Catch an interview with Alec Chambers and listen to lead single "Whole Again" from his debut EP, out now.
What got you interested in music?
Alec Chambers: My family. I have a father who was very passionate about playing music when he was my age and he was always in and out of bands his whole life and he had the same sort of dream when he was my age. When I was about thirteen or fourteen he was the one who really got me to want to play music.
Do you remember what inspired the first song you wrote?
It was a relationship that I was in at the time. I mean, a lot of the songs are about these experiences and certain situations, but the first song I wrote was about a relationship.
What do you try to keep in mind while writing?
I think it depends on if I'm writing with only me or writing with other people, but something that I really like to keep in mind is just to make sure that it's as real as possible. Just like, I don't like to write about situations and experiences that I haven't been through because then, when you perform the song live, it's like you have no relation to it so I always try to keep my songwriting as real as I can.
What's the best part about performing your music for fans?
Just to be able to have a platform to share your story. I have a show coming up on Tuesday, March 31st at Rockwood Music Hall, but I think my most favorite thing about performing is just being able to connect with people and just being able to share your heart on stage is really fulfilling I think.
Are there any artists who influenced your sound?
Yeah, somebody that probably got me playing music, along with my dad, is Paul McCartney, he's definitely an influence. Someone else who influences my sound is definitely Ed Sheeran and this band from Brooklyn called Oh Honey. And, as far as my performance, bands like The Script.
How would you describe your sound?
As a genre, it's probably like acoustic pop, I guess would be basically what it is. I would describe it as a younger sound, but I think people definitely of all ages could enjoy and appreciate it. It's acoustic pop but I think I have a very young sound.
What's the best response you've heard since releasing Whole Again?
I'm not sure if there's been one response exactly, but we've gotten a lot of reviews and, I mean, everybody who's heard the record has had nothing but positive things to say about that. I'm very thankful for that and just, this EP I think has actually brought me to the next stage of my career and, yeah, people have had really nothing but good things to say about it so that's good [laughs].
Do you have a favorite track off the EP?
Yes, my favorite track off the EP would probably be "Heart of Gold". "Heart of Gold" is my favorite track just cause it's really uplifting - obviously, "Whole Again" is the single and I like all the songs on the EP - "Heart of Gold" is just uplifting and it's just got a cool vibe to it and it's definitely my favorite song off the record.
What do you want to say about your music?
I would just say that it's real and that's really the only way I know how to describe it. I think it's just very real and the songs are good and, you know, all four songs on the EP were about different situations and different scenarios so, just, the music is good and real and it's something that people could connect to, for sure.
Catch Alec's live performance at any of the following shows:
March 31, 2015 - 7:00 PM | New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
April 3, 2015 - 7:00 PM | Middletown, CT @ Buttonwood Tree
April 18, 2015 - 1:00 PM | Fairfield, CT @ Fairfield University (Springfest)
April 22, 2015 - 7:00 PM | Stamford, CT @ The Fez
May 18, 2015 - 7:00 PM | New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
June 5, 2015 | Pomfret, CT @ Vanilla Bean