Alexander George Gut is his name. But his online followers know him as Alex Goot. The 26-year-old New Yorker made his name producing song covers on YouTube, playing and recording every single instrument himself like a one-man band.
Since Sept 13, 2007 when he first created a YouTube account, he has garnered a huge following of more than 1.8 million subscribers and released two full-length albums – the first, In Your Atmosphere (2012), made possible through crowd funding, and the second, Wake Up Call (2014).
Come August 21, he will be co-headlining with fellow YouTube band Against The Current in his debut concert in Singapore. And the opening acts, our very own Gentle Bones and The Summer State!
Not many who use YouTube as an avenue to make a living as a musician succeed. But Goot is an exception. Besides his talent as a multi-instrumentalist, he draws attention by putting his own spin to top 40 singles, setting himself apart from other cover artistes online.
“There’s no scheme, really, behind it or technique. I just pick up the guitar or the piano and just start jamming to the song. It sounds like me, I suppose,” he told Tube Amp’s Corey Vidal in a video interview. “I use a lot of different instruments to texture my music and add things… It naturally happens. You just give your stuff personality by it not being perfect.”
It proves to be an effective approach having accumulated as many as 17 million views for a video. His cover of OneRepublic’s Counting Stars currently holds this record. In 2011, his rendition of Britney Spears’ Hold It Against Me even earned him the Best Fan Cover award from Viacom’s inaugural O Music Awards. What’s more, it’s all self-made success.
“I always have things new and fresh. I’m always putting up new videos. (Labels) kind of slow that down… so much red tape to cut through to get any product out,” the independent artiste said to the Northwest Talent Showcase.
Leveraging on Internet fame, he was able to bring the attention of his viewers to his original compositions – and to much triumph as well. So much so, they sell better than the covers.
“The whole point of me doing covers was to get fans and show them that I have my own music to share. And that’s worked really well too,” Goot shared with Confront Magazine. “It’s everything I’ve hoped for in that department because when we play live, a lot of people are singing along to the original songs just as much as the covers; they know both.”
With an upcoming Asian and Australian tour from August to September this year, his schedule looks to be ever hectic. But considering his flourishing career? So far, so goot.
—
Grab your tickets now over at Peatix, and hurry! It’s almost all sold out!
Concert Details
Date: August 21, 2014
Time: 7pm
Venue: *SCAPE The Ground Theatre
Photo credits: Impact Entertainment Group
