Lex Land

Lex Land (nee Alexa, after Prince’s «Parade» B-Side «Alexa de Paris») was brought to life on a Thursday Christmas evening at 9:01 pm in the late eighties to a cosmetologist/karaoke-queen mother and a microbiologist/punk-rocker father in Orange County, California. Throughout the fairly transient beginning of her life she discovered that music suited her talents and passions better than any other hobby or art. The opportunity to appreciate or share the ephemeral beauty of a singular moment, to express the overwhelming inexpressible- singing and songwriting, and her love for choral and chamber music, were the perfect conduits for her sensationalistic impulsion and consuming emotional intensity.

While always interested in fine art and music, Land began her technical study of voice as an adolescent and pursued it through a short stint at University. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, that aforementioned «emotional intensity» can often turn sour, and before long the singer’s depression held fast its grasp and she abashedly quit school. That same sadness, on the other hand, produced many songs which procured her a deal with independent label Intelligent Noise Records, headed by producer Shannon Edgar who discovered other young saplings such as Joshua James and Rick Alvin Schaier («Alvin Band»).

Thus, the classically-trained-folk-singer/guitarist made the relocation to «Hell A» to «make a name for herself» (aka schlepping her gear all over Southern California to play for rooms occupied by less than 20 indifferent club or restaurant patrons) singing her little broken heart out. Finally after a few grueling day jobs and long nights practicing and gigging, her first album «Orange Days on Lemon Street» was released in 2008 with great critical success. Then there was more gigging, practicing, and more grueling day jobs, but at least now at age 21 she’d gone from being a sad music school dropout to an up and coming chanteuse. Some of those indifferent faces now looked intrigued.

Los Angeles’ Hotel Cafe fondly took her under its wing, where she could now perform for more than 20 interested music lovers and other artists regularly. iTunes was kind to her and so were its users- after the ODOLS drop it rose to #1 on the then «Folk» chart and remained there for over a week. Land’s songs have since been featured on many TV programs, such as «Private Practice» and «One Tree Hill,» and she has been blessed with the good fortune of touring and sharing bills with artists such as Justin Townes Earle, Meiko, Paolo Nutini, and Gary Jules. In 2009 LA’s tastemaking KCRW program «Morning Becomes Eclectic» featured a live performance from Miss Land and her band, which was later released as an iTunes exclusive.

After a serious breakup and the binge-drinking recklessness and depression that followed it, a couple years of getting cozy at her hobby shop job in Studio City, and braving the anonymous badlands of Los Angeles miserably alone, the California native decided it was time to shake things up. With mutual friend and fellow songwriter Jarrett Killen, she relocated to reunite with her dear friend and colleague Jordan Moser in Austin, TX in July of 2009. It was there that she truly blossomed- gigging regularly and learning to communicate with new bandmates, picking up new instruments, playing in other songwriters’ bands, in addition to getting back to that which started it all- her love of jazz and classical vocal music. (And having good and talented friends to support her and encourage her to fulfill her potential, finally, definitely didn’t hurt.)

After the move Alexa wrote the rest of the songs that would complete her sophomore album, entitled «Were My Sweetheart to Go…,» had more day jobs, lost a pet, had her heart and hopes toyed with, with disastrous results, a few more times by petty boys, and toured the US with friend and admired colleague Gavin Castleton. With the new record’s upcoming February 2011 release fast approaching, the singer is trying to fill her time with more jazz gigs, practicing, possibly getting another day job… and, as always, seeking an appropriate partner to share a more stable and happier variation of what has been, so far, a tumultuous, albeit interesting, life. For whatever has come of it, Lex Land has certainly lived.