The Alterside

Welcome to the Alterside.  My name is Saij, and here you’ll find all of my Albums, free Mp3 downloads, Poetry, and more!

My music is a blend of Soul, R&B, and Rock, with a bit of Hip Hop thrown in.  Think: Prince meets Ben Harper.

It’s ALL free to download, with a Creative Commons license.  That means if you want to download it for your own use, feel free.  If you want to use it for some commercial use, or in a project of your own, you have to ask me first.

About me

I have been song writing since I was 15 years old and first got my hands on my Dad’s bass guitar.  It was one of those “under-sized” ones, which was perfect for me, as I was a late bloomer.   The first thing I did when I could finally get my fingers to move correctly (and they stopped hurting) was write a song.  It was a crappy one! It had only two chords and a the dumbest lyrics you’ve ever heard. But, it set a tone for my life.  Writing music is what I do.

I went to music school for two years out of High School.  I learned a lot, but I eventually decided it wasn’t for me.  Music School is designed for people looking to be Classical Orchestral Musicians, members of large Jazz Ensembles, and Quartets.  I have a lot of respect for the level of work and dedication demanded of people who go down that road.  But, somewhere along the line, I realized that wasn’t my road.

I’m a Soul singer and a Song Writer.  And that’s a solitary road to travel.  I’m at my best alone in my studio, with a guitar in one hand and a mic in the other.  I’m my own Producer, Engineer, and Editor.  It all comes down to me, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  If a song doesn’t sound right, I have to fix it.  If something goes wrong, I can only blame myself.

But, there is a satisfaction that comes from “being your own boss”.  I feel like a painter might feel, or a Novelist.  At the end of the day, when all the work is done, they can look back at their work and know that it is truly their own.  For good and for ill, their work is stamped with a singular passion.

The work on this site is mine own passion.