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An Interview With ALPHA REV Who Are Combining Music and Habitat For Humanity on Their Current Tour!
Posted On 28 Jul 2015
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Tag: All Access, All Access Music Group, Alpha Rev, Artist Interview, Austin, Casey McPherson, CBS, Dolly Parton, Endochine, Habitat For Humanity, Hippocrates, I Will Come, Jared & The Mill, Jeff Bryant, Lisail Creative, Lonely Man, Music Builds, Myspace, Names, PledgeMusic, PledgeMusic Campaign, Salem, Stalker, Tabber Millard, Texas, The Greatest Thing I've Ever Learned, The Mentalist, The Music Builds Tour, WGN, Working 9-5, Zak Loy
So who is Alpha Rev exactly?
Fronted by Casey McPherson, formerly of Endochine, Alpha Rev released their debut album, “The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Learned”, in 2007. McPherson’s honey-laden vocals, along with with Zack Loy’s impressive guitar work and Tabber Millard’s memorable drumming, helped gain the band significant buzz and a spot as the #1 indie band from Texas on the Myspace.com charts.
During the past year, you may have heard Alpha Rev coming through the speakers on your television. Their song “I Will Come” has been featured on promos for WGN’s Salem and CBS’ Stalker, and “Lonely Man” has been featured on promos for The Mentalist.
Alpha Rev is currently on tour in support of Habitat for Humanity as they recently began a new campaign called “MUSIC BUILDS”. McPherson will be writing one original song inspired by his time spent volunteering and learning about Habitat and the issues they face. Casey’s new endeavor, Lisail Creative will be facilitating, filming and documenting the entire process and will later use this footage to create a music video, short documentary, and PSA to raise awareness and bring in new donors for Habitat for Humanity.
Today, the band releases their latest single, “Names,” and for the next six months, 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.
“Names is all about being able to change,” explains McPherson. “We’re all born with a name, born into an environment that we had no say in creating. For most of us, we see our situations as the way things must always be, but we forget that we are in charge of the life before us, and we can be given a new name, so to speak, if we choose. For those of us born into poverty, abuse, chaos, or whatever the negative attribute may be, we don’t have to stay there! This is what Habitat for Humanity is doing, and they have inspired this song.”
Learn more about Alpha Rev in the following All Access interview:
Can you explain to our readers what exactly is Music Builds? How did Alpha Rev first get involved with the organization?
Music Builds is the name of the campaign we are participating in to bring awareness to generational poverty, the missing middle class, and what organizations like Habitat for Humanity are doing about it.
Tell me about the original song you wrote inspired by your time volunteering and learning about Habitat?
I have spent a lot of time with employees, volunteers, and families who are involved with Habitat. I went in thinking they built houses for homeless people, but realized that they actually empower people to change their current financial situation that they’ve been in for generations. The song is about that – the ability to change your name or your fate, if you will, and how just by understanding that it’s possible creates a chain of events that can lead you there.
What is Lisail Creative?
Lisail is an acronym for “life is short, art is long” a quote by Hippocrates. It’s a company designed to connect artists and causes to help change our social landscape for the better.
How is your PledgeMusic campaign currently doing?
It would be doing better if you’d buy something from it 🙂
The Music Builds Tour starts soon. Where are you most looking forward to playing at?
Too many places to list. I’m just happy to be doing our first coast to coast headlining tour in a long time.
Your openers, Jared & The Mill are pretty fantastic and I am actually friends with Jared’s cousin in Arizona. How did they get to be a part this tour?
Craigslist….. No, they’re fantastic and we reached out to them as we love what they do!
What musicians have consistently inspired Alpha Rev?
My 2yr old daughter and I listen and dance almost every day to Dolly Parton’s “Working 9 -5” about 1000 times and now I think it might be one of the most brilliant records.. I’d love to write with her.
What do you hope is the general message of your music?
I hope that I can be apart of a soundtrack for people who need hope, a moment to breathe, or are pushing for a better change. We are all evolving creatures on a daily basis, music is so often an integral expression of that process. It brings clarity to our lives without needing definition. I want to be apart of that.
