by Michelle Sproule | As we noted the other day in our interview with Taylor Ashton, The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is right around the corner (July 16th-18) and we want to get a feel for some of the musicians in the line up. We’ve picked our fave sounds, and among them is Alex Cuba, a local singer-songwriter whose “trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks and rock chords subtly subvert commonly held notions of what Cuban music is.” You can catch him at Folk Fest this coming weekend. What follows is a staccato exchange to give you an idea as to the man behind the music…

Scout Q&A

Three things about your neighbourhood that make you want to live there: Smithers, BC. Natural beauty. Good people. You can walk everywhere.

If you were to bottle yourself as a scent, how would you be described: “Eau de Soul”.

Default drink: Green tea.

Drink you’ll never have again: Root Beer.

Canadian political figure you most relate to: Pierre Trudeau

Favourite Vancouver bridge: The most used: Second Narrows.

One thing you’d like to change about Vancouver: The music scene.

Favourite place to see live music: My living room.

Cheap place for dinner: Home.

Book you’re reading: The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.

Last place traveled: New York.

Biggest fear: That I`ll lose my family.

One thing that always makes you feel like a kid: Writing a new song.

Tell us about your roots: I was born in Artemisa, Cuba about an hour west of Havana.

Best sneaker in the world: My custom Nikes.

Best movie ever: Star Wars.

Three things that you always take in your carry-on: My pick, my CDs, Burt’s Bees lip balm (the air in planes is so dry).

Best hotel ever: Fairmont Mayakoba, Mayan Riviera.

Best bar stool: At the Fairmont Mayakoba, Mayan Riviera.

Dumbest purchase ever: A leather jacket at the Grand Bazaar market in Istanbul.

What are you most proud of: My kids.

The thing that makes you the angriest: Violence.

The view from your favourite window: Hudson Bay Mountain, Bulkley Valley.

Favourite ice cream flavour: Strawberry.

Most beautiful body of water: Lake Kathlyn.

Food your mom makes better than anyone: Cuban-style pea soup.

Talent you wish you possessed: Being able to fly a plane.

The trend you wish you never followed, but did: Not one.

Musical instrument you long to master: Piano.

Sport you gave up: Karate.

Best place to dance: My mother-in-law’s living room.

The game you’re best at: Hide and Seek.

Mac or PC: Mac!

Favourite book as a child: La Edad De Oro by Jose Marti.

The number of fist fights you’ve been in: Three.

The scariest situation you’ve ever been in: Flying out of Tokyo once we went through huge turbulance and it looked like it was the end.

Three things of no monetary value that you will keep until you die: My yoruba necklace, my haguey seed, and my crystal.

Canadian you admire most: Marc Perry in Halifax.

A secret about musicians that not many people know: That we don’t get to have as much fun as people think we do.

Best concert experience ever: The Jazz Festival in Halifax, July 2010

Best way to cure insomnia: Talking with whoever you need to speak to about your situation.

Best garage sale score: A shirt that i had for years.

Describe your tattoos: A bass with wings.

A trick you’re proud of: Always rise beyond difficulties to deliver a good show.

The thing that makes you the most nervous: Having to cook for more than 5 people.

Town you were born in: Artemisa, Cuba.

Old television shows you can tolerate re-runs of: El Pidio Valdez.

First memory: Performing with my dad on a TV show in Cuba at the age of 4.

Album that first made you love music: A self-titled album by Jaco Pastorious.

What are you listening to as you answer these questions: The sound of my computer’s keys.

Best advice you ever received: Always stand on your own two feet.

The career path you considered but never followed: Doctor of medicine.

Thing you miss most about home when you’re on the road: My family.

Three websites you visit every day: My Facebook, iTunes, and www.alexcuba.com.

The first three things you do every morning: When at home, I kiss my wife and say good morning, then I do the same with my kids and go make coffee. When on the road I might just have to get ready to go to the next town.

The thing you’re addicted to: Playing music.

Biggest hope: To see the world forget materialism and become 100% spiritual.

If you were to paint the room you are in, what colour would you go with? Why? Green. It’s my favourite.

Luckiest moment of your life: When I met my wife.

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