2008 Woodie Awards
Play it by Ear
UMKC musician is 'Never in Neutral'
Jordan Kerfeld
Issue date: 9/10/07 Section: Culture
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It was an Xbox video game.
In the game he formed a dynasty with the Kangaroos, driven to take them from the bottom of the barrel to the top of Division I rankings.
After this high school gaming foray, Alexander scheduled a visit to campus and was smitten.
He has always been known for his drive. In 2004, he furiously promoted a self-made CD. He played charity events and other small venues in Omaha that slowly snow-balled into a grass-roots movement.
Now he has a record deal and is touring major cities to promote his album "Never In Neutral" while studying business administration.
"I am indebted to so many musicians," Alexander said. "I was raised on The Beatles, Sting, and James Taylor. Later it was Third Eye Blind, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer, etc. Sometimes I think it is better to simply say my influences are 'whatever is on my iPod at the moment.' I'm always looking for inspiration."
Alexander's music feels familiar yet wholly unique in the pop idiom. The familiarity comes from the simple boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-contemplates-ex, formula.
The uniqueness comes from his deeply autobiographical content, which he thinks is of paramount importance as a musician.
"You write what you know," Alexander said. "I've had a lot of relationships. But obviously, the boy/girl song can only be taken so far. I want to branch out because that is how you are taken seriously as an artist. Reactions have been encouraging, but obviously I want to grow while staying true to myself."
The writing process has been a challenging journey for Alexander, but he feels he is beginning to come into his own as a songwriter.
"When I was young, the lyrics were always very important to me. They still are. I'm writing songs right now that I couldn't have imagined penning two years ago. It's really exciting to see that the frustrations with songwriting have been overcome. Not everything my pen touches turns to gold, but I am very proud and excited about my latest work."
His latest CD, "Never in Neutral," is a solid pop album. However, a few tracks seemed ambiguous. "Savior" especially sounded like an underlying spiritual element was present. The choice was deliberate, according to Alexander.
"I like how people approach my music, and hopefully each of them can take away something different," he said. "That's such a great gift to give and receive to an audience. Most of my songs are autobiographical, but sometimes just sticking to writing a song with no attachments turns out to be gratifying."
What does the future have in store for Alexander?
"I'd like to build a fan base here in Kansas City. I recorded my album in California and the coasts have been friendly. I'm not very well-known here," he said.
After people listen to the album and are charmed by his winning personality, that will likely change very soon.
Alexander was signed to Red Night Records in June 2006.
He has a show 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Mission Theatre on 5909 Johnson Drive in Mission, Kan. Tickets are $8.
Check him out at www.griffenalexander.com.
jkerfeld@unews.com
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