Tommy Alexander

Feelings by Tommy Alexander

Tommy Alexander has never quite known where he was going, just to keep moving.

In 2018 Alexander founded Pilot Light Booking. Pilot Light was a booking agency that initially revolved around Portland’s close knit songwriting community. In June of 2020, bored and sitting on a finished record, Alexander released Waves. A collection of songs that garnered modest attention in the press, including the title track being named the 3rd best song of the year by KEXP Radio DJ, Greg Vandy and Magnet Magazine calling the Waves the 10th best Indie Album of the year.

Alexander moved to Nashville in April of 2021. While in Nashville Alexander linked up with producer Andrija Tokic. Tokic put a band together of Nashville session musicians including Chris Scruggs, Jo Schornikow, Megan Coleman, “Little” Jack Lawrence, Billy Contreras, and Dillon Watson. This band would make a record that we now refer to as, Feelings. On Feelings, we find Alexander delving deeper than ever into his own emotional state through a poetic and approachable songwriting lens.

The title track, “Feelings” is an emotional outburst of attempted self-reflection. Lost in the confusion between feelings and self-awareness, our protagonist strives to understand their own patterns in a merry-go-round of voluntary chaos. Set to a pulsing downbeat and celebratory organ swings, the precept here is to be true to oneself, yet simultaneously part of something bigger and objectively true.

“Silence” is the most haunting track on the LP, with its plodding blend of blues and doom. According to Alexander, “Silence stalks the night, elusive and untouchable. And through the eyes of the watcher we witness our own belonging. We see our connection to the mind and to the radiated world. Just as the cardinal and the busy boy are connected, in silence we cross the bridge between unafraid and complete loneliness.”

Other standout tracks include “Something Light”, which could have come straight from an early 1960’s Johnny Cash album, “Blues”, and “Backslide”, which would feel right at home on a classic Built to Spill album.

Feelings was recorded in Nashville at The Bomb Shelter with Engineer Producer Andrija Tokic. The record was primarily tracked live over five session, with a few choice overdubs. Alexander credits Tokic as a wizard of audio.

Tommy Alexander has three previous independently released albums to his name, with his 2020 LP, Waves,  ending up on numerous end of the year lists, including nods from KEXP and Magnet Magazine. Over the years, Alexander has shared shows with Big Thief, Michael McDonald, Mac Demarco, Chaka Khan, and People Under the Stairs among many others.