Alex Bergan: A Sailor’s Odessey

Alex Bergan

It’s a rainy Tuesday afternoon in March and Alex Bergan sits behind the counter of a small curio shop on Ray St. in North Park called The Gold Dust Collective. With his hair immaculately coiffed and an easy, charming smile, he is surrounded by exotic taxidermy mounts and raccoons dressed in Victorian gowns, sharing shelf space with scarabs and other insects in glass cases. As I walk in the store, Alex embraces me with a warm hug and offers me a Modelo, like a gentleman does. He’s drinking a squat bottle of Coors Banquet, because he’s fancy. I note the neatly pressed cuffs of his blue jeans, betraying a soldier’s discipline, along with his fashionable brown leather lace-up ankle-boots. For the observant, Alex’s style reflects his life’s journey from a small Midwestern town to San Diego, via the Navy.

As we start our interview, it occurs to me that we could easily be on the set of a movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Needful Things. In addition to the whimsical taxidermy, there are vintage belt-buckles, antiqued and weathered custom cowboy hats, and various queer-positive merchandise with semi-saucy declarations that would shock certain small-town types but don’t as much as raise an eyebrow with any of the customers who wander in and browse as we talk.

“I was born in Mason City, Iowa,” Alex says as we begin, “but I spent my life growing up about 15 minutes from there in a very small town called Hanlontown. 250 people at most. No stoplights, and there really wasn’t much to do. I grew up doing all the redneck shit—hunting, fishing, throwing oil on bonfires. I wasn’t necessarily a jock, but I can throw a ball, I can catch a ball. But I was just always more artistically versed.”

That artistic talent started showing itself at a very young age. He’d been begging for years for a guitar, when at nine years old, his parents finally bought him one as a Christmas present. Despite that, his parents didn’t always understand his musical explorations, “When I started playing and learning Metallica and Slipknot and all those metal riffs, it was just kind of noise to them.”

As he entered High School, he continued to nurture his talents, “All four years—I made Allstate Choir. Before I left for the Navy, I went to a community college, but I got a full scholarship for singing.” As he began to focus on his singing, his parents took notice, “That’s when they started to become more supportive. And when I started really leaning into the songwriting, they started to come around more.”

While they supported his musical endeavors to an extent, they weren’t entirely enthused about him trying to make a career out of it. Like many parents, they didn’t really see music as a practical choice. As time went on, they grew to understand better, but there were still bumps along the way.

“My father and I have a great relationship now, but it was not good when I was growing up. It was not good at all. I’ll just put it very simply. I learned exactly what kind of father not to be.”

He elaborates with a story about “Stitches and Stones,” a song he wrote about his father, in which he details a violent incident when Alex was just a child.

“All the events in that song are true. It was a very hard relationship with my father. And he did tell me, ‘I can’t believe you put this out.’ He was trying not to be upset with me. I was like, ‘Well, this is the truth. This is what happened. And this is what I do. I write the truth.’ And it took us a little while to get over that. But when we did, I can still play that song in front of him. He might shed a tear, but at the end of it, he’ll say, ‘Hey, son, I love you. Great set.’ And when I actually started doing stuff and getting recognition for it, he would be the one saying, “I knew you could do it. I’m proud of you.”

Alex is quick to point, “It’s okay now.” and that he’s at peace with his difficult past with his father. Today, he’s able to reminisce. “There were a lot of good moments. He introduced me to Led Zeppelin. And that’s my favorite band of all time because of that. I remember the first time that I heard hair metal. We were driving in my dad’s Chevy pickup, and “Rock of Ages” by Def Leppard came on. I fucking cranked it. And to this day, I still get chills when I hear that… to this day, man.” His dad influenced his musical journey in other ways, too. “He was a promoter for a while. He worked with artists. He did Farm Aid 8 and stuff like that. He’s met Neil Young, he’s met Willie Nelson. So, when I started learning about all these artists and my dad would tell me stories about them, I just thought that was really cool.”

With his mother, “I think it was more the style of music. ‘Hey, it’s too loud, turn it down.’ She’d be that one. My mom is a big country fan.” As Alex’s tastes developed, I’m sure it didn’t hurt that Alex began writing folk music instead of playing metal riffs in the bedroom of his parent’s home. “She’s way more supportive now.”

While brutal honesty with his loved ones isn’t easy, it’s only by facing these difficulties that he comes to terms with his struggles. It’s the only way Alex knows how to do it, “I’m going to tell you the truth whether it hurts or not, as long as I’m not lying, you know?”

If all of this is sometimes hard for others to hear, Alex doesn’t spare himself from the same unflinching eye. “Music is just such a human thing to me, and I’m not a perfect human. I’m not at all. I’m flawed in so many ways, and I’m going to let it be known. I’m not going to hide behind some veil and make you guys think that I’m this perfect guy. But what are we doing if we’re not trying to learn from the mistakes that we’ve made? So, I’m going to talk about my mistakes.”

Alex was 19 when he joined the Navy, but he didn’t let his musical talents languish while he was enlisted. “When I was in the Navy, I lived in Japan for five years and the Japanese loved American music. So, it was easy for me to go play wherever I wanted to. And, eventually, I got to the point that I was selling out shows in Tokyo.” And it wasn’t just in Japan. “I was still on sea duty. We’d just be in port. And every deployment, I would try and book a show. I worked nights on the ship. So, when the internet was up and we could send emails, I’d be like, ‘Oh, we’re going to be in Australia next week? I’m going to send emails to these venues and play a show every place that I visit’, which was insane. It was really cool.”

Having a built-in audience with his shipmates didn’t hurt either. “They were really supportive and very often they’d come to the shows. Like all my shipmates would get off and go see me. So, I already had an audience. And that was more influence for the venues to book because I’m going to bring people with me. They’re going to spend money.”

“But then I got out of the Navy, and I had all these options to work for government agencies outside of the military for contract work. But it was the first time that, if I really believe in this dream, I can take it and run with it. So that’s what I did. I started touring. I started making better music. The songs got better and better. I started winning awards, started getting airplay. And that’s when my parents were like, ‘Okay, you’re on to something.’”

Turning to San Diego, Alex says, “The military brought me here. I was still in the Navy. But I came to San Diego, and right away, as soon as I touched ground, I found the best people in my life.”

Today, it appears as if he was born to sit in this perch among the ephemera in a hip neighborhood of what is arguably the cultural center of our town. Next door is Pretzels and Pints, the brewery where Alex recently previewed his new album, Undercover, to a who’s who of local musicians and journalists. Around the corner is Red Brontosaurus, a punk rock vinyl-heavy record store owned by local legend, Davey Quinn of the seminal San Diego punk band Tiltwheel. Across from Davey’s place is Verbatim Books, a used bookstore owned by mutual friends with exterior walls painted by local artists such as Ryan Tannascoli and others.

It’s no coincidence that Alex landed in this particular place. He fought hard for it. While in Japan he found his wife at the time was pregnant. “She was in the military as well. So, she got transferred to San Diego from Japan. And I’ve always wanted a next of kin. So, when I found out she was getting sent back, it broke my heart.” And that’s when his paperwork battle with the Navy started. “I did everything I could to get moved from Japan to San Diego. You’ve got to submit all these requests, and they were all ‘denied, denied, denied.’”

Despite his best efforts to go through traditional channels, it nearly took an act of Congress to get him here. Or at least a Senator. While talking on the phone with his mother about his frustrations, she said, “You know, I cut Amy Klobuchar’s hair. Why don’t you write her a letter? “

After frustrating every last traditional avenue within the Navy, Alex eventually heeded his mother’s advice, “And two weeks later, I got orders to San Diego.”

So, we have Senator Amy Klobucher to thank for bringing Alex to our shores.

Alex and Justin John Rodriguez at grampadrew’s Flim Flam Revue.

Once here, he quickly adapted and adopted this big little city as his own. And we’ve been just as eager to claim him as ours. He became an immediate staple at this author’s Flim Flam Revue, a monthly residency at South Park’s Whistle Stop Bar. He landed his own residency, dubbed Fools and Fables at the Casbah with Sutton James and Alex’s best friend, local singer-songwriter Justin John Rodriquez. Last year Alex took home a San Diego Music Award for Best Folk/Acoustic Song for his single “Unpromised Land.” “I’ve had three San Diego Music Award nominations. I’m on my third right now,” he says of his current nomination for Best Country/Americana song for “Ghost in the Addict.” “The San Diego Music Awards are a great thing,” he says. “The recognition and everything is beautiful, and I’m very thankful for it.”

Additionally, he is currently sitting on two nominations for San Diego Magazine’s People of the Year, one for Best Singer-Songwriter and one for Best Male Vocalist. “No matter how big or small the award, whether you win or not, there’s something to be said for when the lyrics that I write move somebody enough to feel like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to recognize this guy.’ I take a lot of pride in it. And it’s just so much bigger than myself. It just means that I’m doing my job and getting the music out to the people that need to hear it.”

Still, he keeps these accolades in perspective, knowing full well awards aren’t what drives his talent.

“I wasn’t writing for a plaque to hang on my mantle. I was writing for somebody else that needs to hear it.” He considered this for a moment and digs in a little deeper. “Actually, more so, I was writing for myself. But when you do get recognition for that…it kind of gives you some validation. Like I might be onto something. We do so much without any actual tangible rewards, it’s nice to have these little things that keep you going.”

Beyond San Diego, he has caught the attention of prominent artists like David Ramirez, who recently asked Alex to record backup vocals on his album and who also recorded vocals for Alex’s new album.

“David Ramirez is my favorite artist of all time. He’s my favorite songwriter. And I consider myself very lucky to now call him a friend.”

I ask him to explain how that came about. “After I saw him play a few shows, we’d say hi every once in a while. And then there was one show in particular at the Casbah. Everybody is loading out. He’s just in that alley smoking a cigarette. And I went over, and I said, ‘It looks like we’ve got some mutual friends in Davenport, Iowa.’” Alex’s eyes light up as he continues, “And, you know, I went in a little hot, kind of like talking shit about Iowa. I love where I’m from. But at the same time, it’s… it’s not my place. You know what I mean? Not anymore anyway.” He pauses to reflect. “But then, you know, David starts challenging me, talking about how much he loves it there.” But like many artists from small towns, Alex felt like there was something more he was after, “Iowa is a great place because of the people. But there’s just kind of a plateau that you reach when you’re out there doing what we do, playing music.”

But sometimes it takes an outside perspective to appreciate where you’ve come from. Standing outside the Casbah talking with his songwriting hero may have given him a new appreciation for Iowa, but his relationship with David Ramirez wasn’t done giving, “That was the foundation of it… we just had real conversations.”

Soon, Ramirez was reaching out to him, “Hey, Bergan, I’m in town. What are you doing? You want to hang out tonight? I’ll put you on the guest list.” And as Alex toured, the connection grew. “He started coming to my shows whenever I play in Austin or San Antonio or anywhere around there. I had a morning gig at some shitty coffee shop just outside of Austin and he’s like, ‘Hey, when you’re done with that gig, why don’t you come to the studio? I could really use your voice.’ You can imagine how taken aback I was with that. He asked me and he asked my wife, Megan, too.”

David Ramirez’s newest album, All the Not so Gentle Reminders was released just days after our interview on March 21^st.  You can hear the voices of Alex and Megan on three tracks, “Waiting on the Dust to Settle,” “The Music Man,” and “Nobody Meant to Slow You Down.”

And to cap the mutual love-fest off, ‘’He sang on the title track to the record I just put out, Undercover.”

Aside from the celebrity appearance, Undercover was co-produced by Jon “the Funky Monk” Wubbena along with David Mills and Alex. With Mills on pedal steel, Wubbena on bass, and the incomparable Jules Stewart on drums, he had a solid foundation that would be more than enough to make an incredible record. But Alex pulled out all the stops, bringing in his wife Megan along with local staples such as Francis Blume, Aly Rowell, Ash Easton, and the aforementioned Justin Rodriguez—all talented songwriters and award-winning artists themselves—enough to fill the bill of a small festival.

Given the abundance of talent eager to call Alex a friend, you would be forgiven for believing he has led a charmed life without adversity. But the truth is replete with plenty of hardship and anguish. While Alex doesn’t like to give too much energy to his struggles, he doesn’t shy away from recognizing them either. While in the Navy, Alex lost 85% of his hearing in his left ear, not an enviable thing for anyone, let alone a singer and musician, “I worked on the flight deck a lot. I was on three different aircraft carriers with F-18s and H-60 helicopters. But also, I grew up hunting. So, I’m naturally a good shot. I was one of the gunners for each ship, a .50 cal gunman. And, yeah, that definitely had something to do with it.”

Eventually, Alex would be medically discharged from the Navy, but not on account of his hearing. “The top of my package is what I got discharged for,” Alex pulls up his discharge papers, “Persistent Depressive Disorder was the main thing.” As he shows me his DD-214, Alex continues, “But then you see this, ‘hearing loss,’ they said ‘a Service-Connected Disability?—No.’”

I ask the rhetorical question, “How else would you have lost your hearing?” and he simply replies, “Exactly.”

We talk about how his hearing loss affects his recording and he minimizes it, saying, “My answer is just to make it a little louder.” When I press the issue, it’s clear there’s more to it, but ultimately, he’s willfully resolute, “I don’t allow it to [affect me]. I don’t think it really does anymore.”

This song was nominated for Best Country or Americana Song…

If Alex seems cavalier about having such a heavy physical barrier as a musician, it’s only because he battles much bigger demons for which he was discharged. Specifically, the item at the top of his discharge papers. “I’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression since I was 14 years old. I’ve been going to therapy my entire life. I mean, we can get really deep about it. I don’t have all the answers as to why. I’ve always been a depressed person. That’s actually the reason I was medically discharged.” Without prompting, Alex opens up entirely and says unflinchingly, “I mean, I tried to end myself. It was dangerously close. My neighbor literally saved my life. When you’re in that mindset and it’s tunnel vision, you don’t see anything else.” Unfortunately, his initial efforts to seek help only increased his frustrations. “I went to see the ship’s psychiatrist. He said, ‘Okay, so we’ve been talking for about 30 minutes. These jets need to take off, so get back on the flight deck and load those bombs.’ They treated me like an asset, which is the reality of the military.” But Alex was persistent in climbing out, “Eventually when I came out of that cycle, I started getting the help that I really needed.”

Given this, it’s easy to understand when Alex says his muse is, “plain and simple life experiences”.

Clearly, Alex has plenty of source material here but he’s careful to curate those experiences in his music and not just exploit his own life for shock value. “I don’t want to put anything out if I don’t have anything that I feel could be helpful to say. There’s so much noise in the world and I don’t want to just create more noise. I’m not writing just for the sake of releasing a single every four to six weeks. I only want to write and pour my heart into something if I’ve really got something to say. I think that’s an important thing as a songwriter.” Again, Alex turns to the practical over the mystical when describing his process. “I’ve always been an artistic person. I’ve always been one to wear my heart on my sleeve. And I guess I just became proficient enough with the English language that I can talk about it in a way that people understand and relate to it.” Given his numerous awards, accolades, and touring schedule, he’s clearly reaching people with his songwriting.

Digging deeper into the process of bringing his songs to life as recordings, “Sometimes I have a set vision, ‘I hear this and I want it to be this way.’ And then other times I’ll go in there with the bones of something and what’s going to happen is going to happen.”

When he collaborates with producers and session musicians, he believes in giving them freedom to bring in their own voices as well. “You write a song and then you take it to people that you trust.” From there, he’s clear with the people he works with, “‘I came to you because I love your DNA and I want you to pour your DNA into the song. Whatever the song tells you to do, do it.’ My biggest philosophy is to ‘serve the song’. Take the ego out of it. It’s not about any one of us.”

Of course, this is all much easier when you surround yourself with incredible musicians. “I have plans to tour with a trio later this year with Jon the Funky Monk playing bass and Jules playing drums.” No sooner does he mention Jules Stewart, than we both become fanboys, “I actually just went and saw Jules last night.” Alex says, “I don’t usually get to see Jules play because I’m usually standing in front of her. So, any opportunity that I can go see her play, I’m just reassured, ‘Yes, I’ve got the best drummer in the land playing behind me!’” He’s no less profuse in his praise for Jon Wubbenna. “Jon’s actually working with [local hip-hop artists] the Neighborhood Kids and they are popping off. And when one of our folks wins, we all win,” Alex says, genuinely excited to see his friend succeed, “I want you to win.”

Alex at the Casbah.

Of course, Alex’s own work ethic in all of this is not to be underestimated. “I pride myself in having a very strong work ethic. If I’m not doing something related to my music every day, then I feel like I’m failing myself. Because I’m management and the artist, you know? I’ve only got a booking agent for the second half of this year’s touring. The first half of this year, I’ve had to book all of my tours myself.”

His work is paying off for his entire band as well, “It’s finally gotten to a point that I can go on the road and make sustainable money. And if I want to take a trio out or whatever, then I can afford to pay them what they’re worth each night.” He’s setting off with the trio in November.

Meanwhile, when it’s not practical to tour with a band, due to schedules or finances, Alex sets out alone or with a buddy. As we go to print, Alex has just completed a tour with Justin Rodriguez for a solo run up the West Coast. “I think it works pretty well that way. We’ve toured this region before, up to Seattle and back. But the biggest tour that I’m doing this year, I’m going out with a buddy, Garrett Owen. He’s from Fort Worth and we’re meeting up in Flagstaff. And then we’re touring all the way to New York. I haven’t taken my solo music all over the place like that. And I’m stoked, man. I’m playing some of my dream venues. I’ve got back-to-back nights in Nashville. Night one, I’m playing the Bluebird Cafe. Night two, I’m playing the Basement. I think we leave August 21st, and then we don’t come back until the middle of September.”

While Alex is well versed in playing the streaming game with over 112,000 streams of Undercover just since its January 17 release, he’s quick to say, “I hate just counting Spotify. Albums are what I prefer. I believe in albums. But if you’re trying to look at this from a serious business standpoint, you’ve got to take yourself out of it. You’ve got to think about everybody else. How are they consuming it? Singles pop off. Singles are the way that you get people to translate from ‘That single was good.’ to ‘Maybe I’ll listen to the rest of the record.’ But we’ve got to stop just thinking about Spotify. Spotify is—granted, it’s like the monster—but it’s not the end-all, be-all for everything. When I release an album, I still mail CDs to radio stations because radio play is what gets you on RIAA and I want it to go gold.” If a gold record seems a lofty pursuit, you’ve already underestimated Alex’s determination. And he’s clearly leaving no stone unturned. “I found out not too long ago that I’ve had consistent play there for a few years now on SiriusXM.” So, he’s always balancing hard work with putting himself in the way of making the right connections, “It really is who you know. And I think you get to know more people through your work ethic.”

Our conversation winds its way back to the Navy and we talk about the parallels between being in the Navy and being on tour as a musician. “It’s a very similar thing. I mean, I was in the Navy for 10 years, and I’ve been on seven deployments around the world time and time again. And you’re going around the world working. When you’re on tour as a musician, you’re working. And even that six-, seven-hour drive to the next show, you’re working. Because you’ve got to meet a deadline, you’ve got to get there and load in. There’s not a lot of time for anything else. It’s not as glamorous as people make it out to be. Traveling the world with the Navy or as a musician, people just kind of see the little pieces that they want to see. They don’t get to see all the in-between.” To be clear, Alex isn’t complaining, and he counts himself fortunate to be able to do the work he loves with people he loves. “I’m lucky enough that I get to tour with my wife on the road and with Justin. Like, that’s your crew, you know, that’s your crew.”

As if all the prolific work we’ve discussed wasn’t enough, in addition to recording under his own name as a solo artist, Alex and his wife, Megan Mattix, are in a duo called the Wellsprings. They’ve gained enough traction to merit their own tours and sometimes that allows for doubling up on the road.

Alex and his wife, Megan, are The Wellsprings.

“We did one last year that was like a tandem tour. One night we play a Wellsprings show, the next night it’d be an Alex Bergan show. And Megan knows the harmonies for a lot of my [Alex Bergan] songs. So, it just works out.” I ask what it’s like touring with his wife, “It’s great. Ever since I was a kid, music is what I realized I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I dreamed of having a partner that I could make music with. And Megan’s got an incredible voice on her.”

As to what keeps Alex on the road so often, “I love touring. If I’m not touring, I feel like I’m losing my mind. I love being on the road. If we want to have any success in this industry, we’ve got to go out and play to as many people as humanly possible. The world is so much bigger than your zip code. Or Spotify. Your connection with your audience is real. And I love people. Meeting new people is just something I love to do. And it goes hand in hand with going out to play my music.

“In a room, you know it’s a real person, and you know it’s a real connection. You make eye contact with somebody. That’s how you make a lasting relationship. And those connections get made that way when you’re on tour, like couch surfing and things like that. Without these people, the common fan that’s going out and literally putting food on your table, you wouldn’t be shit. We write these songs because we love human beings, and we want to be able to connect with those human beings and show them, ‘Hey you’ve gone through this. I’ve gone through this. Let’s open the door to this conversation.’ I’m out here for a reason, to play and to spread my music to as many people as possible and to have as many conversations as possible. If I’m not doing that, then I’m not really working as hard as I can.”

There are certain themes that will follow an artist through their entire lives. “I wrote my first song at 15, which was about my grandpa passing away. My grandpa was my best friend. He and I had a lot of great times together.”

When his son’s own grandmother passed away, Alex says, “I wrote a song called ‘Strong Heart.’” Alex quotes his lyrics, “‘Let’s not hide them from the truth, the good, the bad, the ugly too.’”

As a father, Alex is trying hard to get it right and to learn from his past.

Alex and his son, Ben, with Matthew Strachota and Justin John Rodriguez.

“I think when parenting, when you hide them from everything and you shelter them from too much, what kind of resilience are you building within a child? And can you really trust that next bloodline to look out for the world and to be able to withstand what’s going to come?”

He wants to prepare his son, while nurturing him as well.

“I wrote another one called ‘Golden Rule.’ It almost feels like a ‘Strong Heart,’ part two.” Alex quotes the chorus, “‘Be a good man and it’ll all come back to you.’ It’s just about lessons I’ve learned. If somebody’s going to do something for you, make sure that you’re doing something better for them. If somebody shows you kindness, show them kindness in return. Treat everybody with respect.

“I think the most powerful line in that song, which was really hard for me to write, is ‘Sit to have a coffee with your grandpa every Sunday, because time flies by and you’ll wish it all back one day.’ If your elders that love you are trying to spend time with you, take them up on every opportunity. You know, one can learn a lot.”

Alex is clearly trying to be that elder for his son and whether his son follows his musical interests is less important than teaching him to be kind. Still, throughout our interview, Alex’s phone sits face up with his lockscreen showing a photo of his son, holding a guitar. Alex laughs as I ask about it, “He’s a smartass. He’ll say, ‘Daddy, I’m going to be better than you one day.’ I’m like, good, I hope you are. But let’s have some humility.

“Earlier I said that I learned what kind of father not to be. If he’s showing particular interest in something that he might actually be good at, I’m going to nurture that tenfold.”

“Recently, he asked me, ‘Hey, Daddy, can I go on tour with you someday?’

Alex tried to explain the reality of touring, but his son was persistent. “So, I booked a few all-ages shows this summer that just Ben and Dad are going to travel. We’re just going to go on tour.”

But it’s not just his son and wife that he wants to share his touring life with.

“My dream one day is to be able to take my mom and my dad on tour with me, just so they can see what it does—how the communication of song between the performer and the audience is such a profound thing.”

Alex, with friends, wins an award at the 2024 San Diego Music Awards.

When not touring, he’s effusive in his praise of the San Diego scene he calls home. “I don’t know many places that I can go where you’ve got this guy who’s on his way to win a Grammy. And he’s not playing tonight, but he’s at your show. Because he cares. Everybody shows up for everybody, no matter what level on the totem pole they are, they truly give a shit.”

Alex hasn’t just found a home in San Diego, he’s created it by giving a shit as well. “If I’m not playing a show, I’m at a show five, six nights a week. That’s just what I do. And I love my friends. It’s my family.”

That love means Alex wants to nurture his musical family too. He’d heard months earlier that Jenna Armerding was playing her first show at Soda Bar with her band Poor Thing, and he didn’t hesitate to tell her, “I’ll be there. Because I knew what it meant to me when I played my first show at Soda Bar.” He repeats for emphasis, “And on a Monday night, you couldn’t move in there. I walked in and it was insanely packed,” Alex says with genuine excitement.

This is what’s most important to Alex. “What we’re doing as songwriters is much bigger than you and I. If you want something positive out of it, you’ve got to be a good person. And I just believe in that. Just be a good person no matter where you’re at.”

NEWS FLASH! Alex won Best Country or Americana Song at the SDMAs this year. Yay!

For anyone paying attention, it’s clear that Alex works hard to live by the words he speaks and writes. From small-town Iowa, through traveling the world with the Navy, to settling in San Diego as a home-base—by nurturing his art and family, by blood and music—through his unflinching songwriting and constant touring schedule, Alex has charted a course to better health, deep friendships, and a budding career that is thriving in its growth. While he clearly feels lucky to be here, both in San Diego and on the planet, the benefits are beyond mutual, as we get to claim such a talented and hardworking songwriter as one of our own.