ORIGINAL HIPSTER

Last night at Don Hill’s, I played the first official gig with Love Crushed Velvet.

“Who are Love Crushed Velvet?” you ask. I will tell you. And then you will probably agree with me that I am the luckiest keyboardist in New York.

All LCV songs are written by A.L.X., who’s been performing here and there all over the world for years. He’s this professional jetsetter by day, rocker by night. About two years ago, A.L.X. began to assemble a band of phenomenal musicians to record a soon-to-be-released album, also called Love Crushed Velvet. Check out this lineup:

Jimi Bones – Guitar
Thommy Price – Drums
Enzo – Bass

Time for a little name-dropping. Thommy was Billy Idol’s drummer, and he and Enzo are now in the Blackhearts, i.e. Joan Jett’s band. This summer, they’re touring Europe with Joan, who, along with Hole, is opening for Green Day. (!!) They’ve also toured with Def Leppard and a bunch of other great bands. Jimi, the guitarist, has played with Joan, as well; he’s worked with Blondie and a slew of major players–too many to name. Basically, these guys are pros. Their collective rock history spans decades and includes influential recordings and sold out stadium shows. They’re the real deal.

Anyway, a couple months ago, I responded to a craigslist ad by a guy looking for a PR person to promote his band. Turns out this guy was A.L.X., and I started doing promo work for him along with music marketing guru extraordinaire Paul Burgess.

I now present a breakfast conversation between A.L.X. and me, as we waited for Paul to join us for our first meeting all together.

Me: I’ve noticed you’ve got a lot of synth and keyboard sounds in your music. Do you perform with a keyboardist?

A.L.X.: I’d like to; I’ve just been really lazy about auditioning keyboardists.

Me: I can do it.

A.L.X.: You play keyboards?

Me: Yeah. I have a good one, too.

A.L.X.: Can you sing?

Me: Yeah, I can sing. I mean, I’m not, like, AWESOME, but I can sing.

A.L.X.: Can you sing on pitch?

Me: Of course!

A.L.X.: Ok, well, that solves that problem.

Next thing I know, I’m in a music studio rehearsing with the aforementioned badasses–Thommy, Jimi, Enzo, and A.L.X. Two weeks later, I’m playing a show with them, asking myself how the fuck I lucked into this one.

Will they keep me around? I don’t know. I’d like to stay on and really let loose now that my comfort level with the songs is relatively solid. So, stay tuned. And check out Love Crushed Velvet!