Alexis Mclaughlin
I discovered Alexis on YouTube, I believe the first song I heard Alexis sing was “Inner City Blues”. I was so captive of her voice. Her tone is kind of in the low range, which for me is so beautiful. Let’s talk about Alexis control, she can be singing in a soothing low key and then bring it up notch or two with such ease. Alexis hails from Texas, which means she has a thick accent. Along with her lower tone vocals make a good combination for Country Music. Kind reminds me of such greats as Patsy Cline, Tanya Tucker, Plus Alexis has a talent for writing some amazing songs. One of my favorites “To This Guitar” This song is so beautifully written that you get such a vivid picture. Alexis is one of the many female Country singer that brought me back to Country music, cause she has that pure & beautiful vocals that is needed for good old Country music. Alexis is a Music Teacher in her hometown, all I can say that is those kids are lucky to be taught by Alexis. I believe that Alexis can go far in the Country Music Scene. I have some links to where you can find Alexis music. Plus, I was able to ask he some questions, her answers are below. I highly recommend you check out Alexis Mclaughlin if you are a fan older Country Music. https://www.facebook.com/Alexismclaughlinofficial https://www.alexismclaughlinmusic.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@alexismclaughlin6177 I have been singing since about 5 in a little church in Dayton, TX with my granny. I started playing guitar when I was 10 right after my parents had gone through a divorce. I was experiencing feelings and emotions I’d never felt before and didn’t know how to process them, so guitar truly saved my life. I started writing my own songs and expressing my heart and I’ve just never really stopped. My guitar has been a true companion to me all these years, hence the song “to this guitar”. It’s a letter to the instrument that came into my life and swooped me off of my feet. 2.How many bands have you been in? I’ve actually never been in a band. I’ve had guys play with me off and on but for the most part, I’ve been a lone traveler in the world of music. But I’m grateful to have Frankie Grocholski rocking with me on electric. He is one of the nicest, most down to earth humans I’ve ever met, and he just so happens to be KILLER at guitar. So, a double win! 3. Where were you born? I was born in Houston, TX in ‘96. But I’ve lived in so many parts of Texas due to my parents jobs when I was younger. I never truly stayed in a school for more than a year. I’ve been everywhere from Houston to Temple, Waco to College station and everywhere in between. 4. Are you self-taught? I started out taking lessons in Kingwood, TX at a local Baptist church. I took lessons from Frank DeBretti who is a profound guitar player with multiple gold and platinum record achievements. From there, I was instructed by Dan Smith at the Conroe Music Center. He brought such a gentle approach to the instrument and truly pushed me to not only play but explore singing and playing. We performed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” at my yearly recital, and it was EPIC. And yes, he did the rap part. In high school, I continued my musical studies under the instruction of Ken Labonski who is now the Music Department Chairman for Willis ISD. This man inspired me to my very core. Every day I was amazed at how much he believed in all of us, and it brought kiddos of all backgrounds and upbringings together in a magical way. He was the very definition of music. To this day I still look to him for advice, expertise and encouragement regarding my music career. 5. Who are your biggest influences? Some of my greatest influences are truly the men who have taught me. They each gifted me with a piece of their art, and I was able to puzzle them together into my own style. Vocally I am often compared to Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Patsy Cline and occasionally Stevie Knicks. These women are true inspirations to me as well. Recently I’ve grown fond of songwriters like Lori McKenna, Patty Griffin and Holly Williams. There are so many more, but these are the few closest to my heart at the moment. 6. What style of music do you consider yours? Style. This is a hard question for me. Naturally I am labeled “country” because I have a thick accent and live in Texas. But, I truly have a passion for multiple genres, and I tend to sing multiple styles. I love 80’s rock with all of my heart and if I could, I’d be a Joan Jett remake. But, I have decided that my style is poetry. I just write from my heart and sing it the way it comes out and let people label it from there. 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? My first gig was in college at an open mic night that Kinda turned into me ending up playing with a band by the end of the night. It was at The Corner Pub in Conroe, and I went to check out the local talent and maybe play a couple. It was such a fun night with such fabulous talent, and we ended up just playing probably longer than we were supposed to, but it was unexpected and fun. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? My advice would be to go to open mic nights and make some good connections. You can be great at something all day long, but without connections it’s almost useless. This goes for pretty much any business. Get out there, shake some hands, buy some drinks and get to know the people who you want to play for and the people who will end up being your supporters. Connection is what we’re all seeking. 9. Do you write your own songs? I do write my own songs. I’ve been writing since I was 10 and have experienced a great deal of life and therefore just have good stories to tell. But I’ve really grown as a lyricist in recent years and have taken it to heart to study the greats and learn from them. As cliché as it may sound, I’m truly into Taylor Swift and the “Folklore ERA” right now. Her word choices are exceptional, and I just love how a simple choice of words can send listeners questioning the existence of man. It’s a secretive type of magic that I’m studying in a detail-oriented way. 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? I’m a really big fan of the rock band Hinder. Some people are surprised by that just given my personality. But growing up, my parents were young when I was born and my dad really like rock like Papa Roach, Linkin Park and Seether. So naturally, I started enjoying those bands and the stories they told. I admired that though they were different than what I would normally choose to play for myself, they’re still so artistically done and admirable. 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? If I wasn’t a musician I’d likely be doing many things. I am a jack of all trades. I have never been the type of woman to be content in one pair of shoes. I love to bake, I raise chickens and pigs, I’m a teacher, I have a degree in business… the list goes on. I’ve always wanted to open a boutique with a coffee shop attached and have live music every weekend, so maybe that’s what I’d be doing. After all, I am an avid shopper and coffee drinker so I’m sure I’d be fabulous at it. 12. Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? My favorite song to perform is probably Billy Jean by Michael Jackson but the Christopher Cornell version. This song is so overlooked but the lyrics are truly seat gripping! I love telling reimagined stories and I feel this is a great example. 13. If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? If I were only a songwriter, I’d love Chris Stapleton to sing some of my songs. Though he clearly does a better job.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
Categories |