Interview with Alexx
www.myspace.com/alexxcalise

US Female rocker Alexx Calise is an inspiring singer and songwriter and one of the most innovative musicians with talent. She really has her own unique sound that is not entirely ‘metal’ but rather a mix of ‘hard rock and grunge meets urban-edged pop translated in angsty lyrics with an instantly identifiable vocal that is hauntingly beautiful and completely raw all at once’.

Recently she contacted me in order to present her work for the wider Danish and European audience, an offer I couldn’t refuse. So here are the results; our last interview for the 2009 with one of the most talented and beautiful rock maidens.


MR: Dear Alexx. You’re not a typical band we feature on our pages as you’re not purely ’metal’. How would you characterize your sound for someone who’s not familiar with your music yet?
Alexx: I'd say it's very raw, very lyric-driven rock. The new album I'm releasing this January has more of an electronic flair to it than my last record, but I never pull too far away from my roots. If you're a fan of Alanis, Fiona, Janis, Paramore, Silverchair, or Joan Jett, I think you'd definitely have an appreciation for it.   

MR: How did you find out about Metal Revolution and what is your view on webzines like ours? How important is it for you to get in touch with wider metal audience and esp. here in Europe?
Alexx: I actually found Metal Revolution one day when I was just surfing the internet, and I really liked a lot of the bands on the site. I think webzines like yours are fantastic because they're written from the heart, they offer a fresh perspective on new music, and they always give independent artists like me a chance.  

I'd like to think that metal audiences will be able to appreciate my music because of the darker themes, heartfelt lyrics and choral choices I tend to make. While I'm definitely not 100 percent metal, I'm not purely rock either. As an artist, I have many different shades, and I always let the song itself dictate my musical direction.  

MR: How often do you perform in LA and are your local audience more dedicated and appreciative about your music compared to the rest of the US?
Alexx: When I'm in LA, I'll do a few no-frill acoustic shows here and there, and then I'll play a really big full band show once a month. I find that the LA crowd is very warm to my music, and very supportive. Whenever we've toured in other parts of the US, the fans have been great too. It's truly been a blessing.  

MR: What is your discography so far?
Alexx: So far, I have released one full length album, Morning Pill. I did, however, release a 3-song collection called Morning (After) Pill shortly thereafter. That was basically the precursor for my upcoming release, which is a "rocktronica" collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer, Luigie Gonzalez. I may also sneak in some acoustic songs as well. 

MR: What can you tell us about your up-coming release scheduled for release in January 2010?
Alexx: Well, I can tell you that is entirely different from my debut album production-wise. The songwriting is still very much "Alexx Calise" (in terms of melody and harmony), but it definitely has an electronica vibe to it. I love bands like Archive and Dust Brothers, so that definitely comes through on this record.  

MR: What are your plans for New Year's Eve? I mean what does a celebrity like you do on this occasion? (Laughing)
Alexx: I was planning on watching Rockin' New Year's Eve with Dick Clark! Not really, (Laughing). Actually, my drummer, Dennis Morehouse and I will be heading out to Santa Cruz this year. He'll be playing drums with Norwood Fisher (of Fishbone), and I may also sit in at some point.  

MR: What were your main influences while growing up and what are some of the bands that inspire you now? Alexx: I grew up listening to Silverchair, The Toadies, Smashing Pumpkins, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Johnny Lang, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buckcherry and Korn. Needless to say, I liked grunge and blues a whole lot. That's more than likely how I developed my crazy vibrato and guitar chops. I still listen to all of those bands, but I've expanded my musical scope even further, and have been checking out bands like Archive, The Dissociatives, Muse and The Benjamin Gate. 

MR: Do you think that some of their music and influences are to be heard in your songs?
Alexx: Sure. I'm a definitely product of my musical environment. You can definitely hear my love of European electronica in songs like "Out of Sight," "Good Enough," and "My Song (Version 2.0)," and you can hear some Joan Jett and Pat Benatar influence in songs like "Touch My Hey," "C'mon You," and "Throw Your Words." My third record, which I'm already writing towards, is going to be grungier and more rootsy, so you'll probably hear my affinity for Beth Hart, Silverchair and The Toadies. 

MR: You've toured all over the States and you’ve also been featured in such magazines as Guitar World, Singer and Musician and Blender. What do you consider to be your best achievement so far both when playing but also in getting exposure in the media? 
Alexx: Well, recently I made 5 of my songs available for free exclusively on this website called Frostwire. I wasn't really expecting anything of any great magnitude to happen, and I didn't realize just how popular this file-sharing website was, so I was really surprised when I found out from my friends that I was featured right up on the front page, and my music was downloaded 100,000 times in 5 days! That was pretty incredible.   I think the best experience I've had playing was when I performed with my band at the Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood, California. It was pretty amazing being on the same bill as Korn, Ozzy Osbourne, Shiny Toy Guns, and The Donnas. 

MR: How important is for you to stay ‘true’ to your background and how do you balance this with your desire for ever getting bigger and growing up both as an individual as well as an artist?
Alexx: It's very important that I stay true to myself. Thankfully, I'm able to keep myself in check, and I have some really amazing people in my life who keep me grounded. I always strive to be better, and I'm constantly working to reach a higher level of success, but I never step on other people to do it, and I've never forgotten where I came from.  

MR: Your song, "Morning Pill" was also just featured in a ‘One Tree Hill’ promo a few months ago. What was the reason you got involved with them and does it pay of in any way? 
Alexx: Well, I'm involved with a few licensing agencies that help to place my songs into film, music and TV. Licensing is one of the few money-making avenues left for artists (though it doesn't always pay well), and it's also great promotion.  

MR: Can you live of your music or do you have some other more regular job?
Alexx: Yes, but I also sing on a lot of commercials and I own my own kids party entertainment company.  

MR: What do you think on the ever growing focus on female rock artists like yourself, Kittie, Cristina Scabia, Laurent Harris, Liv Jensen etc, etc. I mean that it bother you that some people don’t even focus on your music but rather just because you’re an attractive young lady?
Alexx: Well, honestly I'm not bothered by the fact that people may find me attractive. I think it's quite flattering actually. Maybe because they think I'm "aesthetically pleasing" so to speak, they'll take a few seconds to listen to my music. If they don't, that's fine too I suppose, but they'll be missing out because there's a lot more to me than my outside appearance. I write and perform all my material, I have something of substance to say, and I'm definitely not one-dimensional.  

The bottom line is, if you're a good artist, you're a good artist. It shouldn't matter what sex you are. All the women you mentioned deserve every bit of attention they're getting because they're extremely hard working and talented musicians. 

MR: How much do you know about European and in a particular Danish metal & rock scene?
Alexx: To be honest, I'd say I'm more familiar with old school European metal and rock bands, like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin and Rammstein, but there are some great contemporary bands I enjoy like Lacuna Coil, Drain STH (even though they're defunct), and Nightwish.  

MR: How often to you listen to new-and-up-coming bands and what are some of your favorites?
Alexx: I do listen to new music often on Last.fm or Pandora. Lately, I've dug into Halestorm (I love Lzzy Hale's voice), Grinspoon, and The Dissociatives.  

MR: What is your all-time favorite metal band and what is your most ‘metal experience’ so far? Have you met any of the biggest names in metal world?
Alexx: Probably Pantera. They had some seriously heavy riffs, amazing songs and one of the most phenomenal metal guitarists ever. I'm not sure if I've done half the crazy stuff Pantera did in their heyday, but I did get to break a TV with a baseball bat in my latest video. Seriously, whatever happened to people breaking TV's in music videos? Somebody had to bring it back, (Laughing). 

I've met or hung with some big names in the metal world over the years, such as Michael Wilton from Queensryche, Morgan Rose from Sevendust, Brad Stewart from Shinedown, and Gilby Clarke from Guns N Roses. You run into a lot of them in LA.  

MR: What is your favorite Alexx Calise song? On your official myspace profile we can see a video for a song “Pull It (Bullet)”, is it maybe one of your favorites?
Alexx: While I love "Pull It (Bullet)," I think one of my best musical compositions to date has been "Out of Sight" because of its lyrical content and vulnerability. Although, "Pull It" does have a unique, raw quality that my fans have really latched onto. I think it's the unlikely marriage of Dirty South hip hop with grinding metal. There's definitely something for everybody in there.  

MR: Where did you shoot a video for this song and is it the only video you’ve ever done for one of your songs?  Alexx: We shot "Pull It" over 2 days with virtually no budget at my old house back in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and at a completely gutted house next door to the video director, Erin Dunphy's house in Pompano Beach, Florida.  

I am currently shooting a video with director Ricardo Moreno (who has worked with Sean Paul, Juan Gabriel and Salma Hayek) for my forthcoming single, "Break Me" at my home in California, and at a few others as of yet undetermined locations.   

MR: In your lyrics you deal with social and other ‘less happy’ issues surrounding you. What is your view on different things such as; religion, war, racism…?
Alexx: Oh wow. That sounds like another interview altogether, (Laughing)! However, I'll try and give you a quick synopsis. While I wish there weren't wars going on in the world, I believe war is inevitable, and that peace is only the epoch between them. I don't think that people should be discriminated on because of race, age, sex, gender, ethnicity, or color. Ever! Finally, I believe that religion is great in principle, but oftentimes is misconstrued or taken to the extreme.  

MR: Can you tell us the best and the worst thing about being Alexx Calise, a musician?
Alexx: The best things are definitely my family, my friends, my kitten, and having the ability to write songs and play live. The worst things are my impatience, my extremeness (which is also a good thing at times), and my internalization of stress. However, I'd say the good things definitely trump all the bad things and, the bad things really aren't all that bad either ;) 

MR: Are you aware of the fact that also your picture is to be found in my ‘Metal Maidens’ collection on the facebook and are you cool with it?
Alexx: I'm totally cool with it, but I couldn't find my picture (Sad) Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

MR: Yes you did. You can see it here. Do you use social sites as a way to approach your potential fans and colleagues? 
Alexx: Definitely. Social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter are great means of communication and promotion. Because a lot of my fans and colleagues are out of state or overseas, I'm able to converse with them without having to physically be there. Honestly, I really don't know what the heck we did before the invention of social networking sites. Now, you can reach people who would have never heard of you if it wasn't for the internet. It's pretty amazing technology.  

MR: What does the future looks like for Alexx Calise? What can we expect from you in the future?
Alexx: Well, I have 2 albums coming out in January. One will be my 2nd solo album, and the other will be the debut album from my other music project, Sound of Cancer (which sounds like a cross between Portishead, Marilyn Manson, Pink Floyd, and Love and Rockets).  After that, I plan to do some extensive touring (and possibly make some stops in the UK)!  

MR: It would definitely be cool to host you here in Denmark & Scandinavia.
Alexx: Yes, I agree. Say the word and I'm there! 

MR: Do you have any final words or message to your European & Danish fans?
Alexx: Rock on!!   

Interview done by Bato