write ups

a couple of humbling articles :)


"I came to the show pretty much unaware of the first two acts and expecting to be blown away by the band I came for, Clock Hands Strangle [pictured below, photo by Nicole Kibert]. That’s not exactly what happened.

The opener, Tampa’s own Alexander and The Grapes, were the best band of the night. They sounded like Tallahassee’s fantastic Holiday Shores with Yoni Wolf of Why? on vocals (if Yoni were less nasally). The foursome produced some pretty pleasant pop-infused rock music, not too loud or too heavy. For one of the songs, “The Walk,” they brought out a slide guitar and the delayed twang of the instrument complemented the song’s country-tinged melody. The crowd was digging the band during their almost hour-long set and clamored for an encore. The band satisfied, ending epically with a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.” Although lead singer/guitarist Alexander Charos called the freezing cold weather “Floridian blasphemy,” the music made this reviewer warm and toasty.......................
Oh, well. I guess it just goes to show that expectations don’t always turn out as planned. But at least I discovered a new local band I like — Alexander and The Grapes....."
-Creative Loafing


"Well the weekend was good all in all. I hope all of you had a nice one as well. However, mine was enhanced at the New World Brewery in Ybor City Friday night. After a couple beers, I was sitting with a smoke and a band kicked in. The sound was new and took my ear immediately. Then, a gentleman by the name of Alexander pushed lyrics out to the crowd with a wisdom of that from another era. This four piece band, by the name of Alexander and the Grapes not only caught my attention, they were able to captivate a crowd of about 100 people. The band played a half hour set that was filled with their originals. Alexander Charos the lead singer, Phillip Charos the drummer, Tom Dicks on Bass, and Chase Swan playing lead guitar/slide combined to put out a sound infused with a little Wilco, a little Dylan, and all of their souls. Be on the lookout for Alexander and the Grapes 6 song LP which was recorded and is being mixed in Cambridge, MA as we speak. You can catch them on MySpace where they have the band’s gigs posted regularly."
-SLAM magazine