| |
|
|
|
 |
| |
Alex Stangl
Alex Stangl - Singer/Songwriter
This life of mine began in the 60's. My musical memories are many. They include - singing along with Simon & Garfunkel on a family trip to Cape Cod in 1969 - playing Kingston Trio songs on my ukulele in the backseat of our Impala on the way to Yellowstone Park in 1972 - watching KISS on The Midnight Special in 1975 - meeting U2 at Massey Hall in 1983. And on & on...
There was my high school band Strobic Axe and the album we recorded and released on vinyl in 1981.
My band Bamboo - we had a record deal with Capitol Records in 1985.
My studio project & band The Nation from 1986-2000.
Then 15 years of driving taxi - among other things - so many songs later -
In 2003 - 2004 I wrote a CD's worth of catchy numbers with Stefanie Kammerman. It was quite a blissful period. Love, love, love songs.
In 2004 I got together with Michael Bell (Strobic Axe lead singer) and we called ourselves N.O.W. & THE-N. What did we do? We recorded a bunch of updated versions of old Strobic Axe songs - and that turned out pretty cool.
In 2006 I produced 2 CDs here at TDR with 2 talented songwriters; a CD by singer/songwriter Kristen Young titled Little Situation; I produced & co-wrote an 8 song CD with singer/songwriter Deb Graves titled Through My Eyes.
I was also awarded the 2006 SongRamp Artist of the Year. Boy - I was on a roll alright. But - well - due to utter carelessless on my part and avoiding my own reality I had a head on collision with my bipolar illness; and by the end of 2006 I was a disaster. I spent all of 2007 mentally imploding all over the place; most noteably in a psychiatric ward a time or two -all too frightening. My muse took a vacation and the unending melodies left my mind without leaving a forwarding address.
Here I am now - thinking & more thinking - I've got a little record company and an orange crate full of songs I've been writing & recording since 1978 - several of which have been covered by other artists. "Where to from here?" I'm asking myself.
Many years ago, my dream was to become a songwriter - and then a producer. Last year it came to me - my dream had become a reality so very long ago, only I hadn't realized it myself. What delusional or illusional destination did I have in mind? What dream was I dreaming?
But things are slowly getting better again. I just recently produced a CD of childrens music with lyricist Jeff Mondak & singer/songwriter Sergio Wals. These guys took a long roadtrip to get here from Illinois. We managed to cram in 14 songs in 4 days and they still managed a take me out for some excellent food and throw in a birthday bash for me. Is that such a rough life?
I've even managed to put together a couple of simple numbers of my own this year. So - it's still kinda there, I guess.
I have little to be sad about. Despite mental detours here and there through the years I've had a good long run with this songwriting stuff.
I used to think that success was something verticle. In the end everything is just more or less horizontal and all destinations are equally nowhere.
But I'd like to believe that nowhere is somewhere in the end. Even if that nowhere/somewhere, for now, means taking it day by day and listening to the world for a while sitting on my porch; patiently waiting for that next creative wave to hit my shore again. Something did happen these past 30 years; only I was looking the other way. I'm still trying to figure out how all these pieces fit together; my life has changed - I'm still trying to get comfortable with it all.
Thanks for listening - Alex Stangl |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
