Alex Flett is a one-man-band singer/songwriter. He just completed his debut tour across western Canada. Find his music on Bandcamp and all other streaming platforms. /Gregory Beatty
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here (1975)
This song takes on a meditative approach, gradually building up from slowness to intensity and climax, then taking the listener all the way back again. Suddenly, I’m empowered to break the mould, to not fear walking the so-called crazy ideas I come up with as most artists do. YouTube
“It’s Alright, Ma”
Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home (1964)
Bob Dylan is a great lyricist. This song strums the same chord progression over and over for seven minutes and it has no instrumental solo/break. Instead, prophetic words pour down like a steady waterfall, painting a magnificent and abstract painting in my mind, somehow managing to feel deeply relatable in its surrealness. YouTube
“The Song of The Golden Dragon”
Estas Tonne, Single (2011)
This song is beyond words. When I first heard it, I cried. I was blessed to see Estas Tonne perform live in Costa Rica in February 2023 where I danced harder than I’d ever danced before. YouTube
“Moonage Daydream”
David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars (1970)
It’s bold! It’s in your face and theatrical. In this song David Bowie plays the character of Ziggy Stardust. Ziggy then sings “Moonage Daydream” with an emotional desperation to hook at the heart of someone lost in a ‘teenage daydream’ like I was when this song first kissed my eardrums. This song taught me that to be different is fabulous. YouTube
“Talkin’ Dust Bowl Blues”
Woody Guthrie, Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)
Guthrie’s music pioneered the way for socially conscious folk ballads that took the 1960s by storm. Bob Dylan considers Guthrie his number one influence in music. Many other artists at the time felt the same. This song tells the story of people affected by a civil refugee crisis across the states due to The Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Also, his music is tuned in A=432Hz, which was standard at the time. YouTube
“Lover O’ Lover”
Donovan & David Gilmour, Gaelia (2022)
In 2022, I was recording my second album at Blue Door Studios, Regina. One night, I was coming home from a studio session when I found out that two of my favourite artists, David Gilmour and Donovan, had released a new song together. Both had heavy inspiration on the music I was creating, so seeing that was an omen. I consider Donovan a great role model. YouTube