Growing up in Lake Stevens WA, Alex Mortland’s musical life began at age 10, taking guitar lessons with a local instructor & spending nearly every idle moment practicing, learning & listening.

His earliest inspirations ranged from 1990s alt-rock heroes (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins) to classic rock icons (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), and by his early teen years he was rapidly digesting a massive amount of esoteric influences….. everything from avant-garde rock & classical music (Captain Beefheart, Can, Charles Ives, etc) to jazz & fusion (Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Weather Report, etc) to Left-Field pop/rock (The Beach Boys, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, etc) to soul/R&B (Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, Prince) to acoustic fingerstyle virtuosos (Nick Drake, Michael Hedges, John Fahey, etc) and countless other styles.
At age 15, Alex had the opportunity to make his first professional recording, working with Billy Oskay (veteran Windham Hill Records producer/engineer/artist) to produce a 5-song EP of instrumental acoustic guitar compositions at Big Red Studio in Corbett, Oregon. Alex learned a great deal about the recording process from Oskay, and this knowledge would serve him well in the years to come.
By 17, Alex had become highly proficient on guitar (electric & acoustic), bass guitar & keyboards, having taught himself the latter two instruments. He was soon gigging regularly with several local jam/cover bands, sometimes switching between several instruments in a single night.
In 2002 (age 18), Alex became the bassist/co-songwriter with Othello & The Hipknotics, an experimental hip-hop group specializing in a blend of concious hip-hop lyrics with the crafted arrangements of a live jazz/fusion band. The band’s album “Classic” was issued in Japan (on Miclife Records) as a CD/vinyl release in 2004, and quickly reached the #3 spot on HMV’s Hip Hop Album charts (just behind The Beastie Boys & The Roots). A Japanese tour (also featuring The Procussions, who employed The Hipknotics as their backup band) took place in early 2005, and the band performed to sold-out crowds all throughout the country.
Back in the USA, with The Hipknotics having gone their seperate ways, Alex became the guitarist for Sambusa, a six-piece Seattle rock band best described as “alternative soul”. The band self-released one album (Riddle For Reason), toured the West Coast and generated a massive following in the Seattle area before calling it quits in 2010.
Currently, Alex is a guitarist & songwriter with Mother Of Pearl (his pride & joy), which also features Seattle luminaries such as Kent Halvorsen, Christa Wells, Jeremy Lightfoot & Derneill “Woogie D” Washington. Mother Of Pearl specializes in a hybrid of rock/pop/jazz/r&b/electronica, and the band has been taking Seattle by storm since their live debut in November 2013.
Besides the above, Alex has worked with MANY other bands & artists as a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, singer, producer & songwriter. A short list would include: Lee Oskar (War, Low Rider Band), Blake Lewis (American Idol), KJ Sawka (Pendulum, Destroid), Thomas Erak (The Fall Of Troy, Just Like Vinyl, Chiodos), RA Scion (Common Market), Blackout Media, Awake Underwater and many more.
After teaching music (on a semi-professional basis) for many years, Alex became a full-time teacher at The Music Factory in 2011. Specializing in guitar instruction, he also provides lessons on electric bass, keyboards and drums, for all ages, styles & skill levels. Not being an adherent of the “one size fits all” approach, Alex custom-designs his lesson plans for each individual student based on the student’s goals, influences & personality.