As the lights go down, his adrenaline amplifies, careening around every corner of his body till his skin is as taut as the guitar strings he begins to run his fingers across.
“I never get nervous,” says Alex Lipinski with a quick grin. “When I get up there, it just flows.”
Westminster student wins MBF award
The 21-year-old second-year Commercial Music student at the University of Westminster recently collected a £2000 Musicians’ Benevolent Fund [MBF] Songwriting Award.
Alex, who hails from Weston-super-Mare in South-West England, has been playing the guitar for ten years and piano and harmonica for over five years, and writes his own music.
“I come from a very musical family,” he says.
He is the youngest of four, with a sister and two brothers whose musical talents include guitar, piano, harmonica, saxophone, flute and singing.
He performs with his older brother Adam at gigs in London and the South-West, and Adam also performs on Alex’s self-titled debut album, which he has just finished recording.
Alex has also appeared on radio shows on TALKSPORT, London’s SMOKE radio, GWR Radio (Bristol), STAR FM (South-West), and Radio Krakow in Poland.
Lipinski: alternative country, Americana, folk, Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley
His musical style – which he labels as a mélange of alternative country, Americana, folk and melodic indie music – is inspired by the likes of The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Rufus Wainwright, Ray Lamontagne, Bob Dylan, Crowded House, Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Adams.
He certainly looks a bit like Ryan Adams, shaking his long hair out of his face as he leans back in the chair to think about his next answer to my questions.
But his voice is sweeter, more reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, particularly when he croons the ballads “When Will I Be Home” and “Goodbye Lullaby”, but then all likeness to either musician disappears when he breaks into his more up-tempo “Lonesome Train” and “I Think You Know”.
Lipinski: ‘talent but no soul’ in shows like The X-factor
He leans forward, now armed with a response: “I don’t see myself ever selling out and going on TV shows like The X-factor.
“They aren’t looking for talent, they’re looking for a brand image that would make good TV. It’s hard to take it seriously when Danii Minogue and Cheryl Cole are telling you whether or not you can sing.
“These shows simply ridicule what music is – you can see through most of those acts.
“There may be talent, but there’s no soul there.”
‘Soul’ certainly contributed to winning the MBF award.
MBF: Music charity focuses on educating young musicians
His university lecturer Helen Reddington had sent him the information about the MBF Awards, which are open to all students on pop and commercial music degrees music at universities and colleges throughout the UK.
Each university chooses one artiste before their choices are sent to a national judging panel, chaired by three-time Grammy-Award nominee Joan Armatrading MBE, which then selects six finalists to perform at The Bedford.
The MBF is the largest music-business charity in the UK, spending over £2 million each year in helping around 1,500 people of any age and in any area of the music business, with a particular focus on the role of education in encouraging the next generation of young musicians.
From Commercial Music degree to MBF award
“My degree at Westminster has helped me in understanding the production and the business element of the industry, which is essential when it comes to dealing with issues such as contracts, publishing and other elements – so you don’t get exploited,” says Alex.
“I also applied for LIPA [Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts] and even though Liverpool is one of the most magical cities in the UK… personally, I think I made the right choice by locating to London, because there’s so much going on here and the heart of the industry is also here.”
A five-piece band, Fables, from LIPA won the MBF Songwriting Award at the event, and will be using their award to cover the costs of recording, promoting and touring.
Alex will apply his Peter Whittingham MBF award primarily to his showcase in New York City, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia in April 2009.
But for now, he is dedicating his focus to his showcase on January 23rd, when he will perform at the 12 Bar Club on Denmark Street in London – only a few buildings down from where the Rolling Stones recorded their first album at Regent Sound Studios in the 1960s.
Lipinski’s inspirational advice for upcoming artistes: ‘the nucleus’
As he continues to develop his talent, the singer-songwriter has inspirational advice for upcoming artistes.
“Be true to yourself and concentrate on developing yourself.
“If the song is good, everything else falls into place. A good song is the nucleus of everything.”
“Nucleus?” I laugh.
A biological word, perhaps, and one you would not expect to leap out of a young musician within the space of a half-hour interview, but a scientific approach – learning as much as you can, picking apart things from the seams to discover how they work, tinkering with the intricacies of the craft… well, not bad advice.
“Yes,” he repeats, with conviction this time, and coupled with the amicable grin again.
“Nucleus.”
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[Alex Lipinski will be performing at 12 Bar Club with his band on Friday 23rd January 2009. For more information on the gig and the forthcoming debut album, visit the following websites: www.alexlipinski.com & www.myspace.com/alexlipinski]
