Cindy Alexander

My nickname is "pnut" (like peanut). I can turn any conversation into a song. I cry easily but I laugh even easier. I’m a Mom of twin girls and my life is a whirlwind of pretend-play, Yo Gabba Gabba, toddler germs and MUSIC. I spend a lot of time at Target. I used to have my toe nails polished at all times but now they are on the back burner until Chip tells me I look “ghetto” and begs me to go to the salon. I love those days…at the salon, not being called “ghetto.” I crave guacamole, constantly (except when I was pregnant). I can turn any conversation into a song. I cry easily but I laugh even easier. I give everything away. I’m loyal to a fault. I’m moody. I clench my jaw when I sleep sometimes. I love my family. They love me too. My nickname is “pnut” (like peanut). I have the greatest friends on earth. I have very few socks that match. Somewhere there is a black hole with all my miscellaneous socks….and my guitar picks. I’m lucky and I’m blessed. I am passionate about cancer prevention, awareness and finding a cure. I’m a breast cancer Survivor. I believe in Love. I Love. And I am Loved. And some people say that I’m a highly functioning dysfunctional, the most organized disorganized person you will ever meet but I manage to get stuff done…eventually. I agree with them. Oh, and I write songs and sing to say relatively sane. Now here’s the stuff THEY want to know about me: Born weighing only four and a half pounds but with the voice that could fill a stadium…her parents figured G-d had a plan, they just weren’t in on the joke. They sent their little “peanut” to the “crying doctor” when she was 5 only to be told she just “wanted attention.” By 20 she stopped crying but she had head aches. And one day, Cindy Alexander was so irritated and grumpy because the guy who lived in the apartment above her blasted his stereo so loud that it brought on her migraines – so finally she crawled out of bed, pounded on his door and asked him to turn it down. Instead of fighting, Cindy and Paul Trudeau became best of friends, wrote a bunch of songs and started a band. After a couple of years, a lot of gigs, and a ton of emotional epiphanies, Cindy put out a cd which was a compilation of her demos: See Red. Most of the tracks were produced by David Darling (Boxing Ghandis/ Tom Waits/ Meredith Brooks/ Brian Setzer) and Paul Trudeau. See Red earned a nomination for Album of the Year by the L.A. Music Awards, who the year before crowned her Songwriter of the Year and nominated her for Female Vocalist of the Year. The “Peanut Gallery” (aka Cindy Alexander fans) grew exponentially and Cindy rode the wave of the internet, topping charts at mp3.com and becoming one of Amazon.com’s best indie sellers. In 2003 she released her 2nd CD, SMASH, also nominated for L.A. Music Award’s Album of the Year. Smash features co-writes with Grammy Award winners Gary Harrison and Dennis Matkosky. She was named CNET’s Net Music Countdown Net Unknown of the Year (joining past recipients such as Michelle Branch) and was named Female Artist of the Year by Just Plain Folks, also winning Pop Song of the Year by the same organization. Cindy kept busy touring in 2004 with a new distribution for her own label, JamCat Records, earned three more awards (LA Music Award for Indie Pop Artist of the Year, JPF Songwriter of the Year, and All Access Magazine Best Female Vocalist), and recorded her 3rd CD with Dave Darling: Angels & Demons. Angels & Demons was released in ’05 to glowing reviews, and a live performance on air for Mark & Brian (KLOS 95.5 fm and affiliates) sparked an immediate sell out of ALL of Cindy’s CD inventory and a huge influx of new fans. That energy fueled a string of dates opening for AMERICA and Cindy began headlining festivals as far away as Barbados. Angels & Demons won LA Music Awards Independent Pop Album of the Year in 2006. June 2006 unleashed a new compilation entitled “Eclectic Cafe” on Water Music Records featuring Cindy’s song “4 Hours” alongside cuts by Aimee Mann, Heather Nova, Tracy Bonham, Moby and Duncan Shiek. Summer/Fall 2006 was a huge turning point. On a whim, Cindy joined the cast of NBC/David Foster’s Star Tomorrow, with the understanding that it was a talent contest based upon original material and artistry, quite unlike the American Idol shows. After months of head to head competition with some of the best indie artists in the US, and battling it out on the world wide web, Cindy WON a deal with a major label. Well, sort of. After a LOT of consideration, soul searching and an extended tour in the Pacific Rim entertaining our Troops, Cindy decided that it was an offer she COULD refuse and consequently, shared the news with her fans. Their overwhelming support of her decision to stay indie resulted in enough pre-orders and donations to the production account to completely fund the making of WOBBLE WITH THE WORLD, Cindy’s fourth CD which was released October 2007 and immediately nominated for Independent Album of the Year, Best Female Vocals, A/C Artist of the Year (South Bay Music Awards) and Best Songwriting (Rock City News). “Wobble” is produced Cindy’s long time friends and musical co-horts, Dave Darling and Paul Trudeau, with a special guest appearance by Michael Bacon on “Bloom.” The digital-only version of the CD contains an extra bonus track, “Slow Motion Miracle” which proceeds are donated to a charity close to Cindy’s heart: www.wespark.org. Pnut took a break from tearing up the scene because she got married, had twins and has spent the last few years raising her daughters. Viewing life and love from a completely different perspective, Every Rise and Fall, released March 2012, tackles issues such as fertility, marriage, motherhood, aging, birth and death…a “coming of age” album in every sense of a sensitive word. Produced by now Grammy nominated Dave Darling, Every Rise and Fall features another guest appearance by Michael Bacon on cello, and musicians Arlan Oscar (Joe Bonamassa/Janiva Magness) on organ and wurlitzer, Carl Sealove (Bob Dylan/Boxing Gandhis) on stand up bass/ bass guitar, Chip Moreland (Altered State/Dread Zeppelin) on drums, Dave Darling on guitar/backing vocals, and of course Cindy on vocals and piano. Cindy has toured nationally and internationally, and has shared the stage with such artists/bands as John Hiatt, The Bacon Brothers, America, Suzanne Vega, Joan Osborn, Rick Springfield, Art Alexakis (Everclear), Bob Schneider, Ben Taylor, The Bangles, Edwin McCain, Marc Cohn, Howard Jones, Joe Bonamassa, Dishwalla, Gin Blossoms, Karla Bonoff, Janiva Magness and the list goes on and on. Her performances have been called “star quality” and the “best of the L.A. Music Scene,” charming both audiences and critics alike. Cindy has also appeared on several soundtracks and compilations: Sugar & Spice soundtrack on Trauma Records, Chilled Sirens on Water Music Records, Sunday Brunch on Treadstone Records, Eclectic Cafe on Water Music Records, and Back Home, a compilation of female singer songwriters that benefits Children International. Her music has been featured in films (Here on Earth, Smokers, Sugar & Spice, Dorm Daze II) and television (Party of Five, Chasing Farrah, So You Think You Can Dance) and at a Petco (and we hear Office Depot on a weekly basis) near you.