by on

My records are all creative births. They are the inspired and crafted musical poems and stories that encapsulate a certain period of time in my life. They are raised by a village – the band, producers, engineers and the team at the record label. And when the time is right, they are released out into the world, where they will grow, change, and form new attachments. If you happen to hold my baby, I hope you listen with your heart. She laughs, cries, and sings to you, and for you.

I hope you have had a chance to listen to While the Angels Sigh, which was released April 23rd. Autographed copies and merchandise are available from the Blue Élan store, and you can stream it on all major digital platforms. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this particular release has been my collaborations born of necessity. Since I haven’t been able to tour to promote the record, I decided to create content for the internet to support the release. I have hired wonderful dancers, actors, film makers, animators, and directors from all over the world to create video/visualizer companion pieces for each song on the record. I am truly enjoying this form of enhanced expression of the music, and I hope you do too! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and check them out!

I was FINALLY able to perform live for an audience of 1 person + 2 camera operators and a video director for my CD release live stream. And in the first time in over a year, I was joined on stage by 2 other people – my new friend, Jesse DeCarlo (who lives near my new home in Carmel Highlands), and my long time writing partner/band mate, Paul Trudeau, who traveled up from Los Angeles. Now fully vaccinated, I can’t begin to tell you how good it feels to make music with other people. I look forward to the world continuing to open up so that we can all gather again, and give each other much needed hugs!

BamBam and Pebbles

I’ve been lavishing my extra affection onto my newly adopted kittens, Pebbles & Bam Bam. My 12 year old twins are finally back in school so thankfully, I can cross home school off the task list. I just need to teach my fur twins to stop destroying my furniture!

Lately, I’ve been spending more time out doors, exploring Big Sur and Carmel. I am very inspired by my new surroundings and the shift in perspective over the last year and a half. I’ll be sharing the new songs in the Pnut Gallery on Patreon.

I hope you and yours are well. I do love hearing from you – drop me a note (cindy@cindyalexander.com) and let me know how you’ve been and what music is resonating with you lately! I’ve opened up the tour book for 2022 and welcome your ideas. House Concerts and intimate shows are my favorite – let’s make them happen! Thanks for all of your support.

Love,
Cindy

by on

FINALLY!

Hi and thank you for stopping by!  I hope you are well and safe during this crazy time.  At long last, I am ready to share new music with you!  The first single from my new record, While the Angels Sigh, is available now HERE.  https://cindyalexander.lnk.to/trytrytry

PREORDER:

You can preorder the new record (starting on 2/24) with some cool bundles (autographed cds – while supplies last, limited edition t-shirt, handwritten lyrics, private zoom serenade, etc.)  in the Blue Élan Records store.

ABOUT “WHILE THE ANGELS SIGH”:

Here’s an article from https://www.broadwayworld.com/ that sums up the new album perfectly: 

During the most stressful time of her adult life, Cindy Alexander wrote and recorded her tenth studio album. Through the most trying of conditions; her mother dying from dementia, navigating through the pandemic and civil protests, all while teaching her twin daughters from home during the “Safer at Home” order, Cindy’s strength and creativity came to the fore. While the Angels Sigh, set for release on April 23, 2021, is at once a musical affirmation of personal power and grace, and an acceptance of human weakness and fallibility. Cindy has written a songbook for the “sandwich generation,” with wisdom for millennials, and gratitude to the generations that came before her.

It took two years to curate the song list with executive producer and label co-founder, Kirk Pasich. “It was two years of me digging deep, during a dark time, to believe in myself and my musical mission,” Cindy explains. “I committed to sharing my truth and my passion, to work with people who could help me manifest my vision, and seized the opportunity to create without being edited, censored or silenced. I am so very blessed that Blue Élan Records gave me that opportunity.”

Cindy entered Sage & Sound Studio at the end of 2019 with a dream team of musicians, led by producer/bass player Sean Hurley (Vertical Horizon, John Mayer, Colbie Caillat) and producer/drummer Victor Indrizzo (Alanis Morissette, Chris Cornell). The first song they recorded also happens to be the first single, “Try Try Try,” a co-write with Cindy’s career-long collaborator, Grammy award-nominated producer and songwriter, David Darling. The song is about trying to connect and reignite the passion, when life gets in the way and distracts us from what really matters. While writing, a distracted Cindy had fallen and broken her elbow and wrist while running to make a meeting. It was Kirk’s idea to record a second “live” version of the song as an acoustic ballad, turning a sexy bar burner into a trippy, hypnotic siren song.

Other star players on the album include guitarist David Levita (Alanis Morissette, Lana Del Rey, Sheryl Crow) and piano from Michael Farrell (Alanis Morissette, Macy Gray). Second single,”Broken but Beloved,” a song about impermanence, was recorded with Grammy award-winning producer and engineer Ross Hogarth at Sunset Sound with Cindy’s dear friend and touring buddy, Michael Bacon (one-half of the Bacon Brothers and award-winning composer) contributing cello from his studio in New York.

The remaining songs were recorded during lockdown last year, from home studios to social distanced recording sessions, tracks were transferred back and forth throughout the year’s quarantine before finally finishing up in Cindy’s bedroom at her new home in Big Sur. Although the creative process was a challenge, the result is a triumph. While the Angels Sigh is an achingly personal album that speaks to and for all of us, and a musical tribute to a broken but beloved humanity.

OH AND THIS HAPPENED:

The photos for this record were taken by the iconic Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal.  He’s the genius behind the Crosby, Stills & Nash cover for Deja Vu and some of the most famous photos of Joni Mitchell.  Yeah, I’m pinching myself over the whole experience.

I NEED A HUG!

Hope to see you on the road when the Covid curtain lifts.  We’re long past due for a hug.
XO
pnut

by on

I’ve taken the leap…. over to Patreon!  As of February 1, 2019, I’ve established a new cyber corner for the Pnut Gallery, my most loyal fans and friends!

After experiencing the peaks and valleys of the music business as an indie artist for over 20 years (I’ve played garages and dive bars to swanky civic centers and international festivals, been my own manager, been represented by the largest agency in the world and then dumped, won a reality show and a record contract, ripped up said contract, traveled the world, and made the best of friends who make up my musical family…) I still put my heart and my hopes in music. Making music is part of my life’s purpose. I am an Artist. My career has been, and always will be, propelled by my fans. I make music for YOU (and to heal and keep myself relatively sane). The connection I have with you, the listener, is an essential part of my experience – it’s the magic, the energy, the reason I get on stage. When my songs become YOUR songs, I feel so fulfilled. It’s my job, and my honor, to contribute to your life’s soundtrack.

“So WHY PATREON?” In the ever changing music business which seems to de-value our work at every turn, I admire this platform’s commitment to recognizing effort at so many levels that goes into creating art. Unfortunately, cd sales and downloads are at an all time low (and declining), and streaming sites like Spotify pay paltry royalty rates. In order to tour and continue to create more content – cd’s, videos, blogs, etc., plus hire the photographers, promoters, musicians, engineers, editors, not to mention babysitters… I need to create a monthly income. I also like the idea of not being restricted to the type of content I can provide. I can branch out ~ did you know I like to paint? Maybe poetry that stands alone from music… Maybe a book someday! And what about those side projects …I have a LOT to share with you! And I want to do it exclusively, and directly.  I am also blogging much more regularly on that platform, and enjoying the long form/ no holes barred expression with the opportunity for feedback and conversation.

“BUT WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” Oh so much! I am excited to create exclusive material that will ONLY be available to my patrons: bonus recordings, access to my demos, behind the scenes videos and live streams, members-only merch, discounts, blog posts, VIP Experiences, AND I intend on writing and making my new records in front of you! Yep, I’ll be testing out new material and inviting you to witness meetings and recording sessions. Blue Élan only releases a select number of songs from the pool that I create. You get to hear songs that may never make it onto a record. And I value YOUR input! You’ll hear all the material FIRST, before it’s released to the general public.

Whether or not you choose to join me on Patreon (www.patreon.com/cindyalexander), I am beyond grateful that you even take the time to visit my website and read this post.  I know there are so many platforms, and so many artists vying for your attention. It is my intention to create something worthy of your participation: a deeper personal connection, a community of like minded music fans, and an exclusive all-access pass to my creative and personal journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

XO Cindy aka Pnut