Alex Kramer laments the ever-changing landscape of his hometown in the sweetly raucous Americana ballad Cranes. The native Nashvillian hopefully declares, no matter how much history and culture are threatened in the name of new development and cash windfalls, that the true spirit of the city lives on in song. Recorded at Layman Drug Company, the performance bounces and sways through vignettes of a dystopian future in Nashville where iconic establishments such as the historic Ryman Auditorium and Printers Alley are laid waste to moneyed interests; the old “paved paradise and put up a parking lot” sentiment reaffirmed as a still-relevant issue to grapple with well into the twenty-first century.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Alex about the music, the motivations, the challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
What’s something you’d like readers to know about your latest project?
This song is very personal to me as a Nashville native. It speaks to the ever-changing landscape of “New Nashville,” for the good, bad, and ugly of it all. It’s bittersweet to watch the growing pains of my hometown: a booming city with rich cultural roots. As is the case in many cities, gentrification has lead to prosperity at the expense of local communities and historical landmarks. It’s an old question, but how do we balance honoring the tradition of a place while simultaneously looking to the future? There’s no easy solution, but with examples like RCA Studio B being saved at the 11th hour, and the still-alive Exit/In holding on for dear life, I’d like to believe there is still some hope for preservation to walk side-by-side with innovation.
How does this project compare with your other release(s)? Was there anything specific you were trying to accomplish?
Since I released my debut solo album ‘Young Avenue’ in 2017, I have been putting most of my efforts toward my other band, Nicole Boggs & The Reel. We’ve released two full length albums, an EP and various singles in the last five years. The funny thing is, Cranes was actually recorded a couple years ago, and I wondered at times if I was gonna ‘miss the moment’ where the subject matter was still relevant. Would the cranes still be in the sky? Turns out, oh yes, they will be. For the foreseeable future. I found that kind of poignant. I was thrilled to record it at one of the coolest studios in Nashville: Layman Drug Company. Given the subject matter of the song, it felt very appropriate to be recording it at a historic Nashville landmark.
What motivates you to create music?
Creating music is the driving force of my life. It’s been with me for basically my entire life, as a second generation Nashville musician. I grew up playing with my parents and my brother in the band at our small country church that my Pawpaw pastored. At a certain point, I knew my sights were set on life as a professional musician in some capacity and from about the age of 13 on, I asked my Dad everything I could about his life as a touring bassist for the country stars of the era: namely Charlie Rich, Lynn Anderson, Johnny Rodriguez, and the Glaser Brothers. It set me up for a practical perspective on music as a trade, not just a “stars-in-my-eyes” “I’m gonna be in a band and get famous” mentality. I launched into a career as a hired gun guitarist in earnest at about 17 years old, after a few formative years making music in high school garage bands, but I never forgot my dad’s advice to “never stop writing.” After a few years of checking off milestones and bucket list items in my career as a sideman guitarist, I gradually began focusing more on my own original projects. Music is a second language for me. It’s what gives me purpose. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What’s one of your first or most powerful music memories? Did that play any role in driving you to create?
When I was about 10, my brother and I were rehearsing to perform a Blues Brothers tribute at a church variety show, and I distinctly remember watching the movie and one scene being a total paradigm shift for me: seeing John Lee Hooker perform “Boom Boom” on the street outside of Aretha’s soul food restaurant. It instantly rewired my brain and everything I thought was “cool” before had now been put into new perspective. It continued a musical fascination with the past that lead me to tracing the musical roots of my favorite rock and roll bands of the 60s and 70s. I had always been drawn to music “before my time.” John Lee and his snakeskin boots and understated swagger really was the catalyst for a deeper dive that set my course toward the guitar and roots music of all kinds.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
If I had to pick a star producer to guide me, I would say someone like Don Was or Dave Cobb are two of the first names that come to mind. They have a naturalistic ascetic and are associated with so many important artists, I feel like they are arbiters of truth when it comes to, I guess you would call “classic” or “traditional” music. I’m not overly concerned with modernity so someone like that with such a rich understanding of music history is what I feel I would most strongly connect with. In terms of modern artists however, I’m really intrigued by Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus. They just seem like lifers with long diverse careers ahead of them. It feels like they are really making an artistic statement of their own; nodding to the past while working in the pop milieu. I could go on and on with all the legends i.e., Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Prince, Ray Charles, Levon Helm, Etc. but that’s just a rabbit hole and I think I’ve used up more than my share of answers by this point!
What was the last song you listened to? And who is one of your favorite all-time bands/artists?
My streaming service says the last song I played was “The Last Time” by The Rolling Stones. I always liked the Stones but would consider myself much more of a Beatles kid. Lately I’ve been spending more time enjoying the primitive beauty of some of these songs and arrangements. There’s an art to the slinky swagger of Keith that I hadn’t fully appreciated before. It’s funny I spent so long trying to be the most proficient musician I could be but now in a lot of ways, I’ve allowed myself to lean into the unique character that makes me sound like me, and not necessarily try to be a perfectly clean and robotic player and singer. One of my favorite parts of musical growth is the never-ending search for inspiration among music that has already existed. I can’t keep up with new music because I’m still catching up with the avalanche of all the great music that already exists. For example, I would identify Prince as a musical North Star for me; a massively important influence. Despite this, there’s STILL Prince records I haven’t thoroughly digested, so for me that’s just more musical homework to study and explore. It’s an exciting and never-ending journey.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
Everywhere @alexkramermusic
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
I’m releasing this music on the heels of a full length album with my other band, Nicole Boggs & The Reel. We just released our latest album ‘Dystopian Book Club’ on August 1st, 2022. We’re so proud of these songs we wrote in lockdown and would love for you to check that out as well. In particular, I feature on lead vocals on the album track “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
