The emerging electro-pop artist visited Local Spins on WYCE this week along with psych-rock’s Heaters, who head to Europe this winter. And listen to new tracks by Deep Greens & Blues, Soul Syndicate and more.
Dark and Poppy: Alexander Lynch, playing to a big crowd earlier this month at The Pyramid Scheme. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wouldn’t seem a likely breeding ground for an electro-pop artist with a distinctive R&B bent.
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Then again, Alexander Lynch isn’t your typical electronic soul singer and songwriter.
On the Air: Alexander Lynch during Local Spins on WYCE.
The U.P. native who moved to Grand Rapids several months ago already has made a bit of a splash after releasing his debut EP, “Love Lives,” in December, then regaling an uber-enthusiastic, packed house at The Pyramid Scheme earlier this month at his first official public performance.
“I was so happy. It just blew me away,” Lynch said. “I’m just very thankful and happy to be doing what I’m doing.”
Pairing up with producer Ryan McCarthy of Stepdad, Lynch unfurls dark, moody and inescapably infectious pop music inspired by the “great soul singers” of Motown and swimming in a lush, electronic milieu.
He first met members of Grand Rapids’ pop-fueled Stepdad while performing at a U.P. music festival in 2011 and stayed in touch with them. He began making trips to Grand Rapids to record songs for his EP and eventually made the move here.
Lynch already has made a host of critical musical connections: He’s collaborating on a new track with hip hop artist Lady Ace Boogie and is part of a new collective of artists which includes E. Andrei, Darkly and McCarthy. He’ll perform with the collective on Feb. 13 at Long Road Distillers in Grand Rapids.
The singer made his debut appearance this week for Local Spins on WYCE, performing a pair of songs in Studio X and talking about this journey as an artist. Listen to the entire podcast here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE with Alexander Lynch and Heaters
While Lynch’s original material is pop at its heart, with heavy doses of soul and electronic music, he insisted the vibe “changes all the time.”
U.P. Native: Alexander Lynch (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
“It’s pretty dark at times, the record (“Love Lives”), and still remains poppy as well. That reflects on me,” he said. “I like dark music. I like the stuff that no one likes and I like the stuff that everyone likes, so I kind of try to find my good middle ground.”
McCarthy and fellow members of Stepdad, meanwhile, are looking ahead to release of a new EP, “Masterbeast Theatre,” on March 18, with Local Spins on WYCE airing the first single from that project, “Marquis Marq,” during Friday’s show.
Unfortunately for Stepdad, that project originally was to be a full-length album but McCarthy had his laptop stolen and much of the band’s music was lost. Luckily, four tracks had already been completed, so the group decided to release it as an EP.
Listen to more of host John Sinkevics’ chat with Lynch and McCarthy in the podcast, along with an interview of Heaters, which plays Long Road Distillers tonight (Saturday) before heading to Europe later this month for the psych-rock band’s first overseas jaunt. Get more information about the Saturday night show with Lady Ace Boogie on this Facebook event page.
The Jan. 15 edition of Local Spins on WYCE also featured new tracks from Deep Greens & Blues, Lady Ace Boogie, E. Andrei and The Soul Syndicate.
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