Biography and Resumé
Alex was first exposed to Bluegrass music while in high school. One day, he was thumbing his way through his dad’s L.P.s and came across a band called “Old and in the Way.” The band’s lineup was legendary: Jerry Garcia on banjo, David Grisman on mandolin, Peter Rowan on guitar, Vassar Clements on fiddle, and John Kahn on bass. He dropped the needle at the beginning of track 1 – “Pig in a Pen” – and was hooked. That was it. From then on, he knew he had to learn to play Bluegrass music. Alex took to it quickly. There was a guitar in the house, a beat-up and nearly unplayable instrument that Alex used to build his callouses. Once he acquired a nicer guitar, he was on his way. The following August, Alex attended his first Bluegrass event, the Summergrass Bluegrass Festival in his hometown of Vista, California. It was at this event that he first saw Dan Crary. “The sun was setting behind the stage, you could smell the grass in the hot August air and on stage was a man and his guitar. That really had an impact on me and inspired me. I said, ‘that’s what I want to do.'” A couple years later, Alex would perform at Summergrass himself.
Over the years, Alex has made numerous collaborations. From his first band in San Diego, “The Soledad Mountain Band,” to the current “Miskey Mountain Boys,” he was never without a band for very long. He has also developed a highly entertaining solo act that he is very excited about.
Following is a short Resum
Collaborations
Soledad Mountain Band
Pacific Ocean Bluegrass
Scott Gates Band
Blue Creek
Front Porch Music Preservation Society
Old Haywire
Good Time, Old Time Mandolin Orchestra
Miskey Mountain Boys
Endorsements
Alex is proud to endorse Paige Guitar Capos.
Performance Highlights
Bluegrass Festivals
Summergrass, Vista, CA
Huck Finn’s Jubilee, Victorville, CA
Bluegrass and Blue Jeans, Fawnskin, CA
Julian Bluegrass Festival, Julian, CA
Temecula Bluegrass Festival, Temecula, CA
Ramona Bluegrass and Old West Fest, Ramona, CA
Hemet Bluegrass Festival, Hemet, CA
Street Fairs
Escondido Street Fair, Escondido, CA
Encinitas Street Fair, Encinitas, CA
San Marcos Spring Fling, San Marcos, CA
San Marcos Harvest Festival, San Marcos, CA
Upland Lemon Festival, Upland, CA
Listening Rooms
Coffee Gallery Backstage, Altadena, CA
Boulevard Music, Culver City, CA
Hoson House, Tustin, CA
Other Concerts
San Diego Folk Heritage, San Diego, CA
Alhambra Performing Arts Center, Alhambra, CA
La Cañada Summer Concert Series, La Cañada Flintridge, CA
Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts, Laguna Beach, CA
Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, CA
Strawberry Jamboree, Vista, CA
Live Appearances on Media
KUSI Television
KSON “Bluegrass Special” Radio Show
Libraries
Vista Library, Vista, CA
Escondido Library, Escondido, CA
Altadena Library, Altadena, CA
El Segundo Library, CA
Recordings
“Picking Live in California,” – Blue Creek