Alex Winston

BY THE ROOTS

(An interview by PT Quinn)

The lights go up on stage and out walks a pretty, diminutive girl in a summer dress and go-go boots with a guitar that seems oversized. Alex Winston calmly addresses the audience while she signals the band about to open with their first tune of a 50-minute set. The crowd cheers her on in anticipation, proving once again that good things come in small packages. In spite of the singer-guitarist’s smallish physical stature, a big sound comes from her vocal pipes.

Growing up in the Detroit area, Winston, now 19, only graduated from high school a year ago and has already played gigs at major venues like DTE Energy Music Center, where she opened for Ted Nugent (with whom she'll also play shows this summer), Harpo’s with Everclear and St. Andrews Hall. After hooking up with Getaway Cruiser and Six Clips alum brothers Chris and Drew Peters on guitar and drums respectively, and bassist Mike Dundon and keyboardist/guitarist Nick Quinn, Winston found herself with a solid band to back her up in Peters’ 40 oz. Sound studio in Ann Arbor where the group has finished up their first EP, By the Roots.

The Peters brothers have worked with such luminaries as Kid Rock and the Black Eyed Peas. Drew Peters comments: “After a friend recommended Alex, we got together and a few months later she was being flown out to New York by major labels. Heck, her first real show after we started working with her was at DTE in front of about 10,000 people.”

The tune “Hello” starts out with a distorted guitar groove before Winston slides in with her girly timbre coated voice in a song that’s as catchy as it is commercial — a good thing for an artist who plays it smart with how she presents herself. The music video for “Everything You Wanted” pokes fun at the music industry with Winston doing her best to one-up the dubious advice promoters are giving her — to the point of spiking a producer’s coffee with urine after he tells her, “The only No. 1 you’ll ever see is in the toilet.”

Winston’s chunka rhythm guitar playing and strong voice comes from a background of formal training growing up in a musical family. She succeeds in striking a chord with observations her audience readily identifies with. What does Alex Winston have to say? Real Detroit found out.

How old were you when you first noticed music?

I had been exposed to music since practically straight out of the womb! My dad is a music freak and he taught me to bang on the drums before I could even walk. My dad was really adamant about me playing an instrument, so he was always supportive and still is. My mom is extremely supportive, too. She used to drag me to singing lessons twice, sometimes three times a week and sit in the car and wait for me everyday. I think she could tell that it was something that I was going to stick with. I knew that if I wanted to stay in my family, I had to play an instrument, which of course I was fine with. I didn’t get serious about music until I was around ten — which is when I also started taking opera lessons.

Any faves?

Right now I am very inspired by great singers. Singing is an area that I am always trying to improve on, and when I hear a great voice it makes me want to push myself even further. I’d say that some of my biggest influences right now are Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Bjork, PJ Harvey. I love their individuality and control over their voices.

How did you get the gig opening for Ted Nugent at DTE last summer?

We had an "in" over at Ted Nugent’s camp, but it was really a bit of luck and a bit of persuading, because I was the first to open for him.

Tell us about some of your gigs.

Even though not all of my shows are at venues like DTE or MeadowBrook, I’ve done some other really fun ones. A memorable one would probably be my show with Tally Hall and Love Arcade at the Magic Stick and also the show with Uncle Kracker on Thanksgiving. I know that those artists are quite different, but I really like playing in front of a diverse audience because right now my biggest focus is trying to make more fans. If I connect with some people in the audience, then it’s been a good show for me.

The musicians you play with are very good …I’m a bit biased because they are in my band, but I think that they are extremely talented and hard working and probably the best group of guys I could ever see myself working with. Chris and Drew Peters are great producers.

You just finished working on your E.P., By the Roots. Are you looking for a record company, or will you do a self-release?

We have already gotten some label interest, but are still in the process of shopping my stuff around.

Where would you like to be in 5 years?

Hopefully in a van or maybe even a tour bus with my bandmates traveling the world.

How did it come to be that you have over 9,000 friends on your Myspace site?

I have a lot of best friends! [laughs]

Are there different styles of music you’d like to get into, and if so what kind?

Yeah, I am definitely open-minded about trying new things. I think it’s very important to push yourself and explore new ideas because there isn’t much growth in constantly staying in a safe comfortable spot.

What drives you in your music? Is it life experiences or imagination?

I think its a little bit of both. My songs aren’t autobiographies, but on the other hand they aren’t totally detached from things that have happened in my life.

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

I’d be more organized. I’m a bit of a scatterbrain and it doesn’t help when you’ve got a million different things to remember, so I just bought a planner. That’s a step in the right direction. | RDW

More info: myspace.com/alexwinston
Alex Winston w/ Breathing Underwater • June 23 • St. Andrews Hall - Real Detroit