Alex Kilroy Traces His Long Road to America on “Crossroads On My Mind”
For Alex Kilroy, the crossroads is neither an abstract blues image nor a borrowed piece of mythology. It is a place he has encountered repeatedly, from the childhood decision to trade classical piano for guitar to the visa complications and personal sacrifices that accompanied his move from Romania to the United States. His new single, “Crossroads On My Mind”, gathers those turning points into one of his most personal recordings yet.
Released today, the song introduces Kilroy’s forthcoming EP, New Shade of Blue, which arrives October 23. The project follows his May debut album, Break My Chains, but moves in a more traditional and concentrated direction. Its emphasis falls on the feel, phrasing, grooves, and directness of the blues that first drew Kilroy toward the guitar.
The autobiographical details give “Crossroads On My Mind” its individual character. Kilroy sings about his Transylvanian upbringing, his conviction that he belonged in America, the hometown bars where he developed as a performer, and the long pursuit of a visa. The support of his parents runs through the story, tying his eventual arrival in the United States to the faith and sacrifice that sustained him during the years before it became possible.
Kilroy’s fascination with America began unusually early. At six, he asked his mother for an American flag and hung it above his bed, insisting that Romania was somewhere he was merely visiting. Music later gave that childhood certainty a practical direction when he discovered Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Live at Montreux inside a car his father had imported from the United States.
That performance prompted a challenge from Kilroy’s father, Iulian. If the young musician could learn three Vaughan songs note-for-note during a single summer, he could leave piano behind and focus on guitar. Kilroy succeeded, eventually touring Europe with an SRV tribute band and opening for Lucky Peterson at Romania’s Sighișoara Blues Festival while still in his teens.
The path that followed included wedding gigs, an appearance on The Voice Romania, a Berklee College of Music summer scholarship opportunity, and a self-booked performance at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. There were also visa problems and months of uncertainty back in Romania before Kilroy reached Nashville and began building a working life through performances and session work.
That history now forms the substance of “Crossroads On My Mind.” Rather than simply adopting the familiar language of traditional blues, Kilroy uses it to account for how he reached his present life. The song can be streamed here, ahead of the October 23 release of New Shade of Blue.
