certain he would not have it any other way.

On a more cheerful note, I wish everybody the very best year of your lives in 2013, with many huge blessings, joys and successes. The world is ours in 2013; I feel it in my bones!

As always, thanks so much for visiting, and please come back soon. Even more importantly, please check out, "Like, and "Become a Fan" on www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic , "Like" www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic , and "Follow" www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_ . These things may take a couple of minutes of your time, but they help me immensely, and you will discover a whole new world of FREE MUSIC in every genre and style immaginable on Reverbnation! Check it out. You will be glad you did, and I made it easy by including the links in this paragraph. Just click the links, and you're there in the blink of an eye!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Good morning and Happy New Year's Eve! Where did this year go? Seriously, 2012 went faster than any year of my life, but it was a great year for me, one of great challenges and accomplishments. I will cover that briefly in this blog entry but go into more detail on New Year's Day or January 2nd. Today I will also go back to telling the story behind the songs on the CD.

Yesterday's blog was at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. If you want to keep up with all the Alexx news, you will now have to frequent both pages, but you will love the Reverbnation Page, because you can stream the whole CD there for FREE, and find info you won't find on here. You will also discover a world of unsigned artists with some great music of every style to listen to, and it's all FREE!

So, I basically worked three full-time jobs all year in 2012, including my flooring business, "Flooring by Alex and Alex," sole parenting three small children, and music. I am pleased and very greatful to have achieved one of my bigger goals this year, the recording and release of my very first solo CD, Alexx, "Escaping the Dungeon."

It is a major accomplihsment for me, just to record the CD, which is selling well both locally and globally. What makes that more remarkable is the fact that I have done almost everything single-handedly, from writing the songs to composing and arranging all the parts, and recording the tracks, to product design and marketing and distribution of the music. My biggest goal for 2013 is to land a record deal with a major or mid-sized label, to assist me with marketing, distribution and tour support, so that I may take my music to the masses on a much larger scale. God willing, that may happen in 2013. Lord knows I have paid some incredible dues along the way!

So, we will talk more about 2012 and 2013 next time. For now we'll go back to discussing the songs from the CD. Yesterday's blog is at this link: http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_blogs/artist_2984880?blog_id=7917730 I covered the song "Kick out the Jams" there yesterday and more. I had initially mis-labeled the song as "Hit the Ground and Run," but I went back and corrected the entry. Today we will go back to "Hit the Ground and Run."

"Hit the Ground and Run" is another new song written for the new CD. It is autobiographical, and is about the rocky path I took to get to this point in my life, and the fact that we're still on a journey down a winding path full of obstacles and turns, on the road to reach my biggest dream and goal in life, a successful career in the music business.

Verse two talks about my belief that our destiny in life is pre-determined, and the fact that we find out many truths about life and the people who come in and out of our lives along the way, and that some things and people from the past are better off left behind, and not worth looking back on.

The chorus comes next and basically says that the future begins now, and that we have overcome many obstacles to get this far, and that we can see success before us, can almost grab it now, and fully intend to milk it for all its worth; we have earned the right to do so!

The last verse describes how the fruits of are labors taste really sweet, after running through fire and feeling the heat, and the fact that we have overcome huge obstacles along the way, and that now, with vehicle in hand (the new CD,) we will hit the ground and run, "like a mother*ucker!"

Thanks for visting my site and HAVE A BEAUTIFUL AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR IN 2013. MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE! Please check out the reverbnation site to listen to the CD, get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, and to read yesterday's Blog, which is also a good one. I am posting my Reverbnation, Facebook Artist Pages, and Twitter Page links below. Please support my music by "Becoming a Fan," "Liking" the Page, listening to and "Liking" my songs on Reverbnation, "Liking" my Facebook Artist Page, and "Following" me on Twitter! Just CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO GET TO THESE PAGES:

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Today's Daily Music Blog is on my Reverbnation Page, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.   Please click on the "Become a Fan" button while you're there. 

It takes two minutes to sign up and gives you access to a ton of FREE MUSIC in every genre and style imaginable.  You can also get a FREE DOWNLOAD and LISTEN TO THE WHOLE CD FOR FREE while you're there.  Please also "Like" the Page and the Songs.  (You can listen to the CD in the background as you browse the site or do your work.)

THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT!  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

HERES A LINK TO TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE BLOG: http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_blogs/artist_2984880?blog_id=7917730

Good morning everybody!  As always, thanks for visiting.  Your interest and support is appreciated.

I'm moving my blog around now in attempt to get you to check out all of my sites.  Todays blog is at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  This page needs your support.  I believe this one will be key to landing the record contract that I really NEED to continue with the music.  I just can't get my music to the masses without label support for marketing, distribution and tour support.  If I can pass the major label act, Ministry, and get to #1 on the local rankings in my genre, Rock, I think I can use that to get the labels' attention.  This is one of my short term goals. but an extremely important one.

And make no mistake, Ministry is badass.  They have been established major players in rock music for decades.  I respect Al Jourgensen and his band and love their music.  And trust me, the number one spot on Reverbnation is much more important to me than it is to them.  Nothing personal,but I'm gonna get there or die trying, because from my perspective this is one of the first major tasks I need to accomplish, and I am well on my way, having moved from #170 initially on 12/4/12 to #7 as of 12/23/12 only 19 days after launching on the site. 

The problem now, is that after passing up established and popular local bands literally by the dozens, I have been stuck at #7 for several days now.  I need a boost, a push that all of you can give me, if you take a few minutes of your valuable time in support of the mission.  Seriously, you guys can make the difference and you don't have to do much.  I will put the links at the bottom of this post. 

What I need from you will require a few minutes of your time, but you take your time to come here, so you can do this.  This can be your holiday gift for me.  I need you to go to my Reverbnation Page and "like" the page, click on the "Become a Fan" button, Listen to and "like" each song (you can listen to the songs in the background as you explore the site or do your work,) "like" my Facebook Artist Page, follow me on Twitter, and Become a friend on myspace.  The myspace is brand new and I only have 6 Myspace Friends so far.  That certainly doesn't look impressive, lol

So, as always, thanks for visiting and have a beautiful and prosperous New Year!  SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS.  THE LINKS ARE BELOW:

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.twitter.com/alexxofficialmusic

www.myspace.com/Alexx_Official_

 

 

Well Happy December 27th! It's a beautiful day in El Paso. Sunny and fair, and yes, life is beautiful!

Man, I have worked so hard to get to this point, and ironically, I'm nowhere yet; Ground zero + one real gig in support of Escaping the Dungeon.

From writing the songs, to composing and arranging the parts, recording the CD, designing the packaging and Alexx merchandise, production of the disc and merch, and marketing and promoting the CD locally and globally, it has been a lot of work just to get to ground zero. People really don't see all the work that goes in to doing this. I never thought much about it either until I did it myself. So to just get to Ground Zero, was actully a major accomplisment!

Well if that's not enough, I've been through so much trying to put together the right line-up to play the live shows and to do the music justice.

Most people put together a band, write songs, play them live, and then eventually go into a studio and record. I did the opposite. I wrote and recorded the CD, essentially by myself, with the help of a drummer to lay down the drums, and some tracks, including lap steel and acoustic guitars, were layed down by the Engineer and Co-Producer Gabe Gonzalez. I did the rest, including vocals, rhythm guitars, lead guitar, and bass guitar.

The drummer quit the band in the studio because I told him he could not be hitting microphones with his drumsticks, after he broke one microphone that I had to replace, and continued to hit microphones.

So, I left the studio, with a Master CD in hand and no band. I immediately went to work on packaging and merchandise design and pre-promotion, and began to look for band members to play the live shows.

So, after auditioning countless band members, I finally put together a line-up and book multiple shows. Rick the drummer re-enters the line-up. I let him rejoin because he plays the songs well.

Two hours before the first gig, Rick tells me he's not gonna play the venue because of some rediculously stupid phone calls made to the venue. I tell him he can not quit now because I have never cancelled a gig in my life, and I was not going to start now.

Rick refuses to play the gig. To make matters worse, he calls the bass player and all of our friends and tells them the gig is cancelled. But Rick has no right or authority to cancell the gig, because I booked the gig, and it is my gig.

So, I call the bass player and he tells me he's made other plans since Rick told him the gig was cancelled. He is going to pick up his kids and already made arrangements. He suddelnly can't make the gig either, thanks to the wonderful, loyal Rick.

So what do I do about my big debut. Cancell? Not a chance. So I get some help, load up my equipment, head to the venue and set up. They're expecting a band. The get me. One man, one guitar, and one microphone. They are a bit dissappointed, and rightfully so, but the gig goes on. I play. After the performance I recieve many compliments from my peers and some fans. They tell me it took a lot of guts to do what I did, playing what I call "naked," just me, my guitar and a mic, when everybody is expecting and has come to see a band. And yes, I still had fun and got paid for it. I acutally made more money than I would have with the band, but it's not about money; it's about the music, the art. And yes, they failed me, let me down, and left me to fend for myself. And yes, I did so, sucessfully.

Act three. I go through countless auditions, and finally put together a kick ass line-up. Three guitars, including myself, a bassist, and Rick rejoins for the final time.

I book more gigs. We play the first one. It goes well with the three guitar army. The three guitar wall of sound is incredible! People love it and are very impressed.

We begin rehearsing for the next shows. Rick keeps dwelling on the negative and telling me we can't do this and we can't do that.

All the while Rick's living with his mom, eating, sleeping and watching t.v. all day. Stuffing down cheeseburgers and extra fries, while I continue to work 18-20 hours per day running my business, raising my kids, and rehearsing and promoting the music.

I keep putting Rick up, and he keeps trying to put me down, and continues to tell me not only what we can't do, but also how my music must be played live, and all the while failing to see what is happening before his eyes as a result of my hard work.

Rick says the songs MUST be played exactly like the CD; that we can't be extending songs and adding solos. I tell him that if people want to hear the CD, they will stay home and listen to it. A live show must be something more, and we have three very good guitarists that all can play very different solos, employing thier own styles and flavors. He insists that we can't do that. I finally am forced to tell him that they are my songs, and we are going to play them the way I want to play them. The following day he quits again, for the third time; the third strike. He's out for good now, never to re-enter the line up; not in this lifetime! That was on December 23, 2012.

So, the mission continues. Nothing can stop me. The feelers are out, and the next line-up will be the best yet, and with any luck, the permanent line-up will fall into place very shortly.

Forward we go; no more time to look back!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

DON'T FORGET TO GO TO www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic and click on "Become a Fan," "Like" the page and the songs too. YOU CAN HEAR THE WHOLE CD FOR FREE there and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD. Also, GO TO www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic and "Like" the page. This furthers my music, and takes very little of your time. Just a few mouse clicks. IT STARTS BY CLICKING ON THE TWO LINKS ABOVE. Thanks for the support!

Alexx

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU! 

2012 has been a great year, and a very busy one for me.  I have never had a year go by so fast.  It literally feels like last New Years Eve was only three months ago!

The highlight of the year for me was the recording and release of my first solo album, Alexx, Escaping the Dungeon.  I worked extremely hard throughout the entire process, from writing the songs and composing and arranging the musical parts, to the recording, product design, production, and release of the full-length CD. 

I put my heart and soul, and every ounce of energy I could muster, into making this the best product I was capable of, and one that I could be proud of.  I overcame countless obstacles to get here and to make this part of my dream a reality.  I achieved this result in the end; yes, I am extremely proud of each and every song on the CD, and the final product itself, "Escaping the Dungeon."

So now I have the product, the vehicle, my CD, and I'm hoping 2013 will be a breakout year for me, the one that I land a record deal.  Wouldn't that be sweet!  But nothing great happens by accident and there is no such thing as an overnight success.  But I have worked extremely hard for many, many years, have educated myself, and prepared for this moment.  Now I am ready.  Let's see what I can make happen!

So on this beautiful Christmas Day, as I look back, I feel humbled and grateful for all the support I have been receiving from all of you, and the rest of my friends and supporters, around town, and around the globe.  With all my heart and soul, I thank each and every one of you for your love and support.  Without you, I am nothing and will  go nowhere. With you, there are no limits.

I wish all of you, the very happiest and most beautiful holiday season you have ever had, and the most wonderful, exciting, and prosperous New Year of your life.  Look out 2013; here we come, "like a mother*ucker!"

PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL OF YOU, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

Well happy Sunday everybody! Thanks, as always for visiting. I have plenty to talk about. Here goes.

Last night was a great time in El Paso. Hung out with Glen Garza of KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio, El Paso at Tricky Falls, an awesome and fairly new concert venue here in El Paso.

So the venue, Tricky Falls is fairly new, but it is inside of an old movie theatre in an historic El Paso building, probably built in the very early 1900's. The building houses Tricky Falls and also the bar Bowie Feathers. They are both co-owned by Jim Ward and Gabe Gonzales, who also own Clap of Thunder Studio, (where we recorded Escaping the Dungeon,) and some other partners. The venue is beautiful and the stage is so cool. I can't wait to play there. I don't think it will be long before we hit that beautiful stage.

One of the bigger highlights of the night for me was meeting Metal Sanaz, who was the MC of the event, which was called The Not So Silent Christmas, and featured about 18 bands.  Metal was very cool, and a pleasure to be around.  She is quite beautiful also.  It was fun for me.  Maybe the best part was when she indicated she might play my music on her show. 

My music is basically hard rock, and I believe her show focuses on the Metal genre, but I think a couple of songs from the CD will go over on her show, and the next CD will be a bit heavier by design.  I'm tuning my guitar down lower now, which puts me in the mood to rock a little harder.  I think it will all work itself out.

Also, I ran into my old friend and sound man David Richie.  We had worked on doing a Neil Young Tribute Band as I try and get the solo thing to take flight.  Tribute bands get paid well in El Paso, and musicians never have enough money until they really make it, so it's a nice option for us for now. 

I love Neil Young too, and many people compare some of my songs to his, which to me is a great compliment, because he is one of the greatest American songwriters of all time.  Anyway, his songs come to us very naturally, and are very easy to learn and play.  People love to hear us play his songs too, and those covers have actully landed us some gigs.  So we'll probably get back to working on that project this week, since we both can make the time to rehearse.  Anyway, I love playing music, and in rehearsals is no exception.  The more I play, the happier I am.

So, it was definately a fun night for me.  This morning, I woke up  to more good news.  I hit #7 on the Local Reverbnation Rankings in the Rock genre, the largest of all genres on Reverbnation, with the most bands and thus, the most competition.  I entered the site and the ranking only 18 days ago at #170, and have been passing well established bands who have been on the site for years, by the dozens, literally.  As we approach the top, we're passing bands in smaller leaps, but have increased in rank every single day except one day, when we remaned at #26 for two days.  I can see my target, the top spot, #1, clearer every single day, and will not rest until I grab that golden ring!

If you would like to help me get to the top quicker, please go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic and listen to the CD, Like each song, Like the Page, Follow me on Twitter, and Like me on my Facebook Artist Page. My Facebook is www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, and my Twitter is www.twitter.com/Alexx_Official (there is an underscore - one of these _ after Alexx and Official, like this: Alexx_Official_, but this website underlines the whole address so you can't see the underscore.) Just CLICK THE LINKS, and you're there.  Your support is greatly and sincerely appreciated!

So as we approach the end of 2012 and reflect, I think it was a great year.  For me, I've been so busy, that it literally flew by.  It seems like is was New Years 2012 about 3 months ago, no kidding!  I worked extremely hard and accomplished much, including  making my first solo CD, Escaping the Dungeon a reality.  My gut tells me 2013 will be much better, and hopefully a break-out year for my music.  Only time will tell!

I wish all of you the  best and most beautiful holiday season ever, and a great, great sucessful New Year.  We all deserve that!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

 

 

Well good afternoon amigos (friends!)

Everything is great, beautiful and awesome. Couldn't be better for this point in time!  Thanks for all the visits and all the support.  You guys are beginning to make some great things happen. I couldn't do this without YOU!

Please continue to spread the word in sending people to my Reverbnation and Facebook Artist pages.  This is so important and helps immeasurably!

Here are the links once again.  Please ask your friends to do the following:

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  Click on this link, and on the page click: "Become a Fan;" click the  Facebook Like button; click the Follow on Twitter button; at the top of the song playlist, click on play all, and then  "Like" each song. THEY CAN GET A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD HERE OF "Communication Deficit Disorder" off the new "Escaping the Dungeon CD!

www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic, Just click this link and click "Like."

That's all; takes little time and makes a HUGE difference!

Thank you very much for your time!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Happiest Holidays to all of you!

Alexx

Reverbnation is a free website, and an important promotion tool for bands of all genres to help market their music.  It is used to gain fans and get noticed in the industry, among other things, and is used by all the bands.  Bands can use the site to get gigs, and to be noticed by industry professionals.  A high rank, I believe, makes a band more marketable, and if done properly, can be used to secure gigs, and possibly to get yourself noticed by record companies.  Listeners can visit the site to check out music from mostly unknowns, in every  genre of music, absolutely FREE.  Most bands stream whole CD's for listeners to hear for free and some offer free downloads. 

I offer a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD on my Reverbnation Page, www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic, and FREE streaming of the whole CD.  Hit up and click on "Become A Fan" at the upper right corner of the page.  There are also buttons to click on to "Like" my Facebook Artist Page, "Follow" me on Twitter, and to "like" the page and each individual song. Please click all the "Like," "Follow," and "Become a Fan" buttons.  These things help us move up in rank.

Reverbnation ranks bands locally, nationally and globally, by genre.  I, personally, pay the most attention to the local ranking, because that's where it all starts, on the local level.  We are in the Rock category, which is the largest genre, with the most bands. 

I opened our Reverbnation account exactly two weeks ago, on Tuesday December 4th, and we entered with a local rank of #170 in the Rock genre.  Today, fourteen days later, we are ranked #16, which is an increase of 154 in 14 days for an average of 11 spots per day. 

I consider this particularly significant, because we have only played one real gig in support of the new CD.  We do, however, have several more gigs booked and have clubs contacting us for bookings.  I've been holding off on booking a lot of gigs for the time being, but the gigs are there, and we can get them.

While #16 may sound great to many people, to me it is not.  I will not be satisfied until we reach number one.  Even number two does little for me.  That's just how I am.  The difficult part about this is that the band holding the number one spot in the Rock genre is a well established, major label act.  And yes, they are good; very good!

Most people would say, well, I guess we have to shoot for a rank of number two, because we will never bump those big guys down from their perch at the top of the chart.  Personally, I say fu*k that!  Nothing is impossible and all obstacles can be overcome.  You just have to have a good plan in place, and execute it well.  With all due respect for the current top dogs, I am determined to get to that number one spot, and I will.  I am one hundred percent certain of that, and am determined to accomplish this feat in the minimum amout of time possible.

So, with that said, we move on to the story about track 3 on the new cd, "Another Hit and Run."

Another Hit and Run is one of the older songs on the cd, and has been performed live many, many times to great audience response, with my old band the Shovelheads.  I will not re-type the lyrics here, because they are already on this site on the Play Alexx's Songs Page, but will rather discuss the meaning and purpose of the song and it's lyrics.

The song is basically a fictional story, yet one that occurs in real life far to often.  It is about a guy who goes out and gets inebriated, takes off in his car, and causes a fatal accident.  He leaves the scene of the accident, and drives home, where he passes out.

The next morning, he wakes hung over and starts to remember that something did go tragically wrong the night before, but can't remember what happened.  He starts to remember losing control of his car and crashing.  Next, he hears a loud pounding on his door.  He gets out of bed, stumbles to the door and opens it. 

Standing at the door are two police detectives, demanding he immediately identify himself.  They ask him what happened to his car, and his heart begins racing, as the accident begins to replay in his mind.   He knows he messed up big-time and is in huge trouble as a result.

They go on to tell him that he killed a whole family, a father, mother and their children.  They say they're gonna bring him to justice.  His heard pounds harder and faster.

Then the story goes on to say that the victims family are devastated and angry, and that he is sentenced to 30 years in state prison.  That's how the story and song ends.

The song basically describes the dangers and consequences of drinking and driving.  It was written with the thought in mind that it's lyrics could possibly make listeners think of consequences before getting behind the wheel intoxicated, in hopes of prefenting such fatal accidents.  If it saves one life or prevents on person from a drunken crash or drunk driveing arrest, it has served it's purpose.  I wouldn't be surprised if it already has!

On that note, I'm out.  Don't forget to go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic and listen to the cd, get the FREE DOWNLOAD if you want, and "Become a Fan," "like" the page, and "like" each song, Just click on the link above to get there NOW.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Thank you very much for visiting.  I appreciate every time you do!

Sorry, but I don't have much time for blogging today, so I owe you a good one tomorrow.  Everything's great; things moving fast.

To help further the cause, please like my Facebook Artist Page.  Just click this link: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Also, even more importantly, go to my new Reverbnation page and click on the "Become a Fan" button, "Like" the page, play the whole cd in  the background while you browse around by clicking on "Play All" at the top of the songs, and "Like" all the songs.  This will make some good things happen.  

Thanks for your time and support and it is doesn't take much time.  Just click this link: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.

There is every style of music and all the bands are there to listen to for FREE!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Where am I now and where am I going??? Hell, I don't know either of those answers; still trying to figure that out, lol!

Well, on the other side of that coin, I do know where I have been; to hell and back more times than I can count; more near death experiences than I can count; more having to start overs than I can count, but also more great experiences and great times than I can count.

That is just life; a cycle of up and downs, and we live and learn. We rise, we fall. We pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, and we move forward again, hopefully a little wiser and a little stronger.

We all go though similar cycles, I believe, even though some of mine have been much more extreme that most. But, I'm grateful to still be here, still standing strong and proud, with my health, and still moving forwards, more determined than ever.

Six years ago, I developed a large tumor on my vocal chords. I eventually lost my ability to speak, literally and completely. Singing was not even within the realm of possibilities. I had emergency surgury to remove the tumor, and thanks to God, I eventually regained my speaking voice, and a year after that, I gradually began to redevelop my singing voice.

I am elated to be able to even sing at all today. Everthing happens for a reason, whether or not we figure out the reason. Maybe it was so I could appreciate singing more and appreciate my God given talent. The lord giveth and can take it away in the blink of an eye. Don't ever forget that; I know I won't!

Which leads to where I want to go. I want to make that break happen, in the most highly competitive business in the world, the entertainment business.

To put myself in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills, fully developed, with the right people. Lots of variables, right? But one thing is certain; no big breaks happen by accident, and there are no real overnight successes. Every artist who appears to be an overnight success, has worked their ass off for years to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the business. That is simply fact.

And talent and skills are not enough. First of all there are a lot of obstacles and frustrations one must endure along the way, and many give in to the pressures and give up their dreams. Of the musicians in all the bands I have played in over the years, only one, other than myself has endured, and is still in the game. I am proud to say that that person is my great friend and drummer, Rick Talavera. We are the ones who have endured, and continue to reach for that gold ring!

Yes, my friends, for all the ones with the talent and the skills, the keys, I believe are determination, dedication, a great work ethic, thick skin, balls, and a willingness to take the gamble, with all it's risks; the willingness to roll the dice and risk it all. I can't speak for Rick, but I can say, loud and proud, that I, Alexander Anthony Delgado, posess all the traits listed above. You can bank on that; I do!

Do I have a plan B; yes. I work plan B every day; plan B, my education and my flooring business, are what facilitate and finance my pursuit of the dream. I could never just walk away, like so many before me, and so many to come. Why? Because I love music and music performance way too much. It is my passion, and my love. If I walked away, I would truly be miserable, and would regret it for the rest of my life. So, if I don't make it, I will likely die trying, but without the regrets and the feelings of what if......

If there is one thing I know, it is music. I have lived and loved music my entire life. I wrote my first song at age six. I still remember the words and the melody. I have spent countless thousands of hours studying, practicing, writing and performing music. It has been an investment, but it has never felt that way. For me, it is just fun. Even practicing by my self, or closed band rehearsals are great fun for me. The only thing enjoy more is performing live.

So the time has come to get this thing off the ground. The Gridiron gig on friday was what I consider my first real gig of my resurrection or resurfacing onto the scene. It went well, and people liked it. We got plenty of applause all around, and we know that we will do much better each time out.

People are loving the CD and the songs, universally, and always love it when I perform. It has been that way since my first paid gig way back in the day. In my opinion, it all comes down to the songs. Regardless of one's skills as a musician or a performer, if the songs are not great, you will never go far. Yes, people love good songs. They withstand the test of time. Half of the songs on the CD were written a decade and a half ago, and people loved them back then, and people loved the same songs last Friday night. Those five songs have withstood the test of time. When we used to play covers, people loved our originals better, even though we covered great songs. To me, that validates the songs.

What I do, when evaluating my own songs, is to give them as objective a listen as I possibly can. I ask myself, if these songs were written and performed by some one else, not me, would I like them? I can say, as a life-long musician who knows and loves rock music, that every song on the CD is valid and individual. No two songs sound the same, yet all clearly sound like me. That is my personal and professional opinion, and also of many musicians and listeners that I have discussed them with. Now, I must make something happen with them, and that is the hardest part. So, here I stand at ground zero, working, planning, strategizing, rehearsing, performing, and hoping to make something big happen. Yes I am determined, and yes, I refuse to quit or give up. Let's see how far I can take this thing; that is my mindset. That is where I am today.

If you wish to help, or support me or my music, there are a few small things you can do, that will make a huge difference. Yes, YOU, can help determine whether I succeed or fail, and it really doesn't require much of your time. Go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. Click on "Become A Fan" at the top; listen to the songs, and "like" them. "Like" the page. Leave a comment. All these things help me in my pursuit of my dreams. I hope you will do those things for me.

Thanks, as always, for visiting, SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS

Alexx

Yes, it is an absolutely beautiful day. For the first time in like, forever, I actually got about 6 hours sleep!  For me, that is a lot.  I hope it continues as often as possible, and maybe even get up to 8.  That would be AWESOME!

I guess I'm sort of an Energizer Bunny.  I just keep on going and going, but with purpose.  I get that from my dad, David Delgado Sr., the most awesome role model I could ever had.  Actually, I can only strive to be like him, because he's a greater man than I will ever be!  The hardest working person I know. 

Growing up, he was a professional with a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Texas at Austin, yet always worked 3-4 jobs to give his family a better life.  He is also a former United States Army Airborne Ranger and Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.  He jumped out of planes in World War II.   

His brother, Frank Delgado was a war hero.  He died in a firery plane crash over Germany in World War II, saving his buddy who was seriously wounded when their fighter jet was hit by enemy fire in a dog fight.  According to the El Paso times, the Captain of the plane, who parachuted from the wreckage safely and survived, stated in an interview that my Uncle Frank was the first one ready with his parachute on, to escape the wreckage, until his buddy, the rear gunner, screamed "help me; I'm hit."  Rather than escape with his life, he went to the rear of the plane to help his friend as the others parachuted to safely.  During this time, the plane burst into flames, killing both of them.  They are burried in a common grave in the Military Cemetary in San Diego California.  My dad took us to see the grave when we were kids and I remeber seeing the gravestone engraved with both names.  There is a now a park named in the honor of my uncle, Francisco Delgado, in West El Paso.  It is known as Delgado Park and is located behind Franklin High School.

The day after my dads family was notified of my Uncle Frank's tragic death, my father, David Delgado, joined the United State's Army, and also became an Army Ranger and Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.  That takes guts, and that's just how my dad is.  A man of impeccable character and guts, and my role model.   

So, back to the music.  The gig was great and we and the crowd had a lot of fun.  For all the details, go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  Just click on the link to the left of this sentence, and you will be there in the blink of an eye!  I'm going to log in now, to continue this post. 

While you're there,please click the "Become a Fan" button, listen to the CD while you're browsing, "Like" the page and each song, and browse around to see what's there. By doing this, you help us move up the ranks.  I have my sights on Number 1,  and will settle for nothing less; Number 2 just won't do a thing for me.  And this is no small task, because the band at number one is a major label act and a big band that has been around a long time, and yes, they are a great band with great music.  But I will get to number 1 or die trying, that, I promise.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS

Alexx           Now, click on this: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  I will tell you all about the Gridiron gig. Thank you for doing so; we appreciate it! :)

Awesome 3 piece rehearsal last night with Rick on drums, Daniel on guitar and me on guitar and vocals!

We're gonna play the CD live three piece after special guests Revati throw it down.  Then we'll finish up with the long set with the full 5 piece "3 Guitar Army!"

It's gonna be a big fu*king  party with some other very special guests performing.  Trust me, you don't want to miss this!

Get all the scoop and the latest updates, plus stream the CD FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  "Like" the page and the songs and click on the "Become a Fan" button while you're there.

Thanks for the support and see you tonight at the gig!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

www.reverbnation.coom/alexxofficialmusic Those u step on the way up are the ones who kick u on the way down. Alexx hits #26 on Reverbnation.com, in only 8 days on the site. Britneys Rage drops to 27. BAM! How ya like me now BR?  :)

Awesome line-up in place.  It's on Friday Dec 14, 9:00 pm at Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St., El Paso, TX 70030.

Gonna be a great show; Revati opening up the show.  Don't miss this one!

In support of Alexx, please GO TO: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic and CLICK ON BECOME A FAN, "Like" the page and the songs and go to Alexx's Facebook Artist Page and "Like" the Page: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

All the info and updates on Alexx are on www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficiamusic.  There, you can stream the whole cd (listen to it,) and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD.  Hit it up!

The links are right here to make it very easy; Just click on them.  Takes just a minute and a few mouse click, but makes a HUGE difference.  Yes, YOU can make a difference.  We appreciate your time and the support!

See you at the gigs!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Alexx In Concert tomorrow, Fri Dec 19 @ Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St. 9:00 pm, with Special Guests "Revati." 

All active military with ID get a FREE Alexx, "Escaping the Dungeon" Download Card to download the new cd for free.  All they have to do is ask for one and they shall receive. We Support Our Troops. See you at the gig. :)

WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!  SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE: THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Fired up, fired up, fired up! Check us out at facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic; reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic; alexxofficialmusic.com.

The biggest thing supporters can do to help us move forwards and upwards is to view ALL of these pages and sites, and "LIKE" AND "BECOME A FAN" ON FACEBOOK AND REVERBNATION!   I post different and exclusive info on all three sites.  Check em all out for completed updates and info.

Gig's on Friday at Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St. El Paso, TX 79930

Thanks, as always for visiting!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

December 14th Alexx's Reverbnation Music Blog (continued.)

So back to the old Rainbow.  For us it's pretty cool, and we're fired up and ready to throw down! 

As far as Reverbnation, we're new on there.  I just set up the page Tuesday Dec 4th, six days ago.  Every Reverbnation Artist is ranked in it's designated genre, locally, nationally and globally.

Local rank is a ranking that actually takes on quite a bit of significance, and is listed on the upper right hand corner of the artist's Reverbnation Home Page. On Tuesday (day one,) we were ranked at 170 in the genre with the most artists, Rock.  Wednesday we were at 137, Thursday 97, Friday 58, Saturday 47, Sunday 40, and today (day 6's) ranking is at 39.

So, as you can see, we're climbing steadily, but the ascention rate is slowing as we get closer to the top.  Ministry, a great MAJOR BAND now based in El Paso is at number one locally.  Yes, that makes the challenge much tougher than I originally expected, but I have never been satisfied being second in anything, so that is the lofty goal: To surpass Ministry and hit number one in the local ranks! 

And nothing personally at all against Ministry.  They are an awesome band, and I love their music and heavy sound.  I also can not help but have a great deal of respect for Al Jorgenson (I hope I spelled that right,) the leader of Ministry.  He has made it, and continues to make great music.  Hats off to Al, but it's on brother, lol!

So all of you can help me, Alexx, the upstart solo artist, sleigh the giant, and bump Ministry from the Number 1 position on the site in the local rankings. This could also be a ticket to a major label record contract, and will DEFINATELY stir some interest! And no, it will not happen overnight; there are no real overnight successes.  Those who seem to come out of nowhere and rise to the top tier have all been working on their craft for years. We are no exception.

All you need to do to help us get there, is go to my Reverbnation page, "Like" the page, listen to the songs and "Like" each song, and view the content on the page. Return frequently, and most importantly CLICK ON THE BECOME A FAN BUTTON!

If you listen my Long Way to the Top song on the new cd and pay attention to the lyrics, that is exactly what that song is about, the tough, long rise to the top of one's field, not giving up, and overcoming the obstacles to get there. And like the song says, "I keep on going cause I just can't stop!"

Thanks as always for visiting, and click on this link to get to my Reverbnation Page: wwww.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. I put different content on there, so you want to be checking in at both sites to keep up with our mission, our adventures, and our musical journey. And yes, the Reverbnation thing is one of the keys to taking this project to it's potential, so please check it out.  Thanks for your support!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

Alexx returns to an old haunt, the old Rainbow Lounge, which is now Tanya's Gridiron.  We were regulars there and played there dozens of times as the Shovelheads.

Rick Talavera, the original Shovelhead and current Alexx drummer will play the show as well.  We have ton's of memories of this club from the old Shovelheads days.

For all the scoop, the latest updates, and to stream the entire Escaping the Dungeon FREE and get a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD of Communication Deficit Disorder, go to www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  Just click this link to get there!

First gig with the new line-up is this Friday at Tanya's Gridiron 4620 Dyer St. at 9:00 pm.

We're really fired up for this one.  Don't miss it!

See you at the gig!

For more info, all the latest updates, and FREE STREAMING of the entire Escaping the Dungeon CD, and one FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, GO TO: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

4 NEW ALEXX SHOWS JUST ANNOUNCED. Get all the info right here at www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic See you at the show! :)

Don't forget to like the Reverbnation Page while you're there.  You can stream the cd live there too.  Thanks for the support!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENT; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic.  Alexx's band and music is rapidly ascending in rank on Reverbnation, one of the biggest band promotion sites on the globe! Click on the link to see why and to hear the whole Escaping the Dungeon CD and DOWNLOAD A SONG FOR FREE!  Thanks to Glen Garza, Ray Monroe and KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio for the continued support!

Yes, today is another beautiful day in El Paso.  Sunny and mild; High will be 72 degrees and a low in the mid 40's.  We were supposed to get a cold front, but it lasted only a few hours.  Back to El Paso's "indian summer; warm weather in December!

So the band line-up really taking shape.  Pretty much what I've been trying to make happen is finally falling into place.  Yes, good things really do happen to those who work extremely hard, refuse to give up or compromise, believe in themselves, and put their heart an soul into something.  My life thus far has been indicative of that.  When I set my mind to something, nothing can stop me!  Probably cause I'm one stubborn mother*ucker, lol!

So here's the line-up for the Dec 14th gig at Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St., El Paso, Texas: Rick Talavera-Drums, Moises Eisenburg-bass, Daniel Chavez-lead and rhythym guitar; Joe Unzueta-lead and rhythym guitar, and            Alexx Delgado-lead and rhythym guitar and lead vocals.  This is a veteran bunch, and I'm really happy with the line-up.  If we stick together and work our asses off, I think we can take this thing to the moon!  Who knows, we might be the first band to play on the moon.  Ya never know, and you can never set your sights too high!

So, seriously, YOU can personally help us get to Number 1 on Reverbnation by clicking on the link at the top of this blog entry which will take you to our page.  Then, just listen to and like the songs and like the page while you're there.  The whole CD is there for FREE STREAMING, AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE SONG DOWNLOAD OF "Communication Deficit Disorder."  It takes very little of your time, and you can stream the music in the background while your working or surfing the net on your computer.  Just don't forget to "Like" the page and the songs while your there.

Thanks as always for your interest and support, and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

See you at the gigs,

Alexx

We finally have the line-up we've been searching for. All great players; all quite experienced and talanted. Yes, I'm excited about that, "like a mother*ucker!"

Everything has been extremely challanging from the beginning, because I did this thing backwards, writing and recording the cd by myself, without having a band, and struggling to put the right band together after the fact, to play live shows.

That is definately the most difficult part, finding the right group of musicians, with the necessary skills and equipment, and the right work ethic and desire to make something good happen, and also a group that can actually get along. On top of that, a huge challange is getting all the right players on the same wavelength and committed to the project; to buy into the dream!

Hopefully, something bigger and better than any one of us has ever done musically, will become of this madness. Personally, I believe strongly that this will be the case. We are ready as musicians.

Yes, this can truly be (and has been,) a bitch! One thing I do know is that the next show is gonna be great at Tanya's Gridiron on Dyer St., Friday December 14th. I hope many of you are there to share the moment and the party with us!

I now find myself hopeing this line-up becomes the line-up, for a very long time. I have much confidence in every one of the players. One thing for certain, is that the sound is gonna be what I've been wanting at the upcoming show (s.) The rest will work itself out in time.

Last night we did the two guitar thing for the first time since recording the CD. I recorded two rhythm guitar parts on every song, so we need at least two guitars to reproduce the album's sound live. Now we have that.

Moises Eisenberg showed up again to play bass las night and has done some homework. He's still breaking the rust away, having not played in quite some time, but now all he really lacks is memorizing his parts. He's experienced, and is fully capable of playing them. We now just need to whip him into playing shape, and we will do that.

Rick Talavera on drums, well he's the drummer on the cd. He's quite good and is actually a very powerful drummer, playing on his badass Tama double bass drumset, with 24" bass drums and a bunch of nice cymbols. But it's not the bike, it's the rider, and he rides it well!

Daniel Chavez is now on lead and rhythm guitar. He's quite good and learns fast. He's fitting right in. We also have another great guitar player, our good friend Joe , on lead and rhythym guitar, and he will be joining us next week for rehearsals and will play the Dec 14th gig with us. I have no worries about Joe being ready in time, because I have seen him play many times and have always been impressed by his musicianship and stage presence. I also play lead and rhythm guitar, and do lead vocals, completing the three guitar army.

Five people, including four competent guitarists (Daniel, Joe, Moises and myself,) two good bass players, (Moises and I,) drummer Rick, and myself on lead vocals. Most of the guys can sing back-up vocals too if we want them, so we have all the bases covered multiple times, because in a pinch, any two of us plus drummer Rick can pull off any gig as a three piece band and do a good job. The rest of the players are the icing on the cake, and they make for some very sweet icing, musically speaking. How many bands can say that?

Yes, the blessings are arriving and all this hard work and enduring frustrations is gonna pay off soon, and we fully intend to make a statment, beginning on the local music scene. While that could easily come across as arrogance, it is really just confidence.

So things are really looking up, and I'll say it again, yes I am fu*king excited and, as a result, can't wait to step up and show what we've got. Everybody is loving the cds, and the songs have been validated in multiple ways. The biggest validation is when people scream their heads off in approval and delight in a live setting, and that is the case with all five of the older songs on the cd, that have been crowd tested many, many times.

As far as the new songs, people really love them too on the cd, so I'm sure they'll go over even better live, with that live energy as we feed off the crowd and vice-versa. I don't think my songwriting is getting any worse, and I belive the contrary.

Another important announcement is that we have two other bands that will play with us at the show; one will open and the other will close. We will play in the middle and then stick around to meet the fans and sell our merch. I can say that one of the bands will be an up and coming local band called Revati. I watched them perform with my friends Abnik. They are young and have some growing to do, but they are talanted and have a ton of energy. I really enjoyed watching the lead vocalist do his thing. It was fun to watch. The second supporting band will be announced very soon.

One of my songs off the Escaping the Dungeon CD, We Better Open Our Eyes continues to be in regular rotation on KLAQ 95.5 FM, EL PASO, TEXAS' Q-Connected Show, and also streams live on klaq.com. Thanks to Glen Garza, Ray Monroe, and KLAQ!  My music will very soon also be featured on several on-line radio stations, including Museboatradio.com.  I sent them two songs, and they really liked them, and told me to send them the rest of the songs from the CD, and they will put all of them in regular rotation 24/7. 

It's all  just a start though; I need this stuff on National Radio Playlists worldwide, but this will not come until I get record label suppot, which is another major goal.  Nothing great happens overnight, and there are no true overnight successes.  It will  happen, rest assured!

The most importwant announcement is that my newly launched Reverbnation Page is doing extremely well in it's first two days of existance. On day one, Tuesday, we entered at rank 170 in the rock genre, locally. A day later, yesterday, we had moved up to 137, and as of this morning we were ranked at 94, but somehow dropped to 97. I'm pretty sure that will change again by tomorrow, and yes, you can make a huge difference in helping us move up in the rankings, simply by checking out the site, listening to the songs, and "likeing" the page and the songs. My only goal is to hit number one. That is just me, and I can see the top from here, and know it's just a matter of time. The real question is how long it will take, and that's where you guys come in.

Here is the link; please check it out: www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic. Your assistance is sincerely appreciated!

THANKS FOR VISITING AND FOR YOUR INTEREST AND SUPPORT; SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

http://www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic   Alexx has moved up the local ranks on Reverbnation in the Rock Genre from 170 to 134 in two days and is steadily climbing.  Obviously, the goal is to reach #1.  Click on the Reverbnation link above to get to my page on the site. 

Please "like" the page, listen to the songs, and "like" the songs on Reverbnation and "like" my Facebook Artist Page too. Here's a link for that: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Leave a comment or a message too. I would LOVE to hear from you!  Thanks!  Alexx

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Good morning my friends and visitors!  First of all, thank you very much for visiting my page.  I sincerely do appreciate that and appreciate all of you very much!

It's a beautiful sunny day here in El Paso, Texas.  It is calm and fair, and the high will be 68 degrees, with a low of 44.  Not bad for December!

It's also a beautiful day here, because the local music scene is flourishing and it's a great time to be an El Paso musician!

For those of you who may not know, I just launched a Reverbnation Page. The link to that page is http://www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic and I also have a Facebook Artist Page, and the link to that is: https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Facebook is something I've known about for quite some time, and is apparently an important tool for musicians to market their music, because everybody has one, and the big thing that shows relevance and popularity as an artist is the number of "likes" on the artist's page or pages.  Even though I'm fairly new to Facebook, I seem to be lagging in that area, so if you would take a few seconds to click on the link above and like my Facebook Artist Page, I would appreciate that.

I also recently discoverd Reverbnation, and started a page on there as well.  Reverbnation is another common and great tool for artists to market their music, and is a great site for music fans to find and follow emerging musicians and bands.  You should definately check it out, because it is extremely cool!  Reverbnation pages also have "likes," so if you could please click on that link above, and check out and "like" that page as well, I would appreciate that also!  Reverbnation is very important and quite significant to artists, because venues and their booking agents can go there to check out artists they are considering booking.  Obviously, the number of likes can affect their decisions as far as whether to book an artist or not, so every single like is important, because they add up! 

So, for this reason, please check out my new pages and "like" them.  The few seconds it takes you to "like" it definitely makes a difference and is appreciated.  That may actually make a difference in helping me get the bookings I need to further my music!

Another reason to visit my various pages on the different sites is that I deliberately post different content, so that the visits to the different sites will usually be worth your time, and yes, it helps me---a lot!

So, on to "Another Hit and Run, another of my personal favorites off the "Escaping the Dungeon" CD.  This song is special to me, because I believe the lyrics are quite significant, relative and important in today's society.  I believe the song can make people think about a very important subject, drinking and driving/intoxicated manslaughter, and can literally save lives.  If it saves even one life or one arrest of one of my fans, that the song has served it's purpose!

I wrote this song over a decade ago when I was with my old band the Shovelheads, and have played it live probably hundreds of times, and the crowds have always enjoyed the song, based on crowd response.  And who knows, it may have saved some lives and helped listeners avoid some major problems in their lives!  I won't re-post the lyrics here because they're already posted in the PLAY SONG CLIPS section of this page, where you can also hear the song.  Please check it out and let me know what you think.  I would love to hear from you!

Thanks, as always for visiting, have a beautiful day/night, and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

The big announcement for December is my brand new Reverb Nation Page.  Check it out to hear my entire new CD Alexx, "Escaping the Dungon" FOR FREE, plus get all band information and updates.

This is the link: http://www.reverbnation.com/alexxofficialmusic

Also, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER on this link:https://twitter.com/Alexx_Official_

Support our troops and support your local music scene; that's where it all starts!

Alexx

Played another of my original compositions last night with drummer Rick. That makes seven more new original Alexx songs to play at our shows, in addition to the 10 originals from the new cd. The current plan is to play about 4 cover songs, along with our originals to complete a two hour set, but at the rate the songwriting is happening, we may have to eliminate those covers, and that is probably a good thing ;)

Songwriting is addicting; try it, you'll like it!

Don't forget to mark your calendar for December 14th, Alexx Show at Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St., El Paso, TX @ 9:00 pm.  Should be a great show; come out to enjoy the fun with us!

REMEMBER TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS,

Alexx

 

Great rehearsal last night with new guitarist. Hopefully this will be our guy. He seems to have the skills and traits we've been looking for, and is a quick learner.

Next gig is Tanya's Gridiron, 4620 Dyer St., El Paso, Texas, Dec 14; 2 weeks from today! Will I play guitar or bass??? Idfk, but I'm prepared to do either, and it's gonna fu*king rock; that much I promise :)  We will play the entireEscaping the Dungeon CD live, probably 7-10 newer originals we have been writing for the next album, and maybe 3 or 4 carefully selected cover tunes.  

Show up to hear the CD live plus the newer stuff and to see which covers we will play.  You're gonna like the music and we'll have the CD and all the latest Alexx merch for sale at the show.

This gig is certain to bring a lot of memories for us.  Both drummer Rick Talavera and I played regular gigs at this location when it was the Rainbow Lounge.  It was always a fun place to play, and probably has just gotten better sinceTanya took over the building.  Personally, I can't wait to play there again!

Rick's old band Attitude used to play their regularly, and were definitely one of El Paso's best cover bands of that era. That band had my right hand man from the Shovelheads, Bobby Rodriguez on guitar, my great friend Tony Canales, one of El Paso's greatest bass players on bass, and the great Jay of the Bird Dogs on guitar.  Rick, of course, was their drummer.  Simply a great cover band!  I used to enjoy sitting in with them regularly, and they would sit in with the Shovelheads. (Rick Talevera was also the original Shovelhead drummer.)

The Shovelheads were also regulars at the Rainbow Lounge.  The old owner Lee really liked our band theShovelheads, and would book us at least once a month for the 3 day, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night gigs.  It was always a great party there!  We were also regulars at Saso's Lounge, up the street on Dyer, which was always an awesome 7 night gig, and also at many of the better clubs in town.  We would also play the 7 nighters at  Saso's at least once a month, so we were always extremely busy.  Damn, I miss those days, but I know that even better ones are right around the corner now, finally!

Saso's was the premier El Paso rock club of that era.  It was an awesome place, with awesome crowds and groupies galore.  Sadly it is now defunct, and we no longer have clubs like that in  El Paso, and the chicks don't dress like groupies anymore (with a few exceptions.)  As the saying goes, good things don't last forever.

Saso's alsao had an awesome House PA, a great soundman, and was usually packed with rockers and hot chicks.  The things we used to do in that dressing room, lol!  Awesome memories!

So the plan for today is to finish writing the music for new song number 7, and put it together with the lyrics, and probably work on some of the other new ones, which are in various states of completion.  I'll also be working on the bass parts, because I've been playing mostly guitar, but it looks like I may play bass on the 14th.  Doesn't really matter though cause I love to play bass, and it used to always be my main instrument when I played live shows in my previous bands.  

So, I did this 7th new song backwards from my perspective, writing the lyrics before the music.  I almost never do that. I normally write the music first and then add the lyrics and vocals.  This is again like putting the cart before the horse; damn, why do I keep doing sh*t backwards lately, lol!

Anyway, time to get my ass to work; heading to The Dungeon.  God willing, I'll make some cash today too; I sure could use it!

THANKS FOR VISITING, SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

ALEXX

More great El Paso musicians jumping on board.  Looks like I might even get to do the lead singer/front man thing for the next show, and not play guitar OR bass.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Of course it will :)

Six brand new songs are now complete for the next album.  We'll probably finish number 7 tomorrow.

So, I said I would discuss the history and meaning of each song on the Escaping the Dungeon cd, so now on to Track 2, Don't Do the Crime.  Many people think  this song is autobiographical, which I will neither confirm nor deny, but it is basically about a person that made a lot of money in the marijuana business in the 80's and 90's in El Paso, Texas.

I will say that I have never sold drugs, but also that I don't believe marijuana is a drug, but rather an herb which is relatively harmless, compared to countless drugs that are legal and much more harmful, such as alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs, which, with the exception of tobacco, are man made.  Tobacco companies do, however, add many man made chemicals to their products for various reasons, making it more deadly.  Marijuana, in it's pure form (the way it is normally consumed,) is made by God, and is much less harmful than the aforementioned legal and deadly drugs. 

All I will say is that if I ever made any money illegally, it is long gone, and way past any statue of limitations.  Easy come; easy go.  Everything I currently own, I worked hard for and acquired legally, which is the best way to acquire things.  I am a legitimate businessman and musician.

Anyway, the song is about the ups and downs and risks and rewards of being in an illegal business, specifically marijuana distribution, in a town on the U.S./Mexican border, El Paso, Texas.

I wrote and performed this song countless times with my old band the Shovelheads. Judging by crowd response, this was our best original song, and, like our other original songs of that era, were much more popular than the carefully selected cover tunes that we would play at our gigs.  People, including the headbangers and metalheads, would literally scream their lungs out in approval, even though the song is more like classic hard  rock than metal.  It was, and still is, my favorite composition from the old Shovelheads days.  Although it hasn't been played live in over a decade, I believe that it will recieve similar responses when we play it live today.

I guess that's about all I have to say about Don't Do the Crime.  Please give it a listen (you can hear most of it by going to the Buy Alexx's Songs button at the top of this page.) There is also a longer clip to be heard, (almost the whole song,) along with the lyrics on this site.  Just click on PLAY SONG CLIPS Button  at the  top of this page and scroll down to find it.  This  way you can judge it for yourself.  I think you will like it!  Please note that by going to the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS Button, you can hear the song clips before deciding whether you wish to purchase a download (for only 99 cents per song.) 

Please seriously consider purchasing my songs on here, because like everyone else, I also have living expenses, and your purchases are what enable me to keep things going, and to keep making music for you and other listeners!

Thanks, as always for visiting, and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

 

Yesterday was a bit of an off and a strange day. I didn't play a guitar all day and all night; didn't even touch one. That's the first time I went a whole day without touching a guitar, literally, since I can remember!

Well, actually, it was sort of a bad day, with many of life's pressures weighing down on me. Yes, it happens to all of us. Money problems, family problems, business problems, etc. Many times the world and personal problems seem to be crushing down on me, trying to defeat me, and yes, often things get really heavy. It's not easy being a sole parent, running a full-time business, and trying to get a music venture off the ground; especially when you do it backwards, lol! Good thing I'm resiliant, and just a tough little mother*ucker.

Wow, just thinking about and writing that last paragraph gave me a headache; better move on. Anyway, today's a new day and tomorrow is gone, thank God!

When I say I did this project, my solo cd, backwards, it's because most people put a band together, write songs, play them live for a while so that they can evolve into a somewhat final form, go into a studio to record an album or an EP, and then finally go out and play and tour in support of the new CD.

Well not me, lol! Well, actually, half of the songs off the Escaping the Dungeon CD were basically done that way, having been played live at every Shovelheads gig for the last few years of that band's existance. Another Shitty Day in Paradise, Don't Do the Crime, We Better Open Our Eyes, Long Way to the Top and Another Hit and Run are the five songs I'm referring to.

Shovelheads began as a thown together cover band, and played it's first gig at a huge party in the Northeast side of El Paso. We had a friend named Duke, who had a serious accident on his Harley, had injuries and medical expenses, so we decided to throw a benefit concert on his behalf.

My right hand man at the time, Bobby Rodriguez, and I had begun working on music togther, with the intention of putting together a band to play the local clubs. So starting out, with that goal, we focused on cover songs, because that's what the clubs wanted in this backwards ass town, and still do for the most part. If you wan't to get paid to play every gig, you pretty much had to do covers back then, and even now, unless you do it right, from marketing and promotiong, to booking and playing. And no, it's not that easy, so most bands around here wind up playing for nothing, even though they have related expenses, and usually getting very little in return, other than possibly some personal satisfaction, and maybe a piece of as*. That seems to be the current state of music in El Paso, and definately needs to change, in my opinion.

Anyway, back to that first gig, Bobby also played with one of El Paso's best cover bands at the time, a band called Attitude. So, Attitude opened the show and we played last. It was a great time for all in attendance, a great big party, and very sucessful, in that we raised a bunch of money for Duke.

From that gig we were almost immediately offered a gig opening for the band Dangerous Toys, which were a fairly big band at the time, largely due to their hit song Scared. Sadly, that band was on it's way out, destined to become a "one hit wonder," and had a new album out called Pissed. And yes, they seemed to be quite pissed, and thus seemed to piss a lot of people off during their downward spiral. I do remember their lead guitar player though. He was quite amazing to be truthful.

Following that gig, we were told by the club owner's son and manager Fuji, that we "blew Dangerous Toys off the stage." That was quite a compliment to us personally as musicians, because we only had two rehearsals together as a band at that point.

That gig was a lot of fun, because the club was packed that night, as it often was in those days, and in that era, all the chicks would come to the club dressed to kill, with that groupie look. It was fu*king awesome, and we no longer see that anywhere in El Paso. Sad, but true.

Also that night, we had the pleasure of being introduced to the now local celebrity Mr. Glen Garza of KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio, of El Paso, Texas. On that particular night, Glen was brand new at KLAQ, and I had now idea who he was. I was getting my gear ready to start, and I looked over and saw Glen on the stage. I asked my drummer Rick, who the fu*k that was on stage, and he said Glen Garza of KLAQ, and that he was going to announce us, to which I could only reply, "cool!"

Glen later told me that was the first time he was on stage in front of a large crowd. So, it was our first "real" gig, and Glen's first appearance on stage in front of an El Paso crowd. I don't know how much that means to Glen, but to us it's kind of special, and it was definately a special night!

So, from there, we almost immediately became regulars at Saso's, regularly playing 7 night gigs there, usually once or twice per month, and also regulars at one of El Paso's other main rock clubs, the Rainbow Lounge, which is right up the road from both the old Saso's location and also, coincidently, from The Dungeon, and also at most of the better local rock clubs of the era.

The Rainbow Lounge location now happens to be the site of Tanya's Gridiron, which is where we will be playing on December 14th. It's kind of funny how we have come full circle in so many ways, but now it's a fresh start, with fresh music, and bigger goals and aspirations. With a great deal of hard work, and plenty of luck and timing, we may actually become successful in coming years. Nothing good happens overnight, but persistance and hard work can eventually pay huge dividends. Only time will tell!

So back to the current local scene in El Paso, sadly, all that is still true today to a large degree. In El Paso, if you want to get paid to play music, you usually have to play covers. Most of the original bands here play for free, which I personally feel is bulls*hit., and find quite rediculous. It costs money to acquire and maintain your equipment and to do the shows, not to mention living expenses, that even musicans have. No, musicians are not exempt from living expenses!

But the original bands that started playing the scene in those days did that to themselves, playing for free to get "exposure." The ironic and sad thing is that, local exposure in El Paso is relatively insignificant. No El Paso band that has "made it" out of El Paso did that from home. To be sucessful comercially (to make a living in music,) El Paso bands have had to hit the road and take their music to larger markets. While this may change eventually, it will not any time soon. That is just the simple truth.

So, would I like to change that, and also change he world for the better? Yes. Can I do it alone? Absolutely not. But I do hope to change the world, at least a little bit, hopefully through my music; through the lyrics in my songs, and hopefully, eventually, with money made in the business, and the influence with being a "rockstar," if that were ever to become a reality. And to ever becoming a "rockstar," of course it is a huge longshot for me, as it is for anyone in this business. For every commercial successful band, there are thousands who have not, and will likely not every make it!

Yes, it is the toughest business in the world, but one of the most rewarding for the minute percentage of musicians and bands that actually make it. And those that do make it, I believe, have a responsiblity to give back; and most do. I guess successful musicians are just like that.

Anyway, that's all for now. Time to get to the grind that is life.

Have an awesome and beautiful day, and thanks, as always, for visiting.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

I saw a posting on Facebook earlier that sums up my whole philosophy in life.  It had crossed out "Good things come to those who wait," and changed it to "Good things come to those who work their asses off, and never give up."

That is just the plain, simple truth, and why I do what I do.  I never give up, and I think all the hard work on the music will eventually pay off, like most of my other hard work has paid off.  Either that, or I'll die trying, because if I was going to give up, I would have done that years ago like so many other musicians who have abandoned their dreams.  In reality, that is all too common; they do it for a period of time, and then give up or just stop.  To me, that just means that while it may have been in their heart, it was not in their souls, and I actually feel sorry for those people.  They settle for another life, one full of regrets. 

Fortunately, that is not me.  I just keep plugging away, waiting to make that break happen, and waiting to put myself in the right place at the right time, while working hard to make a living and support my kids.  Nothing good will happen by accident.  Hard work, determination, confidence, and a whole lot of stubborness.  That's what it takes, in my opinion, particularly in this business, the most highly competetive business in the world.

Anyway, yesterday was a beautiful day.  I woke up early to a beautiful sunny day.  I actually went to sleep early (about 1 am.) on Saturday, and woke up around seven 7am Sunday. I layed in bed thinking for a few minutes, and was on my feet by 7:15. 

I first brushed my teeth, cranked up the PA with some good rock and roll, took my herbal medicine, (wink, wink,) which adjusted my aready great attitude for the better, walked to the front window and looked out and just smiled.  Yes, Sunday was, in deed, a beautiful day.  Actually, what came to mind was that it was a beautiful day to be alive.  Yes, life is something we often take for granted, but is is precious, priceless, and temporary.  We must appreciate each day that we are on earth like it is our last, because it actually could be.  In the blink of an eye, it can be gone.

So I enjoyed the beautiful day, resurrected an original song I wrote right before going into the studio to record Escaping the Dungeon, and then quickly wrote a new song.  I like the older one, and like the new one even better.  The creative juices are gushing like a hydrant, so I am milking it for all I can.  I have a bunch of new songs!

So yes, yesterday was awesome, and the day ended nicely, as I listened to the KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio's Q-Connected Show, and got to hear one of my songs, We Better Open Our Eyes played.  I then played guitar for a while before finally calling it a day.  Today's starting out a little rougher, but I'm fixing to do my best to turn it around.

Thanks as always for visiting.  I will go into the history of Track 2 from the new CD, a song about the border life I grew up in, next time.  The song is called "Don't Do the Crime."

Back to The Dungeon to work and also polish up the two songs I mentioned earlier.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

 

So, now we'll delve into the origin of each song off the Escaping the Dungeon cd one by one, beginning with track 1, Another Shitty Day in Paradise. 

This is one of my personal favorites, even though it is difficult for me to pick favorites when it comes to my own songs.  I'm not sure how most other songwriters feel about their songs, but mine, to me, are all individual entities, almost like children, or at least pets, thus making it difficult to chose favorites.

I generally like to write lyrics that either provoke thought or bring a good feeling to the listener.  Another Shitty Day in Paradise is definately a feel good song.  This song was written on one of my vacations to my favorite destination, sunny Southern California.  I grew up in La Habra, California, which is in Orange County.  I'm still a California boy at heart.  I love the beach, especially Venice Beach, which is right next door to Santa Monica Beach.

This is one of those songs which just came to me, seemingly out of nowhere.  It was written on the balcony of the Bayside Hotel in Santa Monica, overlooking the beach and the ocean, about a two or three minute bike ride from my favorite location, Venice Beach California. (I just love the bike trail which runs along the beach from Will Rogers State Beach, through Santa Monica, and ends if my favorite destination, Venice.  It is such an awesome and beautiful ride along the beach, with an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean.

Venice Beach is just so cool, being more than just a beach. Anyone who has been to Venice on a weekend knows that there is a ton of free entertainment, with many professional entertainers of all varieties performing publicly on the boardwalk for tips, and artists of almost every medium displaying and selling their works. I'm talking some really cool stuff.

There is also the gym on the beach where the muscleheads work out, showing off their muscles. Personally, I'm not into that, but I suppose that would interest some people. (Personally, muscular chicks are a real turn-off to me.) Also, there are lots of cool shops along the boardwalk to buy souveneirs and stuff, a couple of bars and resteraunts, some food stands, etc.

So, getting back to the song, I was sitting on the balcony with a cold Budweiser and had a nice supply of beautiful buds.  It was getting close to sunset on a beautiful Santa Monica day.  The balcony overlooked the beach, and I was just enjoying the breeze, watching the waves and the surfers, jet skiers and boaters, and consuming some buds. 

I was feeling great and just started strumming my guitar, when the verse section of chords just sort of came out of my guitar.  The lyrics then came to me just as quickly and easily, and within 15 minutes, I had a skeleton of the song.   

Ruben Guiterrez, my professor for a Music Production course at UTEP, (The University of Texas El Paso,) came up with the bridge, and then we layed down the original demo recording of the song in his Office/Studio at UTEP, with Jaime (Loony Loco) Lopez on drums, and former Shovelhead guitarist Bobby Rodriquez playing guitar. 

We later played this song live at all of our gigs for the better part of a decade, and it quickly became a crowd favorite.  At the time we were doing a lot of covers, but our original songs always went over better with the audiences.

I later re-recorded the song professionally at Clap of Thunder Studio in El Paso, Texas, where I played all the instruments, except drums, and did all the vocals on the final studio recording.  My current drummer Rick Talavera layed down the drum tracks at Clap of Thunder, and the song was complete.

Some people have mentioned that they thought the song was about a shitty day, but actually, the meaning of the words are more like, any day, even just a regular or a shitty day is awesome, when you're in paradise.  And to me, paradise is relative, because my paradise might not be paradise to some, but everyone has their own place or places that are paradise to them.  While I wasn't thinking about that at the time, the lyrics could remind people of their special paradise or paradises, wherever that might be.

So the first verse reads:

It's just another shitty day here in paradise; I knew I'd find my way, back here to paradise; and I know I wanna stay, here in paradise; It's just another shitty day, here in paradise.

Verse 1 is basically saying, that I was back in my very favorite vacation spot, the Santa Monica/Venice Beach/Hollywood sections of Southern California, and that I want to someday live there, and never leave, except for business and touring.  Basically, the lyrics, from my perspective, alluded to the fact that those areas of California are, to me, my personal version of paradise.

Verse 2 reads:

Well you know it's been a while since I've been here in paradise; and you know I always smile here in paradise; and there's always something to do here in paradise; well you know you'd like it too, here in paradise.

That verse is pretty self explanitory.  I used to get to visit the area for about two weeks each summer.  I had missed the previous summer due to some legal problems, so it had been two years since my previous visit. I was just happy as sh*t to be there.

The final verse, verse 3 is very similar to verse 1, with a few variations, and reads: 

It's just another shitty day here in paradise; and I know I gotta stay, here in paradise; and I'm gonna find a way, here in paradise; it's just another shitty day, here in paradise.

So Verse 3 is also pretty self explanitory.  I'm still, however, working on the financial end of making the move possible.  Yes, it's been a long term goal, but hopefully it will actually materalize, finally, within the next 2-4 years.  Only God knows for sure!

So, as you may know you can go to the PLAY SONGS CLIPS Button at the top of this page to hear half the songs off the cd, almost in their entireity, or go to the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS Button, also at the top of the page, to hear shorter clips of all the songs from the cd, and Download another of my personall favorites, Communication Deficit Disorder FOR FREE!  You can also purchase any other songs from the CD for only 99 cents each, or the whole cd download for just $9,99.  And yes, I would love for you to purchase the CD or at least some of the songs.  Yes, it takes money to keep this thing going!

AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR VISITING, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

 

It's a great Thanksgiving Day in El Paso.  Sunny and warm; a beautiful day.  I have much to be thankful for.  My great family, life, good friends, my business, and the new original songs coming out of my guitar lately.  These things make me very happy to be alive, and very grateful! :)

I'll be making a longer post tonight.  I want to go into the history of each song from the Escaping the Dungeon cd.  Each song has it's own story about when, where, how and why it was written, what it's about, and what it's meaning is to me personally.  They're like my kids, and each has great personal significance.

Thanks for visiting and have a beautiful Thanksgiving Day and Night!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND GIVE THANKS FOR THEM, THEIR SERVICE, AND THEIR SACRIFICES.  TO THOSE DEPLOYED, WE HOPE YOUR THANKSGIVING IS AS NICE AS POSSIBLE.  WE KNOW YOU WISH YOU WERE HOME WITH YOUR FAMILIES, AND WE WISH YOU WERE TOO.  THANKS FOR YOUR  SERVICE, AND FOR DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Alexx

Well the creativity is still flowing like water and the songwriting seems to be getting better.  I have 4 brand new original songs completed and a few more in the works.  I'll be heading off to The Dungeon to hopefully finish one or two (or maybe even three) more new ones in a few minutes.

Looks like the line-up for the live shows may pan out to be the exact one that we want.  We'll find  out real soon.  So, will I get to play bass, guitar or both live?  Well that depends on the final line-up, but hopefully, if it works out the way we want it to, I'll be able to do both, (not at the same time,) and even be able to put down the instrument and just sing some songs.  That would be fun.  I haven't done that too much, because I'm always playing an instrument and singing lead vocals.  That would be a luxury, and it may actually happen at the next gig.  We'll see.

Well, off to The Dungeon.

Thanks for visiting and keep coming back.  Don't forget to listen the the song clips from my cd on here.  Actually you can listen to all the songs from Escaping the Dungeon by clicking on the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS at the top of the page.  You can hear all the songs for free and purchase them for 99 cents per song.  Please check it out!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

My good friends Abnik ROCKED Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, opening for Jackyl. Jackyl threw down.  Small turnout but great show.  I gave Alexx, Escaping the Dungeon CD's to quite a few soldiers.  We support our troops and appreciate them.  Thank you veterans and active duty military!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well one more hour of Veteran's Day 2012 here in the Mountain Time Zone, but we must remember to appreciate our veterans every day, and offer some support to them whenever we can, year round!

For the rest of this week, I will give any active military, with the proper ID, a FREE Escaping the Dungeon CD, and yes, it is a good cd, as everybody is really liking it.  I cut no corners in the songwriting, performance, recording, production and packaging of the new cd. If you would like to hear a sample of the music, you can hear clips of all the songs from the new CD by clicking on the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS BUTTON at the top of this page. You do not have to purchase anything if you don't want to, but you can hear all the songs, and if you like, you may purchase songs for 99 cents each or the whole CD for $9.99.

So, if you are active military, feel free to stop in my store, Flooring by Alex and Alex, 9861 Dyer St., Suite 18, El Paso Texas. Just come on in, show your Military ID, and I will be honored to shake your hand and give you a free cd. It is the least I can do in appreciation of your service.  It is, however, advisable to call ahead, because I do step out on measurements during business hours. The number to call is (915) 755-6100.

We are based in El Paso, Texas, which is home to Fort Bliss, Texas, so we are fortunate to interract with the military on a daily basis, both active duty and also veterans who have served our country, and have chosen to make El Paso their home.  These soldiers have risked their lives and made many sacrifices to protect our liberties, rights and freedom.  We must never take this for granted.

Being that we see them everyday in El Paso, some people may start to forget their significance, importance, and the sacrifices our military and their families make for us on a daily basis.  This is a great injustice, and we should all make a point to thank our servicemen and veterans when we have the opportunity.

I personally do support our troops in some small ways, whenever possible, in the form of military discounts in my flooring business, and by playing the occasional benefit for our warriors without charging a fee.  I also give quite a few free cd's to our active military when I see them around town and when they come into my place of business, Flooring by Alex and Alex. 

I did take the opportunity to personally thank quite a few of our active military and give them free CD's last night at the Jackyl and Abnik concert at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, as I feel this is the least I can do. 

The show last night was great and both Abnik and Jackyl rocked the house!  I enjoyed it a lot, because I was helping my brothers in Abnik, and so I got to watch most of the show from the stage, which is always cool.  I love to feel the rumble of stage under my feet when the band is rocking.

Anyway, that's all for now, as it has been a very long day.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx 

Ending prohibition of marijuana in the United States has finally taken a higer profile and priority after the recent legalization in two states.

In order for our society to take a rational position on this important issue, it is necessary for our voting citizens to take a rational, intelligent and unbiased look at the situation and the laws.  It is time for opponents to remove their blinders and prejudices.

First of all, prohibition of alcohol in the United States never worked.  The result of these laws was the flourishing of organized crime, who quickly seized upon the opportunity. Many now prominent, well known and respected American families made their fortunes exploiting the prohibition laws and the American thirst for alcohol. 

In today's world, the extremely wealthy and powerful mexican drug cartels have seized upon the opportunity to exploit the United State's prohibition an marijuana, and American's eager consumption of this relatively harmless and medicinally beneficial herb. 

The result has been the violent drug war on the U.S. and Mexican border, and the resulting spillover violence into the United States.  Marijuana is currently the primary source of income and power for these extremely violent organizations, and we have bullets sailing across the border into City Hall right here in El Paso, Texas.  We also have abductions and murders and dismembering of American citizens, both in El Paso and Juarez, which can be directly attribruted to our prohibition on marijuana.  The acts of marijuana related violence across the border, 15 miles from where I currently sit, are both rampant and atrocious, and are daily occurances in our sister city, Juarez, Mexico, as well as countless other Mexican cities.  We must act quickly and decisively to end the violence and the countless injustices caused by our archaic, outdated marijuana laws.

So, in order to make rational decisions on the prohibition of marijuana, we must compare marijuana to alcohol, which is an extremely powerful drug, and is legal in all 50 states.

As we all know, alcohol is, in fact, a very powerful drug, which has many harmful and dangerous effects.  Unlike marijuana, it is a man made drug, which causes a great many tragedies.  Alcohol consumption is the cause of many acts of violence, tragic accidents, and damage to families, internal organs, the human brain, is addictive, and has caused many cases of overdose or alcohol poisoning, often resulting in death.  Alcohol has little or no medicinal purposes or benefits.

On the other hand, marijuana has many very useful and important medicinal purposes, and causes people to become happy, non-violent and peaceful.  No one has ever overdosed or died from marijuana comsumption; it is, in fact, impossible to overdose on marijuana.  And yes, these are all facts.

Admittedly, I would not want my children to use marijuana, or alcohol or drugs for that matter, but I would much rather have them smoke weed than use alcohol or hard drugs, because the latter are extremely harmful, dangerous, and often deadly. Marijuana is relatively harmless in comparison.  It really is a no-brainer to those who have the ability to actually take an unbiased and objective look, without prejudices.

The list of benefits of marijuana consumption in a medicinal sense and otherwise is too long for this posting, but if you do the research, you will find that the list is almost endless, in contrast to alcohol, which has very few, if any, benefits.

So, it is time for our lawmakers to end their biases and their desire to remain "politically correct," and to legislate an end to the injustice of marijuana prohibition, and the incarceration of thousands of Americans convicted of this victimless "crime."  Incarceration of marijuana users is extremely expensive to the taxpayers, and completely rediculous.  Rather than incarcerate, our governments should regulate and tax marijuana sales, thus having some control over who has access to the herb, and turn it into a revenue source, rather than a huge taxpayer liability.  This is another no-brainer!

But the laws will not change until our citizens speak up and pressure our lawmakers to do the right thing, and either legalize marijuana, or make the much more harmful alcohol illegal.  We must demand change! 

Obviously, the alcohol lobbyists are too powerful, and have far to much money, and thus influence over our lawmakers to make prohibition of alcohol a reality.  More importantly, the American public will not stand for prohibition of alcohol, so the obvious question is why prohibit marijuana use?  The United State's current marijuana laws are simply unjust.

Speak up and demand change, or things will remain the same, and the drug cartels will continue to  get stronger and more powerful and violent, and the spillover violence will increase exponentially.

That is my opinion, and I stand by it, til death do us part.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO ALL OF OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY, WHO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, INCLUDING OUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Have and awesome and rocking week,

Alexx

 

 

I took a poll earlier on the legalization of marijuana, and this is what I said: Well, it's a no-brainer. Prohibition on marijuana is bulls*it! Alcohol is a powerful and harmful drug that harms internal organs and the brain, and causes countless violent acts, serious accidents, destruction of families, loss of employment, etc, yet it is legal in 50 states.

Marijuana, on the other hand, does not, and unlike alcohol, has many positive effects, including a ton of medical uses and benefits. Plus, you can overdose and die from alcohol or prescription drugs, but no one has ever overdosed or died from marijuana consumtion.

Among the many medical benefits of marijuana, is it's use as an anti-depressant. Give a depressed person some good weed, and they will be laughing their a*ses off and eating cookies within 5 minutes.

As far as cultural and/or artistic benefits, marijuana greatly enhances creativity, and has been the inspiration for millions of creative works by artists of all mediums.  Creators of artistic works create things with the inspiration of marijuana that might otherwise not have been created.  In other words, marijuana greatly enhances creativity, and like it or not, a high percentage of our favorite artists use marijuana on a regular basis.  That, is simply a fact.  Should we incarcerate them all? Absolutely not!  The world would become a much more boring place, and our jails would be more overcrowed than they currently are.

Yes, it's a no-brainer; legalize marijuana.  The result will be a much happier, less violent, more creative and innovative population.  I strongly support the repeal of prohibition of marijuana worldwide.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well, one of the things we have always been able to brag about in El Paso is the weather.  It's a typical November day in El Paso.  Clear skies, calm, sunny and warm.  Today's high is expected to be 79 degrees.

The typical complaint by El Pasoans over the years was that there was nothing to do in El Paso.  Well that has definately changed.  Thanks in part to El Paso bands like At The Drive-In, Sparta, The Mars Volta, and others, the El Paso music scene is really blossoming.  Bands are getting signed out of here lately, and there are a sh*tload of bands playing at a sh*tload of local venues, and the scene is happening.  It is a great time for my resurfacing and returning to the scene.  I've always said, to be successful, you must put yourself in the right place at the right time. 

Well, its the right time, so I gotta put myself in the right places, in order to make something happen.  Nothing good happens by accident, but I have worked my ass off for 4 1/2 years plus, getting ready for my resurfacing.  I have a great vehicle now, which is my new cd, with which I hope to gain label support.  Everybody likes it, and I cut no corners in producing the finest product I could make, from the songs to the performance, recording, and packaging.  I am quite satisfied with the result of countless hours of hard work, practicing my instruments, writing, recording, and producing the cd.  It is selling beyond expectations both locally and on-line.

I am also learning to be patient.  Unfortunately, I am somewhat of an impatient person by nature.  I always want to do things now, once I've made up my mind to do it. That can be a good thing, but not always.  Fortunately, I have my brother Rick Talavera on drums.  He's much more patient and cautious by nature, and offers a great check and balance to my spontaneous nature, that usually says f*ck it, let's just go do it.

So the prospective band line-up looks awsome.  If it falls in place with the players we are projecting to complete the line-up, we will be a force to reckon with.  These are some very experienced, well known, and respected musicains, veterans from the El Paso scene.  If this line up does not work out, we will definately find the right players to complete the permanent band line-up eventually. As far as I'm concerned, nothing can stop us now.  It's just a matter of time, and yes, patience. 

After a great deal of thought and experimentation, through counless line-up changes, I now know exactly what we need and want.  To those who may not know, I wrote all the music and lyrics on all the songs on the cd, and played all the rhythm guitars, the bass guitar, lead guitar and did all the vocals on the cd. There are a few exceptions; Gabe Gonzalez played the acoustic guitars, lap steel guitar, and bass on three songs on the cd. 

So, I want a great rythym/lead guitarist and another player who can play both bass and guitar well.  This covers all the bases, because if the guitarist can't make it to a gig, I can play guitar, and if the bassist can't make it, I can play bass.  When were all together, I can play bass on some songs, guitar on others, and just do the vocalist front man thing on some songs.  How cool is that?  I couldn't decide whether I wanted to play bass or guitar live, but deep down, I've always wanted to do both.  So with the projected line-up, that will happen, and if it doesn't work out, we will continue looking for the right players until we find them.

I had a great jam with my bro Rick Talavera last night; very productive!  We played through the whole cd, like we usually do, and worked on some of the new songs.  The new songs are coming together quiet easily and fluidly, and we have a bunch of them in the works. 

The song ideas are plentiful, and seemingly endless.  Creativity is flowing, "like a mother*ucker!"  We could have enough new material for the follow-up cd in a few weeks, but we're definitely not going to do it that way this time.  We are going to be, yes, patient.  We will write all the songs and play them a sh*tload of times live, before we go back in the studio.  No rush on that, as we need to perform and promote the music from Escaping the Dungeon for at least a year before we go back in the studio.  We'll do it forwards this time, lol!

Tonight, Tony from Abnik will be stopping by for a visit and a jam.  That should be a lot of fun.  Tony is a really cool person who plays in a really good band.  I love Abnik; they ROCK!  We're helping each other a bit right now, and I would presume we'll share some stages in the relatively near future.  I look forward to that.

Tomorrow, Alexx Jr. turns 9.  He's quite a kid; 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do, and a tough little mother*ucker!  He's also quite the drummer already.  He's already played 2 gigs with me and stole the show both times!  It was like the paparrazi was there the first time, with people literally lined up, taking pictures of him when we were playing.  I didn't see a single person take a picture of me, only of him, lol!  It was really cool!  I raised this kid solo since 5 days old. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, ya know? Life is good!  ;)

I would like to announce the newest distributor of my new cd, Alexx, "Escaping the Dungeon," SqueeTone's Guitars at 1830 Joe Battle in front of Best Buy. They have my cd for sale, plus an awesome selection of new and used guitars, and Frank, Vanessa and Andre are great people who will treat you right. I highly recommend this place ;)

Well, better get my ass to work now; "aint no rest for the wicked."

Thanks for visiting, and keep coming back. 

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

 

Don't forget, you can download one of my newest songs off the Escaping the Dungeon CD on this site for FREE. Communication Deficit Disorder is available for FREE DOWNLOAD! Just click on the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS TAB at the top of the page, and you can listen to clips of all the songs on the new cd, purchase any you like for 99 cents each if you like, and get the FREE DOWNLOAD WITH NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! This happens to be one of my favorites, so down load it NOW while you can get it for free! Limited time offer, and my gift to you. You're gonna like it.

Happy Tuesday! Today's a beautiful fu*kin day in El Paso again. Sun shining bright, winds calm, not a cloud in the sky. The weather is one of the beautiful things about El Paso, the Sun City. High today is supposed to be 75 degrees.

Some good things are going to happen today; I can feel it. I have a bunch of new songs in the works, and creativity is flowing "like a motherfucker." Hopefully I'll make some money today too ;)

Had a great rehearsal last night with my brother Rick Talavera. The guy is just such a great drummer, he makes all the songs sound so much better, and he's a lot of fun to jam with.

The current plan is to bring one or two of our good friends in, probably around the end of next week to complete the line up. We have one great player who is supposedly committed to join us. I'm hoping this works out because he will bring some great playing into the picture, and I am so fu*king tired of line-up changes. We still have to talk to our other prospect, but we go way back, and if things work out, it will be quite a special line up of El Paso veteran players.

I'm still torn between playing bass and guitar; I love em both. If the projected line up were to materialize, it would be awesome, because one of the players is both a great guitarist and bassist. Many guitarists play some bass, but they sound like exactly that; a guitar player playing the bass. Not this guy; he's great at both! Although it's way too early to say much, if this were to materalize, I would have the luxury of being able to play bass on some songs, guitar on others, and even put down my guitar and do the vocal front-man thing whenever I want. That would be FU*KIN AWESOME!

So, I've learned to take nothing for granted, and to be a little more patient. One thing for certain though; we will have a solid line-up of great players for the next show, whether it be a three piece or four piece format. And yes, I'm still extremely excited to be out playing again. It's only rock and roll and I fu*kin love it, "like a mother*ucker!"

We're still going to take that trip into my musical past, beginning very soon, as soon as time allows. It should be interesting.

Thanks for visiting, come back soon, and have a very beautiful day!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

I was just listening to Q-Connected on KLAQ 95.5 FM El Paso Radio. The show was winding down, and I was almost falling asleep (cause I was tired as fu*k,) and then my song came on.

I got up, stepped on a piece of broken glass & cut my foot, hauled ass to the other room, turned on the PA, put a microphone to the speaker of my boom box, cranked it as loud as it would go before feeding back, said to myself FU*K YEAH, and just smiled.

Yep, it still gets me that excited. That's, if I'm not mistaken, 16 weeks in a row now (minus 1 that it didn't get played.) Thanks for playing it again to Glen Garza, Ray Monroe, and KLAQ. You guys ROCK, "like a motherfu*ker!!!" Time to have a toast, by myself, with a beer and a funny looking cigarrette, and play some music LOUD AS FU*K, in The Dungeon! :)

I really do have a lot more to say so check back later today or tomorrow.  I came across some old pictures of me playing with my old bands and some event posters of our shows.  I think I'll go into that one next time, and I have lots of memories to share.  Trust me, a lot of those are quite entertaining, lol!  I may have to censor a few things, lol, but the censorship will be minimal. Sweet memories :)

Thanks for visiting, and see you soon!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Yes, it's a very beautiful day in El Paso.  Sun shining bright, very slight breeze, and not a cloud in the sky!  Temperature is currently 70 degrees at 11:11 am.

I woke up really excited, (get your mind out of the gutter, lol.)  I do have many reasons to be excited!  Wrote two of my best songs on Thrursday in like 90 minutes.  They just hit me out of nowhere, like BAM!  That's just how it usually works for me.

This morning I got up feeling great about my favorite passion, music.  I wrote some really cool lyrics and will be heading back to The Dungeon in a few minutes to write the music.  Barring writer's block (which I don't see happening,) I should have another complete song in a few hours.   Songwriting is never a long and labored process for me, and I usually have an endless supply of ideas!

I had helped my friends with the El Paso band Abnik, last week at their gig at Speaking Rock Casino, and had tuned my Gothic Les Paul down a whole step, to D, for the occasion.  I picked it up Thursday, started playing it, and was really loving the tone coming out.  That's where those two songs came from; that inspration of a D tuned Les Paul, coming thru a vintage Marshall JCM 800 Tube Amp, LOUD AS FU*K! God, I love music!!!

So the previous plan had been to primarily focus on our original music (which is a no brainer,) but also do covers to fill up the night, so that we could just split all of our pay three ways. 

Well that sounds nice, but if it was about the money, I would just sell floors, where I could currently be making big money, if that was my passion.  But the money we make playing clubs in El Paso is a fraction of what I make in my day job, my flooring business, so I made the decision to forgo covers and focus strictly on the original music.  No one ever made it rich (with extremely rare exceptions,) playing covers.  We'll share some pay with the opening acts, play our originals, and make a show of it.

And make no mistake, I love money, and God has blessed me with quite a bit in the past, even though I don't have a great deal to show for it right now.  But I do get by for now, have pretty much all the pro music gear I need, and have plenty of time to work on my music, because I rehearse and write at my Dungeon, day and night, while I simultaneously run my business from the same location.  And like I said, nothing good is easy and nothing good happens by accident.  I made this happen, and put myself in this position.

So, lets see what I can do from here.  To quote Red Light Kings, "the light's on, the last round, the dark horse keeps on fighting." and to that, I must add, "like a mother*ucker!"

As far as Flooring by Alex and Alex, I created it out of nothing, being completely broke when I started it, about four and a half years ago, out of necessity.  I sold some flooring jobs, completed them, made some good money, rented a location, and Flooring by Alex and Alex, and The Dungeon were both born simultaneously; fraternal twins, and two of my babys. 

Fortunately I have a lot of business experience and education, and was able to make it happen.  I have a PHD from The School of Hard Knocks,  A Bachelor's of Multi-Disciplinary Studies, with Concentrations in Marketing, Management and Music from the University of Texas, El Paso, (UTEP,) decades of business experience, and tens of thousands of hours learning, practicing, and playing music.  Now, the business supports the music, which will someday hopefully support the business(s.)

But, that's way too far ahead to project right now.  The immediate plan is  to make music, and to play, and play and play, and then play some more!  Every gig we can get, and as much as possible, as often as possible.  And yes, you've got to play the small stages to get to the big stages.  That is where it starts, in the bars and the clubs.  This is also what makes the songs evolve, and tightens up the band and the songs.  And the music scene is thriving right now in El Paso; there are many places to play, and more El Paso bands are beginning to make it out of here.  We need to be one of them, so let's get this party started!

In the coming months, while playing every gig we can get, we will continue reaching out to record labels in hopes of getting record company support.  Believe me, this is no easy task, because music is so competitive, with so many bands, and the record companies get more submissions than they can even look at, much less listen to and consider signing.  Plus, they can only sign so many acts, based on their company's resourses.

But nothing happens by accident, and you must put yourself in the right place, at the right time, with the right product (your music,) and be willing to make the many sacrifices it takes to actually have a chance in this highly competitive business.  Well, I'm up for it, so let's see what we can make it happen.  No one owes me, and I don't expect to be given anything; I must earn everything I get. 

The good thing is  that I have an extremely strong work ethic, and the determination and drive to make many good things possible.  I can work around the clock when necessary, without the aid of drugs or stimulants of any kind.  God gave me that.  So I work and work and work, hurdle every obstacle in my path or blast it out of my way.  I will not bow, I will not bend, I will not waiver, I will not break, and I will certainly not give up.  Some things are just meant to be, and I strongly believe in my path and my mission.  It's only rock and roll, and I fu*king love it. 

So, no one has every given me anything in life; I've had to go out and get it for myself. I don't expect it to be any differently this time,except the ending.  I've made it and lost it all, started over again, and made it and lost it again, and again. and again.  It all has to do with the paths I've taken, and the choices I have made, both good and bad, but everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that, and I keep coming back, rising from the ashes, and I'm a much stronger and wiser person because of all the blessings and tragedies that have come my way. 

So here we go again; only time will tell how far I will go, but you can bet your ass, although I still have a huge number of hurdles to clear, that we're going somewhere!  God only knows where or how far.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Just got recording equipment set up in The Dungeon.  Dungeon Demo Studios open for business (for private use.)  I have another albums worth of original songs to demo, but we probably wont go into a real studio til late 2013 (unless we get signed.)  But we'll demo them and play them live. ;)

Should be announcing the final line-up, hopefully tomorrow.  Looks like we're probably going with the power trio format, with me on bass.  Well, that is my forte.  Bass has been my main instrument for over two decades, and it's just naturally easy for me to play; I would almost say effortless.

Wrote two new songs, music and lyrics, last night in less that 90 minutes, and they may be my best songs ever. Creative juices are flowing "like a mother*ucker!"

Off to the Dungeon to work on original music.  That is definately the focus.  We had been planning to do covers, so that we could play all night and make more money per gig, but everybody knows you can't make much money playing covers. 

We've basically decided to go with opening acts, even if we have to share our pay.  It brings more customers in to the venues, so they can make more money, and we can go after the real money with the original music, eventually.  And yeah, it's always a really long shot in the music business, and the entertainment industry in general, because it's the most competitive business in the world; and why wouldn't it be, because the money and the perks are so great for those that actually make it. 

I would suspect that the percentage of bands who reach commercial success is less than one percent, but we've paid a lot of dues, and learned plenty over the years of playing clubs and small festivals.  And I believe the music holds up. 

To me it's all about the songs.  It doesn't matter how good of players you are, if the songs are not that great, you don't have much of a chance of going anywhere.  But if the songs are good, and you build a following, and market it well, you do have a chance, and yes, I believe we do have a legitimate shot.  But like in any other line of work, true success only comes with hard work, and that is another of my fortes.

If I were an athlete, I would be past my prime already, but in music, players get much better with age, if they work at it.  Anyway, going for it, "like a mother*ucker!"

Thanks for checking in and keep coming back.  I have much more to say, and you can join me on my musical journey, by following me here.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Great rehearsals last night, and daytime rehearsal today with drummer Rick Talavera. We now have backups on guitar, bass and drums, more new originals, and some new covers. Whatever it takes to get the deliver the goods, do the job right, and make a loud-ass rock and roll statement.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

 

Yeah, it was fun at Speaking Rock Casino.  My good friends in the band Abnik rocked the house.  I helped em out a little bit, and it was fun feeling the stage rumble again.  I haven't felt that in a while, but I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling that a lot in the very near future. 

It's about time to start going after gigs; we want to fill the calander, and play everywhere we can, and as often as possible, for as many people as possible.  The vehicle is finally in motion.  Time to build and maintain some momentum!

The November 2 gig at the King's-X will be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances.  I'll let you know when we get confirmation on the new date, which should be very soon.

Friday December 14 at Tanya's Gridiron on Dyer St. is the only confirmed gig on the calander right now, but that should change this week and next.  I'll keep you posted, as we book the dates.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Off to The Dungeon for a mini rehearsal with drummer Rick, and then off to Speaking Rock Casino to Guitar Tech for my brother Tony from Abnik. Show up at the casino; this is gonna ROCK!

Hey everybody, listen to my music and interview on KLAQ'S Q-Connected show tonight at 10 pm MDT (Mountain Daylight Time,) on El Paso's 95.5 FM Radio, or stream it live at www.klaq.com. Tune in. I think you will find the interview entertaining and informative.

Tomorrow night (Monday Oct 29,) my friends ABNIK will be playing at Speaking Rock Casino.

I'll be there to help my brother Tony. I'll be his guitar tech for the night. It should be a lot of fun! Join us to give Jeremy a great send off. It will be his last night fronting the band. Abnik ROCKS "like a mother*ucker!)

The long post will have to wait til tomorrow. I'm gonna kick back and wait for the interview on KLAQ.

JOIN US TOMORROW AT SPEAKING ROCK, AND SUPPORT THIS GREAT EL PASO BAND, ABNIK!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Rehearsed last night with a different Rick on drums til about 10pm, then played guitar til 5am, then up at 9am, thanks to my friend Tony from Abnik for waking my ass up, lol! Well, that's ok, had to get up anyway. Aint no rest for the wicked, ya know? Into the shower, then off to work, where I can jam LOUD AS FUCK, and maybe even sneak in a catnap. Rough life, huh, lol!

Long post coming later today about the first King's-X gig last friday, the interview, and much more. Check back tonight or tomorrow.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well, jam night last night was different, but that's rock and roll.

Today, interview with KLAQ, 95.5 FM El Paso Radio, (streaming live on klaq.com,) to be aired Sunday night between 9pm & midnight, MDT, then band rehearsal, and then maybe a little rest. Ok, cancell the rest part. "Aint no rest for the wicked; money don't grow on trees." HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Last night long solo rehearsal, after good rehearsal with new bassist. I think this guy's gonna work, but learning to take NOTHING for granted. Tonight Open Mic at King's-X.

Tomorrow, interview at KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio, (to air Sunday night on Q-Connected,) and then hopefully Hell Yeah at the House of Rock tomorrow night.

Hopefully will have auditioned all the potential drummers, and selected one by the end of the weekend, and hopefully the right line-up falls in place this time!

It's only rock and roll and I love it. Hell yeah!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Gear is again all set up and ready to go, and it's time to get back to work. "Ain't no rest for the wicked, and money don't grow on trees. Got bills to pay got mouths to feed ain't nothing in the world for free. You know I can't slow down, I can't hold back, well you know I wish I could. Cause there aint no rest for the wicked, til we close our eyes for good." (Cage the Elephant.)

It took a while to set and cable everything up, but it's done. That's always more work than the gig: tearing down the equipment, sorting and rolling up the cables, loading up and transporting the gear to the gig, unloading, setting up and cabling the gear, only to have to tear down, roll & sort cables, load it all up, transport it back, unload and set it all up again at the rehearsal space, and re-cable it all. Whew! That made me tired all over again!

I really have a whole lot to say right now, but it will have to wait until tonight or tomorrow.

Remember that there are buttons at the top of this page that you can click on.

You can listen to my music on here, and even buy the CD or purchase individual songs for only 99 cents each. Just click on Buy Alexx's Songs. You will also get one FREE song download.

If you click on the Play Song Clips Button, you can here half the songs on the CD and read a short background on each song and the lyrics for each song. I will post the remaining songs as soon as I have the time.

There is also a Bio and quite a bit more stuff on here if you click the buttons. Feel free to explore the site. The site is still a work in progress, and I work on it when I have time. I still have a lot to add in content, so keep coming back and keep clicking your way around to see what's new.

Thanks for visiting; come back soon and see you at the gigs.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well, I haven't really had time to reflect on last night, so that long rant will come later, lol.

In spite of the last minute challenges that surfaced, and they were significant, it was fun. Thanks to all who showed up, to the King's-X, the Aikman's (venue owners,) and thanks to Victor of the band Outrage for helping me out. Great people at the King's-X, for sure, from the owners to the staff and to the clientele. I had a good time for sure!

Special thanks to all my friends who took the time, and drove across town to share the moment with me.

In a brief early morning reflection, I asked my self a few questions. Have I had better gigs? Yes. Was it a lot of work? Yes. Did I have fun? Yes. Do I have a lot of work to do today? Yes. Did I learn a couple of things and re-learn a few more? Yes. Was it a positive experience that I gained from? Abso*uckinglutely! In spite of the aforementioned last minute challenges, would I do the same if the circumstances repeated themselves? Abso*uckinglutely!

"So, let's tally: 4 yes's and two abso*fuckinglutelys. Not bad, lol!

The old entertainment adage "the show must go on," rang loud and clear last night, and it's onwards and upwards from here! Yes people, make no mistake, Alexx is back!

Now to pick up the PA speakers from the King's-X, and then set the sh*t back up in the Dungeon. That's always great fun, but I'm getting tired just thinking about it, lol! It's only rock and roll but I LOVE it ;)

The party's on tonight; King's-X, 4119 N. Mesa St., at 9pm. You are cordially invited. Please tell and bring your friends. Hope to see you there, Alexx

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Life is so funny; every thing is so funny.

So, let's see what brilliant earth moving ideas I can come up with...hold on, ....... ok, nevermind. So, it's 5:22 am. I've been going, yes, without a catnap, since like 6:06 yesterday. So, huge day for me, today. Am I excited? You better fuc*ing believe it.

Ok, so, just got home from The Dungeon. No sleep yet, but I'll sneak in a little. Really, it doesn't matter. Adrenaline is already flowing, "like a motherfucker!."

So, in this mild state of mild delerium, lol, I wiil reflect (O, o..., ). I just have no idea on which I will reflect on.

Oh, y day, no sleep, got home safely, police helicopter fliying above along the way, np, feeling happy, confident, and ready. And yes, I will sneak in a few (or least a couple,) of hours sleep before the gig, and if the Aikman's only knew, lol. But actually, I think they've figured out what's up, and have chosen to go with it,suppose, lol. Anyway,

So, in like 30 minutes, Mr. Mom duty begins; "aint no rest for the wicked." Take em to school, sneak in a nap, (hope to keep it to like 2-2 1/2 hrs & hopfully I hear alarm,) get up, take a shower, decide whether I'm going to try andt rent sound at last minute or rent a truck and take PA, get my gear ready to go, deal with drummer Rick's stress, lol, see what's up with bassisst Ernie, eat, maybe, pause to think, get equipment ready to load. Ok, deal with musicians, who's driving, what time should we leave.

Yeah, and some musicians may laugh at this, but those have no where near the complicated life I live (most of them still live with their parents, no shit, lol.) So judge me rockstars, lol!

K, gotta get the shit to the gig early. This is no game; we're being paid to provide a service. I intend to deliver on my end of the deal.

Ok, lyrics, do I use a music stand so I don't forget (which I think is lame,) did I forget anything???

Now, change battaries to everything which requires a battary, make sure I have all the cables I need, breathe for a second. Thank God for adrenaline, (and everything else,) thank the doubters, with out whom I could fail.

Fnished selecting the guitar line-up for the gig. I'm excited about that and will post a pic of the bad boys, (and girl.) Each one has a purpose, for which it was carefully selected, and each one will serve it's purpose well. And make no mistake, yes, they are all bad motherfu*kers!

So, hearing an alarm clock, I suppose I'll sign off. Please show up for the gig. I promise not to dissappoint.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

It's on now! Tomorrow, (technically today since it's after 1am,) it's sink or swim time. Curve balls keep coming at me from left and right, but fortunately, it's not my 1st rodeo. I've done a ton of rodeos! So I continue to knock the curve balls away, and I'm 150 % confident.

If I was a gambling man, (and I am,) I'd definately bet the farm on myself, and actually, I've been doing that for decades. What my supporters may know, but my doubters don't, is that I have my speedo under my boxers, lol, and when that sink or swim moment arrives, I'm gonna swim, "like a motherfu*ker!"

Hope you're there to enjoy it with me!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

It's gonna be a great weekend for Alexx music!

They'll be featuring music from my CD on KLAQ Radio's Q- Connected Show this Sunday night between 10 pm and midnight, MDT, (Mountain Standard Time,) for the 12th consecutive week now. Tune in to 95.5 fm or stream it live at klaq.com.

We'll play the whole CD live plus a bunch of great classic rock tunes at the King's-X, Fri Oct 19, 9pm (tomorrow.) Please show up for the party! There should also be some very special guests performing with us.

It should be a lot of fun. Please show up to share this event with us.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Good Wednesday morning amigos!  Got almost 3 hours sleep, but I feel ok.  Hopefully I'll sneak in that catnap this morning.  Last day for band rehearsals. It's gonna be a marathon, and no one is going home early.  Time to step into drill sargent mode for the final rehearsal.  It may be a little tough for the new bass player Ernie, but he knew what he was getting into.  We definately need him to step up through Friday.  Last night worked on solos from the originals, as I continue to remember/relearn what I did in the studio.  It'll all be fine.  The biggest challenge at this point is probably finishing memorization of lyrics and the music for about 6 or 7 new covers.  Today is about resolving a few equipment issues, planning the logistics for Friday, solo rehearsal, band rehearsal, oh yeah, and work, plus all the things I'm not remembering right now.  Ain't no rest for the wicked, but my confidence is up and I know the gig will go well.  Then, some well deserved R&R this weekend.  Everybody please show up to the King's-X, 4119 N. Mesa St. at 9pm on Friday. I promise not to disappoint; I have worked  way to hard for that to happen, I assure you ;)  Have an awesome day, Alexx  :)

So you support the neighbors, go to all their events, and spend big money to buy the best tickets every time, and then you ask them to show up for your event, and they're like.... "I don't know, were busy, but we'll  try." Hmmmmmm.........

Alexx's message to the politicians running our unfortunately lagging, but otherwise wonderful country: "Think about this politicians, particularly you Republicans: Education pays and is a no-brainer, you dumbasses. Why do you think the rest of the world is getting ahead of the United States? Think about it and act on it, you hypocritical self serving bastards!" ;)

"WE SUPPORT EDUCATION; OUR REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD DO THE SAME OR GET OUT OF THE GAME!"

The problem seems to be that our "representives" are far more concerned with representing their own intrests, rather than the interests of their constituents.

Sad but true, Alexx

"Trivia time: Which drug (yes, alcohol is a drug too,) causes severe damage to internal organs, permanent damage to brain cells, millions of violent acts and accidents, destruction of marriages and families, domestic violence, loss of employment, and physical addiction, marijuana or alcohol? (Not to mention loss of countless virginities, lol!)

Prohibition on marijuana is rediculous, when alcohol is legal. The reason it exists is obvious: Beer, wine and liquor companies have huge money, which translates to big influence in government, because we all know politicians love money!" (Question posed by Alexx aka Alexx D, who strongly supports the abolition of the prohibition on marijuana.)

Well it's past midnight and I'm tired as a motherfu*ker. I've been going for 18 hours so far. Rick's been telling me for weeks I need to get some rest, to which I say, "there aint no rest for the wicked". I will not let the people down. Back to the grind for another hour or two and then some well deserved and needed rest. We've been through like five or six line-up changes in the past two months, but the shows WILL go on, and we WILL deliver the goods. I just hope all my friends are there to see it. ;)

So, some people will "like" your Facebook Artist Page, and then unlike it, and then they like it again, wtf? And if someone won't take 60 seconds to "like" your artist page, when your working your fu*king ass off to try and make something happen, against all odds, are they really your friend? I don't know, you answer that??????

So why are likes important on a Facebook Artist Page? Well I don't even know really, only that every artist on there wants people to like their page. Well, I've had an artist page for a few months and have a whopping 35 "Likes." It was 36 earlier but go figure??? I really don't know if I should care, and actually I am too tired to give two shits.

Anyway, if anyone want's to show a little support, it should take about 60 seconds to click the link, log into Facebook and click like. The funniest thing is it seems like someone is asking you to loan you their car or their girlfriend to expect them to actually do that. Amazing!

Anyway; here's a link. I'm getting a shitload of hits on this page, but I'll be surprised if one or two people make the huge investment of time to make me smile. Well, let's experiment: www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Anyway, back to the grind.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, SHOW UP TO MY GIGS, AND "Like" my fu*king Facebook Artist Page, lmfdao! "laughing my fu*king delerious ass off!"

Good rehearsal with drummer Rick yesterday. Played whole "naked" set (just me, a guitar and mic,) and it worked well. Rehearsal with band today, run through naked set again, work on solos and cover songs, re-string the guitars, program my foot controller, check on merch order, and that's about it. Ready to rock ;

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND SHOW UP FOR THE BIG PARTY AT THE KING'S-X, 4119 N.MESA ST., FRI OCT 19, 9 PM. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!

The light's on; the last round; the dark horse keeps on fighting; I'm gonna make a comeback, I'm gonna dig 6 feet up tonight..." Quote from one of my fav new songs, Comeback by Redlight King. It hits really close to home, and sums up how I feel right now. And to the doubters, detractors, and the few envious haters, thanks for the motivation, and show up to see if I sink or swim on Friday, but rest assured, I plan on swimming "like a mother*ucker ;)

So the plan continues to evolve, but for the most part is set. I've decided to do the whole first set "naked," and many of you know by now, that to me, playing "naked" means just me alone, with a guitar and a microphone, and no band. This will be only the fourth time I have played "naked" in my life, and I plan to bare my heart and soul for everyone who honors me with their presence on this night, which is a big one for me.

We have worked extremely hard to prepare for this show, and will continue to work hard leading up to, and during the gig. We sincerely appreciate every single person who will attend the show, and share this moment with us, and when it's me, naked, in front of the crowd, I plan to deliver my best performance to date. They will get better, as I strive to always make every performance better that the last, but yes, this one is really important to us, and it should be a lot of fun for all in attendance.

So for the naked show, I will play my pink guitar, my $60 pawn shop, Squire Stratocaster, in honor of cancer awareness. It is a beautiful guitar, and, yes, that $60 guitar sounds and plays great! The old "it's not the bike, it's the rider," saying is an analogy I like to use when referring to cheap guitars. And yes, I had a large collection of expensive guitars in the past, but they are all gone now, and all I can currently afford are relatively cheap guitars, but I know how to pick em, and they work well.

I hope to do my part in support of finding a cure (as we all should,)of this viscious disease that has affected way too many people close to me, and millions more people whom I have yet to meet. And let it be known, that if asked, I will play, for free, as many benefits aiming to support finding the cure, as possible.

So it has been a very difficult time away, and a long hard road back, but yes, I am back.

I must thank my friend Glen Garza and KLAQ 95.5 FM El Paso Radio for playing my music, and to Ted and Leilani Aikman and the King's-X for the gigs. And yes, music is business, and I intend to do the best job possible for the Aikmans, and also for everyone in attendance; that much I promise.

So, we will be doing three one-hour sets, at the King's-X bar, this Friday, October 19, 9:00 pm, 4119 N. Mesa St., El Paso Texas. The first set will be the naked set. In the second set, we will play the entire Escaping the Dungeon CD, with the full band. For the third set, we will mix original Alexx songs with some selected cover tunes that we all know and love.

It should be a blast, so please show up to share this special occasion with us. We would love to see you all there.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND PLEASE SHOW UP TO OUR GIGS, PARTICULARLY THIS FRIDAY. WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THOSE WHO WILL SHOW UP.  IT WILL BE A PARTY; I CAN ASSURE YOU OF THAT!

See you there, Alexx

Great band rehearsal today! Tonight solo rehearsal, rehearsal with drummer Rick tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday last band rehearsals, and Friday it's showtime at King's-X, 9pm, 4119 N. Mesa St. Lot's of rehearsals, huh? Well, they're all for you so please show up. It's gonna be a party!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Early solo rehearsal at The Dungeon (after breakfast.) Then, afternoon rehearsal with the band, and maybe Dokken at Speaking Rock if we finish early enough, or Chalk the Block if we don't. There both free events, as is our concert at the King's-X, and you just can't beat free, ya know???

I just can't get enough rock and roll, can you tell??? But then, I'm also making up lost time :)

If you want to see an early demo video of Another Hit and Run, from The Dungeon, click this link: www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic. (You can also hear the CD version on this site if you click on the BUY ALEXX'S SONGS button at the top of this page, where you can also hear the rest of the songs on the CD.) What you waiting for??? CLICK THE LINK!

I owe you some long posts on some different topics.  I'll get to that tonight or tomorrow.  Thanks for visting my site!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND SUPPORT OUR BAND BY SHOWING UP AT OUR KING'S-X GIG ON FRI OCT 19, 9:OO PM. IT'S GONNA BE A FU*KING PARTY; I PROMISE THAT, Alexx

Nice practice with the new, new, line-up. It finally feels really right, like a nice happy musical family. Now I'm REALLY fu*kin excited about next Friday Oct 19 @ King's-X. I'm hoping no more line-up changing for a long fu*king time. I think this could be it ;)

THANKS TO MY BROTHER TONY CANALES FOR THE HOOK-UP!

It just keeps getting better.  My bass brother Tony Canales comes thru for me with a big favor.  Ya just gotta love the guy.  Rehearsal tonight; looking forward to it.  Still got some work to do to do this thing right, but that's what I live for.  It's only rock and roll but I love it ;)

Yeah, this site is getting tons of hits now, and they're increasing daily. Thanks to all of you for visiting and supporting my site and my music. The cd is selling well for an independent release, both locally and globally, and that can only get better because we're barely getting this party started!

We especially appreciate those who have purchased cd, songs and other Alexx merchandise. It helps pay the bills and keeps the music flowing.

I'm still writing new songs, presumably for the follow-up cd, but we'll be out supporting this one for a while first. We will be playing the new songs live though, at our shows.

Don't forget about Oct 19, 9 pm, at the King's-X, 4119 N. Mesa. It will be a special show, and I would love all of you who are in the El Paso area to share it with us. Performing live is all about performing for those who come to see your shows, and making them glad that they showed up.

We promise to do everything in our power to give you the best show possible, and yes we do appreciate those who show up! Reegardless of the number of attendees, however, we promise to throw down to the best of our ability, and we hope YOU are there!

6 days of rehearsals left. We're gonna make the most of them so we can deliver for the Aikman's, their venue, the King's-X, and for those of you who show up in support.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well it's been a really long but very productive 24+ hours, probably cause I'm still up.

I haven't slept but got so much done yesterday! Business was good, did some solo rehearsal, had a good long rehearsal with the drummer Rick, wrote a new song, both music and lyrics, polished up 4 new cover tunes, and learned a new one.

Lots of work to be done today; like the Cage the Elephant song says, "aint no rest for the wicked and money don't grow on trees." Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a cat nap sometime today, but I have a whole lot of business to take care of today and band rehearsal tonight. I guess I must be running on adrenaline, cause still I'm feeling very happy and excited (or delirious, lol!) Hope that damn truck doesn't hit me now;)

So, let's see if I'm not to tired to look back at yesterday.

Well from the way it looks, this site may get more hits this month than it has in all previous months put together since I launched the site in June, after the CD was recorded, and was in production. Even though I got a very respectable number of hits during the months of June through September, this month is really starting off with a bang! Things are just snowballing, mostly because of all of you. For that I thank you, and I will continue do my best to keep you informed, and hopefully somewhat amused or entertained. I try. For whatever reason or reasons, it looks like the site will get more hits than all the previous months combined. I hope so!

So, the cover song I learned was "Mr. Jones" by the Counting Crows, which is a song that brings back many great memories, so, I guess it would be fitting to take a little journey into the past.

Actually, I didn't really learn the song, I learned the guitar part, because I used to play it with my old band the Shovelheads. I never played it on guitar though, and thus never learned the guitar part. I used to play it on bass and do the vocal. My "Whitest Brother" Bobby Rodriguez played the guitar, and since we went threw several line-up changes on drums, we used to play it with several different drummers.

The first time we performed Mr. Jones was at Saso's Lounge, which was the rock and roll club in El Paso and surrounding areas at the time. People would sometimes travel literally hunderds of miles to see shows and party at the legendary Northeast El Paso venue. I personally used to love going to Saso's to watch shows, and used to love playing the venue even more.

So, as I've mentioned before, although it was an extremely cool venue for many reason's, Saso's was a brutal gig. The gig was Monday thru Sunday, which at that point in our musical career, meant seven days of extremely hard partying and plenty of sinning. The sound system was a slamming concert set-up, and the sound man Dave knew the system like the back of his hand, and always made us sound great.

The other cool thing about Saso's, was that it would get really packed, with a ton of hot chicks, all dressed to kill, groupie style. It was great, and no El Paso club of today could even come close to the atmosphere of that historic place. Compared to El Paso's rock clubs today, I would actually call it amazing, and would love to play a local club like that again, if one only existed. Great memories!

So the memories I have of that first night, playing Mr. Jones at Saso's, our first gig as the Shovelheads, are numerous. First of all, my current drummer, Rick Talavera, was our drummer that night, giving him the distinction of being the original Shovelhead drummer.

Another memory of that night was having my friend Glen Garza introduce us. I remember being on stage getting ready to play, and looking over and seeing a long haired stranger on the stage. I asked Rick who the fu*k he was. Rick replied that it was Glen Garza of KLAQ 95.5 FM Radio, and I remember thinking I have never heard of him, but said "cool!" I later found out from Glen, that that was actually his first time on stage in front of a large crowd, having just started working as a DJ at KLAQ. That's kind of extra special to me, because Glen's the one who started, and continues to play my music on "the Q." He's just a super nice guy who has been very supportive since the release of Escaping the Dungeon.

Another great memory of that night, was that of sharing the stage with my great friend Tony, the "Tone Monster" Canales. Tony played the bass, so I just grabbed my mic and did the front man singer thing, while Bobby played guitar and Rick played drums; it was extremely cool, and I really enjoyed that night.

We also had the distinction, that night of opening for Dangerous Toys, who had a big hit in the song "Scared," which was played on radio stations coast to coast, and I would assume, probably around the world.

After the gig, the owner of the club Fuji, told us we "blew Dangerous Toys off the stage." That was not our intention, or even a thought we entertained, but we couldn't help but feel good about ourselves as musicians because of that comment, because Dangerous Toys was a major label act that had been together for years, and we didn't have even one rehearsal together as a band! We basically threw our set together and just winged it.

So, today, being the optimist I am, I'm seeing an opportunity for history to find away to repeat itself in some ways, due to many common threads still present today. This may be a fantasy, or a bit unrealistic, but I see the possibility of playing the song again at the King's-X on October 19, with our friend Tony Canales on bass, Rick on drums, and with a small miracle, even having Bobby on guitar, and me just singing, like that night at Saso's. That would definitely be Deja Vu. While I'm being optomistic, (or fantasizing,) I may as well include the remote possibility of Glen Garza introducing us again. That would be sort of coming full circle for us all in a sense.

Admittedly, the last two parts of the scenerio are not that likely to happen, because I haven't seen or spoken to Bobby in years, and Glen informed me that he probably won't be able to make the show. But, stranger things have happened, and there is a very real possibility that Tony Canales could step up and play the song with us again after all these years. That would be really cool, because he is a great friend, and a part of my musical history.

Tony has told me that he will be there, but he has been battling some serious health issues, and may or may not feel well enough to play. Knowing how much Tony love to play though, if he feels up to it, I'm pretty sure he will join us on stage.

Tony is the one person who has an open and permanent invitiation to play with us any time, anywhere, and any stage. Afterall, he's the one person who gave me the same courtesy for all the years I was underground, and pretty much inactive in the local music scene. I will never forget that, ever, and am very grateful to him for his kindness, respect and genterosity. He is truly a special friend to me!

So, It's almost 9 am, and I've been up for about 27 hours. I guess I will take this short opportunity to sneak in a nap for an hour or so. I hope I wake up though, because I have a very busy day ahead.

So, Alexx out. I hope there's not too many grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors in this post, because I am feeling a bit tired suddenly. I'll go back and check it later and make any corrections, so that I don't sound any dumber than I really am, lol.

Check back later, cause I still have much more to talk about; I'm just too tired to remember what right now.

Have an awesome day, and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS! SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND SUPPORT OUR MUSIC BY SHOWING UP AT THE KING'S-X, 4119 N. MESA ST., OCTOBER 19, 9:OO PM. Hope to see you all there; we need to pack that house and would love you to share the occaison with us!

It's gonna be a big show on October 19th, King's-X, 4119 N. Mesa St., El Paso Texas, 79902. Please show up to share it with us. You are personally invited and we hope to see you there!

Alexx

Rehearsals, rehearsals, rehearsals, and more rehearsals. Then we do some more. That's what it takes to sound the way we need to sound. And when that sink or swim time arrives, we're gonna swim "like a motherfuc*er!" Yeah, you just gotta be there; trust me on this one ;)

The hits on this website are snowballing "like a motherfu*ker." Thanks for frequenting my site. I'll always try to keep you entertained and informed.

Rehearsals are going great, and the music keeps sounding better and better. That's what a thousand rehearsals and a million hours of practice does ;)

Off to The Dungeon now for business/rehearsal ( I work on music in between customers.) If anyone needs carpet, tile, wood or laminate floors, you're welcome to stop by The Dungeon, aka Flooring by Alex and Alex, 9861 Dyer St., Suite 18, El Paso Texas, 79924. We sell and install all types of floors, do kick ass work, and save you a bunch of money, while making a little money for ourselves. You're business helps make the music possible. We all gotta eat!

We also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau; we take good care of our customers, and they take good care of us. That's actually a great way to support your local music scene if you're in El Paso, because musicians have bills and expenses too!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND SHOW UP AT THE KING'S-X, 4119 N. MESA ST. ON OCT 19TH. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT AN EVENT YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS. THAT MUCH, I PROMISE YOU, AND I ALSO PROMISE THAT WE WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR SHOWING UP TO SHARE THIS MOMENT WITH US. IT WILL BE SPECIAL; I ALSO PROMISE THAT!

Promises, promises, lol, but I promise to keep them ;)

Thanks,

Alexx

Well actually, the grind never stopped. Yeah, it rarely does. Ain't no rest for the wicked, you know?

Good things continue to happen. Rehearsals were great last week & looking forward to more this week. We've been accomplishing plenty, and that should be apparent on the 19th at the King's-X.

I'm really happy with the sound of the new line-up, and am starting to really enjoy being back on guitar again as my main instrument. It's really fun! I haven't even picked up the bass in a couple of weeks, and thanks to the guitar, I haven't even missed it. That feels really wierd, but everything happens for a reason!

Having fun learning the new covers & they're working out great. We're selecting some kick-ass classic tunes to cover and it's really cool, because I have loved these songs for many years. Wrote lyrics for a new song too. That's sort of backwards for me; I usually write music first. Now to come up with the music.......

I still have an endless supply of topics to talk about, but they'll have to wait. Some of the upcoming topics are how, when and why I got into guitar, and also I will discuss my musical heritage and also my views on genetics and music.

My grandfather, Miguel Angel Gallardo was a legend in Mexico, who wrote the State Song of Durango Mexico, the Corrido de Durango, and literally hundreds of other songs. I know, because they showed me them and his guitar in the museum in Durango. He was also honored with a larger than life statue of him in the capitol, Durango, Durango, Mexico. I got to visit Durango and the statue, and have a lot to say about that trip to Mexico. It was fu*king awesome!

Have an awesome week & don't forget about the King's-X on Fri Oct 19 and Nov 2 @ 9 pm. Hope to see you there. It's gonna be fun for sure! SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC AND SHOW UP! Let's pack the fu*king house.

Keep coming back; I'll keep blogging, "like a motherfu*ker!"

Thanks for visiting and for the support, Alexx

Well, it's a beautiful day today, or it sure feels like one. I woke up very happy this morning, and then got even happier if you know what I mean, wink wink. You might wanna grab a drink or something, cause I think we might be here a while, lol!

I fell asleep really early last night, listening to music, at like 10 pm. and woke up like 5 am. I din't even make it out to see Tony's band. Oh well, there will be more times to do that.

Well I am just too damn happy and I'm feeling way too good lately. Things have been going so well, so I'm sort of waiting for the truck to hit me, because it always seems to happen.

Well maybe my luck is changing finally. I don't know. We'll see, but for right now life is beautiful, although, not without its challenges.

I'm really excited to be playing music live again, for real audiences, not the imaginary ones at The Dungeon, lol! Actually, the whole neighborhood surrounding The Dungeon hears me play every day, and I don't think that's a bad thing at all. Everybody definately knows I'm there and they all hear me play my sh*t loud as fu*k, literally every fu*king day, and nobody complains, not at least to me, lol!

Actually, one did once, but he was a grouchy old fu*k who was patronizing the business next door when I was playing pretty loud with the front door wide open. And I knew the old fu*k, because he owns a business behind The Dungeon, and had contracted me to do some work, for which wouldn't pay me after we completed the work. He's one of these guys who has gotten wealthy literally by fu*king people.

I was near my open front door, and the old fu*k walked up to my door and proceeded to tell me not to be "making all that noise," so I proceeded to tell him, to his face, very directly and loudly, to go fu*k himself. He shut his fu*king mouth and walked off. The funny part was that I had been playing guitar and singing with a headset microphone on, so I told him REALLY LOUDLY, because the PA was turned up pretty loud, lol! He later reported the "incident" to my landloard but idgaf! That old theif is gonna tell ME what to do in MY place? I don't think so.

Anyway, enough about such a negative topic, and back to the good stuff. So, yeah, thing are going really well, business has been pretty good, my music is being played on the radio every week, gigs are booked with many more to come, so yes I'm feeling way too damn good.

I can honestly say that I have sacrificed many things, including business and working hours to make this music happenen. If not for music, I could be much more sucessful in the flooring buisness, and make a lot more money, but I would be miserable to have left one of my greatest dreams, one of my greatest loves, and one of the things I have worked so hard for, my entire life behind. I couldn't live myself knowing that I had let my dreams die and settled.

So, I am who I am, and am very comfortable in my own skin. I am greatful to be in a position, where I can spend the time I need to, working on my music. And the dream is still alive; I can see it clearly, unfolding before me, and I feel like I can almost touch it.

Realistically, and I am a dreamer, but also a realist, is that music is the most highly competitive business in the world, and why wouldn't it be? I mean look at the perks and the lifestyle, and the money is icing on the cake for someone doing something they love.

And yes, negative people have told me throughout my life to give it up; that I can never make it in the music business. But in these same people, I clearly see the jealousy of the fact that I can do what I do, and the fact that I have usually been quite successful in the things that I set my mind to and put my heart and soul into. The way I see it, I should be grateful for these doubters, because they have been a great source of motivation. When someone tells me a can't do something, I usually tell them watch this...... So to all the doubters, both thank you and fu*k you, and I mean both of those things quite sincerely.

As for my luck changing, I hope it is real. I hope a truck is not going to hit me, but history tells me to be ready. Only time will tell, I suppose, but if I were to give up music, I would have done that along time ago as so many have. Not me; I am one stubborn and determined motherfu*ker! And yes, I have paid more than my share of hard dues, and have been through the fire and the flames, and I have risen from the ashes, time and time again.

Anyone who knows me well, and has known me for a long time, can also verify that. I have been riding high and then had the rug pulled out from me and been flat on my face, several times. I've been from having like five or six badass vehicles, and I mean really badass cars, trucks, and motorcycles, all paid for in cash, a nice house, large wads of cash in my pocket every day, and wearing out wallets every few months because they were overstuffed with cash all the time, to living in a small apartment with no electricity, no water, no gas, no money, and walking because I had no car.

But yeah, I am a stubborn, hard working and determined motherfu*ker who refuses to give up, and always comes back. I just don't want fall again. I feel like I'm finally realatively close to something really good. We'll see..................................

So, I could keep going and going, but I don't want this post to be too long, so I will stop here and move on to daily blog post number two sometime later today. I do have a lot more to say!

For those of you leaving, please check back later or tomorrow, and please go to klaq.com to request Alexx, "Another Hit and Run." If they play it today, it well be the 9th consecutive week, and I would love to see it going, or maybe even a different song. People are really liking "Communication Deficit Disorder," which coincidently happens to be available for FREE DOWNLOADING right on this site. Just click on "BUY ALEXX'S SONGS" at the top of the page and you will find it. I'm thinking that would be a good song to play next, but that decision will be made by Glen Garza of KLAQ 95.5 FM, El Paso at some point.

I am asuming they will probably play me again today, but I'm not sure because I haven't heard my name mentioned on the radio this week. Your requesting my music can only help though, and could make the difference. Please take a minute to make the request at klaq.com.

Have a very beautiful Sunday, and PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

We had two good rehearsals today and this evening. One with drummer Rick and myself, guitar vocals and drums, one on one, and one rehearsal with the band.

We picked up a new cover tune and we ran through the whole cd 3 times altogether, and played a few covers. We even learned a new cover and it sounds good.

Back to The Dungeon for me shortly, to put in a marathon solo practice. I'll probably work on the solos and spend some time on the new covers. Who knows I might decide to learn another new one too.

The solos sounded good at rehearsal. I was able to focus on them a little more, because Walter was doing well on the bass lines, so I could focus on soloing, and just playing guitar, (and singing.) The guys really liked the soloing and it was fun just cutting loose a bit. This sh*t is definitely gonna work. Great day overall!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great night!

DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FRIDAY OCT 19, 9 PM, KING'S-X, 4119 N. MESA ST. SHOW UP. THE SUPPORT REALLY HELPS AND IS APPRECIATED, AND WE ARE GOING TO THROW DOWN HARD; YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

Well time flies. Just got back from the Sate Line Resteraunt; the best BBQ in the El Paso area. Listening to Volbeat's Still Counting on KLAQ; my favorite new song on my favorite radio station.

Getting ready to head to The Dungeon for a full band rehearsal with the new line up, my brother Rick on drums and Walter on bass. Walter picked up the bass lines on the whole cd quick. Tonight should be fun!

After rehearsal, off to Handlebars to see my friend Tony Muela's band Suicide Romance.

Yeah, we'll probably make a quick Open Mic appearance at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's tomorrow around 8 pm. Might as well, while we still have Sundays open ;)

Thank for visiting, and sorry, but my long post will have to wait til tomorrow cause gotta go. I'll do it tomorrow for sure though!

Have a great night and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! DON'T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 19, 9:00 PM, KING'S-X, 4119 N. Mesa St. Be there! It's gonna be more than a show, we're gonna make it an event, so don't miss it!

Lmfao, I knew that would get your attention! Got no time for my long ass post til this afternoon. Check back after 6 pm. I promise to make you laugh a bit (unless you have no fu*king sense of humor at all.)

Anyway, I'll have some updates later. Things looking great, I'm feeling great; getting really fu*king excited. It's been a long time since I rock and rolled.

Thanks for stopping by; more insight to my madness after 6. Have an awesome saturday! :)))

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE BY PACKING THE KING'S X ON OCTOBER 19. YOU DON'T WANNA MISS IT. WILL I SINK OR WILL I SOAR??? I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT ;

Hey, well my visitors, first of all, thanks for checking in. I have a lot to talk about, but off to rehearsal. Ain't no rest for the wicked, you know?

Anyway, I promise a long entry tomorrow with some updates and another trip into my past. I think I'll talk about how and why I got into music with many amusing anecdotes, and a bunch of other stuff. Please check back tomorrow afternoon or evening, and check out my ALEXX SHOWS/EVENTS TABS.

Also, don't forget to visit my Music Store on my Facebook Artist Page, and please click "Like" while you're there. Remember, you can LISTEN TO ALL THE SONGS OFF MY "Escaping the Dungeon CD FOR FREE, get ONE FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, and PURCHASE SONGS FOR ONLY 99 CENTS EACH. The address is: https://www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic/app_155326481208883.

EVERYBODY CAN AFFORD 99 CENTS! PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Ok, another shitty day in paradise.

So, Another Shitty Day in Paradise, hmmm that sounds familiar. Oh yeah, that's the song title of the first song on my Escaping the Dungeon CD, lol! Actually, El Paso is far from being paradise, but it is one of my home towns, the other being split between Los Angeles and La Habra California.

So, I'll talk today about the history of the song Another Shitty Day in paradise in a little bit, but first, I must say that, yeah, I'm a California boy, and a big part of my heart remains there, and it's constantly telling me to come back to CA for good. Unfortunately, that's won't happen until I make a shitload of money, because it's pretty expensive to live there if you don't want to live in a ghetto or a dive.

I do have great memories of growing up, mostly in La Habra, California, which is in Orange County. La Habra was a great place for a kid to grow up, especially a boy. I still remember the address of the house I grew up in, 121 W. Monwood, La Habra, CA. I don't remember the zip code, but it wasn't exactly 90210. It was a nice neighborhood though, and we lived in a new house that my dad purchased. He's retired now, but he was a school teacher and a speech therapist at the time, and remained a life-long educator throughout his career. He was the cool kind of teacher, the kind all the students loved.

So, La Habra was a really cool place when I was a kid. It's is now completely developed, but back then there were undeveloped hills on two sides of my neighborhood, and there was some sort of ranch with cattle on it on one side. We used to love to go play in the hills, riding our bicycles and mini-bikes, shooting at birds, rabbits and even cows with our bee bee guns, lol! We'd also do stuff like catch lizards, snakes and field mice and slide down the hills on cardboard and stuff like that.

I still remember one time finding a discarded tire at the top of the hill, which happend to be adjacent to Euclid St., which was a main street that passed through La Habra and throuh quite a few cities. So me, being me, got the brilliant idea of rolling the tire down Euclid Street into traffic. I remember laughing my ass off watching the tire roll down the steep hill and over cars. It was hilarious until a car stopped on the side of the street and the driver hauled ass running after me, and actually caught me. I was by myself and he was an adult, and he was really pissed. He dragged me to his car and drove me to my house to tell my parents, but they weren't home, so he told me I better tell them because he was going to come back to talk to them. I told my parents, but he never came back. My parents were pissed at me though, lol!

We used love it when it would rain too, because we could go to a huge field adjacent to our school and play tackle football on the rain soaked grass. For young boys, that was great fun!

I still see some of my dad's former students, who often ask about him, and often tell me how great of of teacher he was, and how much he helped them. He would go way beyond the call of duty to make a positive impact on his students, and to guide them over their hurdles and obstacles.

On the subject of my dad, I also have to say he is truly a great man and a great role model. I always strive to be like him, but I could never be like him, not even close. I was always the wild child, and I mean really wild. I was aways bored in school and always in trouble; being expelled from Irvin High School 3 years in a row, always suspended from school, encounters with the law, etc. In spite of all that, my dad always told me that no matter how wrong I was, he was alway on my side, and he meant it and alway backed me up. He never let me down, ever! For all this I could never repay him, but I'll do anything for him now.

I finally grew up, straightened out my life for the most part, finished my education, receiving my Bachelor's of Multi-Disciplinary Studies, with Concentrations in Marketing, Management and Music from the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP,) in May of 2010. There was a time when I thought I would never finish because of my busy life, but I did it. I have to credit both of my parents for the desire and drive to achieve that goal.

I've been through everything and done everything, and am actually very lucky to have survived my youth and my younger adulthood. But everything happens for a reason, and I'm still here, so there must be a reason I survived all the totaled vehicles, fights, experimentation with every illicit substance on earth, encounters with agressive law enforcement officers, etc. Many of my wild friends who I grew up with were not so lucky, and are no longer with us.

I love the song 100 in a 55 by Pop Evil because it really hit's home. I've been going 100 in a 55 my whole live, both literally and figuratively. Anyone who has know me well for a long time would be able to verify that. But, like the song lyric, "I still beleive in rock and roll and pray the music's gonna save my soul." Yes, I still believe, even though music is the most highly competitive business in the world, because it is in my heart and in my soul, and everytime I play, people like it.

So, the long night in The Dungeon last night was productive. I learned the song Thank You by Led Zepplin for the covers set. It still needs a little work, but it's a great song and should be polished up way before Oct 19. I'm not sure if I will play it naked, unplugged or with the band, but more than likely, I will play it. Today I'll learn a 3 Doors Down song, probably Kriptonite, work on solos and then band rehearsals tonight. It's only rock and roll, but I like it!

Well I guess I'll shut up for now and get my ass to work. "There aint now rest for the wicked, and money don't grow on trees."

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND SUPPORT US BY BUYING THE CD AND THE MERCH, AND IF YOU'RE NEAR EL PASO, BY SHOWING UP AT THE KING'S X, 4119 N. MESA ST. ON OCT 19 AND NOV 2. THANKS, Alexx

Back to the Dungeon for a late night rehearsal. Got new cover down last night, unplugged version of Foo Fighters "Times Like These." Great song, and the cover came out great! Gonna play that one naked too. Tonight maybe Led Zepplin, Thank You. We'll see.........

Things are really looking up and great things keep happening. I really can't say too much right now, other than we're gonna have some really cool surprises at the King's X show on Friday, Oct 19, and that were busting our asses; I plan on throwing down my best performance ever, to date. I need everyone's support though; we need to pack the house! I promise you will not be dissappointed ;) SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Rehearsal tonight was pretty good, especially since I was pretty tired. I've been busting my ass, but that's what it takes. I have to deliver at every gig, and the switch to guitar has created a lot more work for me, because I was all rehearsed and ready to play bass at the live shows. The end result will be good though, and I have no problem with doing the work to get everything right. I definitely love to play the guitar, and it is also my songwriting vehicle. I believe everything happens for a reason, even though the reason may not alway be clear. I just have to go with it.

We got to hear "We Better Open Our Eyes" on KLAQ Radio again at rehearsal. That's always cool, and I don't think it will ever get old for me.

Well it's 1:30 am. I'm tired as hell and going to bed early for a change.

Thanks for visting. I have a lot more to talk about, but I'm too exhausted to even remember what it was all about. I'll probably have a very long blog entry tomorrow.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Good Monday morning friends!

It looks like it's gonna be a very busy week, between work, home and rehearsals.

I've begun rehearsing an acoustic/unplugged set to open the night with at the King's X on Oct 19. I pretty much have a tenative plan for the show, although it may change slightly as the gig approaches.

I plan to start the night playing naked, but for the first song only. Those of you who have kept up with me know that by naked, I mean just me, my guitar and a microphone, with no band backing me up. Sorry to dissappoint ladies, but I will have clothes on, lol! After the opening song, I will bring Rick up on stage to play out the rest of the set with me. On the last song of the set, we will bring up our bassist to play a song as the full band, before our first break.

The second set will likely be the most fun, because we are going to play the entire cd "Escaping the Dungeon," live from start to finish, in order. This way, those who own the cd will get to hear it all live, and those who purchase the cd at the show will have a great memory of the show when they listen to the cd. Hopefully we will sell plenty of cds at all of our shows, because we have bills to pay and mouths to feed. (I stole that last part of the sentence from the song Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, lol)

For the third set, we will play mostly covers of some great classic rock tunes, with a coulple more originals mixed in, and will likely have some special guests join us on stage to play some songs with us. We may even have some Alexx Dancers join us in entertaining the crowd. There will definitely be some pleasant surprises to please the crowd. Please show up in force. We hope to pack the sh*t out of the King's X, so come out, bring your friends, and tell everybody. We could definately use and will appreciate the support!

Playing naked for me is a little bit of a challenge for me, because I had never done that until just a few weeks ago. Doing it taught me to respect other players who have the courage to do that. I have never waiverd in my confidence as a player, and therefore have enjoyed all my naked performances, and I do it partially because it can only make me a better and stronger player and entertainer.

I'm really going to enjoy playing shows with my great friend Rick Talavera on drums. I've been playing with Rick for a really long time, and it's aways fun. We've always had some sort of chemistry from day one, and it always just works. Rick was the original drummer for my previous band the Shovelheads, which included him on drums, Bobby Rodriguez on guitar and vocals and myself on bass and lead vocals. I was always the front man, but Bobby was a great side-man, who also happened to front the band Attitude.

We definately had a lot of fun with the Shovelheads and stayed very busy, gigging constantly and playing all the cool venues. Saso's, which was THE rock club in El Paso back then was my favorite venue.

We always had full concert sound and lighting through the house PA and lighting systems at Saso's, and had a great sound engineer in David Richie, who knew the sound system like the back of his hand, and knew how to get the maximum sound and volume out of it. It was like a minature County Coloseum, with the killer sound system in the place; the type of setting where people would actually watch and pay attention to the band through their whole set, like at a big concert, mainly because it was just too loud to have any type of conversation. I used to love stading in front of the huge stacks of speakers while I played, and feeling the speakers pumping and pushing wind past me, blowing the hair on my arms around. It was great!

Saso's was where we played our first gig as the Shovelheads, opening for the one hit wonder, who were pretty big at the time, Dangerous Toys. It was a packed house and a great night! What I rember most about Dangerous Toys was their big hit, the song Scared, their amazing lead guitarst, and their singer, who was a real asshole.

We had the honor at the Dangereous Toys gig of being announced by Glen Garza of KLAQ 95.5 FM RADIO. Glen was brand new at the Q at the time, and only recently told me that it was his first time on stage in front of a large crowd. Glen is a great person, and has been very supportive of us, particularly by playing music from the new cd on the radio every week, and mentioning my name often when promoting the Q Connected Show. He has a standing invitation to join us and announce us anytime he likes. Hopefully, he will take us up on it often.

After the show, the clubs owner/manager Fuji told us we blew Dangerous Toys off the stage. The most ironic thing about that is that it was only the second time we played with Rick on the drums, and Dangerous Toys had been performing and releasing albums with a major label for years. We never even had the opportunity to rehearse for the show, since we were given only a couple of days notice. We just went up there and winged it with the attitude that it was sink or swim, and we were going to swim "like a motherfuc#er." (You will have to buy the cd to understand the significance of that last quote.)

Prior to that first gig, we had thrown a benefit concert, just a few days before the Dangerous Toys gig, for a friend of ours Duke who had been seriously injured in an accident on his Harley Davidson. It was a huge blowout we threw and sh#tloads of people showed up. We had Rick and Bobby's other band at the time, Attitude open the show for us and then we just threw it down.

Attitude was a very good cover band who played all around town and got lots of the better gigs. It's members included my great friend Tony Canales on bass, Bobby on guitar, Rick on drums and Jay on guitar. I don't remeber Jay's last name but he is a great guitarist who can also play bass, and sound like a great bass player, not like a guitarist playing bass.

Attitude could have been a hard act to follow, but I was very fired up and we just blew it out. The party was really cool, and we even had a wet t-shirt contest with some local hotties entertaining the crowd, and yes, I was the judge ;) The El Paso Police Department showed up in force, telling us to turn down. There were about 20 police cars and a bunch of cops outside the fence, but they didn't come onto the property. They didn't have to; as soon as I saw all the cops, who coincidently wanted to talk to....me, I instructed the soundman to turn it down and the cops left. I think the complaints from the neighbors may have stemmed from our having the wet t-shirt contest outdoors, in plain view to any passers by through the chain link fence, lol!

The following day after the party we were asked to open up for Dangerous Toys, and the rest is history, beginning a long run as a regular band as Saso's, and most of the other better clubs in the area. Saso's was a brutal gig though, because it was always 7 days straight, Monday-Sunday, for four hours each night. The only nights we got a small break were on Sundays, which was jam night, now commonly called open mic night. All the musicians in the area would show up and play, while we would take a break and watch/listen.

As far as our band, the Shovelheads, our shows always went over well and we stayed very busy. Our guitar player Bobby was a great guitarist with an amazing amout of talent and a beautiful singing voice. He is still a great friend and one of the most hilarious motherfu#*ers I have ever met, but sadly, I never see him because his wife keeps him on a very short leash. We were a three piece band, and always had so much fun. Bobby and I would drive all of our drummers crazy with our antics and jokes. We would give them hell, ask Rick, lol!

Needless to say, playing in a rock and roll band at clubs like Saso's, there was always alcohol and sometimes other things involved, and yes, we partied like motherfu#*ers. At the end of the seven days I always felt like I had done roofing all week, but we definately loved it and milked it for everything it was worth. Awesome memories!

So today I will spend a bunch of time working out all the guitar solos for the Alexx songs, polishing up some new original songs, and learning some of the cover songs on guitar, which I had previously played on bass. We will also have band rehearsal and I definitely have to work. I need some fu#kin money! All this should keep pretty busy today.

Well, I still have a lot more to say, but gotta get my ass to work now. Have a great day and week and don't forget to mark the Oct 19 and Nov 2 King's X shows on your calendar. Don't forget, 9:00 pm. Please show up!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Alexx

They'll be featuring my music tomorrow (Sunday,) on KLAQ 95.5 FM, and streaming it live on klaq.com, some time between 9:45 pm and midnight, MDT (Mountain Standard Time.) This will be the 8th week in a row they have featured my music on the show. Tune in or log on to klaq.com to share in the excitement with me.

Also, go to klaq.com or call the station at (915) 880-4955, and request Alexx, "We Better Open Our Eyes," so that they will keep playing it. This particular song features Gabe Gonzalez of Sparta, The Jim Ward Project and Sleepercar on acoustic guitar.

Gabe did the guitar solos on the intro and the outro, and I played the electric solo in the middle. I also did the rhythm guitars, bass guitar and the vocals. My good friend and bandmate Rick Talavera played the drums.

The switch back to guitar feels really good. I've been working out the guitar arrangments and remembering/re-learning and memorizing the guitar solos that I played in the studio on the cd to play live, learning the guitar parts for the cover tunes we're going to play, and learning some new cover songs to add to the set lists.

It's been several months since I played those solos, because I had had been rehaearsing to play bass in the live shows before the switch back to guitar, and therefore hadn't played the guitar solos at all.

Between now and October 19 I will decide which covers I will play guitar on, and will play bass on the rest. I'll play guitar on all the original stuff.

We have a lot of work to do, but I'm excited and therefore enjoying it all. It always works fine when we hit the stage anyway, because then its always sink or swim, so I just swim "like a motherfu#*er!

Many of the clubs here want you to play covers, so we will be doing about half and half, 90 minutes of each. We'll do mostly classic rock covers with a few new rock tunes mixed in. It's all fun!

Hope everyone comes out to pack the house.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

It's on, finally. Alexx shows Fri Oct 19 and Fri Nov 2nd at the King's X, 9pm. Sure would be great to get some support from my friends and pack that place. Please spread the word and more importantly, show up. I promise to make it a show you don't want to miss!

Well, had to pass on Buckcherry. Hard to pass up a great free concert, but still have a lot of dues to pay if we want a shot at real success.

Great rehearsal with Rick. Time to head back to The Dungeon to put in a few more hours work. Nothing great can happen in the music business without bustin your ass, and I'm down.

It's only rock and roll, but I LOVE it! ;)

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Thanks for visiting my site. Please come back soon,

Alexx

Getting home from the dungeon early this morning. Damn, I'm tired; my typical 19-20 hour day, but got a lot done. Working out the guitar solos from the cd to play em live. It's been a while since I recorded them. The switch back to guitar from bass for the original stuff live has me excited! I'll get my bass fix on the covers ;)

We had a great time at King's X's Open Mic again last night. Rick Talavera is back in the band now on drums. Time to get some more bust ass rehearsals in so we can start booking gigs. We will likely play a gig within the next two weeks. Let's get this party started! I will post that when we have a date booked. Sunday open mic at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's on Piedras St. around 8pm. Please show up to check us out. Thanks for visting. I'll post more later, cause gotta go!

Like my facebook artist page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Thanks, Alexx

Open mic at King's X on N. Mesa St., 8:00 pm. Rick on drums, Dave on guitar, and me on bass & lead vocal. Show up and join the fun. Everything's sounding great in rehearsal, and we promise not to disappoint. Thanks for your support!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to buy a cd while your here!

Alexx

Well it's another awesome day in El Paso. Sun is shining and it's beautiful outside!

Great rehearsal last night with Rick Talavera on drums. He's the drummer who played on my new cd, and I always enjoy playing with him. We go way back. He was the original drummer for my old band Shovelheads.

Rick's got the chops, the finesse and the showmanship, plus he pounds the shit out of the drums. It just always works with him on the drum stool. Let's hope he sticks around; we can be in the clubs and casinos in no time!

We rehearse together again tonight and then go to open mic at King's-X tomorrow for the first time as a complete band. This is gonna rock and should be a lot of fun. Show up around 8pm if you wanna be a witness. We will not dissappoint.

I'm off to the east side of town to run an errand and then have lunch with my bass brother Tony Canales. I used to say Tony was my second favorite local bass player, and that I was the first. What an asshole, huh, lol! Well, I gotta give it to Tony, and I relinquish the number one spot to him. The dude just has so much heart, and I'm lucky to have him as a friend. May "the Tonemonster." outlive me, because I definitely want to see him play many, many more times!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Have and awesome day and keep coming back.

Thanks for visiting my site; I appreciate you!

Alexx

Yes, for 7 weeks now, they have been playing my song, We Better Open Our Eyes on KLAQ 95.5 FM, EL PASO and streaming it live at klaq.com!

Another great night last night. We got back from open mic at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's last night in time to hear my song We Better Open Our Eyes play on KLAQ 95.5 fm Radio, El Paso. It was very cool. We were working on some new songs and listening to the Q in betweens songs to see if we could catch the song. Sure enough, we all got to hear it. Needless to say, we really enjoyed that!

Open mic went well as usual, and we had fun. Wednesday, we will do the open mic at the King's-X on N. Mesa St. about 8 pm.

Thanks, as always, to Glen Garza and KLAQ Radio for their support.

Show up at the King's X on Wednesday to have a drink with us, and call KLAQ at (915) 880-4955 or go to klaq.com to request my song, Alexx, We Better open our eyes. Also, please like my facebook artist page, www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Gigs will be coming soon and they should be plentiful. We're still working out the drummer situation, but that's looking much better now. We will be booking gigs for the Alexx Solo Project, and also for our new Neil Young Tribute Band, which will likely be called "Hurricane." I will keep you posted, and thanks for visiting.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Rehearsal today? Probably.  Open mic at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's tonight? Yeah.  Wednesday at King's X? Yep.  My music tonight on KLAQ Radio???

Yes, it's a very beautiful day in El Paso today!

Yesterday was a great day for me. I got to visit and spend a little time with my good friend Tony Canales, who is one of El Paso's most well known, liked and respected bass players and musicians. That was definitely the highlight of my day.

Tony Canales is one of those musicians that you always enjoy watching perform, not only because he is a great player, but also because it is so obvious how much he loves playing music and performing for people. It's just fun to watch someone who is having so much fun!

Tony has been very active in the local music scene for many years, including the time that I was basically absent from the scene. He is usually playing in multiple bands, in all the clubs around El Paso. During my down time, I would occasionally go out and watch bands play around town, sitting in for a song or two whenever the opportunity arose. I would often go watch Tony play, and he would always come up and tell me that I "should come up and play some songs." I never had to ask, and he never said to come up and play a song; it was always "come up and play some songs!"

I really can not say enough about Tony. I nicknamed him the "Tonemonster," because of the awesome tone he always coaxes out of his Fender Precision bass and his tube powered Ampeg bass rig. I always love playing through his badass rig and feeling the stage rumble beneath my feet. The guy just knows how to get the most out of his equipment.

While visiting with Tony was great, it was somewhat bittersweet, because he was recently diagnosed with cancer. It came about suddenly, apparently, because I had seen him about six months ago, just before I went into the studio to begin recording my new cd. He showed no outward signs of illness that I could detect. He was recording a video for a band he was playing with, and he looked and sounded great, and was enjoying himself, as usual.

Tony has always been a great inspiration for me as a player, not only for his knowledge, experience, technical ability and the incredible tone he would always get out of his equipment, but also for his sheer love of performing on stage. His consistent generosity in sharing all his stages with me is also something I will never forget or fail to appreciate.

Thankfully, Tony's treatments appear to be working well, his cancer is in remission, and his attitude is great. He is now much more of an inspiration to me, watching him step to the plate and fight this viscious, ugly disease. It appears he is winning, and I hope and pray he defeats the monster. I also hope and ask that every fan of live music, and everyone with compassion for a wonderful human being, would say a little prayer for the "Tonemonster." May we hear his beautiful bass tone for decades to come!

In addition to the day's highlight, which was lunch with Tony, I did some decent business and had a great rehearsal with Dave. New songs are coming together quickly, almost effortlessly in many cases, and sounding the way we want them to. We're getting a lot of ground work done as we search for the right drummer for the band. It's definitely been a test of patience, but settling for less than what we need in a drummer just wouldn't make sense. We'll find the motherfu#*er ;)

Check back for the coming blog on the late, great, Tony Chavez, a man who taught me so much about playing music before falling to cancer. He was also an awesome, incredible person and musician.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Alexx

Please go to klaq.com and request the song We Better Open Our Eyes, by Alexx, or call the station to request it, (915) 880-4955. Let's get it on for the 7th week in a row! It's often difficult to get through on the phone line though, so the website is usually the best way to go.

It's a good song with relevant lyrics. Let's keep it going. Thanks, as always, for the support!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Alexx

Got back from open mic just in time to hear We Better Open Our Eyes on KLAQ Radio last night.  6th week in a row ;)

Open mic tomorrow at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's on Piedras, next to Coconuts.  Well problably play around 8 or 9 pm.  Show up; we're gonna try out some new tunes ;)

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

They will be featuring my music on KLAQ Radio's "Q-Connected" Show tomorrow, Sunday, sometime between around 10pm and midnight MDT (Mountain Standard Time.) 6th week in a row. Call in or request "We Better Open Our Eyes" by Alexx and tune in or stream it live at KLAQ.com. Let's keep it going! Thanks for the support and for listening, and thanks to Glen Garza and KLAQ Radio, Alexx

 

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

When you're forced to walk away from something you love to do for a decade and a half, and then get the opportunity to do it again, it is quite special, and you naturally appreciate and enjoy it more than ever.  God, I love playing music, and will hopefully never stop again until I die :)

Last night the Open Jam at the King's X on N. Mesa St.  was great.  That was my first time playing that venue, so that always makes it a little more special.

The club had a great turn-out, with several bands and a bunch of musicians playing and jamming together.  My guitarist, Dave Richie and I had a great time and the crowd really enjoyed our mini-set.  We will return to their next jam night in two weeks, hopefully with our own drummer, and will likely also do the Open Mic at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's this Sunday.  Hope some of you show up to both events!

Dave and I will continue to bust our asses to raise our own bar as high as we can.  Hopefully rehearsals with the new drummer will commence next week.  We are doing a lot of ground work, so once we have the right person on the drum stool, things should take off rather quickly and nicely.  The proof is always in the pudding, but hard work can pay great dividends, and we have no fear of that, and actually enjoy all the hard work.  That is something Dave and I have in common, and we plan to milk it for all that it's worth.

The plan is set; we are going to take this thing as far as God will allow us too.  I believe everything happens for a reason, and my return to the music scene is no accident.  I've paid a lot of dues, made too many sacrifices to count, and have busted my ass, underground, in The Dungeon, full-time for the past four years.  If I was ever ready to do this, it is now.  The way I see it, the sky is the limit, God willing.

Wish us luck, support our troops, and support your local music scene; that's where it all starts!

Alexx

We will be playing some songs at the open mic at the King's X on N.Mesa St., El Paso, tomorrow night, Wednesday Sept. 12. Please show up in support and check us out. Should be fun as usual ;

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Go to klaq.com and request "We Better Open Our Eyes" by Alexx, and also on your local radio stations. KLAQ 95;5 fm radio, El Paso has been playing it every week for the past 5 weeks. Let's keep it going. Thanks for the support; you're making it happen! Have an awesome week! Alexx

Open mic, here we come at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Bohemian Cafe on Piedras St. Wednesday, open mic at King's X on N. Mesa St.

Yeah, happy Thursday. TGIAF (thank God it's almost Friday!)

Missing my oldest daughter Crystal; she's on the other side of the planet. Thinking about you my Crystal Baby. Stay safe my little world traveler!

Tonight, Fungi Mungle at Cool Canyon Nights. The free concert series is named correctly; evenings in the canyon are always cool, even on 100 + degree El Paso, Texas days. Fungi Mungle got rained out a few weeks ago, which was dissappointing. I haven't seen these guys in a while, but they are hilarious, and are also very talented and educated musicians who always put on a great show.

It's overcast, but we'll chance it again. My kids and I love the free concerts in the canyon, and they will love Fungi Mungle. The highlight of the series this summer has been Aranda. They rocked, unplugged, no less! Last time Fungi Mungle played (a few weeks ago,) rain started coming down during the first song and the show had to be cancelled. I felt for those guys seeing their equipment get rained on. But they were braving it until the crowd started to bail. Hopefully they got paid for that show too. They deserved it!

Daily rehearsals continue for the solo project. Gigs coming very soon. I will keep you posted.

Thanks for visiting my site and for the support. It is always greatly appreciated! SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Have an awesome weekend, Alexx

First of all, thanks for all the birthday wishes to everybody.  They really made my day!

Heading off now to rehearse my "naked" act. Alright, get your minds out of the gutter!  As I've said before, naked means just me, a guitar and a microphone, with no band or back-up.  It's new to me (done it twice in my life, and only recently,) but although a bit challenging, it will make me a better performer solo and with my band.  This week I will likely play naked at the Iron Horse Salloon and Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Bohemian Cafe.  Show up.  I promise to keep my clothes on ;)

The naked act, for me, is sort of like training as an athelete.  It is a little bit more challenging than a gig with the band, but it will make me stronger and a better performer, with or without a band. 

My music was written to play with a band, and is much more powerful that way, but naked is another dimension and sound for the songs.  So far, it has went over well, and it can only get better. 

I'm getting ready to start booking band gigs, but the drummer situation is not as stable as I would like, because my current drummer is busy working on his Masters Degree, and is very busy this week and the first part of next.  This is causing some hesitation on my part to start booking, but we will figure out all those details very soon.

Hopefully things will work out with Richard as our drummer, because he is very experienced, and more importantly to me, a great person.  It's hard to work with assholes, and therefore, I sympathsize with him for having to work with me, lol!  But a band is in some ways like a marriage, and is a business partnership, so it is imperitive that you work with people you can trust and get along with easily.  Richard definately fits that bill.

Seriously, I think Richard Gerome will be the man for the job for the long haul, although we may need a back-up drummer at times.  Any good drummers from the El Paso area may feel free to contact me.  I would be happy to speak with them.

Have a beautiful weekend, and on't for get to "LIKE" my facebook artist page, facebook.com\alexxofficialmusic

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!  Alexx

Yes, today is my birthday, and it is gonna be a great one and a great year.  I feel it in my bones!

I am feeling extremely happy and blessed.  Finally starting to realize my musical dreams and I am so happy and greatful to be out of "The Dungeon," and playing music again.  It was quite rough being away from the scene for so long, but we all have dues to pay, and apparently, I owed a lot!  We all have tough choices to make and obstacles to overcome.  Above all, we've got to try and do what we know is right, which is what I have been doing all this time away, (with some exceptions, lol!)

So the time away from the scene was well spent, I believe, and I have worked my ass off through all sorts of adversity, never losing sight of my dreams.  So today, I celebrate my birthday, and my return to the music scene.  Now it's time to play and play and play, everywhere I can, and as often as possible.

Reherarsals have been going great, and progress is occuring musically on a daily basis. 

For a small, but important gift, you could, if you like, like my new facebook artist page.  It is www.facebook.com/alexxofficialmusic.

Thank you very much for any and all support, and interest in my music.  I have a lot more in me that is fixing to come out for all the world to see and hear.  This I firmly believe, and intend to continue to work my ass off to make it happen.  As long as I am physically able to play music, nothing can stop me from doing it.  I believe it is my destiny and a large part of my purpose in life.  Music is truly the only international language, and a joy to make and a joy to listen to!

Have a beautiful and blessed day, and don't forget that yes, I appreciate all of you and your support more than words can express!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!  Alexx

Now I'm excited!  I now have my old friend Dave Richie handling the guitar duties for the solo project.

Dave brings a lot to the table, not only with his guitar skills and work ethic, but also his technical knowledge, and many years experience as a professional sound man.  Dave has always been my favorite sound man, since the old Saso's days. 

For those who are from El Paso and remember, Saso's was THE rock club in El Paso throughout the 80's and early to mid 90's.  The club would get packed with rockers from all over El Paso and surrounding areas, and Dave would always get us kick ass concert sound out of the house system.  We used to play seven night gigs at the place and always had tons of fun.  I really miss the place, but it's now history.

To have Dave on guitar is great.  He's one of the first musicians I've every worked with that has as strong of a work ethic as I do, and like me, is always willing to make time for rehearsals and willing to work extremely hard to further the music.  Hopefully, we will have a long and prosperous run together, working on the solo project.

This week I will begin booking gigs.  I will keep you posted as to when and where.  Keep coming back to check this blog for further details, and please show up to the gigs!

Thanks, Alexx

Yes, my song We Better Open Our Eyes has been getting played every week on KLAQ Radio's Q-Connected show recently. 

I'm trying to start a movement with a goal of being the first local artist to make KLAQ's Top 5 at 5 show, which plays the top five requested songs of the week.  This will be no small feat if we can pull it off, because it is always only well known national acts that make the top 5.

If you want to help, and I would appreciate it greatly, you can call the radio station at (915) 880-4955, or go to www.klaq.com to request my music.  The station also streams the show life from 10pm-midnight, Sunday nights.

Since they are already playing We Better Open Our Eyes, that would be the best one to request at this time.  You can make the request as many times and as often as you like.  It does usually take some time to get through on the phone line, so the website is the best way to go for most people.  Please do it and do it often.  Together, we can make it happen!

I played the Open Mic Jam at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Bohemian Cafe again last night.  That is only the second time in my life that I performed music for a crowd naked, which is what I call playing with just a guitar and a microphone, and no band.  It is great practice for me, and can only make me a better performer.  It's sort of like stepping out of my comfort zone, but it's getting much easier each time I do it.  This thursday night I plan to play the open mic at the King's-X on N. Mesa St.

Come on out and mention this website and I will give you a free download card to download the cd if you ask for one.

As always, thanks for the support, and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!  Alexx

I could use a little help and support here.  I have a new goal, and definitely can't do it alone.

The goal is to make the Top 5 at 5 (most requested songs of the week) on KLAQ radio, El Paso, Texas. Anyone wanting to support my original rock from El Paso, please go to www.klaq.com or call the station (915) 880-4955 and request they play music from my new cd, Alexx, Escaping the Dungeon.  The station streams live, so you can listen to it wherever you are.  They have an app called Radio Pub that you can download the listen to KLAQ.

KLAQ has been playing "We Better Open Our Eyes," so you can request that song, or the song of your choice from the new cd.  To hear song clips and get a free song download, go to www.alexxofficialmusic.com.  Thanks for your time and effort if you're willing to assist.  It is greatly appreciated!  Alexx

Please spread the word. It definitely makes a HUGE difference!

Have an awsome weekend, and PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

Yes, L.A. was great. as always!  I grew up in La Habra, which is in Orange County.  God I love Southern Cal, and hope to make it my home base again someday (as soon as possible.)

It was a great trip.  Went to Disneyland with the kids, Venice Beach twice (my fav place on earth,) and conducted a little business, although didn't have nearly enough time for business on this trip.

Some higlights for me were making contact with an A & R guy from a major label and meeting a gorgeous, classy, and extremely sweet lady, at, get this, a public library, (yes Laura, you!)  Haven't been able to get her off my mind, and don't want to.  Another great reason to return asap!

The A & R guy was very receptive; let's see what happens with that.  God knows I've paid some incredible dues, but everything happens for a reason, and we live and learn.  Thanks to him, I'm still here.  I've had been very close to the other side numerous times in my life, and yes, I know I'm still here for a reason.

Back to the grind.  Time for booking more local gigs and more bust-ass daily rehersals.  To quote one of my own lyrics from the song Long Way to the Top, I gotta be ready when I make that break!  Well, I'm making that break NOW, and I'm fairly ready, but I want to be MORE ready. 

Nothing good is easy, and this is a very tough and highly competetive business.  The way I see it, I am at ground zero of the next level, and I'm gonna make the most of it.  The goal is to make it to the third level, which is commercial success.  We all need money, and I'm no different as far as that goes.  I believe in all of my original songs and in myself, and am one hard working, dedicated and determined motherfucker. 

The sky's the limit as far as I'm concerned.  Look out world; here I come!

I've decided to continue giving free song downloads indefinately, possibly permanently, for the song Communication Deficit Disorder to my friends, listeners, fans and future fans, so download it now!  Just click on BUY ALEXX'S SONGS and then on the free song.  My gift to you.  Please spread the word!

Thanks, and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Alexx

I also played my first concert as a solo artist and my first gig in well over a decade.  My 8 year old son, Alexx Jr. opened the show as a duo, with me on electric/acoustic guitar and vocal and Jr. on the drums.  He stole the show again, as expected, and it was great fun playing with him again.  The kid has a lot of talent and charisma and was a bit hit.  Then we did the band set which was also a lot of fun.

So being away from the scene and gigging for so long, I re-learned some old lessons and learned a couple of new ones, which only make me stronger, better and more confident.  To quote our sound man, David Richie, who is one of the very best in El Paso, "it's onwards and upwards from here."

It's time now to start booking some gigs and see where we can take this thing.  I'm very excited to be back in the game.

Thanks to all who showed up and especially those who bought cd's, shirts and posters.  More merchandise in the works for next time.  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT OUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Yes, my debut concert as a solo artist is this Saturday Aug 11, 3:00 pm, at The Livery Stable, 894 S. Horizon Blvd., in El Paso, Texas. Take Interstate 10 to Horizon Exit, South on Horizon Blvd.  The concert is FREE! 

Also, drum roll Alexx Jr., music off the new cd will make it's radio debut the next night,  sometime between 10 pm and midnight, Mountain Standard Time, Sunday August 11th.  It will also stream live at KLAQ.com.

Please show up to the concert and tune in to KLAQ for the radio debut.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE' THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

THANKS, Alexx

Well I got my gear together.  Some say it is overkill, but most can't afford it, or they might do the same.  But, I've made a lot of sacrifices to get all the pro gear that I need, and I prepare for Murphy's Law.  This is the stuff I will be bringing to the show:

Yep, it's on!  This Saturday Aug 13, the big first gig, 3:00 pm at The Livery Stable, 894 S. Horizon Blvd, just south of Interstate 10. Admission to concert is Free, and the event benefits the Wounded Warriors Project.  My first gig in 15 years, and it supports my new cd, Alexx, Escaping the Dungeon.  Nervous? Not at all.  Excited?  Hell fucking yes!  Please show up.

The best part is that 8 year old Alexx Jr. will be opening the show with me as a father-son duo, and then we blow it out with the full band.  Little Alexx stole the show a little over a week ago at an open mic event at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's.  He outshined all the adults, including myself, and there were some very seasoned musicians playing.

Since that eye-opening date, Alexx Jr., who had been a self-taught, natural born drummer, has been taking 3 lessons per week with Joe David, a great drum teacher, and reheasing with me literally 3-4 hours every single day.  He has advanced by leaps and bounds in a little over a week, and we still have four more days of rehearsing before taking Friday off to rest up for the performance.

The building we are going to play in is huge, about the size of the El Paso County Coloseum.  This will be a full blown concert, with a great sound system and my favorite local sound man, David Richie doing the honors.  Dave used to be the sound man at Saso's Lounge when we used to play there in the old days, with my former band The Shovelheads.  Saso's used to be the Rock Club in El Paso, Texas at the time.  I'm very excited about him running sound for the debut.  He's a true professional, and always makes us sound great!

Please show up.  We would be honored to see you all there. 

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Little Alexx is only 8 and he's been working his ass off all week, putting in about 4 hours per day on the drums.  Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!  The kid just has so much natural ability, an amazing work ethic, an extremely long attention span, plus he's a big show off.  Wonder where he got that last one from, lol!

The big solo debut next Sat, Aug 11, 3 pm at The Livery Stable, 894 S. Horizon.  8 year old Alexx Jr. and I will open the show as a duo and then I will blow it out band style with Richard Munoz on guitar and Richard Gerome on drums. 

The first rehearsal with Richard Gerome went so great.  It's like he's been working with us all along, even though I havn't seen him in years.  Everything just flowed naturally and easily.  I'm really fucking excited now.  It's great to be working with musicians of their calliber again ;)

Be there to support us and our Wounded Warriors!

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

My 8 year old son, Alexx Jr. is becoming an incredible drummer. I played two little mini tune-up gigs over the weekend, Saturday at the Iron Horse Saloon, and Sunday at Joe, Vinny, and Bronson's, a new upscale coffee house, that also sells beer and caters to a younger crowd.

Saturday, I played solo, just me my guitar and voice for the first time in my life. This is what I call playing naked, which was a little tougher for me than playing with a band, but still a lot of fun.  It started off a little rough, with some first time jitters and some technical problems on the first set.  By the second set, the problems were fixed, the nervousness had subsided, and it went great.

The Sunday thing was an open mike jam, and we played as a duo, with me on guitar and vocals and Alexx Jr. on drums. There were some great players who performed, but Junior totally stole the show from all the seasoned musicians, including myself. It was like the paparazzi were there, a ton of people with cameras, all taking pictures of little Alexx.

Alexx Jr. is just a natural, and has been self taught up until this week. The kid plays with an incredible amount of feeling, way beyond his years. He has been playing since age six, and used to play every day, but until recently, hadn't played much for the past 9 months or so, but now he is in music boot camp with me, and is working extremely hard.

I have my first big gig booked for Saturday, August 11th, 3:00 pm. at the Livery Stable in Horizon City. It is a benefit bike run for the Wounded Warriors Project, hosted by the First Armored Division Riders, which is a motorcycle club comprised of veterans and active duty military.

Alexx Jr. and I are going to be the opening act, again playing as a duo. Then, we're gonna blow it out band-style, with a great guitarist named Richard Munoz on guitar and vocals, a pro drummer friend of mine named Richard Gerome on drums, and myself on bass and lead vocals.

I guarantee Alexx Jr. is gonna steal the show again. He began drum lessons this week with a great instructor named Joe David, taking three one hour lessons per week for the next two weeks, and working with me for about three hours every day, perparing for the big gig. He has a very long attention span and his playing is improving greatly every day with this grueling schedule.  He is loving it and is very excited to be playing with me.

The plan is for us to train and groom him to eventually become my permanent drummer.  He can steal the show from me anytime.  I dont mind ;)

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Yeah, I was playing the bass last night with the cd and it hit me like a sledgehammer!  Yes, I can play all the guitar parts; I composed them all and played em all in the studio, but honestly, I actually have to work a bit to play the stuff right, and when I play bass, it's not even work at all.  It's just all effortless fun that I could do in my sleep!  It's really a no brainer.  I have a great guitarist in Richard Munoz, and guitar is probably mostly effortless and fun for him like bass is for me.  For live shows I'm sticking to bass.  It's settled!

Got a pro drummer commited to play the big debut for the Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert, Aug 11 at the Livery Stable in Horizon.  3pm.  Don't be late; little Alexx Jr. and I go on first as a duo, and then we blow it out band style.  Richard Munoz on guitar and vocals, Richard Gerome on drums and me on bass and lead vocal. 

Richard Gerome and I go way back.  Really cool person.  Richard Munoz is a great guitarist, and I fucking love to play the bass. This is gonna fall in place quite well.  Do not miss the first show.  Come out and support our Wounded Warriors.  That is also a no-brainer!

We gonna fucking rock; I promise ;)

Yes, it's true! I will be signing tits at the big debut concert, August 11th, 3:00 pm at The Livery Stable in Horizon City, Texas.  First tit, FREE, second tit, you guessed it......................FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Man boobs, $125.00 one hairy ass man boob or two man boobs for $200.00.  Be the first to get your titties signed ;)

Disclaimer, I reserve the right to decline signing man boobs if I get too grossed out ;)

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, AND OF COURSE, SUPPORT ALL THE LOVELY TITTIES OUT THERE ;)

Yep, 8 year old Alexx Jr. stole the show yesterday on the drums. He's now in boot camp with me as the drill sargent and Joe David as his drum instructor. We're gonna get him ready to steal the show at my first solo gig at The Livery Stable in Horizon. He will eventually be my permanent drummer.

He and I will open the show as a duo like we did at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's. This time he will have two weeks of hardcore training to add to his natural ability and talent.

Then, we will do the band version of all the songs on the cd and more, with an experienced drummer, and the great Richard Munoz on guitar and vocals with me on bass and lead vocals. I haven't played bass much in recent years, but I still feel very much at home on bass, since I did it for so long. All my prior gigs have been as a bassist and lead vocalist.

It's on & we're excited. Don't miss it. We promise a good show to benefit our Wounded Warriors. We'll have lots of Alexx merchandise for sale, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to our warriors.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS! Alexx

Just uploaded a bunch of local concert vids: Sick Puppies, Great White and Warrant from Speaking Rock and Rock the Fort and Hellyeah from Wet n Wild.  Great audio and video from up front.  Crank it and it's like you're there! www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic

Well, the first tune up went ok. Played naked (just me & my guitar,) for the very first time in my life. Had some first time jitters and a few technical difficulties on the first mini-set. The band's microphone came unplugged on me. Accident? Not sure; bands can do funny things. Second one went great. My 8 year old stole the show from all the adults, including me. It was FUCKING AWESOME!

So, Alexx Jr. starts drum lessons today and daily rehearsals with me thru August 11, when he will perform with me at my debut concert, the benefit for the Wounded Warriors Project. He will be stealing the show, that's a given, but I love playing with him and am so proud of him, and our chemistry is natural and undeniable. Plus, unlike all the other musicians, he has to do what I say, lol! He will be a big star someday; I see it in him and just know that.

Back down into the trenches. Lot's of work to do. Keep coming back. I'll keep you updated on everything.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

THANKS, Alexx

Big Debut on Sunday.  Not mine, that's tonight at the Iron Horse.  Tomorrow, my son Alexx Jr., 8 years old is making his debut as my drummer at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's on Piedras St. at 3pm.  It's right next door to Coconuts.  The kid's gonna steal the show, I promise!

TONIGHT MY FIRST GIG AS SOLO ARTIST (mini-gig.)  I will be Naked; that's right, just me and my guitar.  Don't worry, I'll keep my clothes on as long as I don't get too drunk, lol! 

Tonight (Sat July 28,) Iron Horse Saloon, Hondo Pass, 9 pm.  Tomorrow, (Sun July 29,) Joe, Vinny's and Bronsons on Piedras, next door to Coconuts. 

I will offer discounted prices on the new cd, download cards and posters, TONIGHT AND TOMORROW ONLY!  Please show up to support me and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Now the big news!  The first three gigs, I'm gonna play naked.  That's right, NAKED, and get your mind out of the gutter, lmao.  By naked, I mean, just me, my guitar and my voice.  No band.  But, he best part is, we will fire up the band at the end, for the volume and power. Show up in support.  It's gonna be fun.  Tomorrow (Sat,) 9 pm, Iron Horse on Hondo Pass; Sunday 3pm, Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Coffee House on Piedras, next to Coconuts Bar.;)

Pop Evil tore it up last night at Speaking Rock!  Hell Yeah tonight at Wet and Wild, and then my first two mini tune-up gigs Sat & Sun.  And I plan on behaving the whole weekend.  Unfortunately, that never works though ;)

See you at the shows!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

Cool, its on starting tonight.  Nice long rocking weekend to look forward to: Tonight, Pop Evil, FREE at Speaking Rock.  Tomorrow, Hellyeah at Wet n Wild.  Saturday 9pm, Alexx (me) with Krossbones at the Iron Horse on Hondo Pass, FREE, Sunday, Alexx with Downtown Gators at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's on Piedras next to Coconuts 3pm, FREE  Monday, sleep in for sure ;) 

Saturday August 11, Benifit Run for the Wounded Warriors Project hosted by First Armored Division Riders.  Last Stop and concert is FREE at the Livery Stable in Horizon City Texas.  I will be the entertainment at The Livery Stable. 

This will be my first real gig as a solo artist, in support of my new cd, Alexx, Escaping the Dungon. I am humbled, honored and proud to pe performing for and to benifit the First Armored Division Riders and the Wounded Warriors. These guys do so much and have made so many huge sacrifices for us and our freedom, and many people, unfortunately, take our liberties and our warriors for granted.  Please show up to support these guys!

Many more dates to come.  I'll keep you posted, and please show up whenever you can.  I could us the support!  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx

Well, why try to hide it.  I'm getting really excited.  Have been underground for a decade and a half, paying dues.  Many hard dues.  Now, the fun is right around the corner.

This Thursday, Pop Evil for FREE at Speaking Rock.  Friday, Hellyeah at Wet & Wild, Saturday July 28, I will debut songs off the new cd at the Iron Horse Salloon on Hondo Pass at 9pm, with my friends from Crossbonez.  Sunday, July 29, I will do it again at Joe, Vinnie and Bronson's Coffee House on Piedras St. next to Coconuts bar. 

Then the big blowout/benifit for the Wounded Warrior's Project, hosted by my friends at First Armored Division Riders at 3pm at The Livery Stable in Horizon City, Texas.  The first two mini-gigs are sit-ins and tune-ups for this one, my first real gig in, get this, a decade and a half. 

I have so much pent up music inside me, that I'm just gonna cut loose, tear it up, and have a great time, no holds barred, and I have some cool surprises for everybody.  Come out and support a great cause, and support my escape from "The Dungeon" at the same time.  WE MUST SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND ESPECIALLY OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS.  THEY SACRIFICE SO MUCH FOR US.  Show up in support.  It's gonna be a lot of fun, I promise!

Thanks, Alexx

The time is rapidly approaching for me to pop my head up out of "The Dungeon" to play some preview gigs. The first one will be a sit-in, mini-show, Saturday, July 28th at the Iron Horse Salloon on Hondo Pass, and the second one, Sunday, July 29th, 4:00 p,m., at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Coffee House at 824 Piedras, next door to Coconuts Bar.  I will be performing with the Downtown Gators at the coffee shop and, I believe, Crossbonez at the Iron Horse, previewing some of my original songs off the cd.

These will be the very first public performances of the new songs off the cd. Please show up; let's pack the house!

The first big blowout and cd party is still the Wounded Warriors Benifit hosted by the First Armored Division Riders, Saturday August 8, 3 p.m. at The Livery Stable in Horizon City, Texas.  Definately show for that one, because it is going to be a ton of fun with a bunch of very cool surprises ;) Plus we all need to support our troops and our Wounded Warriors, who have made great sacrifices for our freedom and liberties. I will post all the details for that one later this week.  Thanks for the support,
Alexx

Well the 500 free downloads went in like 3 days.  Thanks and your welcome, lol.  Now extended for a limited time, due to popular demand.  Click on the "BUY ALEXX'S SONGS" link at the top of this page to DOWNLOAD "Commuincation Deficit Disorder" off the new cd for FREE!  This is one of my newest songs and one of my personal favorites.  Get it for free while you can ;)  Thanks and enjoy!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS!

The time is rapidly approaching for me to pop my head up out of The Dungeon to play a preview gig.  It is set for next Sunday, July 29th, 3:00 p,m., at Joe, Vinny and Bronson's Coffee House at 824 Piedras, next door to Coconuts Bar.

I will be performing with the Downtown Gators, playing cover songs and previewing some of my original songs off the cd.  This will be the very first public performance of the new songs off  the cd.  Please show up; lets pack the house.

The first big blowout and cd party is still the Wounded Warriors Benifit hosted by the First Armored Division Riders.  Definately show for that one, because it is going to be a ton of fun with a bunch of very cool surprises ;)  Plus we all need to support our troops and our Wounded Warriors, who have made great sacrifices for our freedom and liberties.  I will post all the details for that one later this week.

Everything continues to fall into place.  The time has come to get the ball rolling.  The first big gig will be played as a three piece band, and will continue in that format until we find the right fourth band member.  No worry or hurry on that, because the three piece thing is sounding good and simply feels right.  I'm really enjoying the roll of bass player again, and, yes, I'm am very fired up and excited to finally break out of my Dungeon for real. I just love to play live.

I videod the entire Sick Puppies performance last night at Rock the Fort at Biggs Army Airfield, Ft. Bliss, Texas.  They put on a great performance, and I got great video and audio.  I will post the whole show up this week on my Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/alexxdmusic.  Hit it up.  Your gonna love the videos, and I have well over 300 great videos up.

Keep visiting the site.  I will keep you posted here on all events and developments.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE; THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTS, Alexx