Old school musician: Alan Roux forges a rockin’ legacy on the Seacoast
 
By SHAWN MACOMBER
Showcase Correspondent
Thursday, April 29, 2004
 
Alan Roux is a proud member of what he calls the "old school."  He loves the singular tone of a Gibson guitar run through a Fender amp, and prefers his rock rooted in the blues and jazz fundamentals.  Music is, he explains, an "all-consuming passion" to him. And he doesn’t give it the short shrift.
 
"When I get that guitar in my hands, music just starts to flow out," he said. "But writing a song is like having a fish on your line: If it's got some weight to it, you pull it in. If it's too light, or just nibbling and playing around, you got to let it go. Writing a good song is a craft that requires you to follow that gut feeling and know how big your fish is."
 
Roux got his start as a musician in the early 60's when the powers that be at his elementary school decided every student would be introduced to the violin. Before long Roux was hounding his parents for a guitar, which he eventually got, albeit with a few strings of a different nature attached.
 
"I really owe so much to my folks," Roux said. "The guitar wasn't always my favorite thing, but they made me stick with it. Other kids would be out playing kick the can, and my mom was calling me into the house to practice guitar."
 
They also sent Roux to study under the tutelage of jazz guitarist Jim Price. Price had a profound impact on Roux, personally and as a player, and he took those $2 an hour lessons for eight years. It all paid off. By high school Roux was playing out five nights a week.
 
Roux lists off the names of the long-gone Seacoast clubs he used to frequent - The Night Owl, Skyline, Big Daddy?s.
 
Twelve years ago Roux started the Alan Roux Project, which eventually evolved into the Alan Roux Band, one of the area's most popular acts.
 
"We're fortunate enough to play out quite a bit," Roux said, adding that even with a full schedule he was unlikely to become a full-time musician anytime soon. "The clubs now aren't even paying what they used to. So when a club owner asks how much we're worth, we just have to tell them it's whatever they're paying that night.
 
"It's not about money for us," Roux said. "The real payment is in the applause, in making people happy."
 
Roux said he's been in the game long enough to see the club scene wax and wane, but he doesn'?t fear for the future.
 
"The ones who do it are the same as they ever were," Roux said. "True musicians will plug along no matter what, and a few young ones that live and breath live music in the same way will join in and keep it going. It'll always be that way."
 
As for Roux?
 
"If I never go any further than right now I honestly feel I've made it," Roux said. "I have a family and a wife who have always loved and supported me 100 percent and I've been able to play all the time. I couldn't be a happier man if I tried."
 
© 2004 Geo. J. Foster Company