Alex Bleeker and The Freaks

Check the cover of New Jersian Alex Bleeker’s latest LP, it’s a veritable Where’s Wally of East Coast DIY poppers: Ducktails’ Matt Mondanile, Julian Lynch, Real Estate video director Richard Law and the bros from Family Portrait all on a rainy day out on someone’s parents tiled poolside. Record label Underwater Peoples houses these tropical and homely hits that have lately saturated many blogs and actual magazine pages thanks to their huge quality of song. Seriously, Bleeker’s guitar-based ballads aren’t just warmed by the typical lo-fi hues and Wonder Years-style cultural mythology; sunset-y verses come out as real as any Neil Young song and easily as full of emotion. Dazed Digital talked to him just after a Europe tour about New Jersey, casualness, homeliness and Budweiser.

Dazed Digital: I'm not sure about other people but I’ve kind of over-mythologised New Jersey; I have this idea that it's total suburban comfort (in a good homely way) and supremely chilled out. How would you describe it?
Alex Bleeker: 'Mythologized' is a great word for it. I've hyper-mythologized NJ for my entire life, I think that all of us have. It's something that you have to do when you grow up in an uneventful suburb; it just keeps things interesting. The old man who likes to exercise after dark becomes "The Ghost Walker," Relationships with staffers at the local diner become drawn out, dramatic affairs, the search for weed on a Friday night becomes and epic quest, etc... I honestly feel very fortunate to have grown up where I did.

DD: It seems like the Underwater People family of bands are super "tight". There's a picture of I think you and Matt Mondanile in a swimming pool that kind of sums it up. How casual is making music there?
Alex Bleeker: Matt and I were both pretty embarrassed when that photo surfaced so publicly, but yes. We're all tight because many of us have grown up together...so we've been friends for over ten years now. We come from the same place, and share a similar outlook on the way we choose to make art and live our lives. There's a very vast musician pool in the "Underwater Peoples community", and it's growing....so it feels really natural to pull from that when looking for collaborators.

DD: And how about the exchange of ideas/levels of excitement?
Alex Bleeker: Everything that has happened lately has been unreal, and super exciting. I think that we continue to be a constant source of inspiration for each other. A little bit of competition between friends can also produce a lot of high quality work. 

DD: Homeliness seems like a big vibe in yr songs, I think that's what i like the most. It reminds me of The Clean's Getaway a lot and David Gordon Green circa George Washington. Is this an active thing for you guys?
Alex Bleeker: The Clean have been a pretty active influence on Real Estate, for sure. We used to cover "Anything Can Happen" at our early shows, before we had enough original tunes to fill out a set.

DD: How active an influence do you think Neil Young is on your songwriting?
Alex Bleeker: I think it's pretty obvious...but even more than songwriting, he's influenced me in the way that I like to record/produce. I'm interested in live recording, no frills, no fussing, and no bullshit. The Freaks is a good outlet for that kind of style, because with Real Estate, it makes more sense to spend more time on each recording. We're going for a more polished kind of sound.
 
DD: Is Budweiser like a big NJ thing as well? That seems like a big influence on yr songs.
Alex Bleeker: Hahaha, I'm not like a huge Budweiser man or anything, I mean...I like it, sure. I just put that photo on my myspace because I thought it looked cool and I think the culture of "Domestic Brews" is pretty funny. I also think it's interesting that Budweiser is no longer American-owned.

DD: In terms of making a more linear type of song, though, compared to many people around you on the East Coast making more scuffed-up/obscured sounds. Someone said "classic rock for our generation"; is this any concious effort or just what you've always been into?
Alex Bleeker: It's not a reaction to any specific type of music, if that's what you are suggesting. I'm not trying to make any kind of statement. I don't think people should feel bound by genre. It's cool to appreciate music coming from all different places, if the music is good, then everything else is kind of superfluous. I definitely have classic rock influences, that goes without saying, but I'm also inspired by new music all the time.

DD: Soft rock, as well, is a nice feel that comes out of yr songs; are you into instilling relevant/real emotions into this type of aesthetic that was potentially a little cheesy/hackneyed originally?
Alex Bleeker: I mean I love Jackson Browne, and Fleetwood Mac is kind of the holy grail for me...so those are definite influences, yeah. I wouldn't say that those groups were devoid of all genuine emotion though. I hear what you're saying. Music has always been a form of emotional expression for me, as much as anything else, so I think that's always going to be present, no matter what genre I happen to be pulling from.

DD: Did anything amazing/weird happen at SXSW?
Alex Bleeker: I saw Bone Thugs and Harmony, that was pretty out of control. I was also introduced to Megas, which is this incredible food. We had a great brunch on Sunday with a lot of friends, that may have been the highlight.
 
DD: What are you working on now? Any exciting plans in the works?
Alex Bleeker: My new 7inch becomes officially available Monday April 12th from Group Tightener. I am excited about how it turned out. I'm working on a lot of new material, and I'm trying to expand a bit sonically.