Track Rambler - Lexi & The Bleached Roses Reinventing the Texas Music Scene with Sweet Desire8/23/2017 Lexi and the Bleached Roses Reinventing the Texas Music Scene with Sweet Desire
Who said violins were exclusively for classical music? Certainly not Lexi Cardenas. Lexi and The Bleached Roses have been reinventing the central Texas music scene by proving that classical instruments can do it better. The Austin-based band started challenging the norms of indie rock music after Lexi, lead vocalist and violinist, decided that forming a band was the perfect idea. Initially starting to record their debut album, Sweet Desire, as a solo artist, Lexi soon realized that creating an entire album by herself was extremely hard work. She enlisted the help of Cello player, Mario Salas, and by the end of the album recording had an entire band to help her out. Lexi admits she’s learned a lot of important lessons during the recording process, saying “I’ve learned I cant do everything myself, and that’s okay”. After being classically trained in music for 21 years, Frontwoman Lexi sure has a lot to give. Starting her training aged seven, she progressed to play in her first band, The Texas Fiddlers, during high school. This stage during her music career was clearly a defining moment, as she describes, “that’s where I first learned about amplifying my violin and a completely different kind of audience.” After continuing to learn more about pushing the boundaries of music at college, the band is where she really let her creativity shine, saying “This group is a culmination of all the styles I’ve learned.” The band’s debut album, Sweet Desire, takes a real twist from the classical instrument stereotype. With the music ‘driven more by layers and instrumentation’ the group truly broaden the horizons of indie rock, country, and Americana vibes. The band’s inspirations are plentiful, counting Arcade Fire as one of their top influences. Mo from the band describes, “Bands like that make me want to work harder to be a better musician.” The album’s title is based around the featuring track, ‘Sweet Desire’. It’s a completely honest track, based around Lexi’s “road to self discovery”. A song about accepting yourself and embracing self confidence, the country twang is pure, her vocals are authentic and the hint of indie gives it that courageous vibe. The song is truly representative of Lexi coming into her own, as she states “This song describes a pivotal point of my life where I decided to stand up and just be myself.” Other tracks on the album include ‘Not Your Girl‘, a stripped back, tough, girl power song. It begins with just Lexi’s strong vocals and her violin, before the songs depth bulks up as it progresses. Beside the album’s success and popularity, Mo offers his advice to aspiring musicians, encouraging “Don’t let anyone get in your way or tell you, you can’t do something or that your dreams and goals are unrealistic. I’m a true believer that hard work pays off”. With their debut album released and under their belts, the band is already looking well into the future and beginning plans on album number two. Mo says “I’ve really been diving into songwriting right now anticipating our next album” Mo anticipates it’ll be even better as they look to ‘challenge themselves as a band’. After reflecting on her past experiences, Lexi predicts a fruitful future for the band, as she says “I’ve played in so many projects over the years, but this one I feel has the greatest potential.” As well as a new album, the band promises a stage tour too. Mo assures us, “it’s going to be a lot of fun”.
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Middle Tennessee Music - Interview with Lexi and The Bleached Roses
Lexi and the Bleached Roses is the musical collective of Lexi Cardenas, violinist, composer, and singer-songwriter. In Bleached Roses’ new album, Lexi puts forth her 21 years of classical violin training and years of live music experience living in Austin, Texas to create a sound that bridges the gap between the old and new. Her wide range of influences range from Bach to Arcade Fire. In this interview spotlight, we chat with Lexi about influences, her latest project, the digital music world and more. Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.) Lexi: We’re from Austin, TX. This band grew out of my solo loop violin project and you can hear that in our music. It’s layered and very cinematic. I think our music is what would happen if a pop song and string quartet had a baby. What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course? Lexi: I’ve been playing the violin since I was seven years old and have played in orchestras, rock bands, and everything in between. When my last band stopped playing I picked up a loop pedal and started writing. The violin is not a solo instrument so it was a way to be able to play my songs. I first asked a cellist to join me, then synth, and now we’re a full band. Like every serious band, we want to travel the world and play a different show every night, but we set small attainable goals along the way to keep us motivated. First we just wanted to write and record an album. Now that we’re releasing it, we’re going on a small tour. By next summer I’d like to see us going on a larger US tour and getting ready to record a second album. How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific? Lexi: This is our first release as Lexi and the Bleached Roses, but it is different from anything I’ve ever done. I tried to bring the pop songs I write on guitar and my classical training and put them together in a way that flowed. Some songs on this album are more straightforward while other are a little more avant-garde, but when you listen to it in its entirety it makes sense. With this album, I wanted to push a little farther than a typical song you hear every day, while keeping it digestible enough that you’ll want to keep listening. Do you face challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? How has technology helped you (assuming it helps)? Lexi: In a lot of ways, living in the digital age has helped as you can put your music on every online avenue and gain more exposure. Facebook’s sponsoring feature for example, is a fantastic way to reach a new audience when playing out of time shows. At the same time, the internet is so inundated with music, it’s that much harder to stand out. Where can we connect with you online and discover more music? Lexi: You can find us on bleachedroses.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/bleachedroses. We’re also on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc. |
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