Interview with Rocky Alvey

From the beginning of my call with Rocky Alvey, a multi talented musician, songwriter, and astronomer, his passion was apparent. Not only was he learned and well-spoken with his responses, but his word choice beautifully painted a portrait of his journey to the present day.

As a kid, Alvey was surrounded by music, through his own friends, through the church, and by taking music lessons. The lessons, however, didn’t stick, and he became accustomed to writing. One day, one of his friends decided to put some of the poetry Rocky had been working on to melodies, and his journey as a musical artist sparked. It began as a small hobby, recording some small projects in the 70s and 80s, but the true catalyst for his craft came when he began working at Vanderbilt’s observatory, with the goal of combining science and art, a perfect representation of Alvey’s lifelong interests. Through a concert series at Nashville’s renowned Bluebird Cafe, a hub for songwriters, his work with Beth Nielsen Chapman during the program sprouted into their  album “The Mighty Sky”. 

This album, a collection of science themed songs that stemmed from Rocky’s own writing were altered into a form which he deems as “perfection”, incorporating elements of Jazz, Rock and Roll, and more. 

This sort of art did not come about by chance, but rather the plethora of influences Alvey was surrounded by since a young boy. When I asked him for his greatest influence in creativity, his response was not one I expected. Rather than a Chet Atkins or Willie Nelson, reflecting the Americana-Folk widely present in his independent musical work, he chose a figure that reflected his scientific side, Albert Einstein. To me, it made complete sense. Someone with such cross-sectional interests could only be inspired by such a man.

Nights under the Southern Illinois sky, staring out from a tractor into the stars seems to be one of Alvey’s most cherished childhood memories. With the spark of the stars in the night sky, a flame for the scientific world burns through his endeavors to this day. I asked him, what’s next?

Rocky is excited to continue his interests and has been in the works on a new album, possibly one mirroring “The Mighty Sky”. He is working on papers as a hobby surrounding astronomy and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, still as curious as he was on the farm in his youth, still searching for answers. His advice to people trying to get into the fields he is currently in? “become a specialist and a generalist, know more than anyone else in your favorite thing” and to “embrace uniqueness”, a mantra that could take any young dreamer to the moon and back.