A Chat with Alec Berlin (03.11.22)
After more than 20 years as a musician with bands – both on-stage and in-studio – Alec Berlin is sharing a unique type of music with the masses. We speak with guitarist Alec Berlin about his instrumental pop-rock album, his future plans, his fears and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music?
Berlin: You mean, when I first started playing? It was the Beatles – I remember singing ‘She Loves You’ to my dog in order to get him riled up. Later I was blown away by the guitar sound on Sgt Pepper.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Berlin: Too many things to say concisely. An in-exhaustive list:
– a way to connect with others, present and absent, living and dead, real and imaginary
– something that marries the emotional with the analytical to create something much bigger than the sum of its parts
– soundtrack for daily life
– soundtrack for my own make-believe cooking show
– jogging motivator
OSR: Is there a backstory or theme to your EP Life In The Bog?
Berlin: I wanted to write songs that spoke to my love for concise pop and rock music, but I also liked the challenge of doing so instrumentally, without singing. The music I modelled is very much vocal music, but I purposely left out any vocals, mainly as a challenge and experiment to see if I could make music that was just as engaging as if there were vocals. How would I have to adapt the arrangements, the production, and the sounds, in order to make instrumental music that can live side-by-side with my favourite music, which happens to be vocal music?
OSR: Did you face any challenges when making the EP?
Berlin: All of the above! I didn’t know how any of it would turn out when I started it. It was a constant exercise in an experiment to see what worked, what didn’t, what I liked, and what I didn’t, etc. Also, there was a global pandemic, which was a constant distraction and source of stress.
OSR: What do you hope people take from the EP and your music in general?
Berlin: I hope they hear it as I intended it – great rock and roll music in the tradition of the late 60s / early 70s that just happens to be instrumental. I hope they think that the music sounds familiar, even though they’ve never heard it before. I hope that when they’ve finished listening to it, they will want more so that they will listen again and follow me on social media and streaming services so that they can get updates as to when future releases will be available.
OSR: If you could change one thing about Life In The Bog, what would it be?
Berlin: Nothing. I’m very proud of it.
OSR: What is the best thing about being a solo artist?
Berlin: Having the space to quietly listen to my instincts, to embrace them if they work and to dismiss them if they don’t.
OSR: What about the worst thing about being a solo artist?
Berlin: LONELINESS.
OSR: What is your greatest fear?
Berlin: LONELINESS.
OSR: Do you have any future plans as a musician?
Berlin: I release one song per month. ‘Life in the Bog’ is the 6th of 12 songs that I recorded last year, so my immediate plans are to release the remaining 6. I’ve also recorded basic tracks for 3 additional songs, so my near future will also involve finishing those songs. Which you can hear if you follow me on social media and streaming services!
Many thanks to Alec Berlin for speaking with us. For more from Alec Berlin check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
