"The Beginning" is the first full album from 18-year-old Alex Ritchie. This Los Angeles-born artist has played for crowds both big and small, and though she may be new to the music business, is out to send a positive message with a new, unique sound. Due to lack of time and money, the album only features ten of her original songs. However, this is not it for the young artist! She has another album in mind and already in production. Now living in New York, she hopes to gain more exposure, experience, and maturity as an artist - hopefully developing new, greater sounds, with more backup instruments. The quality of the album is not state-of-the-art, but it does have great substance and good messages. It is as raw as art can be and very heartfelt and personal. Enjoy!
"Alex Ritchie is a singer songwriter whose lyrics are deeply inspiring and positive. Her music is rich with substance and her performances are engaging. The Whisky A Go-Go thoroughly enjoyed having this young talent grace our legendary stage"
- A. Celina Denkins, Whisky a Go-Go
National Talent Buyer / Senior Booking Agent
"Her ballads will tear at your heart and leave you with the impression that this is a person with vast understanding and experience."
- Dale Stanhope, CSHM Faculty
The name is Alex Ritchie, born in southern california in 1991. She picked up the electric guitar at 13, and this is where the journey into the world of music started. After fiddling around with songs from Guns and Roses, Led Zeppelin, and other classic rock bands, she found that she wanted a whole different sound. While jumbling with school events and all the programs she immersed herself in, she found herself in her high school's music room, and picked up an acoustic guitar.
She found a love and passion in playing indie, alternative, and folk music. Writing songs became part of her agenda. While at a Hugh O'Brien Youth leadership seminar, she wrote a song for the talent show and played it for the whole HOBY community. It was then that she found one of the careers she could definitely succeed in. Her group leader at the seminar told her words she will never forget, "You know, you could do this for a living, you'd be amazingly great at it!" From then on, it was the drive to succeed and the will to learn all there was about the entertainment business. She began booking shows at 17, and played her first show at the world famous Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood, landing a 7pm Saturday night slot. Since then she has been asked to return for more shows, and has made the Whiskey one of her "regular venues."
She quotes, "Yes, I am self-taught. I've never had guitar or vocal lessons or any music lessons of any kind. Even so, I want to be in this business to send a message to people, a real and positive message. I hope to one day be able to show people it is okay to express yourself. It is not true when people say that this is impossible because a person has had no formal training or musical background! No one quite understands my ideas on the world, or my positivity. They think I'm crazy! But I feel like I am on a mission... A mission to not only achieve success, but also leave the world a little better off than before. Music is a lifestyle, music is amazing, music is my way of speaking to people. It's as honest as it can be. I hope people, while listening to my songs, can relate and feel better to know they are not alone."
After booking gigs, and playing private shows for friends and for her high school, she got a friend who as helped manage her and helped get her more showcase opportunities. They are working together to put her music out for more and more people to hear both locally, and elsewhere. He is currently helping her pick out an actual manager who will help her gain even more exposure and experience. As ASB President, part of the National Thespian Society, CSHM Drama club, Filmmaker extraordinare, and a varsity athlete, she gained many friends in and out of school, most of which have helped her fan base and support. Her fans are still growing and will continue to do so as she is getting a lot more exposure and networking opportunities. She is going to attend university in New York in the fall of 2009, and is excited to be going to live near another one of the country's biggest cities. She''ll be playing gigs there as well. So, if you're ever in New York, come see a show!
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