Arts & Entertainment
Hear Bloomfield Hills' Alex Winston
and decide for yourself.
Suzanne Chesser
Special to the Jewish News
A
lex Winston and her band opened for
Michigan-based hard rock guitarist-vocalist
Ted Nugent at Michigan concerts in the sum-
mer of 2006, and Nugent opened the world of summer
touring for Winston in 2007.
When the local group was first invited to be part of the
Nugent show, Winston hadn't been quite prepared for the
road experience, but she adjusted very quickly.
The singer-guitar player, who grew up in Bloomfield
Hills and still lives there, remembers going from one
venue to another as among the best times in her 19 years,
but she's staying close to home for a while as her band
appears at local clubs and finishes their second CD.
The group's next performance is 8 p.m. Friday, Oct.
12, at AJ's Cafe in Ferndale. "This will be a semi-acoustic
show',' says Winston, who has wanted only a music career
since childhood. "First my guitar player and I will do an
acoustic version of my rock songs. Then we'll be perform-
ing a mellower set [than the usual Nugent fare] with the
band. Including me, there are five members.
"Toward the end of the show, we're going to have the
band come out with an unplugged set?'
Winston, whose parents gave their daughter her first
guitar when she was 7, keeps her concerts focused on songs
she has written with band mates Drew Peters (drums and
vocals) and Chris Peters (guitar and harmonica).
The writing team started their own label, Drexel
Records, for her debut CD, By the Roots. Other band mem-
bers are Nick Quinn on guitar and keyboard and Mike
Dundon on bass.
"My parents [Angela and Steve Winston] are into
music, and my dad collects guitars, plays guitars and
sings," Winston explains about her early interest in music.
"It was important for my parents that I picked up an
instrument early, and I got serious about singing and
playing guitar when I was 10. I took opera lessons for
nine years.
"I knew performing was going to be my profession
because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I
wouldn't be happy doing anything else?'
Winston, who graduated from Bloomfield Hills
Andover High School and had her bat mitzvah at Temple
Beth El in Bloomfield Township, took some classes at
Oakland Community College but put them on hold as she
started promoting her talents and finding work. She met
her band members through friends.
"I've always been writing songs, but two years ago I
started working with producers and getting serious about
it," she explains. "Drew owns a studio in Ann Arbor, and
that's where we do the recordings?'
The subjects of Winston's songs have a wide range.
"Misunderestimate Me" pokes fun at people who don't
use proper English. "He Calls You Baby" is about being in
a relationship with someone whose sweet talk makes it
hard to break away. "Crossing Your Mind" gives her take
on giving back and not ignoring people in need.
"My style doesn't fit into a category;' the singer-guitar-
ist says. "It's rock influenced by pop or pop influenced by
rock. The people who have influenced me the most are
Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
"After I played with Ted in St. Louis, I was invited to
play at a smaller venue in the city with Chuck, and that
was such a great time for me:' The cross-country tour
placed Winston in a van where she was the only female.
"I was a little nervous about traveling only with the
guys, but it worked out well',' says Winston, whose parents
traveled to watch her on stage. "I came to think of them
like family, and it got to the point where being the only
girl didn't matter.
"From Ted, I learned how to handle a crowd and draw
in people. Ted is a great entertainer and stage presence.
Just watching him perform every night was a lot about
crowd interaction and involvement?'
Winston, who spent summers at Camp Tanuga, likes to
hang out with friends and watch old movies when she's
not focused on advancing her opportunities. Her one
show at the Jewish Community Center was to raise funds
for a friend with severe health problems.
Winston's parents are proud of her achievements.
"I figured Alex's career was automatic;' her dad says.
"She's been singing and playing guitar as long as I can
recall. She's very much in control on stage and off, so I
don't worry about her on the road?'
The young entertainer remains steadfast.
"I want to keep on doing what I'm doing to make music
my longtime career;' she says. "I want to see how far I can
take it." I I
Alex Winston performs 8 p.m. Friday, Oct.12, at
AJ's Cafe, 240 W. Nine Mile Road, in Ferndale. $7.
(248) 399-3946.
October 11 a 2007
53