Lex Land Interview: SXSW 2010

Lex Land has always been singing, but in the last few years, she's also begun writing her own songs, and left college to pursue her passion full-time. The young Orange County native's songs have already been featured on TV shows like 'One Tree Hill' and 'Private Practice,' and, as she heads to Austin for SXSW, she spoke to Spinner about her career so far and about touring with Mormons.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Kind of like old timey '40s jazz meets a little bit of blues, R&B. I don't really know. It kinda runs the gamut. One song will sound like one thing, and one song will sound entirely different. I'm still trying to figure that out, what direction I'm supposed to reach for, but I also like that it's not really one thing.

What got you interested in music?

Well, it mostly started when I was 12 or 13. I started getting really into choir. I started taking voice lessons, and I studied classical voice through junior high and high school. Then I got really, really into choir and continued that into college, so I was at college for classical voice for about a year and a half. By that point, my interest had kinda gone into other ... I kinda started getting into different territories with it. I already had really gotten into writing songs and playing in bands and all that kind of stuff. It just kinda developed overnight, like everything amalgamated into what ended up being what I was supposed to be doing. So it kind of works out in my favor.
What are your musical influences?

My friends are a huge part of it. I'm lucky enough to know a lot of people that are inspired and are inspiring and are really passionate about art and living their lives as art and music. That's probably been the major thing. I love old time music, and I love old jazz, pop jazz. It's really been a wide array of things that have kind of been fit into my brain and come out in this way that it does.

How did you come up with your stage name?

It's actually just an abbreviated (version) of my actual name, which is Alexa Holland. I don't really know why it started. Lex is a term of endearment when I was growing up, between me and my aunt and uncle ... I don't really remember why I exactly started going by that. I think it was just alliterative or something, and it just made more sense to me at the time. I've stuck with it, and I like it now, so it's cool. It kinda has this alter-ego, supervillain thing going with it, which I like.

What's your biggest vice?

To be patient. But I mean, at the same time to not, to kind of not falter in what you think you're supposed to be doing, but to also be patient at the same time. I like to say it's one thing or another, but it's a balance of both. Things really take time, but you also have to put the intention and drive behind it to make things happen.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Probably caffeine (laughs).

Who was your first celeb crush?

Probably Christian Bale from 'Little Women.'

Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Beatles.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I haven't been on many tours. I've only been on the one with Joshua James, and they're mostly Mormon. It was me and six dudes, in the dead heat of summer, in the South, in one van. Pretty much the whole time was really silly, because I can be a bit of a lush, a little bit of a wild one. They're a little bit more straight-laced, so it got funny. There isn't really one time in particular, 'cuz pretty much every night was just silly.



Evan C. Jones is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.