I met Alex McGillivray, front man of Alive Through Memories, about half a year ago through mutual work in a cover band. This Berklee-educated drummer is one of the most dedicated and accomplished musicians I’ve ever met, and he was working hard teaching drums and gigging with cover bands living the #workingmusician life. What I didn’t yet know about him, and what I have grown to admire, is his passion for his original band, Alive Through Memories. For this article, I was lucky enough to interview McGillivray about his experiences and what this project means to him.
Alive Through Memories is a band and musical project started several years ago when McGillivray and his college roommate, Brendan Machowski, of Cinema Twenty Four, wrote a song together for a class at Berklee. It came out so well, McGillivray asked Machowski to co-write a record with him, and Alive Through Memories was formed. That first song, "Keep Me Alive," was the first single off of the record. When interviewed, McGillivray said the album was a “complete collaboration.” This self-titled record, out April 22, 2016, is the product of about a year and a half of work. Check out the album teaser below!
Throughout the record, McGillivray shows he is not afraid to let the audience into his thoughts. To write the song "1992," McGillivray described putting himself through situations he knew would damage his emotional health just to get into the state of mind to write the lyrics. This song features McGillivray belting at the top of his range about his fears of failure. What does he want you to take away from this record? “I want people to walk away feeling like they got a genuine look inside of my head,” McGillivray said, “I want them to feel the honesty of the lyrics.”
Many artists inspire McGillivray when he writes for Alive Through Memories, but his top two are Tom Delonge of Angels & Airwaves, formerly of Blink 182, and Matthew Healy of The 1975. McGillivray said Delonge’s work in Angels & Airwaves motivates him to pursue “big artistic ideas” with unwavering commitment. Healy is notorious for his biting frankness on his struggle with addiction and fame, and McGillivray said Healy’s “honest and brutally open” lyrics inspire him to write candidly about complex topics. When asked what inspires him to write, his answer is simple: everything. “My experiences, my dreams, my faults, guilty thoughts, and experiences that I see others go through,” he said all influence his writing.
With a record under his belt, McGillivray is now looking forward to new things with his band. Musicians Max Hamilton and Avery George have joined the band as part of the live line-up and songwriting team. McGillivray plans on starting a summer cover series; so remember to keep checking these guys out on YouTube! Alive Through Memories also just released their first music video for their single "Miles Apart."
Like any project, there are ups and downs, but overall McGillivray finds this endeavor incredibly rewarding. “Putting yourself out there for the world to see, accept, relate to, and, of course, criticize and doubt is powerful and beautiful,” he said, “I am always humbled when someone takes the time out of their day to listen to something I created.”
I advise you: take the time. Alive Through Memories deserves your attention. This project not only features masterfully crafted lyrics and skillful composition, it represents an extraordinary commitment to art, itself. Everything about this project, the music, the videos, the marketing, has involved artists of all different trades. At the very core is a devotion to creating art simply for the love of it all.
Keep up with this awesome band!
Facebook: Alive Through Memories
Twitter: @ATMBandOfficial
Instagram: @alivethroughmemoriesalex
YouTube: Alive Through Memories Official
Website: http://www.alivethroughmemories.com/
