desire to find himself in an industry
that yearns for more of his kind of
talent. just continued to practice more
to become better at playing the
guitar.
While “Finding Myself” is a pop
album, the listener gets hints of
other musical genres because
of Gideon’s varied musical
experiences. But make no mistake
about it: this upbeat musician from
Choiseul has more music left in him
as he continues to find himself. Stan Bishop: Do you have any
formal training in music?
I caught up with Gideon in
February at the Independence
Edition of Ngozi Open Stage, which
was organized by fellow musician,
Ngozi, and the great folks at Island
Mix in Rodney Bay. He was among
the amazing acts performing
that night. To say the least, he
impressed everyone in the packed
audience. Gideon Alcide: I think I was just
blessed with good voice enough
to sing. I don’t really consider
myself a singer because I’ve never
had professional vocal classes.
However, I’ve taught myself to
play the guitar and, fortunately,
can sing.
Naturally, in true SLYOU Business
Magazine fashion, an interview
followed….
Stan Bishop: What’s your new
album all about?
Gideon Alcide: The album is the
result of one year of writing and
demo-ing on my part. It also
took a year after recording live
in studio with a few musicians,
including from Saint Lucia. The
album is basically about me, my
perspective on life experiences,
and that kind of stuff.
Stan Bishop: Is this your first
album?
Gideon Alcide: Yes, it is. However,
I’d recorded a few singles
previously.
Stan Bishop: Who are some of the
producers you worked with on the
album?
Gideon Alcide: I worked with
Danyl Daniel of Face Media
Production and Stephen Mathurin.
Stan Bishop: Can you describe your
musical journey to this point?
Gideon Alcide: When I was
approaching twelve years old, my
dad, who worked in Martinique,
brought home an acoustic guitar
he found in a garbage dump there.
That’s how it all started. Since I
attended church every Saturday, I
took an interest in learning to play
the guitar because I wanted to
play music at church.
After leaving Choiseul Secondary
School, I just developed a great
love for music. Simply put, I found
music and music found me. I
mean, I wanted to be an architect
and the path just switched. So I
Gideon Alcide: No. Everything I
learned was self-taught.
Stan Bishop: So when and how did
the singing part come in?
Stan Bishop: At what age did
you realize that music was
something you wanted to take up
professionally?
Gideon Alcide: When I left high
school and was about 18 years old.
Stan Bishop: Which musicians were
you influenced by?
Gideon Alcide: When I started
playing music in church, I listened
to a lot of gospel artistes, such as
Kirk Whalum, Jonathan Dubose Jr.
and others. Growing up, me and
my brother, who also sings and
plays the guitar, learned from each
other. He had some jazz DVDs of
George Benson, Lee Ritenour and
Joe Pass. I listened to the music
from these guys because I really
wanted to be a jazz musician at
the time. But then I eventually fell
in love with the blues.
high school and practicing
when my Mom would pressure
me sometimes. She would say
things like, ‘All the other kids who
left school with you are finding
jobs.’ But playing music was all I
wanted to do, so I kept practicing
and later began working with
a few artistes like Meshach (of
Wevolusion Band) and playing
with other folks at resorts.
I started playing with EvaLucian
for a year and then later with
some guys who had been playing
on cruise ships for a while. They
asked me whether I was interested
in the cruise ship gigs and I said
yes. I mean, EvaLucian was a good
gig, but I wanted to expand my
guitar skills by playing different
genres of music. So I’ve been
playing music on the cruise ships
for the past five years.
Stan Bishop: How has working on
the cruise ships contributed to your
music?
Gideon Alcide: It has really helped
me to develop my style. I now play
various genres of music: country,
classic rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, reggae,
soca – everything. As a musician,
it’s mentally a tough job working
on the cruise ships. But I do have
a lot of spare time which I use to
work on my music. For instance,
for the song, “I’m Finding Myself”,
I actually wrote it on the cruise
ship. It was about 3 a.m. when the
idea came to me.
Stan Bishop: How does it feel
being back home and playing at
the Independence Edition of Ngozi
Open Stage?
I was listening to George Benson
once where he said that you
understand jazz when you
understand the blues. After that, I
started listening to blues and fell
in love with it. I listen to all genres
of music, but really learn a lot
from blues music. Gideon Alcide: I loved it! I had fun
and it was amazing.
I now listen to a lot of John Mayer,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King and
Jimi Hendrix. But I listen to almost
everybody’s music, especially for
the approach they take to their
writing and guitar playing. Gideon Alcide: I would really love
to perform at the Saint Lucia Jazz
Festival, for sure. But I sure would
love to perform elsewhere also.
Stan Bishop: Would our Saint Lucia
Jazz Festival also be among your
influences?
Gideon Alcide: Yes. I’ve pictured
myself playing on that stage.
Stan Bishop: How’s your musical
journey been thus far?
Stan Bishop: I understand that your
intention is not just to play on the
cruise ships, but also throughout
the Caribbean and elsewhere. Can
you tell me about those plans?
Stan Bishop: Any words of
encouragement for other young
musicians?
Gideon Alcide: Keep doing
what you’re doing. If you love
something, you should go for it.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you
cannot do it. You have to work
hard, be consistent and believe in
yourself.
Gideon Alcide: It’s been a rough
journey. I remember just leaving
www.slyoumag.com | February - April 2020
SL-YOU | It’s All About Business 73