Alex Wilson
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Alex Wilson

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | SELF

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | SELF
Band Blues Classic Rock

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The best kept secret in music

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"Alex Wilson Band"

"Focused" is an apt word that describes Alex Wilson.

"I'm always doing something that points me toward the direction I want to go in," he says.

At 26 years old, his work ethic is extraordinary. His life is surrounded by music, whether it's writing music, getting instruments fixed or scouting for new venues via his computer.

"I was thinking about touring the country. But I figure, why tour the country when you can tour the world?" Wilson said.

This is just another testament to his tenacity for all things music.

Influenced by some of music's greatest artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, the Beatles and Robert Johnson, Wilson is preparing to release his blues debut, "Tell Me Why."

"I wanted to keep (the album) real . . . with some soul and some feeling (in it). It's such a shame to hear people play blues, and it lacks that (soul)," Wilson said.

For him, that's what music is all about. His debut is filled with blues variations. There are some ballads, traditional blues and even some more contemporary blues.

However, with such an eclectic album, Wilson made sure to maintain a consistent sound throughout.

"I recorded a song called 'Tell Me Why,' and that actually won't make the album," Wilson said. "It's got a psychedelic type of sound to it. It goes a lot of different places."

What makes his debut album special is that it will be released on his own label, Rathskellar Records. When asked about the difficulty of being an artist and the chief executive of a label, Wilson seemed to be more focused on the musician side of himself.

"It's harder to be an artist, honestly. (The record label) is basically just a name and a trademark I thought of."
- MKE 1/4/07 Milwaukee, WI


"WAUSAU CITY PAGES, CULTURE BiN"

Second-generation blues
Wisconsin's Blues Artist of the Year makes two stops this weekend

When Alex Wilson was five years old he was learning blues bass lines from his father. When I was five years old I was taking swimming lessons and learning soccer in the summer. Since then one of us has become an acclaimed blues artist in Wisconsin who recently won a Wisconsin Area Music Industry award. The other has managed not to drown.
The point is, though he's only 26 years old, Wilson has been doing this for a long time and he's good at it. The Alex Wilson Band won the 2007 WAMI award for Blues Artist of the Year and are bringing their show to central Wisconsin Friday, May 11th at Ballyhoos in Merrill, and Saturday, May 12th at Mickey's Billiards in Schofield. The shows feature a return to blues music in full tradition, but still very rough around the edges and full of passion. "It was an honor to be nominated after all this time," says Wilson.
Lance Shellman, vice president of the WAMI group says, "Alex is one of the most exciting blues artists to arrive on the scene in sometime." Shellman would know, having been the agent for artists like Reverend Raven, Westside Andy and Jay Stulo, as well as booker for nearly every blues festival in Wisconsin.
It could be said that his blues are more traditional than the luminaries of Wisconsin blues. Alex would agree. "I find myself asking where the 'real' blues is anymore." His music is rough and primal, with a hollow body guitar sound that resonates a real passion. His band is tight enough to play just about any style you could want, but when they really get down to it, theirs is a simple, electric, Chicago style of blues.
Wilson has been kicking around for a long time. His father was a successful blues bass player, and his uncle was in demand as a drummer who played with everyone in the Midwest. A big hand up was the late Milwaukee blues Icon Willie Higgins. "Willie really helped me out. He lived across the street from Up and Under Pub, and we would hang out. I learned a lot," says Wilson.
As Higgins got sick, Wilson picked up the slack for his house gigs, "He passed them all down to me."
Paying your dues and taking your time comes naturally to Wilson. "I know about the politics, and I am glad the established guys have been supportive. Reverend Raven has been a cheerleader since the beginning. Madison Slim has played with us alot," he says about the blues tradition in Wisconsin.
The Alex Wilson Band released their first record in 2006 entitled, Tell Me Why that features 11 tracks of original music. - Dino Corvino


"ELMORE MAGAZINE, Tell Me Why"

With a Charlie Musselwhite endorsement on this CD, there’s not much I need say about the talent and musicianship involved.
Alex Wilson comes from a family of musicians. His Grandmother was a professional jazz singer. His father Tom has played with nearly every blues act gracing stages in Milwaukee and Chicago for the past thirty years. Uncle Marc, always with a full calendar playing with the likes of B.B. King, Stevie Ray, Marcia Ball, Ronnie Earl and many others, manages to join Alex on several cuts. The remaining musicians are a Who’s Who of accomplished, respected veterans who hang their spurs in the Midwest. Alex’s younger brother Matt recently joined Alex, and can be heard on one cut. There’s absolutely nothing not to like here.
Alex’s guitar and voice sound like a crusty Delta veteran, delivering both with his distinct flair. Combined with his Jim Morrison looks, this guy’s a sure winner. Club managers better book Alex now while he’s still available, and while you can still afford him.
While primarily a blues CD, there are a couple of numbers that don’t fit the mold. “When We Get So Close” stands out as a good rhumba. But as Duke Ellington once said, “Categories exist to give the work of the artistic cripple an attractive gloss.” Alex doesn’t need the gloss.
Alex first picked up a guitar at five, made his first stage appearance in France at 12, and hasn’t looked back since. “Playing music is what I do, and it will be what I do until I can’t do it anymore.”
If JB was still around, I’d tell him to watch his back. There’s a new contender for the title of “The hardest working man in show business.”
- Lou Novacheck


Discography

Tell Me Why (released on Rathskeller Records)

Photos

Bio

ALEX WILSON grew up in a family of talented musicians.
His grandmother, Rosa Saviano was a renowned professional jazz singer in Chicago in the 1940's and 50's. Tom Wilson, Alex's father, is a multi-faceted musician who has had the distinct pleasure of accompanying nearly every blues performer to pass through the Milwaukee/Chicago music scene in the last thirty years. Marc Wilson, Alex's uncle and sometimes drummer, is one of the most sought after drummers in the country. He's played with B.B.King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Anson Funderburg, Marsha Ball, and Ronnie Earl to name but a few.
Alex picked up the guitar at five and never put it down. Immersed in the Milwaukee blues scene, Alex was surrounded, and influenced by such local luminaries as Stokes, Lee Gates, Jim Liban and Milwaukee Slim.
Alex formed his own garage band at thirteen. By seventeen he began to dig deep into the blues, learning the songs and styles of masters such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Magic Sam.
At eighteen he began playing professionally and by twenty-one he had joined Milwaukee's Blue Rubies and was performing regionally while still playing part-time with his own band. Playing up to 25 gigs a month, Wilson honed and sharpened his skills as a singer/songwriter, guitar player and over all entertainer.
In '05 and '06 he began to focus solely on his own project, booking shows, finding his own sound and the right players from the mid-west music scene to take his show on the road.
With Craig Panosh on the drums and Alex's own brother Matthew on the bass guitar paired with the occasional presence of Madison Slim, Alex is running with one of the toughest bands on the scene today.
A versatile musician, Alex effortlessly switches between genres. He plays everything from sweet Beale Street blues to west coast swing. From hard Texas grinders to stone cold Chicago grooves with a feeling that's said to be timeless. Alex's style and tasty originals matched with his undeniable stage presence and unmistakable guitar style will drive you to the dance floor.
His long-awaited debut CD, Tell Me Why, is being released on Rathskeller Records.
To say that Alex Wilson is one to look out for down the road is an understatement. Taking the mid-west by storm, this young musician is a force to be reckoned with.