miss alex white

Live fast survive young.

Whilst ‘Live Fast Die Young’ has always been glamorously associated with the rock ‘n roll lifestyle, Miss Alex White has been surrounded by its effects and survived to produce a stunning debut album.

Now the tender age of twenty, after playing guitar since 13, and performing since 14, Alex had already seen her two previous bands end through deaths of their members. She was at one point on the cusp of never wanting to play music again. But for someone whose music is life and not just a way of life, re-embraced it to not only play again and record a solo album but also start her own record label, Missile X Records.

The label itself came about from money saved from saving up from three months of playing shows and a bit of help from a friend working at Kinko's to photocopy the record covers.

At age 16 with her band gaining interest and offers from major labels to record them, Miss White instead took the D.I.Y. approach and with then bandmate broke into a local recording studio with a student sound engineer in tow at 4 in the morning and recorded and mixed their debut single in two-hours.

Whilst at her lowest point after the death of her bandmate in February 2004, Miss White considered turning her guitar into a birdhouse. However interest from a producer saw a live recording of the last ever show of her previous band Miss Alex White & Chris Playboy released as a form of tribute album with proceeds going towards a foundation for the arts and music - The Christopher Saathoff Foundation with an aim to establish a centre where young people can practice, record and play music.

The release of this album again spurned her interest in playing music and her solo album was recorded - this time in a comparatively luxurious 16 hours at Jim Diamond's Ghetto Recorders studio and was released in July 2005, a two month country wide tour supporting the Pony's followed.

So with her own album released and her other band - the Hot Machines' single out and a record label which sold out all pressings they have released thus far, life is moving fast for Miss White, who is still at college and to graduate in entrepreneurial studies, with plans to apply for law school. Not for the typical means to and end of becoming a lawyer, but so she can analyse her own contracts and legal documents.

With time on her side and a lust for life to outlive the lifestyle - Miss White was quoted "If I had my way I would play music for the rest of my life - and I will" we can only hope it's a long one.

Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra is out now on In the Red Records.
Miss Alex White & Chris Playboy live LP is available on In the Red,
Miss Alex White & Chris Playboy single Pop/Stall was out on Missle X records
The Hot Machines - Hole in My heart single is out on Cass Records