Cider Press
I knew from the beginning of this month that I wanted Alex
Preston to be the cover story of this issue of Cider Mag, and I was
pumped when I finally got to speak with him on the phone. He is a
very busy guy now, and I feel honored that he took the time to talk.
It was great to catch up with him, reminisce a little, and shower him
with praise. (Of course I think I did more talking than him.)
Alex, a former coworker of mine from our days at the Pasta Loft in
Milford, NH, was cruising along week after week on American Idol
Season 13 the past three months, and I was beaming with pride. Although he and I never had any in-depth conversations that I remember—Alex is a quiet guy, who always seemed to have a lot on his
mind—I was clearly routing for him on the show. A friend of mine
would call me to catch up on the show, exclaiming that her young
sons thought she was such a dork because she screamed for Alex
when it was his turn to perform, and I would recall how I never said
much to him as a bus boy except, “take the trash out, bring a keg up
to the deck or get me soup and salad” I remember Alex and I working
some unexpectedly busy Tuesday nights together—the power went
out across town, it was awards night at the high school, or someone
local and well-loved had passed away—and he always had his head
down and his ears open and kept on working.
I remember his parents well too, such a friendly and generous
couple that remembered my name, and his older brother Matt who
also worked at the restaurant as a host. He was a little more outspoken than Alex, and also seemed interested in music. Matt talked
with me about wanting to go to school for sound engineering, and
I suggested internship ideas and people who could show him the
ropes. I’ve never met Alex’s sister but I imagine she is just as genuine and authentic as the rest of the family.
Although I’ve never been a big fan of American Idol, except the
first season—but come on who wasn’t—I could tell that the viewers
were looking for a change this season, and I’m not surprised that
they loved Alex so much, although he said he was shocked week
after week. He is a unique, original singer-songwriter who seems so
shy and timid, but is actually really confident with his musical talent. He’s real. He makes every cover song his own. He strives to be
unique. He broke the mold in ѡ