Alexalone talks cashew cheese, Lord of The Rings, and community
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY BAILEY KRAUSE
Austin-based trio, alexalone, is made up of Alex Peterson, Drewsky Hulett, and Sam Jordan. After dropping their Polyvinyl Records debut in 2021, the band has continued to cultivate their 90s-reminiscent sound. Existing under the description of “soft songs played loudly”, their new album, ALEXALONE TECHNICAL RESEARCH has lived up to every bit of it. The band sat down with me before their show at the High Noon Saloon, supporting Palehound. We covered everything from their musical and non-musical inspirations, to lactose intolerance and the Lord of the Rings.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity
How did you each get started in music, and how did you find each other?
Sam: I started playing drums when I was 6 or 7. I was super influenced by the older kids in my neighborhood who had garage bands - I would stand and watch the drummers and then run home to practice. I started with alexalone in 2017, Alex and I already knew each other through the Austin music scene, and at the time we lived together and realized it was just something that made sense.
Drewsky: I’m a band nerd through and through. I started with the clarinet, and music has always found a way to inspire me through whatever avenue I could find. I met Alex about six years ago, and I used to watch them rip guitar - eventually I said, “I want to be in that band.”
Alex: I started playing guitar in high school when my advisor asked if I wanted to take a guitar class. I said sure, and it just kinda took over my brain. I started playing in different bands and got familiar with the scene. My friend asked me to write a score for his short film, which is where most of my first project came from. I recorded alone for the most part and had friends join in for live but when Sam came in, the drummer situation didn’t change. When Drewsky came, it wasn’t just me and Sam anymore - it became more of a unit.
Keeping with the beginnings, do you remember the first song that you heard that made you realize that’s what you wanted to do with your life? Like this is so incredible, I want to create something like this someday.
Alex: I was older when this happened, but the first time I heard the band Autolux - I was playing in bands that were more Smashing Pumpkins or Sonic Youth-adjacent at the time, but hearing the mesh of how clean, but also gnarly Autolux was made me realize that I wanted to make music like that.
Drewsky: I grew up super religious, so I didn’t listen to a lot of music until high school. But I will say when I listened to Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, it made me think like, oh, I can play a bass clarinet in a rock band, or you know just cause a ruckus on stage. Still be silly with the music, but just do really interesting stuff
Sam: I guess like, probably, when I first started playing drums, the older kids were listening to like Nirvana, Green Day, and Weezer. I don’t know if there’s a particular song, but I’d say various songs from those types of bands were ones that kick-started me.
Alex: What about Hanson?
Sam: I was about to say that! I think Hanson had a big influence on me too. My older sisters listened to them, and I was super inspired by Zac, the drummer, because he was so young. I also wanted to do that and be better than my age.
Instrumentals are a huge part of this album, and of all your work, do you find there’s more power to tell a story or convey something sonically or with words?
Alex: I think they’re equal, I just tend to think of myself as a guitarist over a songwriter. I’m not trying to write songs, just trying to play guitar - and that kind of lends itself to the music being more instrumentally focused than lyrically. But I also like to mix it up so it’s not just one world, because either one can get a little tedious, so it’s trying to strike a balance because they’re both super valuable.
Your music heavily resembles classic 90s sounds, are there any other decades or eras of music that you take inspiration from?
Drewsky: Hmm, good question. Every decade ever.
Sam: I feel like there’s some mid-2000s influence.
Alex: My favorite era of music besides right now is 1997-2007 because most of my favorite records came out in that period. That decade is definitely where I get my “juice” from.
Okay I just have to geek out for a second, but the album art for ALEXALONE TECHNICAL RESEARCH is so sick, what was the idea / inspiration behind it, and what went into making that a reality?
Alex: Yeah! Minipete did the illustration for it, and she also did the artwork for our last record as well, it’s been great working with her because she’s amazing. For the album, I had been reading this comic, which I don’t recommend, but it had lots of industrial stuff. I took a screenshot of one of the panels that was just a staircase and traced that and sent it over, and she just whipped up this amazing image really fast.
You’ve said that the LGBTQ+ community in Austin was a big part of the production of the music video for “ALL I NEED”, can you guys talk more about how you have benefitted from having such a strong sense of community within a state that's often perceived as pretty conservative?
Alex: I mean, there are shitty people and good people everywhere, it all exists on a spectrum. But we have a lot of great places and artists, and everyone’s very accepting in the spaces we’re in - which goes a long way.
Drewsky: Like in any city in a state where there’s lots of hatred, the people who find each other who find their people who represent the things they value create a super strong community and in Austin it’s very much true. For the music video we were so lucky to tap into our friends and our community, and just make something way bigger than ourselves. All of the people featured in the video are incredible, but they'll all say within the community they’re not alone because of all the friends and support that happens. It’s just a really fun, gay time.
Are there non-musical things you do in your life that you contribute to your musical style?
Sam: I love soccer, I’ve been playing it just as long as I’ve been playing drums. I think I’m a very active person, and so not only do I get to play soccer but it translates to drumming where I use my feet a lot, and effectively run for a whole set.
Alex: I read a lot of comic books, that’s sort of my big hobby, so I find things in that. I also read psychological horror, just kind of anything. I like to take that sort of tension into the music.
Drewsky: When I’m feeling good and healthy, I spend a lot of time sitting outside staring and doing nothing. I think, if anything, those are the most inspiring experiences I can have. Anything that allows me to sit and be patient, kind of explore my mental state - that affects my music in a way I like the most.
How’s the tour been so far? What’s been the best part?
Sam: It’s been great! We’re on the ninth show with Palehound, I’m pretty sure. It’s been a far distance to go, it’s our first time doing a five week tour as alexalone, and I’ve really enjoyed all the sights and exploring. I’ve also been listening to the “Lord of The Rings” on audiobook throughout the tour.
Alex: Something really funny is that we realized we’ve been listening to the second half of the audiobook, because the first half was labeled “Chapter 1-11”, so we started at chapter one, but apparently the prologue was ten hours long and was the first half of the book.
Drewsky: We did?
Alex: Yeah we didn’t tell you.
Drewsky: I was wondering how we got so far ahead so fast. We’re nerds obviously.
Sam: It’s been fun though, it passes the time well - audiobooks have been super crucial.
Alex: Yeah, the shows are incredible. Palehound is amazing to see every night, it just makes us want to show up and do our shit and have it feel good for everyone.
You have three words to describe alexalone’s music to someone who has never heard of you, what are they?
Alex: Tension, acceptance, rock
Drewsky: Spaciousness, playfulness, intimacy
Sam: alexalone, tone, zone
That sounds like the next album name! Alright, final question - you’re in Wisconsin, do we have a favorite type of cheese?
Sam: I wish I could still digest dairy - but back when I could, I’d say a classic smoked cheddar. I love smoked cheddar, or gouda!
Alex: I eat cheese, but I don’t ever think about it too deeply.
Drewsky: I don’t eat cheese, but I think the best cheese is probably, in like 20 years, there’s probably gonna be a really good cashew cheese. It hasn’t happened yet.
Sam: In 20 years? That’s so long.
Drewsky: It takes decades to develop a magical cheese!
