Music
Alex is a gigging bassist, pianist, composer, arranger, engraver, producer, and educator living in the Portland, OR area.
Alex writes, arranges, and performs with groups around the Pacific Northwest. Having written extensively for both large and small ensembles, his arrangements have been commissioned and performed by groups like the Resonance Ensemble and the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. He also taught jazz band at West Linn High School from 2016-2020.
Education
B.A. in Music Composition -
Lewis & Clark College, 2014
M.M. in Jazz Studies -
Portland State University, 2016
Thankusomuch is the result of some of PDX’s very best young musicians bonding over a shared interest in pop, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. You’ll find them performing around Portland while paying homage to the brilliant artists of past decades, playing inventive arrangements of modern pop-tunes, profusely thanking audience members and venue staff, or showcasing melodically tasteful and harmonically adventurous original numbers.
THANKUSOMUCH
Thankusomuch has been a featured artist with the PDX Jazz Festival and Soul’d Out Music Festival. They were also the Neo-Soul Sunday house band at the Jack London Revue from 2016-2018, and shared the stage with nationally performing artists like Bilal, Dead Prez, and De La Soul.
Led by Alex Koehler, Thankusomuch includes some of the best local talent to round out their sound. They’ve been making waves in the music scene with their impressive versatility and energetic performances. Their ability to seamlessly blend jazz, pop, rock, funk, and neo-soul elements into their music makes them stand out from other bands in the area. But that's not all - Thankusomuch is also available to play a variety of events, including weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Book Thankusomuch for your next event and see what all the fuss is about!
SPANKWAVE
Spankwave is a Portland based, tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the synth-heavy, guitar-driven, cinematic sounds of the 1980s. Created by Alex Koehler and Josh Clark of Thankusomuch, their music mixes the atmospheric synthscapes of a late night drive in a rainy, futuristic city, with the melodic minimalism of classic slasher films, pinned together by sweeping guitar melodies, and some very slick tom fills. Rich with textures and digital artifacts, their infectious electro sound is a combination of Retrowave, Vaporwave, and classic soundtrack cheesiness, with just a touch of irreverent humor.
Spankwave’s music is available for licensing via Marmoset
CHIBIA
Chibia is one of Portland’s most in-demand acts, and features the incredible vocal/violin/songwriting talents of Chibia Ulinwa, Alex’s wife since 2022.
In addition to serving as the band’s musical director and arranger, Alex also performs as a keys/key-bass/bass player for Chibia’s live shows. He also helped engineer, mix, and produce Chibia’s 2023 EP, So This Is Love, vol. 1
Together, their music has been featured on a variety of media, including Marvel’s She-Hulk on Disney+. Together, Alex and Chibia have played at some of Portland’s best venues, including Revolution Hall, Doug Fir Lounge, and Mississippi Studios.
Past Projects &
Selected Collaborations
Original Compositions, Arrangements, and Worksheets
Selected pages from original tunes, modern arrangements of pop and jazz artists, and scores for large ensemble. Alex has been composing, arranging, and engraving on Finale for 10+ years. This selection showcases pages from a wide range of lead sheets, big band arrangements, choral pieces, string quartets, a string and French horn trio, large jazz ensemble, small jazz ensemble, and guitar quartets.
Alex incorporates a lot of original worksheets and handouts for his private students, as well as the young musicians he works with in his high school jazz ensembles. They range from informational worksheets, to instrument specific handouts, to jazz vocabulary and idiom exercises.