← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
The Musical Joy of Singer-Songwriter Alexa Ray Joel
00:24:42
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- [00:01]
A
Taking a Walk. You know, there's something poetic about the fact that Billy Joel's daughter chose to make her mark not by running down a dream on the highway, but by sitting at a piano bench, finding her own keys to unlock stories her father never told. I'm Buzz Knight and welcome to another episode of Taking a Walk. Today I'm joined by Alexa Ray Joel, singer, songwriter and yes, musical royalty. While most people know her last name, Alexa Ray has spent the better part of two decades proving that legacy is just your starting point, not your destination. She's here to talk about finding her voice when the world already thinks it knows what you should sound like, the courage it takes to bear your soul at a piano, and why sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do is simply be authentically yourself. Stick around through this commercial break and we'll talk to Alexa Ray Joel next on Taking a Walk. This is an iHeart podcast. This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When when I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve the discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. Every music lover has that moment you hear or read something that stops you in your tracks. A forgotten B side, an offhand comment in an interview. A connection. Nobody else noticed that curiosity. That's where Claude comes in. Claude is AI for people who don't stop at the surface. It helps you explore the real stories behind the music, not with quick answers, but by working through the discovery with you, matching your level of curiosity. Try Claude for free at Claude AI Buzz Lexis believes in the importance of standards. One of my standards I never want to be late. I always want to show up on time. For Lexis, the standard is simple experience. Amazing. Their benchmarks aren't stats or specs. They're feelings. Exhilaration. Joy. That sense your car was designed just for you. Machines built to make you feel more human. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing experience. Amazing at Your Lexus dealer Tired of.
- [03:08]
B
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- [04:15]
A
The adults are gonna have a ball.
- [04:18]
B
First we're chilling in the infinity pool, on to massages at Sense's Spa, then gliding into Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge for a toast.
- [04:28]
A
We're even gonna kick back with Mickey on Disney's private island. That's how we get down.
- [04:33]
B
Cause Disney Cruise Line is where we came to play.
- [04:40]
A
Taking a walk. It's a glorious day. I have Alexa Ray Joel on the Taking a Walk podcast. Hi Alexa.
- [04:46]
B
Hey Buzz, how are you?
- [04:48]
A
I'm doing fantastic.
- [04:49]
B
Do.
- [04:50]
A
Does it happen on occasion if you're doing one of these podcasts where somebody says hey Alexa and then their Alexa goes off in the background? Do you have to deal with that from time to time?
- [04:59]
B
Oh my God. I was just talking about this on the last podcast that that I did. So I go by Alexa Ray now because in part of that I don't want to hear hey Alexa. Oh, what can I do for you? Would you like this to. No, no, no, no, no. So that's why I do Alexa Ray as much as I can these days.
- [05:20]
A
Welcome Alexa Ray. And since we call this podcast Taking a Walk and since I'm not able to be with you in person at the beautiful undisclosed location somewhere in the East Coast.
- [05:35]
B
Family home in the East Coast. So lucky to have this beautiful space here.
- [05:40]
A
Oh my God. So since we're not able to take a walk in person, I do want to ask you though if you could take A walk with somebody, living or dead, who would you like to take a walk with? And where would you take that walk with them?
- [05:55]
B
Wow. I wouldn't mind taking a walk with Billie Holiday.
- [06:01]
A
Yeah.
- [06:02]
B
You know, someone that's grown up completely differently, obviously. Different in every way. Different everything. Skin color, different life experience, different perspective, different time.
- [06:17]
A
A true icon, for sure. A trailblazer, right?
- [06:20]
B
A trailblazer. I remembered watching, I watched a documentary of hers. I was just sitting there crying the whole time, just in awe of just the gravity of how much she went through, how much she suffered, how much she put everything into her art was very profound to me.
- [06:40]
A
That's a good one. I think you guys would have a nice conversation. I think it would probably be a pretty long walk, don't you think?
- [06:46]
B
It would be a very long walk.
- [06:48]
A
Yeah.
- [06:49]
B
Yeah. And it would be mostly me listening. I would just hear her talk.
- [06:55]
A
Yeah.
- [06:56]
B
You know.
- [06:57]
A
Well, congratulations on the new EP and on Riverside Way.
- [07:02]
B
Thank you so much.
- [07:04]
A
I want you to take us inside the creation of that. But I do have to ask you, who is your Mount Rushmore of. Of music? If. If you could kind of define that, obviously, knowing there's a certain family member who would have to be part of that.
- [07:23]
B
But yeah, I mean, you know, it's hard to say off the top of my head because it's a mix of people and I can't not put my father on that Mount Rushmore list. Just in terms of how many different types of music. You know, I measure an artist based on how much they play, how much they experiment, how much they push past different boundaries, and really just how much of a non conformist they are just artistically go with whatever they want. I think that's so brave. And so, I don't know. I mean, he's at the top. I would put Joni Mitchell up there. I would put George Gershwin up there. I would put Randy Newman up there. I think he's such an unbelievable. It's so funny because I've covered some of his songs at the Carlisle, at Cafe Carlisle, where it's so funny. He's so underrated. Like, nobody. They're like, oh, that sounds familiar, you know, but they don't know it's him. And really any artist that's made it into that classic, I'm an old school gal. So the American Songbook is really the pinnacle of great music for me. And Rodgers and Hammerstein and all of that. I'm a theater girl, so I go way back into all of that. And I think it gives you A better understanding of music traditionally in terms of the structure. Right. You have a little. Maybe like my dad often opens with a classical piano part. But then you have the verse, you have the chorus, you have the second verse, you have the second chorus, you have the bridge. I just have a true respect for people that are able to write like that, whether it's Gershwin or Dad or Bob Dylan, you know what I mean? Or Rand Newman or any of the greats, or Elton John or even freaking. Don Henley is such a great songwriter. He knows how to write a structured work. He understands the craft of songwriting. And I can't help but feel that that's getting somewhat lost because everyone's prioritizing a hook and that'. Great. But can you write something that sounds timeless and structurally like the Rock of Gibraltar? Like solid. Like a solid timeless work? That's hard to do. I respect that. I try to emulate that.
- [10:05]
A
So a couple things to unpack there. First of all, you mentioned the Cafe Carlisle and certainly that whole experience there, that Bemelman's experience. Experience. And just when you walk into that place, it's such a joyous celebration. We're actually creating an episode celebrating Ben Woman's and that whole experience there.
- [10:27]
B
It's an institution.
- [10:29]
A
Yeah, yeah. So I had to mention that. But I also, in thinking of Randy Newman, I think he's vastly underappreciated, don't you think?
- [10:42]
B
I'm so glad you circle back to him because even this new generation, like I I'm trying to show I'll play feels like home on the piano. My brother and my little brother and sister, like, who's that? They thought it was something I wrote. I said, oh, don't give me the credit. That was written by the great Randy Newman, even. Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da. It's so comforting. It's so familiar. Not everybody even associates it with him. Right. Toy stor what he's been able to write, I recently watched was with my fiance. We love the movie We Bought a Zoo. And they had the scene where the rain was coming down. And it was really sort of beautiful and like that tranquil moment in the film. And it had. I think it's going to rain today. And I just started crying those chords. And I remembered why. I went to see a show at Guild hall many years ago. And I think my father was going through a sort of emotional time. And Rand, we saw at the show together Randy Newman show. And he played I think it's going to Rain Today, dun dun dun. My father looked at me and he just started crying and I just started crying. Just the beauty of it. And to this day, it's funny how those childhood memories come back and then you hear the song and you just. You get misty eyed again. So Randy Newman is like dad for me in that he's kind of a home based guy that is a part of that American songbook. He understands how to write timeless work that's so well crafted and well thought out. And like I put him up there with dad and my father does too, you know.
- [12:30]
A
That's awesome.
- [12:31]
B
My father's always tinkling on the ivories, his stuff.
- [12:34]
A
So I have chills thinking about. Well, one song just popped into my head as we're having the conversation and that is. And you. I mean, you know, there's so many. But as somebody who spent time near the water obviously doesn't sail away take your breath away.
- [12:53]
B
I'm so glad you brought that up. I actually covered that with my amazing pianist Carmine Giglio at the Carlisle and I did more of an even more gospel version because it's so gospel to me. You know, Sail away and you can do a lot vocally, like you can build it. You can start very bare bones and then get into those gospel and those, I don't know, just really dig in on the. On the keys and even do more that gospel sound. I love it. And it's funny because if you listen to that and then you even listen to like river of Dreams from dad, they come from a similar school. It's that old school gospel and it's just the root of soul right there, you know, Take me to the river, take me to church and it's the best.
- [13:51]
A
Oh, yeah. Thank you for sharing that.
- [13:53]
B
I wanted to add too. I love how there's no pretense with him. He's one of the only artists. You know, they say every artist has a little bit of an affectation in terms of their look or how they wish to come across to differentiate themselves. And I'll bring up another movie because I'm a big movie buff. But begin again. I don't know if you've seen that movie.
- [14:15]
A
I have not.
- [14:16]
B
It's all about music. You should really watch it. It's Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley and they kind of find each other and do a record together in New York City. The girl says, oh, no, sorry. Mark Ruffalo says. His character says, okay, give me. Every artist is affected. Every artist, even Dylan with the shades and the hat, like Give me one artist that doesn't have some form of aesthetic or appearance pretense. And Keira Knightley's character goes, randy Newman, like that. And he goes, you got me. I love Randy Newman. There is no concern for appearance or any external. It's all about the writing. It's all about the music. And I just love that. So you should watch that movie. It's really a real music lovers film.
- [15:09]
A
Oh, I will, for sure. Well, take us into the making of the ep. The. The whole process that. That you take in terms of bringing people together, the writing process, the collaboration process, give us a little inside glimpse into it.
- [15:27]
B
It's. It's very raw for me. It has to just flow. And I was just in a place. This was a couple years ago now with the EP Tales From a Winding Tower, and we're doing waterfall releases. So people right now are only hearing. Gonna hear one song at a time. But it was really natural for me. I don't know, it just. I just felt like, okay, this is a time when I feel like writing. It was all just coming out. I wasn't forcing it. I wasn't sitting there going, come on, come to me. Ideas. The music was just coming one after the next. And I'm very eclectic. I was particularly eclectic with the cp, so Riverside Way is more of a fiery banger. The next song we're putting out, that I'm putting out, is more of a 60s torch style, heavy Eyes. Then the next one is a very melancholic ballad. The next one's more Bohemian Rhapsody, if you will. There's some notes to, like Fiona Apple and the Lilith Fair Days, almost a little bit more of the 90s singer, songwriter approach. So it just. All of those influences just kind of came out. I know it sounds funny, but it just happened. It just happened. It was such an organic process. I called up my dad's guitarist, who's an amazing producer, Tommy Burns, and I said, I gotta do this record. I've got all these ideas just flowing. And he. He was just. He was on board. And we brought our friend Tony Bruno, who's an incredible musician, plays every instrument, producer, and they were my guys, they were my producers. It was a super. You know, it helps when you're. And you have a sort of repertoire and chemistry with the people you work with because you're sharing your. As my father says, you're spilling your guts out on the table. You gotta be able to be vulnerable. And as a homebody, which I am, you see my family home here, we actually. I Was lucky enough to record in my piano room, in the music room right behind here. And it's a big, big, wide open space. I was barefoot, you know, didn't even have to put shoes on. Really, really spoiled with the recording process. And I just sat there and did the piano and the vocals. Bare bones. They recorded. We did the studio musicians in up in Applehead, which is in Woodstock. Applehead Studios, Great place to record. Very 70s Hendrix. I don't know, everybody in the 70s was there. So I wanted that energy, that real artist energy. Earthy, woodsy up there. So it was a super organic process and I. I feel so lucky that I just got to record right in my living room and the rest is. The rest is history. And I just hope people connect. There's something in there for everybody, you know, for. For someone that might not connect to Riverside Way. I've got a more old school nostalgic ballad coming your way that you might enjoy. Like, I just wanted something for everybody because I get bored, you know, I stick to one genre, one niche. I need to move on to the next. My father's the same way. It's, you gotta play, you gotta, you know. I don't like sticking with one style at all.
- [19:01]
A
So did you feel most in the zone in terms of process and ultimate creation with this project?
- [19:12]
B
Yes, I was completely in the zone. Completely in the zone. I mean, Riverside Way. I think I wrote in like two nights. Late, late night in the house, in the bathtub. And I was like, dun dun dun dun dun dun Met a bad boy on the riverside way and I just heard it and it was just there. And, you know, I know my father writes the same way. He just kind of just there. And he usually does start at the beginning with the first verse because, I don't know. Listen, I don't know how people write out of order. I hear some people hear the chorus. I'm like, how do you hear the chorus? How do you hear the bridge first? Don't you need to write in order? I'm kind of an orderly girl too, in my life. I think chronologically I need things to go. So I gotta start with the first verse, then the pre chorus, then the chorus. I feel really, really lucky that it just flowed at that time because I don't always have. And I know other artists, I've talked to other artists about this. My father's the same way. Sometimes it's a dry well. It's not every single day. The songs are just coming to you. The ideas are just flowing. You have to Be. It's got to be there. You got to be in that zone, you know?
- [20:33]
A
And if there's a dry moment, though, do you just sort of leave it there and come back to it in an hour or the next day? I mean, how do you sort of address that?
- [20:43]
B
If I'm being honest, I should probably be more disciplined about it. I don't like to force it. Music is something I love so much. It's so fluid for me. I only go to it when it's there. And I know there's other songwriters that are much more regimented and they will sit there and they will go, okay, I need to finish this today. I've never been able to do that. I'm a little bit of in fantasy, girl. I like to live in a fantasy world and live in my dreams as much as I can. This world we're living in is a bit disconcerting. The reality of just everything that's going on and music is my escape. And with Riverside Way, which is out now, it was a lot about going into fantasy, even going into an alter ego, even stepping out of yourself and your own head and your own kind of neuroses and comfort zone and, oh, I'm a good girl and I need to be this way. And I just said, screw that and let me just take a huge departure, Go off the grid, off the map and have some fun. And so, you know, just write a fun, fiery banger. The hooks came, I heard Woo Hoo. I was playing on the piano, couldn't stop playing it. I said, well, this is inside. I know my father's the same way. It's like once it's inside of you, if you can't get that earworm out of your head, you better see it through. For those who are listening, you should really watch my father's documentary. And so it goes. He talks about with river of Dreams and he's saying, I'm in the shower and I'm going a Dabada. It was me too with Ha Ha. And I was like, alexa, shut up. But I couldn't, couldn't get it out. So I knew that I had to finish it. And then Tommy and Tony are like, damn it, Lex, we got this earworm. We can't get this song out of Woohoo. And they're moving the equipment and they're going, I'm like, okay, great. That's a good sign. We got to make this record fast because if we're singing it non stop, maybe it'll be contagious, you know, so you gotta. You gotta enjoy that hook and trust it.
- [23:05]
A
That the documentary is spectacular. I mean, it is. It is just stunning on every. Every level and brilliant and engaging and honest and just so wonderful. And it does. Yeah. Take us inside, you know, his process and his. The way it works and his brilliance. So it's fantastic.
- [23:28]
B
So deep. I just provided such a deeper context into his material that. Some of which I didn't even know, you know, with part one back in the 70s, like dad, there's so much there, you know, even with his first wife and how she managed him and how many uphill battles they fought to make it. It's really amazing because people think, oh, you know, maybe you just land a hit or it just happens. It. He was not. That did not happen. It was not overnight. He had to claw and blood and sweat and toil and go through, you know, being ripped off and fight for the rights to his catalog. And it's just amazing, you know, how much artists do go through behind the scenes that, you know, unless people share those stories, people have no idea.
- [24:19]
A
Resilience, the key to resilience, merging with creativity. How is your dad?
- [24:27]
B
Resilience is everything. He's great. He's great. He's tough. He can get through anything. I always say, especially after watching the doc, I called him up, I said, dad, are you like. You're like a cat. You have nine lives, maybe more. Because each sort of era, and they sort of, in my view, went decade by decade with his career. And it sort of unfolded with his personal life as well, which then affects his material and how he's writing. And he went through his. I even said. I said at one point, you were sounding more like Woody Allen in the 70s. And then you went. You were so in love with mom, and you were more like you felt like a teenager again. So you're doing Tin Pan Alley and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and, you know, the Doo Wop and. And then you. You know, and then you wanted to go darker and more experimental and do your Sgt. Pepper era with Nylon Curtain and expand sonically and with each. He even sounded different, how he was speaking, like he really is a chameleon. People don't realize this, and I've learned a lot just from watching him through the years. He's not just a chameleon musically. Right. He'll style himself a little different. He'll start talking a little bit different. Cause he goes into the character of where he's at musically and what he's working on. It's very Interesting.
- [25:56]
A
You know, Alexa Ray, please give your dad our love and thank you for sharing everything here about your new music, Riverside Way and the full ep, which is going to be. I like how you said that it's going to be waterfall. Is that the term you used?
- [26:14]
B
Yes, Waterfall releases. I'm glad you brought that up because a lot of people on my Instagram and friends are asking me, what's waterfall releases? It's one song sort of flows into the next. So I have Riverside Way at the top of the EP and then I'll be putting out Heavy Eyes and then we have. I don't want to confuse everybody, but then we have three more coming down the line. But it's going to be one at a time because in this sort of ADD society where it's tough to catch people's attention and it can be confusing with. It's like a lot to take in a whole record. I wanted to do it one song at a time. Each song is its own story, each song is its own niche, its own world, its own kind of. I take on a different character for each song, so I really wanted a moment for each special song to shine. And it's going to be five songs total. It's called Tales From a Winding Tower because I wrote it in my family home, which is actually called Tower Hill. And we have a beautiful winding tower up to the top of the house where you can see this gorgeous, gorgeous view. And there's something storybook about a winding tower and there's a few influences with some psychedelic storybook stuff that you'll hear later on with the ep. So that's why I called it Tales From a Winding Tower. I thought it sounded like a 70s type of record, you know.
- [27:45]
A
Oh, sounds fantastic. Alexa Ray, thanks for enchanting us and taking us inside the process and for the beauty of everything that you give us. Thank you so much.
- [27:56]
B
Thank you so much. Buzz.
- [27:59]
A
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts. This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals, and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. Music history is full of hidden connections, just like everything else. Worth understanding if you're someone who can't help but dig deeper, who sees problems as puzzles worth solving, Claude is for you. It's built for people that don't settle for surface level answers. Claude works with you on whatever you're curious about, helping you explore ideas and connect dots in ways that might surprise you. Not by thinking for you, but with you. See why the world's best problem solvers choose Claude as their thinking partner and try Claude for free at Claude AI Buzz Lexis believes in the importance of standards One of my standards I never want to be late. I always want to show up on time. For Lexus, the standard is simple experience Amazing. Their benchmarks aren't stats or specs, they're feelings. Exhilaration, joy. That sense your car was designed just for you. Machines built to make you feel more human. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing experience. Amazing at your Lexus dealer.
- [30:21]
B
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- [31:29]
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Wait, this has bubble jets.
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Okay, get up to 40% off with prime big deal days October 7th and.
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8Th this is an I Heart podcast.