Bret Alexander

SOMEWHERE, SOMEONE KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THAT 
  
  
I am sure some of you have been watching the show “Vinyl” on HBO. I have been checking it out quite a bit. Some of the characters I am not sure about, but…

THE ANCIENT ART OF NOT GIVING A SHIT 
  
Last week I wrote some liner notes about a record I just finished. In those notes, I talked about the finer points of not giving a shit. So for today’s blog, I’m…

Space And Limitations 
  
Here’s something I have noticed: Age is more about throwing things away than acquiring more. As you get older, you start getting rid of stuff. I have been doing it more these days. And music is no…

EVERYBODY HAS A SOUNDTRACK 

Last weekend, my good pal Tom Flannery sent me a photograph of Keith Richards and a small child (pictured above). I sent him a text to tell him how much I loved that picture. Tom and…

A MUSICAL POTLATCH 
  
In many Native American cultures there was a custom called a “potlatch” ceremony. A potlatch was an event where a chief would give away all his possessions and wealth to members of the tribe. Sometimes, certain valuable…

THE ROAD TO JOY 

Many years ago I remember standing on the side of the stage talking with a crew member of The Marshall Tucker Band. We were playing a radio sponsored show with them at an outdoor venue.  We…

THE WISDOM OF JACK AND THE BEANSTALK 

I have an old friend named Gene. He’s in his 80s now, and I haven’t seen him in quite a while. Gene was an ad agency guy that I became friends with at…

CALENDAR WORSHIP AND THE JACK OF ALL TRADES 

Pretty much for all of the 1990s, I played with one band. One band. That was it. When the band wasn’t playing(and we played a lot) we were rehearsing. When we weren’t…

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF AN IDEAL 

I’m going to make a confession. Pretty much every morning I sit down and read the news. But in the last year, for the first time, I have ventured my way further down the…

THE MILES BETWEEN THE MOMENTS 
  
I met with a band a few years back about doing a record. They were asking me for advice about getting out there. How to “make it” and all that. I suggested they get out…

ART AND ARCHITECTURE (aka "THE DOOR")
  
As any musician or artist will tell you, you go through stages in your creative life. Usually they aren’t preconceived. They just happen over time. To use the hugest of examples, listen to The…

WHITE NOISE (THE DEATH OF A CRAFTSMAN) 
  
Last week’s blog certainly got a debate started, which I welcome. So this week I want to go a little further down the same road. 

I talked about casinos and tribute bands and…