Alec Berlin has found his center. After more than two decades as an in-demand sideman on stages and in studios of all sizes, Berlin has made an album that combines his love of concise pop-rock songwriting with his expertise as a guitarist to make a record that celebrates his love of both. It started one night when Berlin woke up from a dream in which he was listening to a long-lost hit song that no one had ever heard before. He promptly grabbed his guitar and learned the music from his dream. Over the next month, Berlin kept dreaming songs. Gradually it dawned on him that there was a batch of material gestating in his subconscious.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Alec Berlin, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Well, I have an older brother, so his record collection was really my first exposure to music. I remember The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Lou Reed, among many others.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I was a computer programmer for a hot minute. I had a great time and learned a lot! One of the things that I enjoyed most about it was listening to and talking about music with people who aren’t musicians. As a musician myself, I naturally end up talking about music with other musicians a lot - which is fine, great, it’s a common passion that we all share. But it’s also a fairly specific perspective, and I found it really valuable to talk about music with people who don’t play music. It’s just a different perspective, and it meant a lot to me.
Your latest song is 'Patchen Avenue'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I wrote it on a Danocaster guitar that I had recently bought. It’s a Telecaster-style guitar. It sounds great for any style of music whatsoever, but it’s perhaps most at home with country-style music. So this song just sort of fell out of it. It’s such an open-sounding resonant guitar - it was almost like this song was just waiting to be found!
That said, I ended up recording it 3 or 4 times, each time at a different tempo, until we were able to find the one that felt best. It was a little frustrating, but I guess it had to be done. You have to go where the song tells you to go, even if it means doing a lot of work and letting go of things that you don’t want to let go of.
What do you dislike about the art world?
Loneliness. It necessitates a lot of alone time, which can be good, but you have to balance it with social time, and that’s not always easy to do.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
OK, after giving this some thought, I came up with an answer - June 19, 2016 - the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship. I’m from Cleveland. But I’m not a huge sports fan. But Cleveland has a LONG history of not winning any championships, so to finally win one was especially exciting. Virtually everyone I grew up with, and all their families - literally everyone I know from Cleveland felt an enormous sense of gratitude and pride.
But the inspiring thing was watching LeBron James play so well in the final game. He’d make free-throw shots under such enormous pressure, with the stakes so unfathomably high, with so many innumerable distractions. And yet somehow he was able to focus and execute. That felt very much like a goal to strive for - that degree of focus and expertise. What must it take to get to that level? Surely more skill, talent, perseverance, and luck than I have - but I still want to try!
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
I just want to finish releasing my new music. I recorded 12 songs in 2021, and so far I’ve released 8 of them. I release one per month. I’ve also recorded basic tracks for 3 more songs. So by the end of 2023 I’d like to have released the remaining 4 songs and then finish and release the additional 3. That would make 8 releases for 2022 and 7 for 2023. Pretty good track record.
What’s your scariest experience?
When I was about 20 I spent a summer studying in Greece. At one point I took a side trip to Istanbul. It was kind of a spontaneous decision. I went alone. I didn’t know anyone there. I distinctly remember getting off the plane, going through customs, and walking through the door out of the airport. I felt a certain amount of freedom, but also dread at the realization that I was alone in a strange city where I didn’t know a soul, didn’t know my way around, and didn’t speak the language. As it turns out I had an amazing time, but those first few moments were a little nerve-wracking!
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I make guitar-driven instrumental rock music that skews more towards song than shred. I make instrumental singer-songwriter music. It’s from a context of typical rock songwriting, but it’s instrumental. And it doesn’t have long guitar solos. It’s much more focussed than that.
Have you ever taught or mentored another musician?
I’ve given countless guitar lessons over the years! Still happy to do so, in case anyone is interested!
Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
Yes, it is! (See above). I’m not great at counteracting it. But I think it’s just a matter of making the effort - to see people, to connect, to be warm and supportive, to hug people when you see them, to listen to them when they need to talk. Basically, to be a good friend always. To try to be open.
Thanks so much for your interest and for helping me tell people about my music!