Alexa Lash (Alexa & the Old-Fashioneds)

Quarantine, lockdowns, and stay-at-home orders were undeniably challenging even for the most introverted, anti-social individuals. Months of being isolated and cut off from work, friends, colleagues, and having our entire reality shift overnight could drive anyone off the edge--and singer-songwriter Alexa Lash could relate. She used that time to create work that would truly resonate with the rollercoaster of emotions and experiences people had, launching her latest collection of songs at an event in Miami.

Her second EP, titled Already Not the Same, features some of the most soul-touching songs about memory, nostalgia, heartache, and just an incredible range of emotions. This EP is a follow-up to her first album Sage & Wine, which explored similar themes of heartbreak, love, and loss.

More about the music on the EP
Alexa Lash has a particular sound that sets her apart. With a bluesy pop to her music, which mostly falls into folk as a genre, it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is about her music that stands out so much. We just know we’re hooked.

Carrying forward similar themes and explorations from Sage & Wine, the EP has a collection of four songs that move you through an experience unlike any other. It starts with the song Baked Apples that you have to listen to to understand fully, but it’s truly a beautiful tribute and celebration of memory itself. The song explores loss through memory.

We then move on to Stay Over, a song about taking that chance and asking the other person to stick around. It walks us through the very human desire for connection and companionship and pushes listeners to take a chance with her heart.

But sometimes, even taking a chance doesn’t work, and that’s where Facing Reality comes in, singing about the heartache of unrequited love. While it is quite emotional, the song is also about moving on and learning to cope with life as it is and, you know, facing reality!

The star of this EP, however, is probably History, a song that plays with different elements, including Spanish guitar and some spoken word added by Ferny Coipe and Julian Cifuentes respectively.

The music is nothing short of an experience, and we’re excited to listen to all the tracks on the EP.

Where to catch Alexa Lash and her band in Miami
Luckily, Little Havana’s Bar Nancy is frequently haunted by Alexa and her band, who have a long-running residency here. They perform every third Wednesday and every other first Friday, so you can check out Bar Nancy’s website and socials to stay updated about their next show. It’s definitely going to be worth catching live.

Already Not the Same hit streaming platforms on the 7th of January, 2022, and listeners can tune into the platform of their choice to listen to the beautiful music she’s released. Hurry up and check it out! - Calle Ocho News

Singer/songwriter Alexa Lash has been kicking around the South Florida music scene for several years now. She co-runs a virtual open mic series on Tuesdays called “Creatively Undistanced” and occasionally hosts evenings at local live music oasis Bar Nancy in Little Havana (2007 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135). She just released her solo debut EP Sage and Wine, with material written during the quarantine touching on themes of self-forgiveness, honesty, anxiety, acceptance, happiness, and self-realization.

Where were you born?
Alexa Lash: I was born and raised in North Miami Beach, Florida. I lived there or Aventura most of my life until I left for college.

What is your very first musical memory?
I remember finding a bunch of cassette tapes in my grandparent’s house (I lived with them until I was nine) – and at around that age I would go into this large room at their house and play them loudly and dance and sing. One of the ones I remember dancing to was “Going to the Chapel” by The Dixie Cups.

Did you formally study music?
Besides chorus in elementary school? No. I didn’t start actively pursuing music until about five or so years ago. Everything was karaoke or spoken word set to the melodies in my head.

Who were your early influences?
I listened to a lot of 80’s and 90’s music with my mom. I loved Queen, Meat Loaf, Blondie, Madonna, No Doubt – and sang them all loudly in the car with her. And actually, before that – I was raised in a Jewish household – so I remember the songs from the holiday, the deep and impassioned songs that told stories of sadness and miracles. Those were a pretty big influence, too.

Who do you listen to today?
A little bit of everything, but most of it is a conglomeration of music other people have shown me, or send me to listen to: so it’s been things like French pop, Postmodern Jukebox, Bright Eyes, Metric, TV on the Radio, Jesca Hoop, Tune-Yards – and the list goes on. I also listen to a lot of my friends’ music – so anyone who’s released music from the people I’ve met in Miami and open mics across the nation – they’re all on my playlist.



What inspired Sage and Wine?
The song “Sage and Wine” was inspired by deep conversations with my girlfriends. Talking about toxic relationships, and commiserating over wine while we saged my apartment of all the, well, of all the shit – of all that negative energy that comes with a person who doesn’t just break your heart, but almost makes you forget who you are. The song is about cleansing your life of the bad because you know you’re amazing. That no matter what a person does to try to tear you down, you’re opinion of yourself is the only one that matters. The whole Sage and Wine EP is the story of love, heartbreak, and self-forgiveness.

Is this the first Alexa Lash record? If not what else have you released?
This is my first solo release. And there’s more coming! I’ve released a demo album with my former band, November May, a few years ago, but we never released any music on the major platforms – and most of my music never made it past SoundCloud.

What was it like recording at the Shack North Studio and Rehearsals with Ferny Coipel?
Ferny is such a wonderful human being. I was so nervous recording – I don’t have a ton of confidence in my guitar playing. Ferny was not only patient with me, he was encouraging, and really made me feel like my music was something special, worth being heard, worth being recorded. I know it seems like I’ve got it all together, that I think my music is the cat’s pajamas or whatever the comparative phrase would be. But I’m incredibly self-conscious of my music and my writing. And working with Ferny, even now, has been steadily making me feel more and more like the rock star I want to be.

Where was Sage and Wine mixed and mastered?
Ferny handled the mix – and I actually had the EP mastered by Little Cheddar Studios out of New York. I met them in a social media engagement group, loved their quirky and funny posts, their clear passion for the craft, and their content. And the offer has been extended to record with them whenever I’m finally able to get up North when things are safer.

What made you start “Creatively Undistanced”?
A desire for community and to give people a place to gather and talk and share their art. And selfishly – I missed the open mics I used to attend in Miami. Some of them tried to go virtual – but honestly, the pandemic made it really difficult. I had the time, and the ability – so I decided to just…try. I started it in April – and with the help of another local musician, Quiana Major, we’ve kept it going up to now.

Catch Alexa Lash live at these upcoming shows:
1/29 Bar Nancy with AcostA, 8 p.m.
1/30 Yeasty Brews, 6 p.m.
2/5 Bar Nancy with Kylan Chetty, 8 p.m.
2/19 Bar Nancy with Emilia Garth, 8 p.m.
2/20 Black Flamingo Brewing Company, 9 p.m.
3/5 Bar Nancy with Sara Scully, 8 p.m.
3/6 The Anderson, Sit & Shop, TBD
3/19 Bar Nancy with AriRose, 8 p.m.

Learn more about her at linktr.ee/alexalashmusic. - THE JITNEY

Alexa Lash Releases “Already Not the Same” January 7, Celebrates at Bar Nancy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Artist transforms emotion into ear candy for the pandemic era in new release out Friday

Miami, FL – January 4, 2022 – Miami-born singer-songwriter Alexa Lash has written and recorded another collection of songs that serves as a four-song experience that takes listeners on a journey through joy, nostalgia, sadness, and empowerment. Already Not the Same hits all streaming platforms on Friday, January 7, 2022. Lash will be celebrating the release that night with a special party at Bar Nancy in Little Havana (2007 SW 8 Street, Miami, FL 33135) beginning at 9 p.m.

Lash has found comfort in emotion with her new release, which is a follow up to her debut EP Sage and Wine. “It’s hard to believe how much has changed in just a year,” she says. “I have so much music I want to share with the world, and this is just the beginning. I hope everyone hears just how much love I put into the music.”

The first single is called “Baked Apples”, and it delves into nostalgia and the power of love and sensory memory, and is a reminder that when someone is gone, their memory is always with you throughout the rest of your life. It is out now – click here to listen.

“Stay Over” is a gooey pop delve into romance, and serves as a romp into expressing our tendency towards the need for companionship. It’s about telling someone you like them, openly and confidently. And not being afraid to be “that person” who makes the first move.

“Facing Reality” is an emotional trek through unrequited love. It is about expectation, hope, and the reality that must be faced when feelings aren’t reciprocated. This harsh truth is the crux and inspiration for the emotion that drives not just the lyrics, but how Lash sings it on the EP and in person.

“History” is a fun, flavorful track inspired by confidence and self-assuredness. It’s playful, embeds elements of spoken word/rap, trumpet provided by Julian Cifuentes, and touches of Spanish guitar by Ferny Coipel, who produced and engineered the set at the Shack North in Hialeah, FL.

Overall, Lash’s music is a self-reflective kind of folksy, a tone likened to bluesy, her hooks sticky and catchy, with a touch of soul, and drizzled with a smidgen of pop. It is all at once memorable, insightful and intimate, beautifully-crafted, and entirely original.

Marcel Salas, who is the lead guitarist in Lash’s live band Alexa & The Old Fashioneds, opens the evening with a solo set Friday; he plays the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, and piano on the recordings. The EP was mastered by Zach Ziskin. The cover art for the lead single is equally as personal and was designed by Lash’s former bandmate and Miami-based artist, Johann C. Muñoz.

Alexa has a long-running residency at Bar Nancy – catch her there every other first Friday and every third Wednesday. High resolution photos and interviews available upon request.

Links to the single and additional content are available at linktr.ee/alexalashmusic. - MutComm

If you don’t know who Alexa Lash is, then you must “like” her on Instagram and follow her immediately. She has her very own “Sound check song” in which she’ll include a stranger or a friend in the lyrics and makes up an interesting story to begin her set. I find myself singing it sometimes so it’s catchy. Alexa has a powerful voice to match her lyrics. She began playing locally with a ukulele, then during quarantine picked up an acoustic guitar and learned to play on her own. Now, she feels more empowered than ever and her craft has taken a fiercer shape, just like the tattooed phoenix on her back. My personal favorite is “Every Little Thing I Do”, where she pleads for her lover to say those magic words, we girls desperately want to hear and then strums along to a frustrated rap because the lover isn’t responding. Although most of the songs Alexa sings are originals and her new EP is due out shortly, she covers anything from “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse, “Zombie” by The Cranberries to the local’s favorite, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. Alexa has diamond eyes and a beautiful smile with a quick wit that will have you singing along with the crowd to “MIA” and cheering during breaks as she sips on her old fashion.



QRO: It’s difficult for me to pinpoint your style of music, how would you describe it?

AL: It’s funny, I always have trouble answering this question because I feel like I sound a little different with the band and as like when I was with November May I felt that I sounded like you know, more like alternative, soulful, a little funky. Now what I’ve been doing is singer-songwriter stuff; I guess my style is storyteller with soul. A little folksy but not. I don’t know, my inspirations are drawn from various places, including like ‘80s music and Hebrew songs from JCC, Jewish camp.

QRO: What inspires you to write?

AL: Well, what inspires me to write now and what has been I mean are mostly just experiences either that I have been through or that people I know have been through, like I’ve actually written songs for other people who are about other people’s life you know, telling a story, like if it’s my story that’s great, if it’s another person’s story that’s great or made up stories like I just imagined something happening or how I would react or a collection of things that have happened over the course of whatever amount of time.

I like telling stories about real life or fictional life, a lot of it was about relationships but now it’s kind of transitioned. It went from just you know a lot of oh, heart break and you know, I’m suffering to now it’s emotions that I’m experiencing in quarantine and those trigger song ideas. I wrote about anxiety during quarantine, that was one of my first songs that got a lot of connectivity and traction during quarantine, people were like, “Alexa, I really like your song, I connect with it,” and people would start telling me that, since that song. Then I wrote some songs about thinking about death, about loneliness, about stress and just like all those feelings combined and then just kept writing. I wrote more and more and more. I just finished a song the other day about thinking about my future because music has become a priority.

I DON’T KNOW, MY INSPIRATIONS ARE DRAWN FROM VARIOUS PLACES, INCLUDING LIKE ‘80S MUSIC AND HEBREW SONGS FROM JCC, JEWISH CAMP.

QRO: When you sing, “She’s Gonna Be Fine” I feel the hurt from your gut, it’s a beautifully painful song, do you harvest the emotions of when you wrote that song right before you sing it?

AL: Yeah; “She’s Gonna Be Fine “is such a special song to me. I actually recorded it recently so it’s going to be on my EP that I release, out of the four songs and trying to replicate how I sing it in person is not easy when you’re in a room by yourself, and I’ve noticed that I sing that song very differently depending on the audience and when the audience is engaged in my story telling like I can feel it throughout the night, I tend to sing it with more backing so when I start to sing that song, I don’t know if I’m conjuring up emotions but that song makes me sing emotionally because I know the words, they’re very measured and that song is based on a true story so it’s very easy for me to fall into it.

I recorded it originally and then showed it to someone and they were like, “Alexa the pacing is kind of fast, can you redo it?” and I was like, ‘Shoot,’ you know, I really like the way that this sounds, I did some cool stuff with my voice but she was right. I didn’t draw the same emotional pull that I do when I’m in person and I don’t know why, I think I was just too excited to record it so last night, I re-recorded it and you can hear me like almost crying in it. Yeah, that song always makes me want to cry when I sing it. It takes a lot of out of me. When I’m done singing it, I feel like I can take a nap or go crawl in a corner and just keep crying or something.

Alexa LashQRO: What is your favorite song to perform and why?

AL: There’s a mix. “She’s Gonna Be Fine” is one of my favorites to perform now, just because it tends to silence a room and there’s something special to be said about that for me because I’ve never been able to command a space as much as that song’s given me the power to do so.

Beyond that song, I really like singing “Sunrise”, it’s also new, it’s one of the new ones because when I sing that, there’s a part that’s like with you, with you, with you, like I yell it and now everyone yells it with me, but my favorite that’s kind of always been my favorite to sing with everybody has probably been “MIA”. I wrote that on the ukulele, and everybody’s just has always been really down to sing along and I love when the audience comes into the picture and sings it with me. There’s something special about even strangers who don’t know the song start to sing it, it just is a nice community exercise.

QRO: You play the ukulele and more recently learned to play guitar; are there any more instruments you have thought about playing in the future? (In my view, a keyboard is set up next to her)

AL: I was telling somebody the story on a podcast that I did recently about my dad supporting my music. There’s more backstory to that but basically lately, my family, my friends have kind of all been into this dream of mine and I was thinking about getting a keyboard for a while. When quarantine started, I just, I wanted to learn everything and then I saw a friend of mine play the keyboard and I was like, oh my god I want one so badly and I was like, oh well you know if I have a keyboard and the band wants to come over then my keyboardist doesn’t have to drag his, then I’ll have it so I just have all these random instruments that everybody can, so now I’ve got to get drums or something.

Quarantine stopped from a lot of things being delivered and I ordered this keyboard about three months ago. My dad got it for me as like a, I want to support your dream kind of gift and I was like, are you sure? Like, I was going to get it anyway but like, are you sure? I was going to go broke dad. And I fell in love with this one and I ordered it and I was like, this thing is never coming in, ever. On that podcast I just did, I mentioned the keyboard and like two days later, after that podcast aired, I get the call from Sweetwater that it was in and it was being shipped. It got here on Halloween, but I couldn’t open the box yet and on November 1st I opened it for the first time, and I haven’t moved from this spot.

WHEN I’M DONE SINGING IT, I FEEL LIKE I CAN TAKE A NAP OR GO CRAWL IN A CORNER AND JUST KEEP CRYING OR SOMETHING.

QRO: During quarantine, you have made new musician friends and have brought them to share your stage; how does it feel to be a talent scout of sorts and do you think it is something you would like to continue to do?

AL: I’ve been very lucky and it’s funny because your question lead into my day. Tonight, is my ‘90s night, which is why I’m rocking the Jurassic Park shirt (I love it) for my zoom open mic that I’ve been doing since April. I’ve done a lot of stuff during quarantine, I did a song writer exchange, I did an Instagram takeover for Make Music Miami, I did some weird Jewish events, I got called the funky Zionista and I was like a little bit like, alright, chill that’s a little too much for me. Any chance I got to make music, I tried to do during quarantine; I dressed as Elsa for god’s sakes.

All of these things that I did then lead to people coming to my open mic night from all of these different resources so during the song exchange, that person, her name is Rew, came on to my open mic like I went on to hers and she came to mine and then she brought her friends who are now are regulars of my night. Rock-n-Roll Johnny always likes to be called out but all these people you know, come on and they were supporting me while I was trying to do my song writing lessons like trying to teach people how to write lyrics and to write music or to write songs.

I tried different stuff and these people supported me and when I got a chance to go on a stage I could have played by myself for three hours but I was like, you know why not share the love with some of the people who have made quarantine more manageable so people like Clover, April I already knew before quarantine who just went on stage with me, my friend Cynthia same thing before quarantine, Luis was a friend of mine and then he brought the flute player in. This whole network of people that have just been supporting each other during quarantine are the ones I put up on stage, like you didn’t have to show up to my open mic night, it was helpful if I didn’t know you already or wasn’t too familiar with your music because Bar Nancy is a scared place for me like, I worked there pre-quarantine that’s my family, that’s my home, so who I bring into it is important to me like if you’re a jerk or an asshole, I’m not going to put you on stage with me and everybody’s attitude changes from day to day so you could have been nice prior to quarantine and then become not the nicest person.

I’ve just gotten lucky, I’ve met all these talented people and I’ve gotten a chance to put them on a stage and I’ve tried to get them paid as much as I can, it’s not easy but I’m trying to create the opportunity for them. Honestly, it gets exhausting so as much as I want to say I’m going to keep scouting talent, I just keep hoping that I get lucky that people show up either to the open mic that I’ve never met before that live in Miami or that somebody introduces me to someone just because of the networking opportunities here because talent can be easy to find in Miami but talent with a heart and a solid, kind personality that’s not the easiest to find like people who aren’t out just for themselves I guess is what I’m saying. I feel very lucky for the people I’ve met Honestly, if Johnny didn’t live in New York, I’d put him on a stage in a heartbeat, if Rew didn’t live in New York, same thing. If my new California friends didn’t live in Cali – stage. I wish I could put more people on the stage that I’ve gotten to meet through quarantine.

I’VE JUST GOTTEN LUCKY, I’VE MET ALL THESE TALENTED PEOPLE AND I’VE GOTTEN A CHANCE TO PUT THEM ON A STAGE AND I’VE TRIED TO GET THEM PAID AS MUCH AS I CAN.

QRO: If you had your choice of an artist to collaborate with, who would it be?

AL: Like Famous? Are we talking dead or alive? For a living artist, the first person who came to mind is Lady Gaga. I don’t know why that was the first name that came to my head, but I think it’s just because I admire her musical style like a lot. The way she sings, that would be amazing. I want to see how she writes. So probably her, I can’t even like think of anyone right now if you’d had asked me a while ago, I would have been like Meatloaf or Queen. Apparently, Lady Gaga because that’s where my mind just went.

Alex is finalizing her four song EP and her release party is scheduled on January 1st at none other than Bar Nancy.

The four songs are “Sunrise”, “She’s Gonna Be Fine”, “Sage & Wine” and “Who Knows Me”. I was trying to tell a story and it was written in the same time period so I guess the idea is that the person you’re enjoying the time with somebody, know that they’re going to leave, they leave, she’s going to be fine, she cleanses her space and then she’s like, who even knows me anyway so it’s like the story.

Please come out to support Alexa and other talented local artists Friday nights at Bar Nancy on Calle Ocho. Bar Nancy is a great spot for drinks, food and live music. If you are hungry, The Cheese Stands Alone serves amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and if you’re vegan, don’t worry, Amanda has you covered. - QRO Magazine

Alexa Lash Releases Debut EP Sage and Wine About Love, Heartbreak, and Self-Forgiveness
Material written during the pandemic quarantine also touches on honesty, anxiety, acceptance, happiness, and self-realization.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL – January 26, 2021 – In the Victorian age, Alfred Lord Tennyson famously said something about loving and losing love being better than never having loved at all. In today’s society ripe with entitlement and self-dealing, toxic relationships are sometimes not worth the heartbreak. In the case of Miami-based singer / songwriter Alexa Lash, it inspired a set of songs she recently released called Sage and Wine, material written during the pandemic quarantine touching on themes of self-forgiveness and honesty, anxiety, acceptance, happiness, and self-realization.

“The whole Sage and Wine EP is the story of love, heartbreak, and self-forgiveness,” says Lash, who was born and raised in North Miami, FL, and educated in Orlando and Boston. “It was inspired by deep conversations about toxic relationships and commiserating over wine while we saged my apartment to rid it of the negative energy that comes with a person who doesn’t just break your heart, but almost makes you forget who you are.” The EP is now streaming and available online for purchase through bit.ly/SageandWine.

The record represents her first solo release and was recorded and mixed by Ferny Coipel at the Shack North Studio and Rehearsals in Hialeah. “I was so nervous recording because I don’t have a ton of confidence in my guitar playing,” shares Lash. “Ferny was not only patient with me, but he was also encouraging, and really made me feel like my music was something special, worth being recorded and heard.” Sage and Wine was mastered by Little Cheddar Studios out of New York. There are more tracks in the works.

Lash listened to a lot of 80s and 90s music with her mom as a youngster, having been influenced by Queen, Meat Loaf, Blondie, Madonna, No Doubt. She has fond memories of singing them all loudly with her in the car. “Before that, I was raised in a Jewish household, so I remember the music from the holidays, the deep and impassioned songs that told stories of sadness and miracles. Those were a pretty big influence, too.” Today she enjoys Postmodern Jukebox, Bright Eyes, Metric, TV on the Radio, Jesca Hoop, Tune-Yards,and a playlist of all the locals she has shared a stage with.

Alexa founded a virtual open mic series on Tuesdays called “Creatively Undistanced”, an online community to give people a place to gather, talk, and share their art. Occasionally, she hosts evenings at local live music oasis Bar Nancy in Little Havana (2007 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135). Fans will have several opportunities to catch her there the next few months, including Friday, January 29, 2021, beginning at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit linktr.ee/alexalashmusic. - MutComm