Check Out Alec Berlin’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alec Berlin.

Alec, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got my first guitar when I was 7, but I remember playing air guitar on a tennis racket even before that. I took lessons and played as much as possible throughout school, including playing in bands at school dances and such.

Eventually I moved to Boston to study jazz at The New England Conservatory and then to New York City. I tried to hit the ground running, playing wherever I could, still focusing on playing jazz. In 2000 I made a record of mostly original music called “Crossing Paths”. I got the chance to play at the legendary 55 Bar!

I started working with a variety of different bands playing all different kinds of music. My musical network grew. I enjoyed the variety of getting to play original jazz one night, backing a singer-songwriter the next, and then playing in a country band until 4am the night after that.

At some point I met a guitarist who was working on Broadway who agreed to help introduce me to some of the other theater players, and that led to work as a sub on a variety of different Broadway shows. This opened up a new world for me – I really enjoyed the challenges of learning a lot different music; of playing different styles with different musicians; of playing with a conductor; of finding myself in different musical environments. I thrived on the variety of getting to play in both Broadway pits as well as funky, divey bars until all hours of the night.

I always devoted some of my time to original music, both writing and performing. At a certain point I decided to try my hand at writing lyrics and singing, which I did on 2 subsequent records – “Beauty, Grazing at the Trough” (2006) and “Innocent Explanations” (2012).

I started getting hired to play my own Broadway shows, starting with “Green Day’s American Idiot” in 2010. It was a thrill to work with Green Day and to get to play their music. We appeared on the Tony Awards, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Good Morning America.

I subsequently appeared in numerous other Broadway shows, including “Come From Away”. I was part of 5 different productions of “Come From Away”, in San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC, Toronto, and Broadway. We ran for 5 years and eventually filmed the show, which is still streaming on Apple TV+.

I also wrote and recorded my most well-conceived record yet, called “Space Punk and Other Junk”. It’s instrumental rock music that leans most heavily on songwriting, as opposed to instrumental pyrotechnics. I’m incredibly proud of it. It’s available on all streaming platforms and you should listen to it!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is it ever a smooth road for anyone?

Moving to New York City is a difficult thing to do for anyone – it’s a huge, expensive, bustling place. There’s so much energy and opportunity, but it can be overwhelming.

It’s even tougher to move here as a freelance musician. It’s easy to get lost. But just as there are so many great players, there are also a lot of opportunities. You just need to stay focussed, work really hard, and not lose sight of your humanity. Sometimes easier said than done!

My experience has very much been one of feast or famine. Sometimes there’s more work than you know what to do with; other times it can feel like you’ve disappeared.

I read something in a magazine when I first moved here, about how to cope when you are under- or unemployed: exercise every day. In addition to being good for your physically, it does wonders for your state of mind.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m most proud of my recent record “Space Punk and Other Junk”, which I released in 2023 after working on it for several years.

It’s instrumental rock music. But unlike a lot of instrumental rock music, it doesn’t depend on flashy pyrotechnics. I tried to emphasize the songwriting; I tried to write songs you can sing along with, even though there aren’t any words. I wanted the songs to be evocative in and of themselves, and not just be about cool guitar playing – although there is a lot of cool guitar playing. But the guitar playing is not the main event – the main event is the songwriting. I wanted it to be cinematic.

My experience playing Broadway shows shaped this concept of music. I wanted to be very specific with what I wrote and to try to paint a picture with the music.

A lot of other instrumental music depends on the musicianship of the players, and I love that! But I wanted my music to be different – I wanted it to really shine a light on the songwriting. Of course, the playing has to be really really strong too – but not as an end in and of itself, more so that it helps bring to life the songwriting.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The feeling of accomplishment after I complete a really fun, challenging, exciting job with great musicians where we all strive to create something together.

International travel.

Listening to local music during international travel.

Indian food.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alecberlin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alecberlin
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/alecberlin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alecberlin