Interview: Alex Ramirez

A brief conversation with the multi-media artist Alex Ramirez from Monterey California.

Alex Ramirez is a singer songwriter based out of Monterey, California. Along with being an inspiring local musician, Alex also has an eye for stylistic film photography. We met Alex through the local art and music scene. Alex along with Quinton Mckee & Ian Adamson had also created a zine based out of the Monterey area named Neverbored Magazine. We are now honored to interview Alex Ramirez who has been such a large inspiration to us.

“Don’t give up. It’s really easy to get discouraged in the beginning. Most people suck at first but keep doing it if you love it and never stop learning. Get a DAW that works for you and learn it inside and out.”- Bri Hendy (@Thirty3 Bri)

Q: How long have you been taking photos?

A: I started taking photos around junior year of high school, so a little over 10 years. I used to borrow a friends

film camera for school until I received my first digital camera.

My friend Taylor had a photo blog documenting anything and everything during his skate missions that played a huge part in pursuing a camera.

Q: Do you have a preference between digital or film photography?

A: I love them both. Film takes up space for me unfortunately so I have to be extra particular about what i’m shooting.. Ive got around three undeveloped rolls that are about five years old. Pretty yikes.

Q: When you go out to take photos what inspires you the most?

A: Timing. You can't control something you missed in public. There's been too many times of "ah, I should have taken a photo of that" comes to mind and I sort of walk away dwelling on it. It's pretty personal and it doesn't have to be anything amazing just something

that makes the day a little easier. Sort of like stepping over cracks.

Q: Quarantine has given everyone a lot of time to learn new skills, is there anything new that you have learned?

A: I really thought id pick up baking or cooking my own chicken Alfredo, but I ended up loving

skateboarding again. I skate with friends older than me which has been really inspiring and motivating. It’s also been less about being picky with spots and we're pretty intuitive with our schedules.

Q: Have you seen any interesting movies lately?

A: The Red Balloon. It's a short french film from 1956 which I highly recommend. Foreign films can be daunting and let's face it pretentious sounding if you're not familiar. This one is easy to watch and it might give you a familiar perspective .. it’s relatable!It's about a boy and his balloon. Simple right? It goes deep.

Q: How old were you when you first started playing the guitar?

A: I started taking it seriously around the 6th grade. It was always around since my dad plays, but I only ever got one lesson from him. I was pretty bummed until I realized it was a lesson on staying committed to something because I truly cared about it and not just to please him.

Q: When writing music what inspires you?

A: Writing is pretty therapeutic and complicated to share.. Its waves of emotions whether its sad, stupid, happy, inspired or drawn back by something im seeing.

Q: Before covid shut down live music venues, where was your favorite place to perform?

A: Old Capitol Books in Monterey, their love and support has been a great motivator to keep playing shows. There's really no venues in Monterey, maybe a person or two booking at a wine tasting room but that's about it. Somos in Salinas is a great venue too and probably the only venue giving local artists a chance to express themselves in a larger space.

Q: Are there any local artists you would like to shoutout?

A: I would like to shout out all the local artists that are too shy or insecure to share their art at this moment. It took me years to publicly post songs or even share photos. Insecurities in sharing art usually means they’ve taken a lot of thought into their work, I think that’s really important.

Q: Do you have any advice for creators just getting started?

A: Be true to yourself, be patient and most importantly understand your audience so that you don’t get hurt when your expectations are high.