Story: Slade Rand
West Coast jammer Alex Jordan’s new album out this weekend is an upbeat blend of road trip anthems, tight rock grooves and gospel-style love songs.
‘Queen Kerosene’ drips with sunny Americana soul, and the 40-minute-record gives an honest reflection on what makes life worth living. Jordan pulls themes from Southern rock and his background in beachy U.S. blues to deliver a heartfelt project.
“With my songwriting, I’m trying to convey that everyone’s life experience is their own, but we’re not so unique that we’re unrelatable,” Alex Jordan told After Midnight this past week.
Jordan released ‘Queen Kerosene’ on Friday after nearly four years of writing, refining and living with his original music. This week, he’ll give new life to the record during a Bay Area album release party at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA. Tickets are available here for the ‘Queen Kerosene’ celebration.
He recorded the album at The Finishing School in Austin, TX, with California rock guru Steve Berlin of Los Lobos producing. Grammy-winner Jim Scott mixed ‘Queen Kerosene,’ and San Francisco icon Bob Minkin photographed Jordan ahead of its release.
Photo by Bob Minkin; Courtesy Alex Jordan
Jordan plays a slew of keyboards across the ten songs, most of which he first wrote on his longtime guitars, a 1958 Martin 018 and Taylor 114. Throughout ‘Queen Kerosene,’ he cycles through a B3 Hammond, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, clavinet and piano.
Ahead of this week’s album release, Jordan shared a music video for the title track and singles including a winning cover version of the tune ‘Blue’ originally by Twin Cities alt-rockers The Jayhawks.
“Steve had been looking for something new for me to cover; I like reinterpreting songs,” Jordan said. “I kept re-listening to ‘Blue’ and having that feeling of being present inside the song.”
As the second track on the album, ‘Blue’ gives new listeners a taste of Jordan’s knack for soulful vocals and honest delivery. The talented singer belts over a laid-back, twangy groove that sets an old-school tone for the record.
‘Emily’ enters next on the album, with a bounce and a southern drawl from the guitar. An uplifting horn section plays while Jordan sings about comfort and trust on the standout track. It’s one of the few ‘Queen Kerosene’ tracks Jordan plays guitar on, filling in with a vintage Gibson behind the brass.
While recording, Berlin and Jordan lived together next door to the studio that regularly plays home to foundational ATX group Band of Heathens. Austin stalwart and bassist George Reiff made a name for the recording space prior to his passing in 2017.
Jordan said he was “immediately thrilled” when he stepped into The Finishing Room.
“I was going to ship a half-dozen guitars down,” Jordan said. “[But on another trip] I stayed a day late and went to the studio and said, ‘I don’t need to ship anything,’.”
When he’s not recording or finding new fans on tour, Jordan is consistently gigging around the Bay Area.
Jordan has felt called to make music since first grabbing a guitar to play the lead in a high school production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’
“I just don’t know that I would want to do anything else,” Jordan said.
He spent a lot of his early years onstage playing the Bobby Weir role in Grateful Dead-adjacent tribute bands with residencies around town. He still loves those gigs, and plays a regular ‘Grateful Thursdays’ as Alex Jordan & Friends at Club Fox in Redwood City, CA.
“It’s this thing I do that I love,” Jordan said. “I’ve been doing it for a dozen years so it feels self-sustaining, and I just get to play with some really really fine musicians doing it.”
Jordan played shows at Terrapin Crossroads for years before the legendary San Rafael venue shuttered in 2021, and he joined Midnight North alongside Grahame Lesh and Elliott Peck for six years. Jamming with the San Francisco band spurred his passion for organ and piano.
“I just like playing music,” Jordan said. “Midnight North invited me to join in December 2013 to be a lead guitar and harmony singer, and slowly over the course of four years I became the full time keyboard player.”
Prior to his time with Midnight North, Jordan found his balance onstage with acts like Southern California’s Dead tribute band Cubensis. While playing on the local scene he said he was lucky to interact and share space with inspirational players including bassist Reed Mathis, drummer Jay Lane and guitarist Stu Allen.
In San Francisco, he’s partnered with the non-profit group Grateful Guitars and his good friend Andy Logan since 2022 to provide classic instruments to local players. This weekend after releasing his album, Jordan played a few tunes on Jerry Garcia’s ‘Alligator,’ with Dead tribute group The China Dolls at Ashkenaz in Berkeley.
“The gear we secure inspires the players and their fans and ensures that the jam band scene thrives,” Grateful Guitars said in a statement.
For ‘Queen Kerosene’ Berlin and Jordan recruited help from local Austin players Carrie Rodriguez on vocals, violin and fiddle, and accordion player Josh Baca. The additional zydeco sounds lend flavor to ‘Welcoming Call’ on the album.
“Josh being Flaco Jiménez’s protege, he’s really a shredder on that accordion,” Jordan said.
Stream ‘Queen Kerosene’ here, and Bay Area fans can catch Alex Jordan’s ‘Queen Kerosene’ release party March 14 at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, CA. Berlin and other special guests will help Jordan bring the new record to life.
After Midnight 
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