A Christmas Song Born in Lynbrook

With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to start thinking of Christmas music. Think you've heard it all?

Well now there's a new Christmas song called, "He'll Bring Love," written by Lynbrook resident Alex Calvo.

"It's the story of Christmas from when Mary conceives until Jesus is born," Calvo said.

Calvo, an avid guitar player and singer-songwriter, wrote the song during the last Christmas season.

"I was working the overnight shift," said Calvo, 42, who works for the Nassau County Police Department. "I came home at 7:30 in the morning. I woke up at 10 a.m., had some coffee, and grabbed my guitar. I played the melody and it hit me. This song should be the story of Christmas. I wrote the lyrics really quick. I played it for my wife and she really liked it."

Calvo's wife, Annie, sings on the piece. The two also perform in cover bands around Long Island.

"We have a recording studio in our apartment and we decided to record it," Calvo said.

The first person to hear it was Julia Sergi, the musical director at , where Annie is a member of the choir.

"I never wrote a Christian-type song before and I wanted her opinion," Calvo said. "She loved it. She's going to have her adult and children's choir perform it at the church for the Christmas concert."

Calvo put the song on YouTube and said he got an overwhelming response.

Calvo then put the song on iTunes, Amazon and Napster, and is donating all the proceeds to Our Lady of Peace Church and Catholic charities. To make money from the song, he had to try and market it.

"I decided to contact Christian radio stations around the world," Calvo said. "I contacted stations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I sent then MP3s through email. And they are playing it. It's very rare that radio stations will play unsigned artists but Christian stations will. I got more of response from Australia and New Zealand."

Calvo said he doesn't know how much money he has raised so far because he won't get a report until January.

Calvo has been playing guitar and writing songs since he was 14. He writes everything from dance music to soft rock, and listens to everything from Lady Gaga to the Beatles.

"I write when the mood hits me," he said. "I always have guitars all over the place. If I strum something and I like it, I'll work on it."

This isn't the first time he experienced a little bit of fame. He wrote a song about the New York Jets in a year when they didn't do well. He put it on YouTube and got 9,000 hits.

Calvo said he loves playing guitar but hates practicing.

"My wife and I play in an entertainment group," he said. "I hate practicing the songs. I would rather just write and create. Playing guitar is a stress reliever."