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Hotel Alexis unpacks the suitcase |
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Written by Chris Greiner
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
When Hotel Alexis frontman Sidney Alexis Lindner quit Portsmouth last
year for Colorado, a sense of loss reverberated around the canyon-like
hole he left, like feedback loops from his Telecaster. It still does.
Lindner’s singular guitar work, live performances and dark, irascible
genius are the stuff of local legend. His band’s 2005 album, “The
Shining Example Is Lying on the Floor,” found its way onto the top 10
lists of more than a few music magazines and Web sites and, I think
it’s fair to say, will be remembered as one of the best albums this
scene has ever produced.
This week, Sid will return to Portsmouth for a long-overdue visit, and
Hotel Alexis will assemble at The Red Door on Monday, April 10, for a
reunion.
So, you’re living in Dolores, which, as I understand it, means “pain” in Spanish?
It actually means “sorrow” in Spanish, which somehow seems more
appropriate. There is a river that runs through the town called the
Dolores River. We like to go down and swim in the river of sorrows when
the weather is nice.
Your songs have always had a strong Western feel to them. Now that
you’re actually in the West, how has it affected your writing?
I think it’s made my writing less Western, if anything. At least this
new record is less overtly Western sounding for the most part. Once
you’re around authentic cowboys and real Western bands, the indie
western schtick seems a little more flimsy. With that said, though,
there is a part of me that really is a sad outlaw cowboy so when I
write like that it’s not a put-on.
Do you have a band there? Have you been playing out much?
I have not played a single show here though I have had some pretty excellent jams. I’ve become something of a shut-in of late.
Care to share what you’re listening to these days?
I’ve been listening to Todd Rundgren a lot. I kind of get obsessed with
certain songs or artists for long periods of time and right now it’s
Rundgren. Him, and the David Bowie song “Ashes to Ashes.” Oh, and the
Testface record. And there is this new band called Flying Canyon that
my brother is doing that’s pretty amazing. One trippy thing I just
listened to is a new album by The Skygreen Leopards covering all me and
my brother’s songs. I think Jag Jaguar may put that out but if they
don’t I think (my label) Broken Sparrow may.
Rumor has it you have a new album coming out. Last time we talked on
this subject, you mentioned you had enough material for a double LP.
Are you still planning so ambitiously?
I don’t remember ever explicitly talking about it being a double LP but
I was considering that for a while. Mostly I just really liked the
artwork possibilities of the double decker. I was also really into this
idea of including absolutely everything I’ve recorded by myself and
with Djim (Reynolds, recording engineer/musician) down at the estate in
Leominster with the rest of the band. Kind of like a garage sale. But
I’ve decided to keep some things to myself. I am still planning just as
ambitiously but with perhaps a little less girth. Whatever form it
takes, there are going to be a lot of songs on there. The first record
was created in three days and this one has taken two years so there’s a
lot more material.
According to Myspace, the title of the new album is “Goliath, I’m on
Your Side”—is that a valentine to ex-Seacoast musician Jerry Brookman?
That’s funny that you say that. It might be an oblique reference to
Jerry, who is a great guy and a good friend and an amazing songwriter
who sometimes calls himself Great Goliath. I’m certainly on his side.
Like a lot of my titles I don’t really know exactly where it comes from
or what it means—but in retrospect I do like the idea that there is
this sad behemoth whose side I might be on. Everyone always sides with
David. And so, but also though, there is this idea that I might be on
Goliath’s side even if I don’t want to be. I often feel that way.
It’s been more than a year since you left town—do you find yourself missing us more, or missing us less?
I definitely miss the Portsmouth campus, Portsmouth as the beast, the
living demon, beautiful entity that it is. I felt for a while toward
the end of living there like the town had become just a kind of vacant
stage set that I was walking around in. I could sort of peer down into
this diorama and see myself moving down this street, amongst the
buildings. It was pretty creepy. It’s actually been just under a
year—but who’s counting. Some things and some people I find myself
missing less and less. Some people I miss more all the time.
You made a name for yourself locally with your combustible live shows. Any fireworks planned for the Red Door?
For the record, we’ve never employed any sort of pyrotechnics and we always put safety first.
Finally, the question on everybody’s lips: When the heck are you moving back?
There were/are some elements of Portsmouth that I really needed to get
away from, but once you leave you realize that those elements are
everywhere and it’s in you, etc. I really can’t decide if I want to
move back or if I want to keep going somewhere else.
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