Jeffrey Alexander is a prolific purveyor of his hazy brand of stoner rock jams, especially with The Heavy Lidders.

This popped up on a playlist yesterday and I loved it so much I went straight out and bought tickets to see Jeffrey Alexander & The Heavy Lidders.

I’ve never heard of them before and I never heard their self-titled 2021 lockdown debut of hazily drifting tunes, led by Alexander’s gently questing voice and guitar.

I get those summery stoner vibes that Israel Nash and Mac De Marco create so well, with the same tendency to drift off into long jams and guitar freak-outs.

“The best results occur when I’m closing my eyes and fully listening, and not paying attention to what I’m playing,” he says. Trying to get to that unexpected place is the spiritual aspect for me. I really try to get out of my head.”

Alexander comes from Philadelphia, and plays in another band called Dire Wolves, but the city’s smooth soul tradition seems not to have rubbed off on him.

In fact, he says his inspiration when forming the Heavy Lidders was to find local musicians because his children were “becoming real, talking little people, and I was being more engaged as a poppa.

“A lot of Lidders songs are about my kids: I had them at 50 and I’m doing my best.”

Alexander grew up in Baltimore in the ’70s, where his mum was church organist and choir director at his preacher dad’s church.

His eclectic musical taste ran the gamut from Barry Manilow to Hot Tuna, later dropping out of school and becoming a Deadhead, living on the road.

You can certainly hear the influence of Jerry Garcia on his playing, particularly on a 36-minute take on Dark Star.

This isn’t it – too long for my monthly mixtape. But it takes you on a similarly serpentine journey over the course of five minutes.