Modeled after NPR’s enormously popular Tiny Desk Concerts, "Sessions of St. Louis" is a new video series that features local musicians performing in stripped-down settings. Each single-camera, one-take session focuses on artists in a way that’s simultaneously intimate and eminently shareable.
St. Louis Gram, an organization that seeks to highlight creative talents in St. Louis, is behind the effort. Creative director Natalia Parr told St. Louis on the Air that the Sessions series “serves to be kind of a music catalog for St. Louis.”
“We want someone to be able to go to Sessions [videos] asking, ‘What does St. Louis sound like?’ and really be able to look through and find incredible people like Alexia who are making beautiful music,” Parr said.
Alexia Simone, born Alexia Majors, is the latest musician to record a session produced in collaboration with St. Louis hip-hop artist Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin. Simone is an alumna of Austin’s intensive six-day training course, Mvstercamp, which teaches skills that include managing onstage presence.
Alexia Simone said her Sessions experience was terrifying but beautiful.
“You want it to be right. It's very intimate, it’s cameras in your face … but it's really important to block it out. ‘What are you here to do? You're here to sing, to provide the vibe, give the performance,’” she said. “Once I kind of got away from the spotlight … it felt like just a good space to express myself. It felt real … it felt authentic.”
Alexia Simone has enjoyed tremendous response from friends and family, and new fans, too. “I've gotten a lot of DMs from people I do not know [who] discovered me on 'Sessions of St. Louis' and wanted to let me know they were really touched, they felt something from what I was doing. It’s been amazing. I'm super grateful just for the opportunity,” she said.
Parr said commenters have left hundreds of suggestions for future artists and spaces to feature as part of "Sessions of St. Louis."
“For me as a consumer, not only as the St. Louis Gram [creative director], it's fascinating and beautiful,” Parr said. “You're just reminded of how talented our city is and how lucky we are.”
To hear excerpts of Alexia Simone’s “Sessions of St. Louis” performance, and who’s next in the lineup of musicians, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
