Alex Lund at Urban Orchard on February 26, 2012

By age 13 we hope our children are developing into nice young people, doing well in school, have good friends, and maybe have a talent or at least a hobby or two. Alex Lund has it all, along with a sweet disposition and great nurturing family. I have to be transparent here and admit that I have known Alex since she was in a stroller (and learning her ABC's) and her family even longer.

Alex plays guitar, piano, and sings with a roots/rock focus and R & B flare. Her vocal ability is nurtured by her mom, Anna (whom I had no idea could sing in all the years we have known each other - I guess a hidden and lesser known secret that I am now blabbing to the cyberworld) and her Papa, John who is a talented bass player and producer/engineer at his own studio. Alex has also taken guitar lessons at Old Town School of Folk and has been a Youth Ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theater, plays a mean game of tennis I hear (also mom influenced), and helps out with the family business, Rock 'n Roll Noodle Company (yummy Thai noodles and more). Her musical influences include Emmylou Harris, Alicia Keys, The Rolling Stones, and The Band. As far as her old school influences, they include Mavis Staples, Donnie Hathaway, Etta James, Aretha Franklin and current heros, Trixie Whitley, Corrine Bailey Rae, Sharon Jones, and India Arie. I picked up also on her admiration for Joss Stone because she clearly channels her style and technique too. Alex has had the ability since her pre-teen years to take a song and cover it as her own. Vocally she can go from soft to gravelly and do runs with the best of them. Did I mention that her pitch is spot on?

Although Alex has played bigger gigs, today she was performing at Andersonville's Urban Orchard market while her mom and younger sister Cali gave out samples of their delicious noodles sold at the market.

For more of Alex's music check out her you tube videos here. She is an up and coming star on the rise and I am glad that I will be one of the lucky fans that knew her when she was just starting out and had front row seats at the organic market gig. Alex will be featured at Blues Fest this summer at Fernando Jones' stage so make sure to check her out then.