A Melodious Journey with Songwriters Alexandra and Matt on the 266 Express
Nov 01, 2023
Co-hosted by John Noblitt and Donna Green
Ever wished you could peek inside the minds of songwriters and understand what motivates their creativity? Look no further! As your hosts, we invite you on the 266 Express for an intimate chat with the incredibly talented songwriters, Alexandra and Matt. Alexandra, a Dallas-based artist, reveals her journey from an Ohio teenager, crafting songs influenced by the likes of Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks, to her present-day excitement about her upcoming fifth single. Matt, a native Texan, walks us through his late start in guitar playing, his classical beginnings, and how he got swayed by the magic of blues and rock music.
In a heartwarming conversation, Alexandra and Matt delve into their experiences at the Songwriter Festival, sharing impressions of the vibrant atmosphere, talented artists, and the overwhelming community spirit. They offer a rare glimpse into their songwriting processes and the inspirations that fuel their musical creations. As we wrap up, they let us in on where to find their music and their upcoming projects. So, fasten your seatbelts and join us for a melodious journey through songwriting, music, and the joy of festivals!
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
Ever wished you could peek inside the minds of songwriters and understand what motivates their creativity? Look no further! As your hosts, we invite you on the 266 Express for an intimate chat with the incredibly talented songwriters, Alexandra and Matt. Alexandra, a Dallas-based artist, reveals her journey from an Ohio teenager, crafting songs influenced by the likes of Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks, to her present-day excitement about her upcoming fifth single. Matt, a native Texan, walks us through his late start in guitar playing, his classical beginnings, and how he got swayed by the magic of blues and rock music.
In a heartwarming conversation, Alexandra and Matt delve into their experiences at the Songwriter Festival, sharing impressions of the vibrant atmosphere, talented artists, and the overwhelming community spirit. They offer a rare glimpse into their songwriting processes and the inspirations that fuel their musical creations. As we wrap up, they let us in on where to find their music and their upcoming projects. So, fasten your seatbelts and join us for a melodious journey through songwriting, music, and the joy of festivals!
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
Speaker 1:
Welcome back to the 266 Express from the old Follower Station. Songwriter Festival number one Donna. That's exciting, isn't it?
Speaker 2:
It's super exciting. We've had a whole lot of great artists, songwriters, here today and we have two more that are going to visit with us. Can you guys introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, my name is Alexandra and I am from Dallas, texas Not originally, but I've been in Dallas five years now. But I'm originally from Ohio, appalachian girl. But I've been writing songs since I was 13 and just started putting music out as Alexandra in 2020. And I'm working on my fifth single. It'll be the third from an upcoming EP, so I'm excited about that. Awesome, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Great. I'm Matt from San Antonio, native Texas, so I love my Texas stage Very good. So have you had a good day? It's been a great day. I'm going to go back to the old days. I'm going to go back to the old days. I'm going to go back to the old days.
Speaker 3:
I'm going to go back to the old days Very good, so have you had a good day? It's been a great day. It's been. This is my first time in Sanger, so it's so darling. Everybody is so kind, the food is good. I had a great dinner. Everybody's been great. It's been a great day. It's been really fun. Yeah, yeah, it's been an awesome experience.
Speaker 1:
I've met some really awesome songwriters who make me look at my own work and think I got to keep working at my art here. There's some great writers here. I've heard some great music, Met some great people and the staff has been really helpful. I've been enjoying it. I hope we can come back soon.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, definitely, so tell us how did you become a songwriter? What was your inspiration, the artist in your band, your role models and what makes you do this?
Speaker 3:
Well, I started my roots are in the theater. So I started I started boys and piano lessons when I was three and was just into vocal performance and I just wanted to be a singer. But I was a 13 year old girl and going through a million things and I was like, well, I want to write. So my parents got me a guitar for my 13th birthday and I started writing music and I wanted to do.
Speaker 3:
I wanted to be like Taylor Swift. She was like my idol growing up. She still is, and I'm about to be 27. But yeah, and I was inspired. I grew up on classic rock like Stevie Nicks and Flea Wood Max me and my family's favorite band and so I grew up watching really great female songwriters and so my love for vocal performance kind of moved into songwriting when I was a teenager and it's been amazing, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Well, we got a break in the music here. I was not sure what the question was. Was it?
Speaker 2:
about you know, what was your inspiration, what you know and how did you get here? How'd you become a songwriter? What keeps you going and who are the artists in your past? Who kind of influence who you are?
Speaker 1:
I've always wanted to be a musician. Ever since I was a little boy. I used to always ask my parents for a guitar, and of course we didn't come from a very well off family. So my parents said instead of a guitar, why don't you get a job? So I was kind of a late blooper. I didn't actually start playing guitar until I was 21. And that's when I was actually able to afford something that was playable and that's when I decided I wanted to be a rock star. But I'd always listened to all types of music and actually when I started playing guitar I started off as a classical guitarist. Okay, yeah. And then my oldest brother took me to a blues concert one time and I listened to that. I haven't looked back since then. So people like BB King and Bobby Blues, band Bland and my, you know, along with all the classic rock guitarists that I love, like Eddie Van Halen and people like that, that's how music has moved me forward Finally being able to live a dream, actually.
Speaker 2:
Awesome yeah.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so having to hear about the Songwriter Festival.
Speaker 3:
So I saw it on Facebook. I saw it on Facebook and I am signed to a booking agency Dallas called Chaskey's Group and I sent it over to them and I was like this looks so cool, I'm going to apply. Why? Because they, if we split it, you know, sometimes they'll have opportunities and they'll apply just on my behalf, or I'll find stuff. And I saw it and I immediately applied and yeah, he's just on social media. Awesome, yeah.
Speaker 1:
Well, I feel, I feel, so I kind of silly, because I was just told to be here, me too. He said, listen, this is the date, this is the time you got to be there. And he said bring your guitar. And I said, okay, what are we doing? It's a song fest. Oh, awesome, okay, great, and I really didn't know what to expect, but I have been just blown away.
Speaker 2:
Awesome and I'm most pleased with it. I'm so glad. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1:
Were y'all able to make the grimes session this morning.
Speaker 3:
I wasn't. I was coming from another gig in Austin, so I was not able to be here until the afternoon.
Speaker 1:
I'm really bummed that I missed it, but yeah, I wasn't able to make it either this morning. I had family things that I had to take care of and I had. I drove like three hours to get here today, so I I got a hit back right after this and we're gonna have to do that again. It sounds like yes, how did it go?
Speaker 2:
It was, it was wonderful.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it was packed. That's amazing.
Speaker 2:
And he spent a little over two hours speaking with everybody and individually. He's still here. He's running around listening to everybody play. That's awesome, and he talked with everybody afterwards and he's. He literally has made it his way around so that he could hear everybody play and sing at least a little. He's trying to hear everybody, so that's very passionate about being here. Yeah, that's awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I know our next, but I know the main band is going to get off soon and we're not going to be able to hear. Yeah, it's hard enough with just a little bit of music going. But before we go, where can people find you? I know how to find you guys. I know where you are. Oh, I know, right, I should have talked faster. You can.
Speaker 3:
You can find me on Instagram at Alexandra Music. It's very easy, I think my Facebook is Alexandra Making Music and I have a new song coming out next week. So I have a song coming out next Friday. So if you follow me on social media, you'll be able to see that.
Speaker 1:
So you can find us at thehazybluecom, and we're also on Instagram and Facebook. Look us up. You can find all of our music on all major platforms as well, and we have our second album that's coming out, dropping October 6th, so look out for that. Well, thank you so much for spending some time with us here at Sanger. Thank you for having me. You're welcome back anytime, awesome.
Speaker 3:
I'd love to have you back next year, for sure, definitely, thank you guys, so much, thank you. Thank you guys.
