Hello Friends:
“Window” by Alex P. Taylor is the 19th song in The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20.
Alex performed “Window” during his interview on Alive with Clive on August 1, 2008.
Here is a picture of me with Alex that was taken in the TV studio before his interview on Alive with Clive:
Clive Swersky with Alex P. Taylor
Alex likes to be called A.P.T., and this is what you’ll discover about him from his Web site, www.alexptaylor.com, and his MySpace page, which you’ll find at www.myspace.com/alexptaylor.
A.P.T. wrote the lyrics to his first song when he was nine, but it wouldn’t be until early summer of 2005, dealing with the death of a good friend and co-worker, that he would rediscover and truly embrace his passion and gift of songwriting. “The night I came home from Adam’s funeral, I was literally ‘on my floor’,” explains A.P.T. “Henceforth, it became the title to the first song I had written in several years.”
After meeting with several producers, it wouldn’t be until March of 2007 that A.P.T. would begin to record his debut album at SherStudios in Southington, Connecticut, under the wisdom and guidance of Jamie Sherwood. Sherwood, whose twenty-five years of experience in the recording, performing and producing world of music, would be in for quite the surprise.
Using only a pen, paper and micro-cassette recorder was how A.P.T. constructed his songs. He created and caught the melodies in his mind using only these three items. Through no use of any instrument, songs are born to him. “I like to refer to it as using my antennae to pick up what my world is telling me,” confides A.PT. “Sometimes a song will come to me at the most inappropriate time and I have to find a way to store it somehow or it could be lost forever.”
Sherwood, unknowingly, would become somewhat of a Rosetta Stone and together the two would transcribe and collaborate on 15 tracks meeting twice a week until the end of August 2007.
“Within each one of A.P.T.’s songs there lay true aspects that exist in everyone’s lives – happiness, sadness, sympathy, strength and above all, survival,” a source close to A.P.T. confides. His lyrics have been called intelligent and from the heart with “a whole lot of soul to back it up.” His voice: “strong, edgy, and very distinct with a mesmerizing quality that makes you stop and listen.”
“My first album, titled Stop Signs and Red Lights, was truly a form of therapy for me,” explains A.P.T. His song “Great” is evidence of this. “My wish was for people to listen to my words and find answers to some of their issues. There is a lesson to learn in each one of my songs.”
The album was independently released on October 24, 2007, A.P.T.’s birthday. “It was the best birthday present I have ever received,” he sentimentally recalls. “I learned and grew so much from my first album. I feel so proud and rewarded to have another album now under my belt!”
While Stop Signs and Red Lights was a Rock/Pop album full in sound with a heavy dose of electrical guitar, A.P.T. chose a different direction for his sophomore album titled Don’t Miss the Bus. “For Don’t Miss the Bus, I really wanted to pull it all back and take a more acoustical approach this time,” he states. The shift of genre from Rock/Pop to Rock/Folk is quite apparent. “It feels more like me. The experience of recording my first album gave me a valuable gift … insight. This time around, I got to truly find my voice and niche. At the end of the day, I am a singer-songwriter.”
A.P.T. also began organizing and started booking fellow singer-songwriters for The Corner Pug’s Featured Songwriter Series, dubbing the music room as “Mac’s Lounge.” Through the creation of this series, strong bonds have begun to form in the songwriter community in Connecticut. Every Wednesday, a new artist has been showcased and performed original material. The response has been incredible. “I couldn’t have asked for a more fun and refreshing way to bring together a group of really talented musicians,” cheerfully exclaims A.P.T. “I love that I have created something that unifies us and is building strong friendships. That is what it’s all about!”
A.P.T. has also been working with other musicians in the writing department as well. Notably, he has worked with R&B singer Latanya Farrell, co-writing two tracks for her debut album, Feelin’ Alright. “This House” and “Try and Try Again” have become two of Latanya’s favorites to perform at her shows. In addition, The Amp Radio Network has been playing twelve of A.P.T.’s songs at gas stations throughout his home state of Connecticut.
A.P.T. is now the lead singer and lyricist in a band called The Elastic Hoax, which was born in November 2008, out of a collaboration with electric guitarist, Adam Wilson. Additional members of the band now are Joe Madravelis on acoustic guitar, Jonathan Lightig as percussionist, Scott Guberman on keyboard/bass, and Aj Pollicito, the band’s electric guitarist. The Elastic Hoax released its first album, It Never Happened Anyway. . ., on August 19, 2010. To date, the band has played several hot spots in Connecticut, including Black Eyed Sally’s, Murphy and Scarletti’s, The Hungry Tiger, Sully’s Pub and Up or On the Rocks in Hartford.
“Window” is a thought-provoking song with marvelous lyrics and the potential to become a timeless classic. It’s a song for people who have dreams they know they want to fulfill, yet lack a sense of urgency and feel they can get around to pursuing their dreams someday. In “Window,” A.P.T. awakens us from a feeling of complacency, reminds us that the window of opportunity to fulfill our dreams is not likely to remain open forever, and makes a heartfelt plea for us to take action now.
Here are some of the lyrics that convey the essence of the song:
Always in the fast lane
Not making much ground
Where’s your ambition
Check the lost and found
. . . .
Don’t want to let the sun
Go down on you, my friend
Don’t want to let your moment
Slip away again
. . . .
When you gonna wake up
Little daydreamer
Come join the party
Don’t miss the bus
. . . .
Your window now is open
And soon it may just close
Here is the video clip for you to enjoy of A.P.T. singing “Window,” accompanied on guitar by Tim Mikkola, on Alive with Clive:
For additional information about A.P.T. and to listen to more of his songs, go to www.alexptaylor.com and www.myspace.com/alexptaylor.
A.P.T. is currently in 20th place in The Alive with Clive Top 20. To vote for A.P.T. to move into the top spot in The Alive with Clive Top 20, click here.
To see who else is in The Alive with Clive Top 20, click here.
Best regards.
Clive
(914) 274-8280
www.alivewithclive.tv — raising at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa!
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