Alex Howland

Alex began his love affair with music when he was drawn to the piano at the age of five. After hearing him attempt to pick out popular melodies by ear, his parents decided to send him to piano lessons. That decision quickly led to full-time classical piano study, with numerous recitals and music competitions along the way. By the fourth grade, Alex was singing rock and pop songs at school talent shows while accompanying himself on the piano. At about the same time, Alex was signed up for drum lessons, in an effort to keep him from banging on the dinner table. That decision led to regular participation in the school stage bands and jazz ensembles, eventually drumming with the Needham High School Jazz Ensemble, which won a national competition during Alex's sophomore year. Somewhere along the way, Alex taught himself how to play the guitar and formed the original rock band Lateral Drift. At the tender age of 13, the band started playing the Boston clubs, getting an early education of the seedy sights and sounds of the city. Lateral Drift continued to write, record, and perform throughout their high school years and beyond. His growing passion and hunger for music led Alex to full-time study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. While there, he immersed himself in a variety of subjects that included songwriting, arranging, music synthesis, and music business. Since then, Alex has been a key figure in Boston area original and cover groups Entrain, The Candles, Another Planet, Windsong, and Hush. He has engaged in numerous freelance performances and recording sessions, has written and recorded for independent films and commercial music projects, and taught private lessons in the Boston area and New York. As a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, Alex has enjoyed constant performing experience for most of his life, sharing the stage with such notables as Bob Dylan, WillieNelson, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, Steve Miller, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Jerry Garcia Band, members of The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, and others. Alex's relentless passion for performance has brought him to venues throughout the United States as well as Canada and China. As he develops and promotes his own original material, Alex continues to work as a musician-for-hire on the keyboards, vocals, and guitar for live performances and recording sessions. I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)