"Your word is your bond. If you promise to do a gig, either as a sideman or a leader or a full band, you NEVER cancel unless you're physically incapacitated."

Russell Alexander: The 21st Century Blues

The Hitman Blues Band is back with Calling Long Distance (Release Date: December 17, 2024), their newest release straight from New York. Featuring 8 electrifying originals and 4 distinct covers, this album defies expectations. This isn’t your standard blues—it’s a modern take that breaks boundaries without leaving the genre behind, and pulls you in from the first note. Modern yet deeply soulful, it’s an essential listen for anyone who loves the blues, but wants something more. He has New York City in his veins, blues in his heart, & the music of many worlds in his gifted hands. The man in the shades, top hat and sharp suit on stage with that tight band is playing real blues right, informed by 50 years of mastery while imitating no one. The Hitman Blues Band, with Russell “Hitman” Alexander in the lead, plays the blues you’ve been looking for all your life. A sharp suit and a thousand songs. That’s what earned New York City native Russell Alexander his moniker, early in the vast musical career that made him the master guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Hitman Blues Band that he is today. Earning that nickname took a lot of work. But the most important gigs Russell ever did on the way to getting it, he didn’t even get to play at.

Interview by Michael Limnios           Russell Alexander, 2016 Interview @ blues.gr

Special Thanks: Frank Roszak Promotions

How has the Blues and Rock Counterculture influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

It has caused me to question authority, to not take things at face value, and understand there are sometimes shades of gray in what seem to be black and white issues. This has influenced my writing, my politics, and affected decisions I've made (for better or worse) on how I've lived my life.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music?

There is no question I've grown. I've learned from working with both good and bad musicians, band leaders, and songwriters. I've been forced to face my own short comings and to understand my strengths, as well as having to find ways to improve on both - a constant process that I work on daily.

What has remained the same about your music-making process?

Practice, although I'm not exactly disciplined, has remained a constant. So has learning new techniques and styles, which the internet has greatly assisted in. Also, the main goal of making music - communication - has remained the same.

Currently you’ve one more release with Hitman Blues Band. What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music?

Music has helped me through some pretty dark times. I write songs that are mostly based on my own life, and I hope they may be of help to someone else. I've been told by some people that particular songs have helped, especially "Angel in the shadows" and "the world moves on". That is all a songwriter can hope for.

"My father, who was a professional musician, told me a long time ago "there will always be people better than you, and people worse than you. You can learn from all of them." That is absolutely true." (Russell “Hitman” Alexander / Photo by Laurence Harvey)

Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album Calling Long Distance?

Mike, the bassist, was ill the day the rhythm section was recording. He was able to do about 6 songs, and then had to leave. Bob Stander, the producer/engineer, stepped up to lay down the rest of the bass parts. Bob is an amazing guitarist, bassist, arranger, and pretty much anything else to do with music. I was able to book another session where Mike came in and laid down his own parts, but on two of the songs Bob's parts were so good that we just left them!

Unfortunately, after two sessions Bob's father died unexpectedly. Due to his responsibilities with that, as well as other projects that had to be finished, we couldn't get back into the studio for 3 months, causing quite a delay. Bob knew that I needed the album in hand by the time we left for England, and it really came down to the wire. I got the physical CDs 3 days before we left!

What touched you from the music and songs of Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson?

Everybody loves Folsom Prison, it's one of those perfect country songs. But the full name is Folsom Prison Blues. I always felt it should be played as a "real" blues, in addition to the classic version. I'm glad we were able to do it on this album.

As far as Kris Kristofferson, he was an incredible writer. His songs covered the range of human experience. Who wouldn't want to try covering one of his songs?

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

My father, who was a professional musician, told me a long time ago "there will always be people better than you, and people worse than you. You can learn from all of them." That is absolutely true.

I've also learned that the old saying "be good to the people you meet on the way up because you will meet them again on the way down" it is correct, even if you never actually get all the way up or all the way down. Finally, I've learned that you have to believe in the music that you're playing, and the lyrics that you're singing. If you don't, then don't do that song. Even if you can do it well, you're hurting yourself by essentially lying to your audience.

"I've always been a voracious reader. Fiction, nonfiction, biographies, history, comic books, I would tear through all of them. A lot of what I have read has influenced the way I look at the world and the people in it. That is reflected in my music." (Russell "Hitman" Alexander / Photo by Haydn Hart)

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

It is important because the Blues forms the basis for so many other forms of music. You cannot force people to enjoy the genre that you like, but you can help people to appreciate it. The same way that people learn to appreciate art whereas before they may have looked at it as just splashes of paint, when you present the Blues in a way your audience can relate to, they might find other Blues artists that they like. There's plenty of blues that I don't like. The same goes for jazz, rock, reggae, and other genres. But I consider myself a fan of all of those. There's no law that says that you have to like everything in a specific genre.

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

I've always been a voracious reader. Fiction, nonfiction, biographies, history, comic books, I would tear through all of them. A lot of what I have read has influenced the way I look at the world and the people in it. That is reflected in my music. I have great respect for authors, who dedicate themselves to a very uncertain field. I also have a lot of respect for journalists who take their craft seriously, and the same goes for teachers.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

We try, to the best of our ability, to present our songs in arrangements that do not rehash other artists from previous generations. There will be obvious references to previous songs - riffs, rhythms, chords, and even lyrics. But we try to make it our own. Sometimes it works, sometimes it may not. But we try our best. I have no problem with groups that try to imitate some of the past greats, and I myself have been in many cover bands that played songs note for note, from the 1920s on up (depending on the band). And that was fantastic training, and I got to play with some incredible musicians. I was very lucky that way, as none of those guys are still around. So now it is my responsibility to try and help younger musicians appreciate what went before, so they can build it into something new.

How do you describe previous album "Not My Circus, Not My Monkey" sound? Where does album's creative drive come from?

In broad terms, NMCNMM is Modern/Alt blues, which combines a lot of previous genres. More specifically, I wanted to continue to focus on the horn and backup vocal portion of the sound for the album. All of the songs can be played solo, or as a duo, but they were written with those features in mind. As with all my originals, the creative drive is from being based on my own life. Songs like "Not My Circus" are the result of being dragged into too many dramas - I've been told I have "white knight syndrome", which is probably true of a lot of people. At some point, you need to learn to say "Not my circus, not my monkey". "Buy That Man A Drink" is from a heckler retort my brother taught me, which I've used in live performance when a drunk patron got too obnoxious. "No Place Like Home" is an attempt to deal with my mother's impending demise, as she's in at-home hospice. It's hard to face, so I was better able to express it in a song. All of the songs come from things I'm going through or have been through, whether funny or sad or angry. Each one has a story behind it.              (Russell Alexander / Photo by Manuela Langotsch)

"It has caused me to question authority, to not take things at face value, and understand there are sometimes shades of gray in what seem to be black and white issues. This has influenced my writing, my politics, and affected decisions I've made (for better or worse) on how I've lived my life."

Why do you think that the Blind Willie Johnson music continues to generate such a devoted following?

He was an incredible, evocative writer. I first heard him on "When The War Was On", His voice absolutely stunned me. But his lyrics are a snapshot in time, as well as a portrait of thought. I rewrote the lyrics for "Nobody's Fault But Mine" to make it more personal to me, but of course I left the chorus - you can't improve on that. I also rewrote "John The Revelator" based on the idea of John of Patmos sitting in his cave, writing about the end of times. He was all alone, probably feeling the effects of isolation and zealotry. What if some of the other gods came by and gave their own version of the end of times? Maybe some of them did.

Are there any memories from The Coasters, Lavette Jackson, and Diana Ross which you’d like to share with us?

Not much I can share. LaVette Jackson was a wonderful, warm person who embraced everyone as if they were long lost family - even if she just met you. The Coasters I met were a spin off, but very nice guys and easy to work with. Diana Ross was unapproachable, but I can understand why.

What has made you laugh and what touched you from the Childhood’s End and CBGB’s era in New York?

Wow, that's a long time ago. Childhood's End was heavy duty progressive rock - the kind where you had to keep absolute focus because the time signatures changed constantly. If you got lost, there was no way to get back on track. It was challenging stuff, but also a lot of fun. Oddly enough, there was a lot of drinking and pot smoking involved at the same time. I guess when you're younger and have brain cells to spare, you can do that. We played a festival in the basement of a New York hotel (John Mayall was on before us, and I was so naive I didn't realize exactly who and what he was). In the closet that served as a dressing room, we found a chest full of leather stuff - apparently the place served as an S&M/B&D club during the week! I helped myself to a nice studded leather wristband, which was absolutely stealing but back then I had a looser sense of morals.

The CBGB era, in the 70's, was a mixup of everything. Progressive/hard rock was dying but still strong, disco came in and killed a lot of live music venues, and the reaction to that - punk and then new wave in the late 70s and early 80s, all combined to make a vibrant, if confused, scene. In New York there were a ton of clubs, most of which paid nothing or next to nothing, but the competition was still fierce. I remember one time we played at CBGBs and we couldn't get a beer - no breaks for the band, and they were ignoring us. Being cocky, I announced over the mike that I was thirsty and these bastards wouldn't serve us. Our fans went nuts, screaming "Give them beer!! Give them beer, you f***s!". A few seconds later a waiter came running over to the stage with a tray of beers. Considering we had a lot of bikers as fans, that was good thinking on their part.

"It has caused me to question authority, to not take things at face value, and understand there are sometimes shades of gray in what seem to be black and white issues. This has influenced my writing, my politics, and affected decisions I've made (for better or worse) on how I've lived my life." (Russell “Hitman” Alexander / Photo by Laurence Harvey)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Your word is your bond. If you promise to do a gig, either as a sideman or a leader or a full band, you NEVER cancel unless you're physically incapacitated. There are plenty of incredible musicians and bands out there. If you can't be trusted, your ability isn't worth anything. Your job is to provide a cathartic experience for your audience. It's not to get applause, it's not about you. Many people live difficult lives. You are there to bring them to a different place, if only for a short time, and make them glad they went out (or logged on, whatever) for that performance, or to listen to that album. What you do can deeply affect people. Music reaches people in ways that are still not understood.

A very quick story, one of many: I used to play solo gigs at hospitals, nursing homes, and psychiatric centers - including locked wards, such as for criminally insane. One time, I was playing this place with two rows of tables in front of me, because apparently some of the patients were unstable and it was a makeshift barrier. I looked around, and didn't see any doctors or nurses, just me and the patients. At any rate, at one point I played "Mack The Knife", and this guy got up and started swaying and singing along. About halfway through the song I looked around again to my side (remember the patients were in front of me, with the tables between me and them) and saw all these doctors and nurses lined up, wide eyed. After I was done, I asked a nurse what that was all about. She said "that man who was singing - he hasn't spoken in ten years." I don't know why Mack The Knife reached him - maybe I don't even want to know - but like I said, music works in unusual ways.

What would you say characterizes NYC blues scene in comparison to other local US scene and circuits?

I'm sorry to say that there really isn't a NYC blues scene now. There isn't even a NYC blues society. There are still plenty of great players, but not many places to play. Because of the pandemic, even the dive bars closed down. But I'm very hopeful that it's cyclic. As rents went up, it was harder to justify having live music - every square foot of space was needed to generate income, so they killed live music and put in tiny stages and had live comedy instead. More room for tables, you see. On Long Island, there's still a blues scene of sorts. Some clubs will feature blues acts a couple of times a month, and there's an active blues organization (the Long Island Blues Society) that has been working towards more visibility for bands and clubs. Some other states, like Florida and Texas, still have flourishing blues scenes (or did until the pandemic), mainly because of blues organizations that actively promote it. And that's really the key - having groups of people that love the blues, in all of its forms, and are involved in putting on shows, promoting shows, getting asses in seats, promoting albums, etc. When you have that, you have a healthy scene. When you don't, there's nothing. But it can ALWAYS be done - the blues is a constant, even if it evolves in different directions.

The Hitman Blues Band - Home

(Russell “Hitman” Alexander / Photo by Laurence Harvey)