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Every teen dreams of being in a successful band. But what happends when the dream comes true? Cleveland singer/songwriter Alexis Antes found out in the early 1990's after attending Lakewood High as she became a founding member of the Odd Girl Out trio. Performing solo since 1995, she recently talked to OhioOnline music correspondent Peanuts about "All Come Down," her latest compact disc release.
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| OO: |
Since you got interested in music at a young age, what set that off? |
| AA: |
"My parents Scott and Bobbie. Both of them are singer/songwriter/musicians and I grew up around the Cleveland folk music community throughout the 1970's and 1980's. We always had lots of great music playing in the house, too, including local and regional artists. I taught myself to play guitar at the age of twelve." |
| OO: |
Are there any national artists you've pattern yourself after? |
| AA: |
"Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin. The list goes on." |
| OO: |
In that case, describe your music. |
| AA: |
"Most recently, it has been described as 'smooth acoustic pop rock splashed with words of love, loss and wisdom.' I'd say that's fairly accurate." |
| OO: |
What national act would you match up with in concert? |
| AA: |
"That's a tough one. There are several artists that my musical style would fit with. In the past, I've split bills with Paula Cole, Chantel Kreviazuk, Jonathan Brooke, James Taylor. I think they all worked really well." |
| OO: |
Anyone within Ohio? |
| AA: |
"Robin Stone for one. We share bills all the time. Of course, there is a lot of talent in this town and I have been very happy to share the bill with several artists in the state." |
| OO: |
Is "All Come Down" the first disc you've had out? |
| AA: |
"No, I had a disc titled 'Stronger' out in 1998. Then came a three song acoustic disc titled 'Demo' in 1999. Then in July of 2003, 'All Come Down' was released." |
| OO: |
Where was the new disc cut? |
| AA: |
"It was recorded by Mel Cyphert at Satellite Studios in Cleveland and mixed by Tyler Owen at Closer Look Studios in Cleveland. It was produced by Robin Stone and myself and mastered by Mark Owen at Closer Look Studios." |
| OO: |
Favorite Ohio venue to play? |
| AA: |
"Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. I just love that place." |
| OO: |
How does the new disc differ from the previous releases? |
| AA: |
"'All Come Down' has quite a bit more of an 'edge'. The new disc is much more produced in the way of instrumentation and so forth. There is a lot more going on, in general. For instance, there are no support vocals on 'Stronger', while 'All Come Down' has vocal layers on several tracks. |
| OO: |
What's the band line-up at the moment? |
| AA: |
"Currently, the live band consists of former Odd Girl Out guitarist Victoria Fliegel, plus the rhythm section from OGO, bassist Chris DeHaas and drummer Brian Bretton. The same line-up of musicians are featured on the new disc." |
| OO: |
Final thoughts? |
| AA: |
"Right now, the focus is to expose as many people to the new record as we can. We will be touring more regionally in the coming months." |
