Alex Kramer offers up a playful New Wave inspired track to usher in the spring with his new song, Mr. Popular.  Kramer lightheartedly ruminates on the transitory nature of dating in the modern world, where our infatuations and desires can be fleeting.  Recorded at The Cabin Studio with producer Matty Alger, the song kicks in boldly, wearing it’s quirk unashamedly on it’s sleeve. This song doesn’t take itself too seriously, which lends to the bombastic drums, punchy guitars, and progressively unhinged synthesizers; sounds that recall The Cars, Talking Heads, and Weezer.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Alex about the new song, the hot topic of AI in music, earliest musical memories, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Let’s get this hot topic out of the way from the start. What are your feelings on AI as a creative tool? Have you experimented with it? Or released any projects where it was used?

I personally have almost no experience with AI as a tool in any capacity. I’m not averse to it; I’m actually quite intrigued with how profoundly AI will reshape the world in myriad ways, and I marvel at my friends who cleverly implement the use of this tool in daily life. I don’t however have any fear that human creativity is at risk of becoming obsolete as a result of AI, which is an alarmist thought that I have heard others share. I reject that premise on the basis that data aggregation and replication is NOT having a point of view or sense of taste. It can’t feel… yet! *dun dun DUN*

What is your earliest music memory? Or a moment that sticks out for motivating you to write, record, and release music?

I can pretty confidently say that my earliest musical memory was my parents performing gospel songs at nursing homes while my brother, cousin and I entertained ourselves exploring empty rooms around the facility. I would say I “came online” at one of these places at maybe three years old, so actually my earliest memory in general was around music.

What’s up with this latest release? Any cool back-stories, bloopers, or notable inspirations?

So proud of this recording and that I got to make it with my one of my closest friends and cohorts, the one and only Matty Alger! He’s the head honcho at The Cabin Studio in East Nashville and is the king of cool. We took a mostly 2-man band approach, layering drum machines, synths, Matty’s live drumming and bass playing, and my guitar playing to build the track. Friends and collaborators Luke Davids and Nicole Boggs also contributed synthesizers and background vocals, respectively. We really enjoyed getting to lean into the New Wave/David Byrne/Rick Ocasek sonics with this record.

What keeps you going, especially on the “bad” days?

If you aren’t hacking your body with the basics, SUNLIGHT AND WATER, you ain’t tryin’! So I try to take those active steps (literally lol) to give the body happy chemicals when I feel crummy.  Hiking trails with my pup Dave is one of my favorite things to do in life. I also try my best to practice yoga daily.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?

I’ve answered this differently through the years but right now I’m feeling like George Martin is the correct answer.

I know it’s hard…but favorite song (or artist) of all time? Or Top 3 if you can’t choose one…?

Can song and artist be different? Seems contradictory hmm…  Anyway, the artist that popped into my head first was Prince, and the song was “Maybe I’m Amazed” so I’ll stick with those.

Where’s the best place to connect with You?

@alexkramermusic across the board! Insta, TikTok, YouTube, etc.

I appreciate Your time. Any last thoughts before signing off? 

Feeling so inspired and in love with Nashville lately. It’s an era that feels creatively fertile. The live shows in particular have been brimming with amazing energy lately and getting to connect with crowds from all over the world has felt very meaningful.  I’m performing weekly at Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar Mondays 4PM & Thursdays 12PM. I also perform Thursdays 9PM at Hubba Hubba Tiki Tonk with my surf rock band Big Kahuna.