In the get down & deep south, just outside Atlanta, Georgia (pronounced Jaw-jah) is music that will make you want get up… so you can go get a drink, sit back down to relax with a bourbon in your hand. Lexi Street writes bitter sweet music about love, intimacy and just being human. While most of her live acoustic music is steeped in leaves of americana, jazz and pop. In the studio, she is turning back to her orignal influence of electronic music. Street’s latest music project returns to her original love or electronic music. Inspired by some of her favorite artists – Massive Attack, Portishead, Zero 7, the XX, and Rhye.
Nominated for the JPL Independent Music Awards for Bite The Hand in the Female Singer/Songwriter category. She’s also expanded her universe into film music, scoring and providing original songs for the new Tom Green movie “Interviewing Monsters“.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Lexi about the latest release, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Atlanta, Georgia (pronounced Jaw-jah) – Mostly. Style hmmm, I’m influenced by decades of music growing up with much older siblings so I’m heavily influenced by 70’s music. But there must be an inescapable thing I do that remind folks I’ve lived most my formative years in the dirty south. But I’ve seen stuff like Experimental Pop or Folktronic, which must be where I fall. I was a radio kid. So pop shaped me. I never had money for cassettes or records. A boy gave me my first cassette. It was The Police’s Synchonicty, Sting’s Dream of Blue Turtles and Tina Turner. And as I’m telling you this I realize I how Tea in the Sahara and Moon Over Bourbon Street have shaped me. Even Tina Turner’s early influence must have helped with a project I did writing music for the title track of a Tom Green movie called Interviewing Monsters. But the first time I heard Portishead, I feel in love with electronic music and what I called Acid Jazz at the time. Panorama is a recent example of my love of electronica music. This release, Let Em Talk deviates from that and goes back to my earlier influences like the Steve Miller Band’s Fly like an Eagle or Roxy Music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
A compulsive need to make order out of disorder, and to create and out do what I last did. And hopefully get as good as the artist I love, admire and consume today. Oh and to get revenge on the jocks that didn’t pick me in gym class. But I could beat them all at ping pong or foosball today. Bet.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Ya, every release seems like a departure from the last. This one pulls a little Americana. I feel like an artist with multiple personalities and I never know who is speaking. I’m passionate about electronic music, but I’m stuck with my guitar when I write and I just never know what my antennae is gonna download in the world. I wrote it for my middle schooler. And probably my own feelings of caring too much what other people. Something that has always held me back musically.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
I mean, for me, it seems like it all comes down to capital, knowledge and experience. Seems like that’s a role labels can play. So it’s putting the money to find and pay the other talented creative people that do what they do best to help you get it out there, knowing where to go and having the experience of where your efforts are best served. Oh and if you know these things then please share. Even then, the responsibility falls back on me to hopefully one day write something is so undeniably good it catches fire. When I was young I worked in a restaurant with this older guy named Calvin, I believe. He was an ex convict living in a half way house and was the dishwasher. I confided that I didn’t know how to break on through to the other side (forgive the Doors pun). He said something to the effect of cream rising to the top. This was at a time there was no internet or tech. It was the pre Napster days. So I didn’t have the gift of the internet then. So I’ll keep churning. Hoping to make butter. And I think technology might help me get there one day.
What was the last song you listened to?
Borns – Holy Ghost (the symphonic version on youtube) Dopamine is just the best album. Not a bad song on it!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl of course! But I also grew up with an old 8 track that only had 4 tapes that I listened to on repeat. Chuck Mangione, Grease – the musical, Steve Martin’s Juggling Cats, and Kansas
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Honestly I prefer Spotify to Apple over ease of use, unless I’m buying something off iTunes. But I rarely have time to use Spotify. Buried with work and kid life I guess to truly take advantage. But Pandora is my buddy. I like what it introduces me to based on channels. My goal is to one day have a ledger and write down everything I love so I can go buy and possess it forever. The idea of losing wifi or the world ending gives me anxiety about not having the ability to stream. But I love TIkTok too. I’m a tik tok junky. Always discover great music there. Youtube is great when I want instant gratification of seeing and hearing a new artist.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Trying to create content on youtube and create more of a video presence. Let Em Talk, Wild at Heart and Panorama are some of my more recent stuff that I’m super proud of. But mostly the main streaming channels. Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, etc.
Anything else before we sign off?
When I get back to performing, you can go to www.lexistreet.com and signup for show info.
