Thu 7/13 @ 7PM
Alexis Antes first became known to Cleveland audiences as one of a trio of woman who fronted the popular folk-rock ensemble Odd Girl Out, which packed Cleveland-area clubs in the early ’90s. Tapped by many for greater things, the band released a live album that was a poor reflection of its talents and fizzled out in 1995 after nearly six years plying the local club circuit.
One of the group’s two songwriters, Anne E. DeChant, considered by many to be its focal point, has gone on to a productive career as a solo singer-songwriter with numerous albums under her belt. (She now lives in Nashville but returns home often to perform in the Cleveland area). The other, Victoria Fliegel, performed briefly in VA Dare with Antes, and then retired.
But it was Antes who really surprised a lot of people. Considerably younger than her bandmates (she was only 18 when the group formed in 1990), she stood well out of the spotlight, providing guitar and harmonies and taking the lead vocal on a few cover tunes. She didn’t contribute to the band’s writing. So when she released her powerful debut album Stronger in 1998, it was an eye-opener. She had songwriting and vocal gifts that the band didn’t showcase.
“Anne had to keep up expectations after the band broke up,” says Antes. “People had expectations for her. They had no expectations for me because I didn’t write. Victoria and Anne had that pressure on them.”
Antes followed her debut with the equally strong All Come Down in 2003 — and then semi-vanished, at least as an original artist.
What happened? Life, she says. She moved around the region, worked a day job, was in and out of relationships. She moved to Youngstown where she re-tooled herself as a cover act to make money, learning a large repertoire of current and classic tunes, which she played a wineries, restaurants, clubs and other venues.
“I felt like as an original act, no one wanted to hear that,” she says. “But it was good for me in a way. Even though I complain a lot about being a cover act it took me out of my zone and challenged me to play chord progressions I hadn’t played and push my limits. It made me a stronger performer, guitarist and singer. It made me a better writer.”
In addition, she says, she felt her own music was stale. She had stopped writing in part because she had no space where she could create and in part because she felt depressed “in a funk,” she says.
Eventually she found the space and realized that not being creative was part of the reason for her funk, and she began to produce new songs. Those songs are part of a new album, 13, which she’s releasing at a concert at the Music Box Supper Club on Wed 7/13.
“Almost all the songs on the album are new, like in the last two years,” she says. “’End of the Story’ is the oldest from 2011. It’s so cool now because I feel like this is what my life is supposed to be like. This is what I am supposed to be doing.”
She called the album 13 as a tribute to her mother, Bobbie Antes, a singer/songwriter/guitarist who was a part of Cleveland’s folk scene for many years and co-owned a folk club with Alexis’ father Scott. She passed away in the summer of 2014.
“It was her number,” says Antes. “July 13 was her birthday. So I thought I might as well do 13 songs.”
Those songs include one by each of her parents, Bobbie Antes’ “Gentle True Spirit,” and Scott Antes’ “Virginia.” Both were songs she had long performed in her sets. The only other song she didn’t write is a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” a song she’s been performing since Odd Girl Out days and that she says has been one of her most requested tunes throughout the years.
Once she had her tunes and was ready to record, a friend recommended Superior Sound’s Jim Wirt, who produced, engineered and mixed the album, as well as played bass on it. Former Odd Girl Out drummer Brian Bretton plays most of the drums, with Tuck Mindrum playing on two tracks. Local rocker Ray Flanagan plays guitars, Chris Hanna contributes keyboards and Victoria Fliegel re-appears on lead guitar on “Landslide.” All except Hanna will perform with her at the Music Box, which she’s excited she was able to book on her mother’s actual birthday.
Those who remember Antes from Odd Girl Out or her late ’90s/early ’00s years as an original act won’t be startled to hear her nuanced vocals on 13, burnished and honey-toned. She’s always been one of the area’s outstanding singers, and maturity has just added to the impact of her vocals. The new songs play to her strengths.
She says, “I’m hoping this album will appeal to a broader audience, getting away from female angst into more topics.”
In fact, the songs, with the full but not overwhelming arrangements and their graceful melodies, pulse with focused energy. Standouts like “Two Hearts” and “Heaven Sent” are both delicate and propulsive.
And don’t worry about her disappearing for another 14 years. to see what I can do after a hiatus,” she says, adding that she’s already working on new material. “I feel like I have the momentum to keep going now more than ever.”
One Response to “After 14 Years, Singer/Songwriter Alexis Antes Releases a New Album at Music Box Show”
Alex Bevan
Thank you for an illuminating and articulate review of Alexis Antes new work. I knew her mom’s talent and it certainly does shine through Alexis on this wonderfully made recording. Bravo!!!