Alexandra Starlight

Alexandra Starlight
Background information
Origin Oakland, California
Genres Soul, Rock and Roll, R&B
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Associated acts Alexandra & The Starlight Band, The Holograms, The Hollywood Harlots, Zachary James
Website www.alexandraband.com

Alexandra Starlight is an American rock 'n' roll and soul singer, song-writer and performer. Alexandra and The Starlight Band (stylised as Alexandra & The Starlight Band) is the recording name of her current project in collaboration with Zachary James.

Influences

Musical Style

Alexandra's music has been described as having "rock and roll roots"[1] and a "soul influenced style"[1] that creates an "uncompromising" and "modernized spin" on classic American music.[2]

Her raspy yet soulful vocal style and emotional delivery has been compared to the "gritty intensity"[2] of Queen of Rock 'n' Roll Tina Turner[1][3] the "blues-drenched raw power" of Janis Joplin, rocker Joan Jett,[4] and contemporaries Amy Winehouse.[1][2][2] Critics have called her an "indie-soul diva"[5] with "the swagger of a thousand men."[6]

She is influenced by the classic American sounds of rock & roll, soul music, with nods to gospel, Motown, R&B and blues, vocalists such as Otis Redding,[7] and contemporary British female neo-soul singers.

Fashion

Alexandra embodies rocker chic style, combining vintage and retro pieces with custom designs in collaboration with artists and young designers. She appeared in Smithsonian Channel syndicated program about retro couture, "LA Frock Stars" alongside Dita von Teese and Macy Grey, espousing her love of unique vintage in the episode "If This Dress Could Talk: Sequins and Sparkles for Alexandra Starlight." [3][7]

Musical history

Early history

Alexandra began her musical training at the age of 5 on violin, though quit classical training to form various punk bands[1] when she moved to Los Angeles at age 17,[3] then going by the stage name Sasha Baby.[8]

The Holograms

She was briefly the lead vocalist with Los Angeles based Teenacide Records' all-girl punk band, The Holograms, replacing former vocalist Tammy Ahn in support of their release, "Night of 1000 Ex Boyfriends," produced by Blag Dahlia (The Dwarves) and Bradley Cook (Foo Fighters/The Ataris). At the time, their single "Are You Ready for It" had a top 10 Billboard Magazine garage rock chart hit, named one of the Coolest Garage Songs by Little Steven's Underground Garage column.[9] She then quit the band, with Sisely Treasure stepping in as the new lead singer.

The Hollywood Harlots

She then formed The Hollywood Harlots, her spin on The New York Dolls moniker.[8] Sonically, the project was called the "gritty spawn of The New York Dolls" blended with the "dirty girl appeal of Kim Fowley’s young swagger street chicks-The Runaways."[10]

The Hollywood Harlots caught the attention of producer Jeff Saltzman, who also produced The Killers and The Sounds,[1][11] at a raucous show at a French restaurant for Alexandra's "Iggy Pop-type"[12] stage antics of pouring whiskey on her face, jumping onto diners' tables, eating their steaks and drinking their wine.[3] She then recorded a demo EP with Jeff Saltzman,[11] though never officially released it as the band quickly imploded shortly after recording it.[3]

Current musical projects

Alexandra & The Starlight Band

Recording

Alexandra recently finished recording a debut EP at Henson Recording Studios (former A&M Records) with Grammy-winning producer Bob Cutarella (Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Michael Jackson, Slash, Madonna) engineer Paul LaMalfa (Brian Wilson, Colbie Caillat, Sheryl Crow, Loretta Lynn, Mariah Carey), Kevin Mills (Michael Bublé, Tom Morello, Céline Dion, No Doubt, Bruce Springsteen, Velvet Revolver, Gwen Stefani) and collaborated with composer Lou Forestieri, who was the one time band leader of Lena Horne.[13]

Format

She released the S/T EP on CD and a rare limited edition, collectable 7" featuring clear vinyl and rainbow glitter on June 21, 2012.[14] The record, limited to 250 pieces, is a custom project, with each piece being made by hand.[7]

College Radio

The EP has impacted college radio, charting as high as #2, ahead of other artists with label support, such as Yeasayer, Dirty Projectors, Buffalo Killers and Redd Kross amongst others.[13]

Live Performance

The Starlight Band has been called a "powerhouse"[15] band for their live performance. She has performed with bands/musicians such as Dick Dale, Semi-Precious Weapons, Kate Nash, Trixie Whitley, Intronaut, Jhené Aiko, Vanaprasta, Harriet & Black Math Horseman, at notable LA venues such as The Troubadour, Hotel Café & The Satellite.[13]

In 2012, she performed at SXSW for a showcase curated by the Miles Davis family, and in 2013 she was an official SXSW showcasing artist, performing at the "50 years of the Beatles" showcase hosted by the GRAMMYs. She also performed at & spoke as a panelist at CMJ 2012, SXSW 2013 and CMJ 2013 on the topics of touring and the success of her limited edition vinyl and creative merchandising ideas.[16]

Film/TV Performance

On September 27, 2012, She performed on the Fox News Channel program Good Day L.A. hosted by Steve Edwards and Mar Yvette in support of the release, performing the tracks "Without My Sunshine" and "T.T.M.F." on air.[17] She performed on San Diego 6 San Diego Living on February 1, 2013 performing acoustically in support of her San Diego performance debut. She also performed on KATU, Portland's news channel, on the morning entertainment program AM Northwest. She is featured in the Smithsonian Channel syndicated program L.A. Frock Stars, which chronicles the Los Angeles high end vintage clothing store The Way We Wore. Her episode premiered Thursday, March 29, 2013 entitled "If this Dress Could Talk: Sequins and Sparkles for Alexandra Starlight." She had a cameo in the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour documentary intro, alongside Elton John, Iggy Pop, The Black Keys, Nick Cave, Johnny Depp and Gary Clark Jr.

Other musical projects

Alexandra also co-writes with Zachary James of Zachary James & The All Seeing Eyes, lending keyboards & backing vocals to the recording project.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ventura County Reporter July 7, 2011. Chris Baker "It Takes Two."
  2. 1 2 3 4 No Cover Magazine December 2011. "Band Watch: Alexandra"
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ventura County Star September 15, 2011. Bill Locey "Glam goddess Alexandra performs in Ventura: Soul, sequins and star power."
  4. ↑ "Desert Star Weekly" April 20, 2012. Laura Anne Rowell.'What You Missed: Alexandra & The Starlight Band
  5. ↑ Ventura County Reporter Feb 20, 2012. Chris Jay "Bands to Watch: Alexandra & The Starlight Band."
  6. ↑ Guitar World Magazine Feb 24, 2012. Ebony March "Alexandra and the Starlight Band: Grace Slick, Meet Your 21st-Century Upgrade."
  7. 1 2 3 The Vinyl District Dec. 7, 2011 "TVD Kickstarts: Alexandra & The Starlight Band"
  8. 1 2 FlashRock TV 2006. "DRAGONFLY ROAD TRIP 4 Outrages Punk Rock Bands" Jeff Lortz. Webcast.
  9. ↑ Billboard July 1, 2006. "Little Steven's Underground Garage."
  10. ↑ Sugarbuzz Magazine 2006. Christopher Duda "The Hollywood Harlots"
  11. 1 2 "RnRTV No. 45: The Hollywood Harlots and Jeffrey Sebelia!". Missing or empty |series= (help)
  12. ↑ Steve Palopoli. "Alexandra Starlight Brings punk-fueled Neo-Soul to Streetlight Saturday". The Metro. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 Alexandra Official Website
  14. ↑ Killahbeez Dec. 19, 2011 "Alexandra Starlight Limited Edition Rainbow Glitter 7""
  15. ↑ "ALEXANDRA AND THE STARLIGHT BAND: ALEXANDRA AND THE STARLIGHT BAND EP""
  16. ↑ "Alexandra Starlight CMJ".
  17. ↑ Good Day L.A. 2012-09-27. Fox News Channel.
  18. ↑ Ventura County Star December 15, 2011. Bill Locey "The 'Eyes' have it."

External links

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