[2] A fan of punk rock records from bands such as The Clash, Sex Pistols and Stiff Little Fingers, he bought himself an $80 guitar and taught himself three chords.
With this the band continued to get critical acclaim and set off on a second North American tour before it was being abruptly cancelled due to the label's bankruptcy.
In 2002, The Nils reformed with Carlos now on bass, and ex Flounger and Chino guitar player and close friend of Alex, Mark Donato.
Months after his death, musicians including Chris Spedding and John Kastner (Doughboys, Asexuals) held a sold out tribute concert in his name.
“Just as The Replacements are credited with giving punk a more mature sound in the States, The Nils really were responsible for making that happen here.” [3] In 2015, “Shadows & Ghosts” was released, mixed by Phil Burnett (Laurie Anderson, Steely Dan).