Mission Hill is featured on the MTV Music front page, check it out here: http://www.mtvmusic.com
Mission Hill feature on OurStage.com
Posted: Aug 15, 2010
New video: Krysta Youngs - 'Pink Christmas'
Posted: Aug 13, 2010
Krysta Youngs' has just published her new music video of "Pink Christmas' that was shot earlier this summer. Alexander can be seen performing in the band scene at the end of the video:
Mission Hill opening up for Bon Jovi at Gillette Stadium
Posted: June 10, 2010
Mission Hill will be opening up for Bon Jovi and Kid Rock at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, on July 24th. Coolest gig on Earth! 68.000 capacity and it looks like it will be sold out. Get tickets while they're still available www.ticketmaster.com
Mission Hill named Top Local Band To Watch In 2010 by Boston Music Spotlight
Mission Hill has recently been ranking as the #1 most played indie band on Myspace.com for Massachusetts. (Dropkick Murphys in 2nd place). For the United States as a whole we've ranked as high as #14. If you go to myspace.com and click on the Top Artist tab you can see for yourself.
P.S. Next month, on November 29, we're opening up for Blessid Union of Souls at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium www.missionhillband.com
Amy Crawford @ Harper's Ferry, Krysta Youngs @ Middle East & Mission Hill @ Brandeis Radio
Posted: Aug 25, 2008
I'm playing with New York singer/songwriter Amy Crawford at Harper's Ferry this coming Wednesday, September the 27th. Amy has a new album in the works, and I'm fortunate to be playing on a couple of the tracks www.amycrawfordmusic.com
Last month I did a show with Krysta Youngs at Harper's as well. We were opening up for Mandy Perkins who is signed to Sony. This Friday I'll be doing an acoustic gig with Krysta singing and Yan Perchuck on bass. www.kystayoungs.com
Mission Hill has been quite busy lately playing shows all over New England. Next week we'll be doing a show at Brandeis University that will be broadcasted in Boston through the Brandeis Radio station www.missionhillband.com
LeRoy Streat @ The Boston City Hall Plaza
Posted: July 12, 2008
On July 20th I'll be performing with gospel artist LeRoy Streat at the Boston City Hall Plaza. The show starts at 2pm. The LeRoy will be accompanied by a dusin singers and a band with some incredibly heavy musicians. The drummer is Charles Haynes from Kanye West 's band and with people like Louis Cato in the band I find myself pinching my arm from time to time. If you get a chance to check this show out I highly recommend it. www.myspace.com/leroystreat
New album: Krysta Youngs - 'Stories'
Posted: April 17, 2008
Pop diva de luxe Krysta Youngs' album is finally out! There will be an extravagant CD release party at Saint in Boston on May 29. Tickets are available at www.myspace.com/krystayoungs. I am very proud to be a part of this album. It is wonderfully produced by upcoming producer wizard Yan Perchuk. I started working with Krysta and Yan back in 2005. Pick up a copy of the album at www.krystayoungs.com
New album: Tatiana - 'Celadon Sketches'
Posted: Mar 20, 2008
Last year I started recording with an artist called Tatiana. She's got a great voice and writes memorable, angel-like melodies. Her producer, Alistair Farrant, is a music industry veteran from England who now is in charge of Manhattan Center Studios, whose clients include Sheryl Crow, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. www.crimsonsketches.com
Marty Friedman sitting in with Aika
Posted: Mar 4, 2008
Last month when Aika, Nicolas Farmakalidis and me did the shows with Aika's dad, Marty Friedman stopped by (yeah, I couldn't believe it either!). Marty is is one of my favorite guitar players of all times. He sat in on a couple of tunes with us and I was smiling so hard that I can still taste the flavor of earwax on the sides of my mouth. Just had to tell :)
Performing with Aika in Japan
Posted: Feb 4, 2008
At the end of the month I'll be going to Japan for a couple of weeks to do some shows with Aika. I can't wait! This time it will be a trio; Aika singing, Nicolas Farmakalidis on the piano, and me on guitar. We'll be playing two shows togehter with Aika's dad's band as well. Her dad, Makoto Hirahara is one of the top saxophone guys in Japan. They're also working on getting us into Woodstock Studios to start recording Aika's second album. Stay tuned! www.aikahirahara.com
SmolskiTech endorsement
Posted: Jan 21, 2008
SmolskiTech is a small pedal-building company fronted by electronics guru Matt Smolski. The only product available for the public at this point is the True Bypass Loop Pedal, and I have been using both the single and dual True Bypass Loop Pedals in all my pedal board configurations for quite a while. I am now officially endorsing all Smolski Tech products. Check out the website for more info www.smolskitech.com
Playing with Judith in Mexico
Posted: Jan 16, 2008
Yes! I finally get to play with Judith de los Santos again! We played as a duo in New Orleans this summer, but this time it will be a full band. One of my favorite drummers, Jack DeBoe, will also be joining along with a group of Judith's crew from Mexico. We will perform at a place called El Tumbaito in Monterrey, and Judith's got a handful of new tunes she wants to perform - I can't wait! www.judithonline.com
New Album: Juliet Lloyd - 'Leave the Light On'
Posted: Jul 31, 2007
Juliet Lloyd www.julietlloyd.com released her 2nd album, 'Leave the light On' this summer. She's gotten great reviews from the Boston Globe, radio airplay on WBOS and she's performed live on two of New England's premier TV stations - FOX 25 and NECN. She was also voted Boston's Best Female Artist on the 2007 WBZ-TV A-List. Juliet's got an exceptionally beautiful voice - great control and unique phrasing. Producer Yan Perchuk's lush and powerful signature production style is a perfect match for Juliet's catchy pop tunes. I'm playing a little bit of acoustic on 'Drive Away' and some electric guitar alongside Rob Ghosh on 'Thing Called Love'. Buy the CD here: http://www.awarestore.com/item16520
New album: Liz Stahler - 'Stitches In My Sleeve'
Posted: May 1, 2007
Liz Stahler is one of the first, and finest, artists that I worked with in Boston. I have BIG faith in her abilities as a songwriter and artist, and I had a severely great time recording this album. Liz put together a crew of players from the top shelf, including Richard Gates, Mike Piehl, Mark Wessel, Jason Petrin and several guests. (You can read more about the recording if you scroll way down on the news page - May 5, 2006.)
Right now Liz is out on a 2-month nation-wide tour with Nathan Duprey (www.myspace.com/lizstahler) In the fall there will be a release party at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA, but if you can't wait for the 'official' release date, you can buy the album here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/stahler2
New Album: Nathan Duprey - 'Leisure Time'
Posted: Apr 4, 2007
Nathan Duprey's new CD has just been released, just in time for his upcoming nation-wide tour with Liz Stahler. I did some last minute guitar overdubbing on four of the tracks some weeks ago, we had a great time recording and I'm happy that Nathan wanted to include me on his album. Nathan's got an incredible voice and his tunes are highly infectious. Nathan's website: www.nathanduprey.com Buy the CD here: www.cdbaby.com/nathanduprey2
Live with Vanessa Kafka & Liz Stahler
Posted: Apr 3, 2007
I played a very cool show with Vanessa Kafka at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT, last weekend. It was just her on vocals and ac. guitar and me on el. guitar. Vanessa's got a very pretty voice and she's found all the 'secret' chords on the guitar. We had some great moments, stay tuned for videos from the show. www.vanessakafka.com
On Wednesday I played with Liz Stahler at Toad in Cambridge, MA. I've been waiting to play with Liz live again for a long time, it's been a while since we recorded the tunes, and playing with Liz' rhythm section (Mike Piehl, Richard Gates) is pretty close to Christmas for anybody who likes music. Liz is about to go on a national tour and when she comes back she'll become a giant rock star! www.myspace.com/lizstahler
In the studio with Karl Phillip, Nathan Duprey, Yan Perchuk & Juliet Lloyd
Posted: Mar 14, 2007
Recently I was in Brooklyn, NY, to lay down guitar tracks for Nathan Duprey's upcoming album. Nathan's style of music is a blend of pop, electronic and film music, topped off with an insanely beautiful and rock'n'roll voice - the perfect combination of pretty and gritty! Nathan is just about to embark on a 2-month nationwide tour with Liz Stahler. www.nathanduprey.com
Last week I had the chance to contribute a few echo-infested electric lines and an acoustic strum part to Juliet Lloyd's soon-to-be-released album. The album is being produced and 'yan-ified' by Yan Perchuk www.yanperchuk.com The songs I've heard so far are extremely catchy and well-produced. Juliet is amazingly gifted in the voice department and her compositions 'reek' of success. www.julietlloyd.com
Multi-talented artist Karl Phillip is also in the final stages of recording his debut album. Yesterday we were doing guitar overdubs at Tyler Barefoot's studio in Brighton www.taylorbarefoot.com. Karl has had a lot of great people on his record, f.ex. Stephen Chopek (John Mayer) and I can't wait for this album to be done so that I can show it to everybody! www.myspace.com/karlphillip
Adam Jensen's Mission Hill
Posted: Feb 2, 2007
A little while ago I joined Adam Jensen's Mission Hill project. We will perform live at the Paradise Lounge on February 16. Adam Jensen was recently presented the 'Best Indie Male Vocalist of the Year' award at the2006 L.A. Music Awards for his vocal performance on the song 'Down With Young Lover'. http://www.myspace.com/missionhillband
Judith de los Santos - Live clip from Mexico
Posted: Jan 28, 2007
Judith posted a little excerpt from one of the live shows from the Mexico tour on her MySpace site. A 'heart-wrenching' performance of 'Everything'. Check it out: www.myspace.com/judithdelossantos
New music video from Aika: 'Ai-Wo'
Posted: Jan 19, 2007
Check out Aika's new music video for 'Ai-Wo'. It's got a lot of nice footage from Boston for those of you who haven't visited yet. She's also got a video for 'Orange Moon' that has some nice studio shots. Enjoy! http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/st/artists/aika/disco/index_j.htm
Singer/songwriter Krysta Youngs is featured on the Rock and Country CD of this year's MS Music Fest Compilation CDs for the Montel Williams MS Foundation. Montel Williams, who is a talk show host following in Oprah's footsteps, has put together this foundation for Multiple Sclerosis. You can find more info at www.montelms.org
Krysta's song is called 'Sophia', a song she wrote about her grandmother passing away. It a very emotional song and it's perfectly produced by Yan Perchuk. Yan is also playing bass on this track, along with Dan Graham on drums, Maxim Lubarsky on piano and Slava Tolstoy on acoustic guitar and Yours Truly on electric guitar. www.krystayoungs.com
Aika in Japan
Posted: Nov 24, 2006
After I came back from Mexico playing with Judith, I went to Japan with Aika to play a handful of shows supporting the release of her new album, 'Ai-Wo'. We rehearsed for a couple of days before the shows at Woodstock Recording Studio. For the tour we were provided with a full support system including all kinds of managers, guitar/bass/drum tech, hairstylist, etc. We played some shows for radio stations, VIP's and a few regular shows in Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo and Fukuoka.
The audience seemed to really latch on to Aika's music - which isn't really that hard to comprehend, since Aika has such an ear-pleasing voice, and when combined with Nicolas Farakalidis' producer chops listening to her music is like eating ice cream for the first time. The backing band consisted of me on guitar, Lucas Hure-Maclauren on piano and Japanese session musicians Kaoru Yamauchi and Masayoshi Imaizumi on bass and drums. Check out Aika's website to keep track of her path to superstardom! http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/st/artists/aika/
Judith's Mexico tour
Posted: Nov 24, 2006
In the beginning of November I was in Mexico playing a few dates with L.A. Music Awards recipient Judith de los Santos. We had a record release party for Judith's 'All Of The Above' album at a jam-packed club called La Mariachita, and we played some awesome gigs at Nachos 'N Gangas and at a festival called Barrio del Antiguo.
I feel lucky to be able to play with such an incredibly talented artist, and Jack, Ian and Matt in the rhythm section are top instrumentalists, who also happen to be top comedians - after I came back my stomach was hurting like crazy (and the diarrea was only partly the reason for that!) I also have to mention that Judith and her family are among the kindest people north of the south pole, and they took care of us in the bestest of ways. At Judith's website you can find some pretty cool videos, as well as more 'goodies' from the tour: www.judithonline.com
New album: Aika - 'Ai-Wo' (Japanese version)
Posted: Dec 17, 2006
Aika's debut album, 'Ai-Wo' (2006 True Blue Music/Toshiba-EMI), was just released a little while ago in Japan. The Japanese version has a few more tracks than the US/International version, and it also has more hits than I have fingers. Aika's got a beautiful voice, her melodies are memorable and with Nicolas Farmakalidis' sophisticated, but clean production, the result is a very ear-pleasing sound, while there still are enough 'sonic treasures' to keep the listener entertained for long time.
I am playing guitar on four of the tracks, while and David Gilmore (Joss Stone, Norah Jones) plays on the rest. Oliver Rockberger plays piano, Martin Valihora on drums and Tony Grey (John McLaughlin) on bass. Guest performances by EJ Labb and Andreas Farmakalidis.
So it's official now: Judith de los Santos is the best singer/songwriter and best female rock vocalist in L.A. She was nominated in four categories at this year's L.A. Music Awards, and at the end of the night she could travel back home as Singer/Songwriter Of The Year. And as if that wasn't enough, she also was awarded Best Female Rock Vocalist 2006. Congratualtions, Judith!
Buy her album at CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, Borders, Napster, Virgin or at her website: www.judithonline.com All the proceeds of the album sales before December 12th will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Playing in Japan with Aika
Posted: Oct 24, 2006
The Japanese version of Aika's brand new record, 'Ai-Wo' (Toshiba/EMI 2006), is coming out in the middle of November, and I've been asked to go over there to play a few shows with her, along with a handful of very talented musicians - I can't wait! We're playing in Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Tokyo, and the first show is supposed to be for a radio station called J-Wave. Stay tuned!
Mexico tour with Judith de los Santos
Posted: Oct 24, 2006
The first week of November I will be performing with Judith de los Santos in Mexico. She's having a release party for her new record, 'All of the Above' (Homesick Insomniac 2006), which, by the way, was recently nominated for 4 L.A. Music Awards! We're also playing at very cool festival called Festival del Barrio Antiguo. Judith is going to be shooting a video from the performances. I'll keep you posted.
If you think you've heard a beautiful female voice before, you're most likely wrong! That is unless you've heard Aika's debut album 'Ai-Wo' (2006 True Blue Music/Toshiba-EMI). Her music is an amalgam of ‘polished’ pop material and a highly sophisticated vocabulary of musical phrasings that draws on her Oriental roots and her background as a jazz performer.
On board her team you'll find producer Nicolas Farmakalidis, leaving his characteristic fingerprint on practically every 'black dot' played. Aika has also assembled a team of higly respected musicians, such as Oliver Rockberger, Martin Valihora, Tony Grey (John McLaughlin) and David Gilmore (Joss Stone, Norah Jones). Included is also a guest performance by EJ Labb, as well as a few tracks with 'Yours Truly' on guitar.
You should be able to find the record in regular music stores or on iTunes, but if you're having troubles send me an e-mail. This is the 'import' version of the album. A 'domestic' version with a few different tracks will be released mid-November. Check out her website: http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/st/artists/aika/
New album: Judith de los Santos - 'All of the Above'
Posted: Oct 10, 2006
Judith de los Santos' long-awaited debut album is finally out! She has already won tons of awards for the songs on the album - and when I say 'tons' I mean 'eleven'. Judith is an extremely talented and unique artist. Most people that hear her music falls instantly in love with her songs.
Ms. de los Santos (www.judithonline.com) also happens to be one of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever met. She really appreciates her fans, and she has said that anyone who buys her CD in the month of September will get their names listed in the Thank You-section on her next album! Buy Judith's album for the price of $10 by clicking on the link below: http://cdbaby.com/cd/judithdelossantos You can also find Judith's music on iTunes.
National Guitar Workshop
Posted: Aug 11, 2006
Last month I was hired as a guitar instructor for a 'Modern Rock Class' at the National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, CT. When I was a kid I always wanted to go to one of those; just play guitar and learn cool stuff for a week, so now I finally got to do it! I taught a master class with a group of really talented guitar players, and we put together a smokin' tune the students performed in a concert the last night. I also got to perform some of my own stuff with some amazing fellow faculty members, Rick Landwehr and Tracy Walton on drums and bass - check out the video section.
Christie Leigh, Brad Byrd & Krysta Youngs - live!
Posted: May 24, 2006
There's a few cool live shows coming up next month. On Friday June 2nd I'll play my first gig with singer/songwriter Brad Byrd. He's got a really cool record out where Evan Frankport from The Wallflowers did most of the guitar work.
June 14th is going to be my first live show with Krysta Youngs. We're playing at The Underground Lounge in New York City, and we'll be sharing the bill with Svoy! I'm also playing with Krysta at Copperfield's on June 30th. Krysta's record should be completed this summer for an early fall release - watch out!
At the end of the month I'll be backing up pop/country singer Christie Leigh. She's performing at Harper's Ferry in Allston, MA, on June 28. This will also be my debut gig with Christie. We've already begun rehearsals and things are looking great!
Liz recording at Silvertone Studios
Posted: May 5, 2006
Started recording Liz Stahler's new album this past weekend. It's going to be a fantastic record! We recorded at Silvertone Studios in Groton, MA (www.silvertonerec.com), and the vibes out there are just the best! The owner, Neal Ward, is extremely knowledgeable and is such a pleasure to be around. He's got all the cool gear out there, too, - the fancy schmancy new gear and he's also got enough vintage stuff to give an archeologist a mild heart attack.
Mark Wessel was engineering and he was on fire all weekend! He helped me get some really incredible sounds. He hooked me up with the best acoustic guitar sound that I've ever heard. He used a Neumann M582 tube mic and it just sounded like angels weeping or angels doing somethng. Jason Petrin was assisiting and he was so quick and observant that is was a dream working with him. He is also going to be producing, and I can't wait to get started working on overdubs.
We did 11 songs in two days and I'm so grateful that I got to see top-notch session players like Mike Piehl (Ani DiFranco, Peter Mulvey) and Richard Gates (Suzanne Vega, Patty Larkin, Jonatha Brooke) in action. These guys make everything sound incredible and they play perfectly on every take.
Mike Piehl's got this infectious Bonham-vibe to his playing that gives you the feeling you get if you haven't eaten it a few days and then you suck down an ice cold chocolate milk shake - without the icy feeling in your teeth, of course! After playing with Mike for a day I felt like I had 'seen' more groove than I ever will.
Richard Gates is the perfect bass player. He's got the most beautiful tone you can ever imagine - really 'deep' and 'heavy' and extremely melodic. The notes he plays are so soulful and organic, I'm sure he can cure rare diseases with his playing - 'Take 2 notes by ear every 4-6 hours. May cause drowsiness.'
The second day we had Nathan Duprey come in to play piano with us. He really added to the songs and put down some really tasty stuff. He's going to do some overdubs later on a fancy grand piano, and I can't wait to hear the songs after he's 'processed' them through the piano. And Liz made our lives so comfortable that weekend, it was almost like coming home to mom's meatballs! She's about to go out on tour now, by the way. She's a very captivating performer and be sure to check out her website to see if she's gonna be in your area - www.lizstahler.com
There's a few cool things coming up. I'm going to be recording a track with Melinda Colaizzi, and I'm starting rehearsing for some live shows with Christie Leigh next week.
Alexander
P.S. There are some pictures from the session in the 'Photos' section, if you'd like to check that out.
