Alexi Paraschos

(March 27, 2014)--Soul music lovers meet Alexi Paraschos (better known as Alexi P.) and his music (hello)! What you get when you have a mixture of Soul, Gospel and RnB and impression vocals? Alexi P. debut 14 track full length album titled Something Greater!

Who is Alexi P., a soul crooner from Boston Massachusetts who "sangs" his heart out! Often compared to Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke (vocally he reminds me of a young El Debarge- my personal opinion). The former background singer for Angelique Kidjo also performed for actors/actress such as Selma Hayek and Laurence Fishburne. He also displayed his soulful musical talents to political activists and scholars such as Henry Louis. Alexi P Gates, Jr, Cornel West, and Vice President Joe Biden (can you get any better). Alexi P. previously released his EP "Come On In and a soulful single titled Gotta Get Back (To My Music) in 2011!

When you listen to Alexi P.'s new album, Something Greater, you will here a harmonious variety of songs about love, politics, relationships and more! A personal favorite from the album is Enough! The smooth but powerful track details the peer pressures of life! The raw emotions Alexi pour into Enough helps the bring the point that self love is the most powerful love everybody needs! Check out my favorite song from Alexi's album titled Enough and preview Something Greater via SoundCloud ! Also, make sure you cop his latest album via iTunes! - Soul You Know Music Blog

(February 19, 2014)--As a third-grader growing up in Newton, Alexi Paraschos dressed up as Elvis Presley for Halloween and sang "Hound Dog Man’’ for trick-or-treats.

Since then, the acoustic soul singer - who now performs as Alexi - has learned from Motown, Michael Jackson and gospel music and has his own songs to sing.

The singer-songwriter with the smooth and soulful voice will release his first full length CD, "Something Greater,’’ in a concert and party on Saturday, Feb. 22. at 7 p.m. at Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club in Somerville.

"I think my sound is unique in the Boston area because it mixes soul and gospel in ways my audience can appreciate,’’ he said.

Written over the last three years, Alexi’s 14 songs focus on "life, love and spirituality,’’ lessons he’s learned since college, volunteering with AmeriCorps in North Carolina, and performing at area clubs, like Darryl’s Corner Bar in Boston. The love longs, he said, were inspired by his girlfriend Ashley Bradley.

Alexi might be singing to her in "Something Greater’’ when he croons: "We’re all searching but we just aint sure / We get glimpses but the doubt seems to endure / But we got lost somewhere along the way / Forgot that what we’re looking for’s the same.’’

At Johnny D's he'll perform with a full band, including bassist Parker McAllister, a drummer, two keyboard players, two horn players, two backup singers and a six-member choir.

"I love working with musicians who understand the genres they’re pulling from,’’ he said. "Each one uses their strength to create unique, beautiful music.’’

Alexi, who’ll accompany himself on piano, wrote all 14 tracks, arranged the music and produced the CD. He released his debut EP, "Come On In,’’ in 2011, the same year as his popular single, "Gotta Get Back (To My Music).’’

Born in Norway while his father, journalist Emmanuel Paraschos, was a Fullbright Scholar, Alexi was raised since the age of 7 in Newton where he grew up on the music of the Beatles, the Motown sound, Michael Jackson and, of course, Elvis Presley.

He sang in his middle school chorus and continued to sing through high school in the choir and while performing in musicals, including "42nd Street,’’ "Les Miz’’ and "Little Shop of Horrors.’’ He described his high school choir director, Sheldon Reid, as a "wonderful mentor’’ who’d encouraged his passion for gospel music.

Alexi, 27, graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 2009, where he majored in American Studies but took as many music courses as possible.

Since finishing his service with AmeriCorps, he’s spent three years at the prestigious Noble and Greenough School in Dedham where he teaches music, directs the chorus and coaches soccer.

Alexi’s musical background is a broad, eclectic mix of soul, gospel, rhythm and blues and a little pop. Asked to name some influences, He cited Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, neo soul singer D’Angelo, India Arie and Lauren Hill.

Pressed to describe his tenor voice, Alexi said some reviewers have called his sound "soulful, honest and smooth’’ and made "cool and crazy’’ comparisons to Michael Jackson.

When performing, he aims "to keep things spontaneous, to get the audience involved and remain real and honest.’’ "I try to be in my songs as much as possible,’’ he said

Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at cbergeron@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook.

Alexi P sings from his new CD "Something Greater’’

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club, Somerville

INFO: "Something Greater’’ will be available at iTune’s or www.alexisongs.com - WickedLocal

(November 16, 2013)--Blue-eyed soul has been in high effect this year with the historic releases from both Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake this year. Yet, one artist is ready to align his names with these greats. Hailing from Boston, Alexi P captures many characteristics from his predecessors but still has the unique ability to have his own captivating sound. This point is apparent in his latest single titled I Love You. Singing about the joys that come from not only being in a relationship, but being able to make someone else smile, Alexi P sounds similar to a youthful Michael Jackson about a feeling that we can all relate to. Having the opportunity to perform in front of many greats including actors Selma Hayek, Laurence Fishburne and the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, Alexi P is currently working on his upcoming EP Something Greater which is expected to be released in February of 2014! Until then, be sure to check out his latest single and the corresponding visual to I Love You below, along with following him on his Twitter! - Music x infinity

(January 16, 2014)--Alexi is an old soul with wisdom beyond his years. Inspired by the Langston Hughes play, “Black Nativity,” as well as gospel and Motown music, it’s no surprise that this soul singer knows a great deal when it comes to music regarding matters of the heart.

In December, So Gutsy had the opportunity to interview Alexi. In this interview he discusses the impact of gospel music on his life, his sophomore album, Something Greater, a memory from Christmas and his hopes for the future.

SG: In your own words, who is Alexi?

Alexi: A soul and pop artist in the Boston area trying to make good quality music and bring people together.

SG: Your father’s background is completely different from your’s, he has a degree in journalism which is not related to music, of course. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a career in music and did your father share the same vision?

Alexi: I think from an early age I was always interested in music and singing. I originally was into Elvis Presley and some early Motown stuff growing up and then my parents always encouraged me to pursue it, so I was lucky, really lucky in that way. I was taking music lessons and all that growing up and singing in a bunch of choirs and its always been a huge part of my life. I’ve always been writing songs, since age 11.

SG: You mentioned the significance of the gospel choir on your life, how has the gospel choir shaped you into the artist you are today?

Alexi: Gospel music as a whole is such a profound genre, I didn’t really grow up going to church, I didn’t grow up with it that way. From an early age, every Christmas season we used to go to Black Nativity in the Boston area. It was a powerful experience just to see Kuumba music, it was so positive and uplifting,–so much energy, it was something that really just captivated me, and I think as I’ve gone through my various experiences of different gospel choirs that have been very diverse and in a bunch of different ways it’s shown me the power that gospel music especially has to transcend religion, race, gender, all of those things. Gospel music in so many ways reminds me of how different groups of people come together.

SG: In addition to gospel, your style is also fused with Motown. What is it about the Motown era that intrigues you the most?

Alexi: I guess Motown and soul music is kind of similar to gospel music, there’s an energy and a certain life about it. The biggest thing to me about the music is the people put themselves into the songs and that’s something that I try to do as much as possible with the lyrics and the songs that I sing. I put myself in the song as well. There’s a positive and upbeat nature from Motown I really appreciate and enjoy.

SG: You credit Stevie Wonder as your biggest musical influence, what does his music mean to you?

Alexi: Probably along the same lines of putting himself into the music. He’s just somebody that I think his music is like the very timeless artists like Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers. People who make music that will be popular and no matter what era you play it, it just feels so good and it’s just very creative, very open, very straight. He writes both the love songs and also the very strong social justice message of folks coming together.

SG: Because we are living in the digital era, what are your thoughts on the current state of music? Do you feel that record stores are becoming a thing of the past?

Alexi: Record stores, yeah. I think that they are. I think like you said, it’s a different era and everything’s online now, you can get it online, people can create music online, spread their own music like I was trying to do. I think a lot of the pop stuff that’s out there is not great. Obviously it’s made to make money, that’s why people are creating it. They need it to be marketable and all that stuff so it tends to be pretty superficial and it’s not stuff that I would listen to. In addition to that, because so many people can be successful, there’s so many independent artists that you can find online now, there’s also a lot of really high quality stuff that you can find that isn’t necessarily on the radio, but you can find much more easily on YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, that stuff.

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SG: You mentioned that you don’t care for competitive singing TV shows. You auditioned for “The Voice” and felt it was worth the experience even though you didn’t make it to the next round. What advice would you give someone that wants to take that same route?

Alexi: Well, I first of all don’t know that I should be the one giving advice since I did not do so great, but I think that you should do it. I think that there are a lot of other ways to go about getting your music out there, and even if you do end up getting on them somehow, they then will have a lot of control over you. Over your image, over your song, over everything about you. So I think that’s something to be wary about. But if you’re one of the few that get in, then you automatically get to skip all the steps of everything that comes with trying to get your music out there and automatically have a lot of people that will be listening to you.

SG: Tell us the direction you’re taking with your sophomore album Something Greater.

Alexi: I think it’s more true to my own sound. A lot of the songs on my first album were more of a pop sound, the new ones that will come out are definitely more of the gospel stuff and the soul stuff. I’m really excited. I’ve produced the whole thing myself, I had to learn a lot of new software–all that to get it together, but it’s definitely a big step from my first album. I put a lot more energy in working through it and I’m really excited about it coming out.

SG: What do you want people to gain from your music?

Alexi: I want people to connect to it. I guess every musician kind of wants that. I want people to feel comforted. The title of the album is Something Greater and I think that’s so often lost in what we do, we lose this perspective of why we do what we do, who we do it for. Whether you believe in God or anything spiritual, there’s more to your life than just yourself. And I think that [connectivity] is what I would most appreciate people to get out of my music.

SG: Since the holiday season is upon us tell us about one of your fondest Christmas memories.

Alexi: I remember when I realized that Santa wasn’t real. It’s kind of an anti-holiday story. My dad had written a letter from Santa to us on Christmas morning and I recognized the font that he used and I was really upset and then I ran upstairs and checked the computer under recent documents and I could see something like “Santa Letter.” That was not a great way — or a great time — to learn that information.

SG: What does the future hold for you?

Alexi: We’ll see. I’m hoping that this album will help get my music out there a little bit more. Ideally, I’d love to have enough of a following across a few different cities that I can go and play and have people know my music and just be able to spend most of my time creating music, working with other people, collaborating on different projects and I’m kind of hoping that this album will be a first step in that direction, so we’ll see. - SoGutsy.com

(December 19, 2013)--Handsome dude, right? By the way, that smile is just as winning in real life. He also has this genuine humble thing going on, which is very endearing. But Alexi is not just a pretty face. He also has a pretty voice. And heaps of talent. And is hustling daily to share his gifts, because of a true passion for the power of creativity, and the joy that sharing music brings. If that wasn’t enough, he also teaches, and mentors, and nurtures, and supports other voices to grow into their own beauty and power.
Wouldn’t you like to know someone like that? Have him croon you a tune? See that smile melt some more of this early winter snow? Done. You’ll soon see I posted this just in time for you to upgrade your Friday plans, and impress your friends with your hip inside knowledge. Alexi will be playing at:

Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen (640 Columbus Ave, Boston) TOMORROW 12/20 7-11 pm Soul music, sips and eats.

Of course the only thing better than a great guy who can sing, is a great guy who can sing that you can take home with you. Alexi drops his second album of originals in February, but he’s teasing us with singles. Check out his first EP and the new stuff on iTunes. Or just get a little dreamy with the video for here to stay. But mostly come down to the show for a song or a set. In this crazy season you deserve a live show with real heart and soul, and you’ll have bragging rights about seeing him when. See you tomorrow at Darryl’s! - NutsToSoup

We’ve written about Alexi P before detailing his online marketing hustle with his own homegrown “fanpetition”.

Well, that wasn’t enough for us! When we run across someone who is making the effort to promote their music using social media we want to know more so we sent Alexi a few simple questions and asked him to make a video for us. There’s so much we can all learn from this guy. Here’s someone who has a full-time job but still makes the time to not only write, record, and gig but also does whatever he can to increase his exposure.
In this interview you’ll learn indie music marketing skills like:

A creative way to increase your Facebook fans
Why its important to “work the room” when you gig
The most powerful tool in an artists toolbox – an email list
The day-to-day activities that produce real results online
plus… a really cute kitten.

Without further adieu, Mr. Alexi Paraschos: - Social Media for Musicians

I LOVE the online music marketingcreativity of indie artists with hustle! We’ve all read post after post about how to use Facebook (or any other social outpost for that matter) to reach new people and get new fans. What I wonder about most of those posts is if they are truly tested or if they are just good filler blog content.
Want to see a real live example of using Facebook to build your indie music audience??

Meet Alexi Paraschos

I ran across Alexi and his work via a post he made on Music Think Tank. We’ve been chatting a little here and there and so I dug a little further into his online music marketing efforts. I went to his website and saw the post “I’m trying a new fan competition (a “fanpetition” if you will…).”

I’ll let Alexi describe this “fanpetition” it in his own words.

The goal is simple: help get more people to “like” my fanpage by suggesting it to your facebook friends. You can either post a link to my fanpage on your wall or, more effectively, send a personal facebook message to friends of yours that you think are interested (ie, “Hey Chaz, it’s me Luke! Just want to tell you to go and ‘like’ the page of this new artist I found. He’s really great….”).

The main thing to tell them is to simply go and “like” my fanpage. However, you must also make clear that in order for it to count as one of YOUR referrals, they must leave a message on my fanpage wall telling me that you sent them (“…Hey, also just make sure to leave a note on his wall saying that I sent you so I can win the competition….”).

Then, after I tally all the wall posts, I’ll figure out the winner and award the prize of….[drumroll]…a song of your choosing, dedicated to you, sung by me, and posted on my youtube channel! I know, big time. Also possibly worth noting in your message (“….If I win, I get a personalized video dedicated to me! Hurrah!…”). And close with a nice farewell message (“…All right, thanks for your help! Can’t wait to go hunting together again. Say hey to your sister, Carla, for me. I love that killer pink dress she’s got. Ttyl. -Luke”).

What Online Music Marketing Tools is He Using Exactly

If we dig into this competition you’ll see that he is using several online music marketing tools:

his website
an email list through Reverbnation
his Facebook page
his Youtube channel

The Results Speak For Themselves

And the Winner Is… Ashley

Now THAT is smart marketing!!

What are you doing that is similar? Do you have all the tools to perform a similar online music marketing competition? Any comments for Alexi?

I promise to try to get an interview with Alexi so he can explain more about his music and his promotion skills!! - Social Media for Musicians

For the last six months, I’ve been working closely with The Redwoods Group, an innovative B Corp here in North Carolina. For those not familiar with B Corps, they are a new type of for-profit corporation looking beyond the bottom line and using the power of business to help solve social and environmental problems.

I thought I’d share a recent story from Redwoods showcasing what can happen when you’ve enabled a thriving community of passion in your organization.

When Alexi Paraschos, 23, joined The Redwoods Group earlier this year for a post-graduate internship, he had no idea what to expect. In school, he’d always avoided business classes, yet he was the only one in his internship group to end up working at a for-profit corporation.

Alexi had never really thought of himself as the corporate type and the environment was new, different, and somewhat uncomfortable for him. He certainly didn’t go into the internship with the expectation that work would be fun, but he still struggled to acclimatize to the new environment, including cubicles, meetings, and other traditional trappings of business.

Alexi attended one company meeting where Kevin Trapani, President and CEO of the Redwoods Group (and a charismatic, visionary leader by any measure), gave a speech about the company mission. In it, Kevin talked about how at Redwoods, love—not profit—was the bottom line.

Alexi deeply connected with this idea of the role of love in business and the speech became a turning point for him. He began to see examples of love embedded throughout Redwoods.

Under Kevin’s leadership, Redwoods actually encourages employees to bring their personal passions into their work. Sometimes this means the company sponsors need-based volunteer efforts like Habitat for Humanity construction projects on company time. But Redwoods also encourages employees create their own interest groups around their personal passions. Employees created a running group, a book club, and a group dedicated to environmental issues, among others.

One of the groups employees formed was a Martin Luther King, Jr. group where, in once-a-month meetings, employees would explore social and racial issues together. Each year during Black History Month, this group would host Martin Luther King, Jr. week, and during the year of Alexi’s internship, someone suggested they celebrate the week by forming a gospel choir that would perform at a company meeting.

Alexi, a talented musician, volunteered to help organize the choir. According to him, it was the first time he really felt he was able to make a meaningful contribution to the company.

When I talked to Alexi a few weeks ago, he reflected on the experience.

“It was so different than the stereotype of business, where you sit in a cubicle all day, then you leave to go home and live your life. This was something I wanted to be a part of, but I was paid for it, too.”

Some might argue that hosting a gospel choir at work was a waste of valuable time. After all, could it really help make the business more successful? Alexi thinks it could.

“There is something to be said for being passionate about your work and how that affects your productivity,” Alexi said. “When looking for a job now, I think I would have a standard to hold another business or company to.”

I wonder if many in his generation would agree.

A few months ago, a group of us from New Kind were meeting with Kevin Trapani at Redwoods to discuss a project we’d been working on for them. As part of the project, we proposed Redwoods embrace this aspect of “love” in their business, both internally and externally, even more strongly than they already were.

Kevin had a smile on his face while we discussed the idea, and when we finished, he asked us whether we’d been talking to Alexi (who I hadn’t met at the time). He then told us this story.

Just the day before, he’d received an email from Alexi, who’d recently finished his internship at Redwoods. As Alexi’s way of saying thank you for what he described as a life-changing experience, he had written and recorded a song entitled “The Bottom Line.”

The song was inspired both by Kevin’s company meeting speech about the Redwoods mission and Alexi’s overall experience at Redwoods. Kevin played the song for us right there in the meeting.

Here’s an excerpt from the lyrics:

“Now we can change the system, by making love our mission,
We'll show the world, what we can do,
When we look inside, see the connection between you and I,
That's what'll happen, making love the bottom line.”

As Kevin told us this story, I may have seen a tear or two in his eyes. His vision for Redwoods had been made into music.

When I asked Alexi what moved him to give Redwoods this gift before he left, here’s what he told me.

“My experience at Redwoods was so different than anything else I’d done. I felt like I had finally been able to bring the things I was so passionate about to this place. To say t - Management Innovation Exchange

It's pretty rare when I can look at a musician and say, with no hesitation, that they "have it." I'm not sure what that "it" is-it could be a unique voice that captures the audience each and every time, or maybe an incredible writing skill. Maybe they're just accomplished hypnotists....

Whatever, Alexi Paraschos has it. I saw him on stage at a show I booked at the All Asia. I had seen a couple videos of his singing, and was thoroughly impressed, but what I saw online was nothing compared to the real thing.

We got a chance to talk before the show. Like most musicians, Alexi's got a laid-back attitude, and he doesn't put on heirs despite the fact that he has a talent I'd give my eyeteeth for. He doesn't take himself to seriously, and he's at home on the stage. He showed me his new idea for marketing his music-selling a 64 gig flash drive with music and photos. A pretty good idea if there every was one.

Alexi's music shifts from fast-paced beats to much slower songs that touch the listener, and it was with regret that I heard him announce his final performance for the show. Though he's got talent to spare, he's so casual and friendly that it's hard to feel intimidated by it. Rather, you feel like you're part of the performance, and it's one I hope to see soon.

Find more information and music here. - Max Bowen