Alex Rosenblatt
Gig Seeker Pro

Alex Rosenblatt

| SELF

| SELF
Band Alternative Acoustic

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Live at UMO, 3/20/07"

Native Bangor musician comes home for Java Jive

By: Jennifer Bashford
Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: Style
Media Credit: rose collins

Java Jive on Tuesday brought Bangor-native musician Alex Rosenblatt back home for a captivating evening of music. The University of Maine marked the penultimate leg of his 2007 spring tour of college campuses across the Northeast. The North Pod was busy with old friends and new fans enjoying the indie-flavored acoustic atmosphere.

A student himself, it was clear that Rosenblatt completely understands the college audience. He performed a perfect balance of new and original tracks and popular music, entertaining his crowd while fully flaunting his versatility as an artist during his 50-minute set.

Most memorable was the brilliant "Alex-Rosenblatt Dance Mix Medley" which included Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's "Beautiful," Pussy Cat Dolls' "Don't Cha" and "Loosen Up My Buttons" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back," and it proved a real hit with the amused audience.

Other covers included Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from James Bond's latest adventure in "Casino Royale," and a great rendition of "Here We Go" by Dispatch, a band he includes under a long list of influences in his biography. Later in the set, Rosenblatt also created a fantastic "Coldplay Sandwich," with "Fix You" ingeniously slotted into The Fray's "How to Save a Life."

Rosenblatt has been involved in music for much of his life and has singing and song writing under his belt, as well as a repertoire of instruments. Although Tuesday night featured only Rosenblatt and his acoustic guitar, his experience and talent shone. He effectively created his own harmonies onstage by layering looped recordings on his effects pedal, slipped effortlessly into choruses. His strong and distinctive voice had a great range but also showed he could employ more power for a huskier tone when he chose to. Of his 11 songs, the original tracks he performed included "For Spite" and "Hold On."

Alex Rosenblatt was happy to be visiting his home state of Maine again and enjoyed the UMaine show. "It's great to come back home and play, especially since there were so many people here I went to school with," he said. As a student at Northeastern, he is now firmly based in the Boston area. "I don't get to come back up here that often anymore" he said.

Currently signed to an indie record label, Rosenblatt fit right in with the usual acoustic tone of Java Jive while still keeping an individual, alternative edge to his music. He was giving out free CDs and stickers to eager students after the show and encouraged people to spread the word about his music. Check out his official Web site, http://www.alexrosenblatt.com, where you can listen to 12 of his tracks online along with gig information. He is also on MySpace.
- The Maine Campus Online


Discography

Roof It EP 2002
Summer Sampler 2005
Alex Rosenblatt EP 2006

Photos

Bio

“People don’t give Maine enough credit,” says Alex. “Just because there’s nothing to do doesn’t mean we’re all really good at cow-tipping. Some people spend their spare time doing productive stuff too.” In Alex’s case, the “productive stuff” was playing music. Studying a variety of instruments and playing in countless bands since he was just a little tyke, Alex’s musical background has helped to create a versatile musician, an emotional songwriter, and a powerful performer.

Who are his influences? “I hate that question. Once you say one name, you have to give more names so that people don’t get the wrong impression until finally, you end up with a meaningless jumble of artists. But let’s do it anyway: in no particular order, Dispatch, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz, Ben Folds, David Grey, John Mayer... Let’s stop there.”

So what is Alex doing now? In between classes at Northeastern University in Boston, this 21-year-old is driving his tiny blue pickup truck to schools around the northeast as the college audience discovers his music. “I still do bars now and again, but I really prefer to play colleges. After all, I’m a college kid. Those audiences seem to listen a little bit better. When you put as much time into songwriting as I do, especially lyrics, a good audience becomes important.”

Alex just finished recording the latest installment of his soon-to-be full length album. “It’s a great system: record a few tracks, call it a ‘Sampler.’ Record a few more, it’s an ‘EP,’ and so on. I am currently at EP.” The tracks ranges from driving, full band rock and roll (We Can Say), to intimate piano ballad (Upstairs), to naked acoustic guitar and vocals (Murdering Me). “I am starting to have a fairly good representation of the range of music I play.”

Out of the studio and on the stage, Alex’s talent as a performer can be seen from another angle. Using guitars, piano, vocals, and a number of effects pedals, Alex creates a full, driving sound that captures audiences. “There is a balancing act that you have to do on stage. You don’t want to be just another singer/songwriter, and that can be hard when you’re standing up there, just you and a guitar. But that's the challenge that makes this job so amazing. It keeps you on your toes emotionally, mentally, and musically. That's what really connects the performer to the audience, and that connection is why I do what I do.” -long pause- “Sorry, I got cheesy there for a minute. You know you should probably just tell them to come see for themselves.”

So there you have it, you’ll have to come see for yourselves. And he shouldn’t be too difficult to find: his first appearance at a NACA conference led to the very successful “Spring ‘06 Northeast Mini-Tour.” Plans are already in the works for another round of shows next semester. So keep an eye out for Alex Rosenblatt. This up-and-comer has a lot to offer, and is going to be hard to miss.