You don’t need to use Tidal to access this album.

Adam Alpert (stage name, Lex Williams) is a first year CC student who creates and produces his own music. You can find his first album, Not a Word, on his Bandcamp here; he has plans to publish more EPs soon. The second part of this interview is taken from a larger conversation and will cover his musical career in relation to Columbia as well as his current interests. 

Bwog: What artistry do you do at Columbia, besides your independent projects?

Adam: I’m in the Jewish a capella group on campus, Pizmon. I was raised Christian, sort of, and it was a community that I never really felt attached to. My dad is Jewish but he never really practiced, so I thought when I come to school it might be a nice time to explore the other side of my heritage. That Friday night when I came to school was the first time I ever went to services. After services, Pizmon performed at Hillel and they were amazing, so—I came to other concerts after that, and I was talking to one of the members, she was talking about how the group is an outreach group. What they really try and do is spread Jewish happiness, Jewish unity, Jewish music throughout different communities. And a really cool opportunity in that group is that they travel once or twice a month on the weekends, so you go to Massachusetts, New Jersey, sometimes farther out. Over Spring Break we’re going on an international trip to Costa Rica.

B: What’s the relationship between Pizmon and other a capella groups? Are there connections between the groups, or rivalries?

A: Funnily enough, I feel that a lot of people are in a capella, there were a lot of people at auditions, there’s a lot of groups. Pizmon is, like, affiliated, but we’re more with Hillel. We’re not in the inner circle of—

B: Is there an inner circle? Who’s in the inner circle?

A: I don’t think there’s, like, an inner circle, just that we’re not with everyone else. That’s why we weren’t at Glass House Rocks, because we have a special mission. Some people are very strict about adhering to that mission, something like doing a recreational show like [Glass House Rocks] is not really what we usually do.

B: So you don’t do recreational stuff?

A: It depends. Sometimes we do votes on things we should do. But most of the time, we won’t do individual concerts, but unless it’s in the Jewish world, not a specifically secular recreational event, we won’t usually do it.

B: Have you taken, or are you planning on taking, any music classes at Columbia?

A: We have Music Hum, of course, but next year I think it would be cool to take an audio engineering class if they have one like that. Learn how to mix and master officially, that would be incredible. I want to take ear training, maybe music theory, too. The one thing I don’t get really is the scales. I just don’t really know the names, so I’d like to take music theory.

B: From your time on campus, do you think Columbia does a good job supporting the arts?

A: It’s hard to tell, at least a capella-wise, since Pizmon is not really involved with the rest of community. So I don’t know how—but maybe it’s because I’m really involved with the arts community, but I think the arts community is really thriving. There’s a lot of opportunities to do creative and artistic things on campus.

B: Do you think they can improve in any ways? At least for Pizmon?

A: Hm…no, I don’t think so. I think the relationship we have is fine. Sometimes we’re involved with other groups, but most of the time we’re usually not involved in the things that Columbia puts on. We just do our own thing and I think that’s cool. There’s nothing wrong with the Columbia stuff, it’s just not in the mission of Pizmon.

B: Switching up the questions a little bit, what current artists influence you?

A: Kendrick Lamar, one hundred percent. You gotta do a little with Drake, because we’re both half black, half Jewish, so Drake is a big influence. I don’t know how he does it, he’s just always hot. I really like, production-wise, music like Dom Kennedy, that sort of LA relaxed style. That’s probably my favourite type, and I’d really like to make songs like that, very relaxed.

B: Finally, who are you listening to right now?

A: Anderson .Paak, he’s really cool. I’ve been really going back—I’ve been listening to a lot of Michael Jackson recently. Listening to a lot of John Coltrane, right now. A$AP, and I really like it. I really need to update my music, but I’ve been listening to Foster the People, their two albums, almost on repeat. Missy Elliot. Curren$y. But that’s about it.

Cover Art used with permission of Adam Alpert

Parts of this interview have been edited for length and clarity