NYC rock artist Alexa Vetere to release debut album Breathe Again produced by Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' ThalNew York, New York ? April 6, 2012
On Friday April 13th, NYC rocker Alexa Vetere will release her debut 8-song collection Breathe Again, with co-writer and producer, Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal.
"Breathe Again is a journey," says Alexa, "a collective tale of some the most trying times that everyone goes through - death, love, confusion - that made me feel like I wouldn't get through it and represents the aftermath - that first breathe when you realize you will."
The journey began years ago when her father took 14-year-old Alexa to watch a local band in New York City. She hears all of her favorite music she grew up with - Queen, Aerosmith, Kiss - sung and played by Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and friends. She then told her dad "I want to learn to play guitar, just like him, from him."
Two weeks later Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal has her in his studio playing guitar until her fingertips were black, teaching her vocal and writing techniques, listening to Blondie, Sex Pistols, Muse, Courtney Love, and busting out demos of songs every day. Days become months, demos become album tracks, rehearsals become gigs in NY and LA, years of living become lyrical depth. Now in her early 20s pursuing her medical Masters Degree, she shares this chapter of her life in her debut album.
Featuring dueling guitar work from Bumblefoot and Alexa, her previously released title track Breathe Again held #1 position in Rock for over a year, nearing 4 million plays on ClearChannel's New Artist charts. Alexa and Breathe Again were nominated by All Access Magazine's 2007 Awards for Best New Artist, Best Songwriter and Song Of the Year.
Her eight-song collection will be available on iTunes and other digital download stores April 13th 2012.
http://www.alexavetere.com/press/alexavetere_20120406_breathe_again_coming_soon.htm
Breathe Again is a journey - a collective tale of some the most trying times that everyone goes through (death, love, confusion) - that made me feel like I wouldn't get through it and represents the aftermath - that first breathe when you realize you will.
When we first decided to record a couple of demo tracks, the writing experience was new to me. With Ron's guidance and help, it came pretty smoothly. As a team... He always knew exactly what feeling I was going for...whether it was a missing harmony or a funky lyric I couldn't get right. It's like he was in my head. His guidance gave me the knowledge and confidence needed to grow as a writer, player and vocalist.
Some memories recording include: using Sock 'Em Boppers as a tool for vocal training, screaming profanities in the microphones during a recording sesh (which always caught MINE on a track, but not Ron's... So it looked like I had a terrible potty mouth... seen at the end of Best Worst Friend lol), 14-hour days where we only ate strawberries from the Amish Farmers Market and hot sauce that could make your eyes fall out, listening and learning about new/old music.
The song Breathe Again is a co-written track with Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal that was inspired by the loss of a friend to suicide. It is the song that is most personal to me, hence being the title track. "Haunting me like a memory that you just can't leave behind, when I can forget I'll breathe again" vocalizes how hard it was to move on from the experience. Part of you is so in pain and can't wait for the pain to stop, and the other part doesn't want time to take away the memories and fact that it was only x-days since seeing your loved one. I think it's a song anyone who has grieved can relate to. Broken Silence, the first track written for the album, ("I hold onto the strangest things to pretend I'm holding onto you") also pulls in feelings from the loss.
Other tracks touch upon the journey between where I was and where I wanted to be. Slowly came from being torn between Tampa where I was studying in college and home (where Ron, my band, and my musical support was). I traveled back and forth home for months recording and rehearsing, emailing ideas and videos, and playing acoustic shows down in Tampa. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to balance being away/music/school, but it taught me a lot about what I wanted.
Lastly, there are tracks inspired by individual people - people that inspired and supported, as well as people that hurt and wounded. Because, Best Worst Friend, Nothing and Out of You fall in here.
http://www.alexavetere.com/index_ie.htm