Bio
Alex Dupree is a published poet and songwriter. He got his musical start in Austin, Texas before moving to California to focus on poetry, studying and teaching at UC Irvine. Songwriting was never far from his mind.
Despite a deep love for country music, Dupree’s songs never quite settle into that category, absorbing additional influences from the likes of Laurie Anderson, Arthur Russell, Bjork, and John Cale.
His latest project, Thieves, was released by Keeled Scales in 2022. Produced by Michael Krassner (Califone, Simon Joyner, Boxhead Ensemble), Thievesfeatures Max Knouse, Aaron Stern, Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples), Buck Meek (Big Thief), as well as long time collaborators Aisha Burns and Matt Matherne. The songs present a motley cast of characters who, in Dupree’s voice, combine to tell the story of a single self. Taken together, these wide-ranging stories feel deeply confessional, an idiosyncratic folklore of identity and rebirth.
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Press
In folk music, there’s a centuries-old tradition of using a song to tell a story. It can be a true story, a myth, or somewhere in between. This is the tradition that Austin singer-songwriter Alex Dupree taps into with his new album Thieves, released by Keeled Scales. Outlaw characters populate his songs, on the run from the law and from themselves. The music is elliptical, patiently unfolding with help from Austin and L.A.-based musicians like Buck Meek of Big Thief, Aisha Burns of Balmorhea, and Tom Waits’ longtime drummer Stephen Hodges. Thieves is a generous album: towards its characters, towards the listener.
- KUTX Radio
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Album Review at Secret Meeting UK