Shardul Pandey: I welcome you Alex at SANGKRIT.net, please tell us about yourself.
Alex Smith: Hey :D I’m Alex Smith. I’m a musician based in Brisbane Australia. I’m currently raising funds for my debut EP although I have been performing under the stage name Your Man Alex Smith since May 5th!
Shardul Pandey: Tell us about your music and your upcoming EP? When do you think it will be released?
Alex Smith: I’m not entirely sure what my ‘thing’ is. Usually musicians have something that makes them stand out from the rest, be it their voice or their instrumentation but I’m still finding my unique sound.
I do however write as honestly as I can. Without honesty, I feel that the music is hard to relate to and that’s one of the most important parts!
While I perform with an acoustic guitar, the album will feature a whole band. I want to immortalize these songs as the best versions they can be!
The EP will really depend on how much success the indiegogo campaign achieves. At a very minimum it will consist of two songs but the bigger the end result, the more tracks I will be able to get on the album! The album is predicted to be released around March 2014
Shardul Pandey: Tell us about the tracks which you have already recorded ? What are the themes?
Alex Smith: I actually don’t know for certain which tracks are going to be on the album. I’m working with a producer and he’s going to decide which has the most potential. Though currently there’s a lot of buzz around ‘Gingerbread Man’ ‘Guilty’ and ‘Tragedy’
Shardul Pandey: What is the story behind your title ‘Your Man Alex Smith’ ?
Alex Smith: Originally I was just going to be Alex Smith but it’s such a common name that I couldn’t get any useful or memorable usernames on sites like YouTube or Tumblr.
I used to have my own vlog and I’d start every episode with ‘Hey guys, it’s your man Alex Smith!’ And I thought that’d be a fun little thing.
Shardul Pandey: What inspired your passion for music? Have you always enjoyed the art of music?
Alex Smith: My dad is a huge fan of music. He’s been collecting Vinyls for years and the house was always full of classic rock songs. I vividly remember my dad sitting me down in the living room and preparing me to listen to ‘Bat out of Hell’. At first I thought he was just being dad but that song blew my mind. I’ve always really loved music since then.
Shardul Pandey: You are an acoustic singer, you also write songs so did you receive any formal training?
Alex Smith: That’s hard to say. I am self taught on the guitar and piano and predominantly with voice but I’ve been part of a few different choirs and I love musical theatre so I’ve absorbed a lot of valuable lessons from them that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Most recently I played The Sheriff in Underground Production’s ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’ with Nick Hollamby as the Musical Director. Nick’s one of the most prestigious vocal coaches in Brisbane so I paid close attention to everything he had to say!
Shardul Pandey: Would you like to share the experience of your first performance ? You perform no mind or you think about something when your are preforming?
Alex Smith: I remember my first proper performance got egged by a passing car. I’m not sure whether it was just an act of wanton mayhem or whether it was premeditated but it was unsettling to say the least.
I personally think that the best performers are those that reveal part of themselves and are honest with the audience. You need to tell the story otherwise you’re just singing notes. When I sing I try to go back to the place I was when I wrote it. This is usually why I end up singing with my eyes closed.
Shardul Pandey: Any favorite moment you would like to share?
Alex Smith: One of my favourite moments would have to be when I performed at ‘The Zoo’. It was a big deal for me and I had a huge amount of support from the people who enjoy my music. The gig was pretty terrible but the atmosphere was just electric! And I met my girlfriend there.
Shardul Pandey: Are there any other creative mediums you work in?
Alex Smith: As I previously mentioned I used to do a lot of acting on stage as well as a little bit of screen acting but I’ve had to knuckle down and focus on my music career. It’s hard enough to make it even when it’s all you’re doing let alone with other things going on.
Shardul Pandey: Any loves, other then music?
Alex Smith: I’m a pretty big fan of ice cream. Like whenever Tash and I are out, we’ll usually end up getting some. Nothing comes close to music though.
Shardul Pandey: What you do for entertainment? Any peculiar interests?
Alex Smith: I do enjoy movies and I’ve recently started playing GTA V which is very addictive! I also love listening to ‘The Protomen Act Two: Father of Death’ it’s my favorite album.
Shardul Pandey: Excluding guitar is there any other musical instruments you like playing ?
Alex Smith: I like playing piano but I’m not super good at it.
Shardul Pandey: What songs get you moving ?
Alex Smith: I’m so far from a dancer it’s not funny. I usually can’t help dancing to ‘Caramel dansen’
Shardul Pandey: How do you best describe what music is to you?
Alex Smith: Without sounding really pretentious, music is what feelings sound like.
Shardul Pandey: Any other musical projects which you have planned for future ? Any plans for an international tour ?
Alex Smith: I am actually writing a rock opera concept album inspired by the Protomen about a robot created to make music. It’s called ‘Amadeus’ though ‘Amadeus ex machina’ has been considered as a title as well. It’ll be a cross between rock, neoclassical and musical theatre. I’m very excited about it.
I do have plans for an international tour in the sense that I plan to one day but I don’t have nearly enough of a fan base to afford it yet.
Shardul Pandey: What is your web address, do you own a domain ? Where netizens can find lastest news about you and your music ?
Alex Smith: I have:
Facebook: Facebook.com/yourmanalexsmith
Tumblr: Yourmanalexsmith.tumblr.com
YouTube: Youtube.com/yourmanalexsmith
And I currently have an Indiegogo page open to fund my first album!
http://igg.me/at/ymasep/x/316267
Shardul Pandey: What is your ultimate message for netizens ?
Alex Smith: What are you passionate about? Are you on your way to achieving that/currently doing it? If you’re not, then change something. It’s never too late to turn everything around. You’ve only failed if you stop before you’ve succeeded!