Jerome Alexander is an English composer and multi-instrumentalist from England. Touring under his musical moniker, Message to Bears, Jerome has shared the stage with artists such as Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds. Jerome Alexander spoke with Tuned In, Turned Up about his recently released Moments EP, bands he’d like to collaborate with in the future, and his New Year Resolutions.
This past weekend you released your latest EP, Moments. What was the inspiration for this record?
To break away slightly from the usual music I make. I felt a bit limited musically by association of the previous output and wanted to have a bit more fun by making something with a different workflow and influenced of more electronic music that I’ve always loved but felt maybe wasn’t appropriate under the Message To Bears moniker. For me it was a bit of an experimentation, though maybe not musically, but creatively.
How does your recently released EP vary from your previous records?
It is certainly more beat-based, with a more contemporary edge. There is more sample manipulation especially vocally and it is more synth heavy. It’s less ambient and in turn I think it is also less introspective and personal, it’s more open to the world and has a different intention personally for me.
What made you decide to release the Moments EP under your real name, as opposed to the musical alias you’ve used on previous releases, Message to Bears?
I wanted to separate the monikers because of the previously outlined musical differences, I thought they might cater to different tastes and thus didn’t want the two projects confused as one. It’s nothing to do with my initials representing ‘me’ more as one might interpret, in fact Message To Bears is probably much more ‘me’ if one was to even talk in those terms. Someone’s birth name is as much a persona as their musical alias.
Working as a one-man-band, are there any limitations you face in songwriting or challenges that you’ve had to overcome?
I guess opinions from others aren’t as readily available during the writing process when working alone, though I do let friends and family hear demos and take onboard any criticisms or opinions. Though at the end of the day I primarily make music for myself, it’s a very personal process and having other people like it is an amazing added bonus. There are challenges of performing live also, I have an amazing band of friends who help me create live interpretations of the songs though it is sometimes difficult as I don’t really compose with the intention of performing. It can be a tough process depending on the song.
Are there any artists or bands you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
It would be easy to name a handful of artists in a similar style to me or who have been influential to me but I think it would be more exciting to work with someone from a different spectrum, more electronic but still hugely emotional music. Perhaps Mount Kimbie, Flying Lotus or Four Tet.
Is there any advice you’ve been given that has helped you in the music industry?
Get contracts written up for everything ever.
Do you have any New Year Resolutions for your music, or goals you’d like to accomplish in 2013?
I’m going to try and be more confident in my own music. I am also hoping to finish a new Message To Bears album and complete some exciting collaborations in 2013, both of which are already in progress. I basically just want to be able to keep making music and for people to continue appreciating it, that’s a goal to accomplish.
Listen to the entire Moments EP:
J.R. Alexander’s Moments EP can be purchased on Bandcamp or iTunes.
Additional J.R. Alexander and Message to Bears music and information can be found at:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
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