Rocket Alexander

I'd rather Not Talk About It has been streaming for a few weeks now. I wanted to share a few interesting tidbits about my process and inspiration while writing this song. If you haven't heard it yet you can listen on my website or add it to a playlist on your favourite streaming service. 

My lyric writing process is not very linear. I will often jot down ideas as I go about my day and piece them together when I've got a new piece of music. This song was originally written in the summer of 2019 when I was spending a lot of evenings exploring Calgary and meeting new people. I cam across a particular phrase that stuck out to me and anchors this song. "Some nights we push too far. . . rubbing bar stamps off our arms". I used this line as a jumping off point to tell a story that explores the explosive nature of attraction (especially at the outset of a relationship), and how this intense emotion interplays with obsession. 

My working title for the song was "Make You Mine". I decided to go with the tongue-in-cheek "I'd Rather Not Talk About It". I like the mystery and intrigue in this title. It has been funny trying to talk to people about the new song. They are very confused when I say "I'd rather not talk about it", and often take that to mean I want to change the conversation.

My earliest demo of the song was slower, with an entirely finger-picked guitar line. We went in a different direction on the final production, but there was a broodiness to the original demos that I liked. Ultimately I think the intensity of the recorded version suits the song, but I will get an acoustic version posted soon so you can get a feel for those original thoughts. 

Thanks for listening and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Oh-oh-WOAH-oh-oh! I'm excited to announce the release of my brand new track “I'd Rather Not Talk About It”. 

This one is a true toe tapper that found its voice in Calgary's dive bars. I've been playing this song out at shows for a few years, but when I met producer Joel Pearson I knew this was one he had to get his hands on. Definitely a more aggressive sound than my last record, and I love it!

I'm also very happy that I was able to get pieces of the old band back together for the recording process. My good friends Tony Harrison and Rob Burgis joined me at Bucket Brigade Studio to hash this one out back in the fall of 2022. With Tony on guitar and Rob on drums we captured some perfectly executed jangly bits and tippy-taps. 

Give the record a spin and stay tuned for more behind the scenes info.

This was a good week. Started with a decisive victory by my ball hockey team. I scored a neat goal on a cross-court tip-in to seal the win. 

Thursday marked the return of songwriter night at Gravity after a 5-month COVID hiatus. I was a little nervous to brush off the cobwebs. In the brief period we were back hosting events (somewhere between wave 3 and 5) I was having a really hard time finding guests to join me, so I'm happy to say we started back on a very very high note. I was joined on stage by Graham Ko and Max Mann. The night we pieced together was stellar, the songwriting was strong, and the audience was with us the entire night. It felt really good to be back.  

The good times kept rolling into the weekend when I had a chance to attend the East Town Get Down music festival. I spent Saturday evening on International Avenue trekking between sets and venues. I loved the different spaces where live music was happening. There's something intriguing to me about how a space shapes the music. It was certainly proved this weekend that you can totally push the chairs aside and have a show in a Vietnamese restaurant. 

I'm always reaffirmed that community is integral to happiness. Whether it's the hockey team playing hard for the win, a round of songwriters engrossing the audience, or a few hundred like-minded music fans excitedly scurrying form show to show, we are here together. I don't think there's anything more important. As an incredibly shy and unassuming person there were moments this week I felt on the outside of what was going on. More of an observer than a participant. I'm going to try and work on that. Regardless I'm excited about the depth of Calgary's music scene and everything here I've got left to explore.  

Rocket 

Ps. Let's go Oilers!

Fall of 2021 was challenging. The day job kept me overly occupied. Slouched over a computer most days/nights I felt like Igor was my spirit animal. Dealing with COVID on top of that was . . . bleck. 

I was privileged enough to have a solid 2 week break over the holiday season and made a point to focus on creating. It also seemed to be an apropos (and cliché) time to evaluate my relationship with my creative hobbies. Pondering on that I came away with one guiding principle that I'm taking into 2022.Whatever I'm doing creatively I want it to be fun. I'm going to pick up every project or bit of inspiration that comes my way, hold it close, and ask myself "does this spark joy"? 

In the last two weeks I released three things that marked pretty high on the ol' fun-meter. Head over to the Videos page to see two brand new videos I posted. There's an 'official' video for "Nothing Less" where I eat an entire chocolate cake to myself. Then there's the goofy beat/animation I created called "Couch Potato". 

For all you cool cats n' kittens using Spotify, I also released a new Canvas animation for "Still Yours". I really dig how it turned out. The video quality reminds me of Saturday morning cartoons from the early nineties (this might have been intentional, or it may be a complete lack of competent video exporting skills). Check it out on Spotify and let me know what you think. 

I'm excited to be hosting a writer's night at local hangout Gravity Cafe. This will be the first show in a monthly series of where I have the privilege of welcoming local songwriters to the stage. They will have the opportunity to share a few songs and the stories that go with them. 

This month I am joined by Andrew Douglas and Greg Rider. Really stoked to hear what they have put together. 

My goal is to seek out artists who haven't necessarily had many opportunities to play the local scene and showcase the vast amount of unknown talent we have in YYC. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, or at an upcoming songwriter night! Check the Shows page for more info!

We are currently restriction free in Alberta after many long months of COVID-19 lockdown. With the green light given to music venues to start up again I'm excited to say I've got two live performances planned this week! Thursday July 29 I'll be returning along with our cast of upstanding hosts to Songwriter Night at Gravity Espresso and Wine Bar in Inglewood. Show starts at 7pm. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with the songwriting community after months of being stuck in my apartment. 

The fun doesn't stop there! Saturday July 31 I'll be taking the stage at my favourite local dive! That's right, I'll be back at Vern's to reconnect with the Jagermeister obsessed crowds which frequent the best basement in the city. I'd say be there at 9pm to get a good seat. 
 

Check out my events page for more details!

I started my first band in the 7th grade and our first practice was ridiculous. We didn't own any instruments . . . 🤷‍♂️  We were 3 awkward preteens sitting in a living room, dreaming about making music. Looking back on it now first steps are first steps and I'm glad I showed up.   

I've found it challenging to stay creative 14 months into the pandemic. I was busy with the album as the pandemic struck. I remember being optimistic at that time. My understanding was we'd be down and out for a few short weeks, kick COVID to the curb and be back playing shows. Lololololololo. . . 

I spent the first few months of lockdown making hokey lyric videos for my tunes. It was fun and kept me occupied. I recommend checking out the video for Nothing Less. As the summer stretched on and COVID remained, it became increasingly difficult to stay motivated. I've felt a few creative surges here and there, but nothing sustained. 

Things are looking up though. Got my first vaccine and it sounds like we are getting ready to ramp things up in the live music sector! Time to get back with it. See you on the stage!

I have always wanted to make a record. It's like the Holy Grail of a musical life. When I search through old notebooks I often find the remnants of what was going to be my album. Lists of song titles scratched into margins. Pages dedicated to different song sequences. I was always questioning which set would make the better album. 

I met Lorrie at Gravity; one of my favourite local haunts. We had been put in touch by Music Calgary's managing director Colleen Krueger. I took the morning off work so I could make our meeting. I sipped on an Americano as we talked about the process of putting a record together, what his role would be, and what the creative vision was.   

Admittedly, I had no idea what I was doing. Having never heard me play before Lorrie asked me about my sound. Despite my life-long ambition to create a collection of material, I had a hard time articulating what it should sound like. In hindsight, this is maybe the reason it took so long for me to get to this point. Regardless I knew I was about to embark on a really meaningful process.

Nothing Less

Written by Rocket Alexander  
Produced/Engineered by Lorrie Matheson @ Arch Audio  
Mastered by John Golden @ Golden Mastering  

Drums - Chris Dadge  
Keys/Backing Vox - Lorrie Matheson  
Guitar/Bass/Lead Vox - Rocket Alexander 

I do have a few recordings under my belt. Shout out to Society High, Danger Men, Cooper Collective, Tony Harrison and the Ramblers, and Jess & Robb. 

https://www.reverbnation.com/coopercollective 

https://tonyharrisonandtheramblers.bandcamp.com/ 

https://www.jessandrobbmusic.com/music

According to Wikipedia "Liner notes were an occasion for thoughtful signed essays on the artist by another party, often a sympathetic music journalist". I can't promise that I'll take on a second personality, deliver thoughtful essays, or try my hand at music journalism, but I will endeavour to "pull back the curtain" to provide my views on artistry and creativity. 

My name is Rocket Alexander. I am a musician/doodler/sci-fi enthusiast and all around creative person. I've spent the better part of 32 years writing songs, playing gigs, and day dreaming about my next creative project. I'm not purporting to be any kind of authority on music making, artwork, or creative living. I am just a lonely artists trying to navigate the COVID pandemic with the hopes of finding a community of creative loving people.  

My absolute favourite part of being a musician has been live performance. Give me a dimly lit stage in a grimy basement bar and I'm one happy astronaut. It's been almost a year since live music had to take an abrupt and indefinite hiatus. The adjustment has been difficult, and left me feeling disconnected from my creative comrades.   

In an attempt to re-establish myself as a creator I'm offering the community my own insight into living a creative life. Let's have a conversation about creativity and community! I want to share my experiences, swap stories, and get back in the scene. Silent no more.

I really do like drawing things. Here is a quick self-portrait: