I’ve been to quite a few concerts this summer and looking back, it’s funny to think about the differences in the crowds.
At Britney Spears, there were gay men in glittery eyeshadow and booty shorts all around me. At Jack’s Mannequin and Guster, the audience consisted of suburban white kids with backwards baseball caps, flip-flops and far too many popped collars. And at Sara Bareilles’ sold out show last night at Central Park’s outdoor Rumsey Playfield venue, the crowd was comprised entirely of hipsters in thrift store-purchased 500 Days of Summer-inspired floral print dresses and PBR-stained moccasins.
“How many of you are you listening to the show outside of the venue?” Sara yelled into her microphone. “This one’s for you!” she proclaimed as she started beating her tambourine and eased into an immaculate cover of Mumford and Sons’ “Little Lion Man.”
Alex Winston may be the most promising pop chanteuse to emerge in 2011.
Since first garnering attention in early 2010 with buzz track “Animal Baby,” the Detroit native has distinguished herself from her contemporaries by releasing a series of well-curated covers, including songs by artists as diverse as Mumford & Sons, The Rolling Stones, and Teddybears.
Her original material, though, is even better — sometimes chipper, sometimes heartbreaking, but always unfailingly likable — and her resonance hasn’t gone unnoticed. Single “Choice Notes” is now featured prominently in a European car commercial, and Alex has been featured in outlets like Interview, Spin, and Pitchfork.
With the help of her frequent collaborators, super-hot producers The Knocks, as well as rising star Charlie Hugall (who produced Florence + the Machine‘s stunning cover of “You Got the Love”), Alex is quickly joining the ranks of Marina and Ellie as one of pop’s most distinctive and innovative voices.
She also recently signed a deal through the new publishing imprint Beyond Gold, a co-venture between the reliably amazing Neon Gold Records and Warner/Chappell Music — which should guarantee that her talents receive international attention.
I caught up with Alex to discuss her unique sound, label politics, and the real story behind polygamy anthem “Sister Wife.” Read on to find out more!
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