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Event
Alexa Rose
Alexa Rose was born in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia, raised in the tiny railroad town of Clifton Forge. Though no one in her immediate family played or sang, she inherited a deep musical legacy.
Growing up I would hear stories of my great-grandfather Alvy who, for a time, lived and played with [bluegrass great] Lester Flatt when they were both young men, says Rose. Apparently, Lester tried to get him to move to Nashville and pursue a career. But my great-grandfather decided to stay in the mountains with his wife on their farm.
There are so many musicians where Im from, people who just play on their porch or in some local bar -- and theyre amazing. They dont do it commercially, thats not the essence of what they do. Theres a deep connection between their sense of place and the music they make. Thats what really inspires me about the musical
culture in the South and the mountains, especially.
That visceral connection is at the core of Roses debut album, Medicine for Living (Big Legal Mess). A stunning ten-track effort, it finds the 25-year-old singer-songwriter bringing a wellspring of tradition to bear on an enlivening collection of contemporary roots songs.
Through her association with Tim Duffy head of the non-profit Southern music preservation organization, Music Maker Relief Foundation -- Rose was brought to the attention of Big Legal Mess label head Bruce Watson. He signed Rose and brought her to his Memphis home base to cut her full-length debut. This album is Appalachia-meets- Memphis, says Rose. The stories and inspiration emanate from the mountains, but the tracks have all these different musical elements coming in.
Recorded at Watsons Delta-Sonic Studio, Rose is backed by a crew of Bluff City all- stars including a core band led by legendary guitarist Will Sexton, drummer George Sluppick and bassist Mark Edgar Stuart, with guests including organists Rick Steff (Lucero) and Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones), among others.
The funny thing was I hadnt met any of them at all before we started recording, says Rose. You know, playing your songs for someone in a studio is like getting naked in front of them; its a very personal thing to do. But when you play music together, you skip all the normal steps of a relationship immediately go to this really close place with people.
Album co-producers Watson and Clay Jones (Modest Mouse, Buddy Guy) decided to keep the sessions feeling as fresh and immediate as possible. None of the musicians had heard any of the songs or even heard me before we started. Bruce really wanted to capture their gut response to the music, says Rose. What came out of that was really cool the songs moved and took shape in totally new and different ways. We sorta let the songs be like taffy we let them get stretched and pulled however they want to get shaped.
In an era where the term Americana has lost much of its meaning Medicine for Living is just that: a fully realized, multi-layered merger of old country music, traditional folk songs, colored by rock and roll and mountain soul. Theres a lot of people Im influenced by that show up in the songs in different ways, says Rose. Whether its Gillian Welch or John Prine or Townes Van Zandt, or even someone like Alynda Segarra from Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Although the material spans a five-year period of Roses writing, Medicine for Living ultimately works as a unified song cycle. The theme of the album is the commonality of sorrow in the human experience, she says. I find a lot of beauty in everyday life. How
we look upon the small things, and how we handle those larger obstacles that stand in our way.
Some of the songs are about being in a dark hole that life puts you in, and some of them are about pulling yourself out of that rut. Its about that journey and how we nurse ourselves through it. And how love, ultimately, is the best medicine.
ATWOOD'S IS A MIX OF SEATING AND STANDING ROOM. PURCHASING A TICKET DOES NOT GUARANTEE SEATING.
21+ / POS. I.D. REQ
FINAL SALE, NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES
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LocationAtwood's Tavern (View)
877 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 21 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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