For Waltham Musician, Songs Are More Than Sounds
Alan Area working on his second solo album.
Alan Arena is a musician, but his most skilled instrument makes no sound at all—his pen. "Songwriting is like creating a legacy," said Arena, 49. "You have to want to communicate something real bad and know how to put it into words." Arena, who is working on his second solo album, grew up in Waltham and wrote his first song, "Doing 110 at 3am," in 1978, before he even picked up a guitar. Shortly after he began guitar lessons, and during his time at Waltham High School, he sang in the jazz choir. By then, he already knew he wanted to be a musician. Inspired by Bob Seger and Eric Clapton, Arena has a blues sound, but is influenced by everything from country to jazz to swing to roots rock and gospel. "I'm trying to create a sound drawing from…
