Present yourself to the readers
Hey everyone! We are Alice Sweet Alice from Kansas City, Missouri in the United States. We describe our music as “Alternative Rock”, but we’ve been categorized as Prog. Rock, Hard Rock, and a multitude of other genres. We like to say that we play genre-bending music that resists description, classification or categorization – yet sounds intimately familiar. There are definite rock overtones sometimes paired with electronica, jazz, blues and post punk with progressive composition and meaningful lyrics that we hope ignite the senses.
Who composes ?...How does it work in the band ?
We all compose together.Of course, certain members instigate songs by presenting ideas, but then it gets thrown to the wolves so we can all take a bite!Certainly, there are certain members that are more prolific than others, but the songs all take life with everyone’s contribution.We give credit to everyone.
Who writes the texts ?..What are they talking about ?..How does inspiration come ?
Our main lyricists are Ali Kat who also does the lead vocals, and Scott Martinez (myself), who is the band founder and primary bass player. In the past I would sing sometimes as well, but with our new lineup, I am happy to keep my mouth shut and let Ali take center stage. Our songs are about personal experiences, sometimes about things that are happening in the world, or are merely about things that are on our minds.We don’t have a particular formula or wouldn’t consider ourselves a theme-oriented band, such as a political band.But we like to think that we talk about things that most people can relate to.We like to say that our songs are about “The Human Experience.”
Why the name ALICE SWEET ALICE ?
The short answer is, I was watching B movies quite a few years ago, and one of them happened to be the 1976 movie, starring Brooke Shields called “Alice, Sweet Alice”. It was kind of a disturbing horror movie, as cheesy as it was – but I really liked the name. I thought it would make a good band name, but none of my former collaborators thought so. It took until 2007 for me to start my own band to be able to use the name!
What are your personal musical tastes and your influences ?
As you’re just talking to one band member, what I can say is that the members of Alice Sweet Alice have a lot of shared influences, but personally, some of the bands that I grew up with that I think influence MY contributions are bands like Killing Joke, Massive Attack, The Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail and many of the early 4AD bands like Cocteau Twins, The Wolfgang Press, Dead Can Dance and Frasier Chorus. I certainly love 60’s bands like The Doors, Cream, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Santana, Procol Harum, Beach Boys and the Beatles of course, and 70’s bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Frank Zappa, Bowie, Mötorhead. For more, contemporary music, I love Deftones, Korn, Slash with Miles Kennedy, The Cure, Siouxsie, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Mastodon, Neurosis, Isis, Dave Gahan and Soulsavers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Porcupine Tree, NIN. There are so many more. I just love well made music. I love funk too, like James Brown and Parliament, Bootsy Collins, etc. Lastly, I take influence from early American blues from artists such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and one of my all-time favorites, Howlin’ Wolf.
Generally, what's the reaction of the public during your concerts ?
Honestly it all depends on where we play. We have gotten the whole gamut – from people looking at us like we had 2 heads, to people up front pounding the stage and reaching out to us. If we play at a metal show, usually the response is not very good. Metalheads can sometimes be a particular bunch, and they’re loyal as hell. I respect that. Usually the people that really like us have a bit more eclectic and “calmer” tastes.
What's your best live memory ? And why ?
A couple years ago we played with Collective Soul at a very big venue in Kansas City. It was amazing from start to finish – from the time we got the call asking us to play (we hadn’t even put in for it) – to the time of our arrival and the welcoming we got from Collective Soul themselves. We have played with big bands before and they can sometimes be standoffish and hang out in the green rooms sticking to themselves. Sometimes they acknowledge you and sometimes they don’t. But Collective Soul invited us into the green room which was a big change. Then, during our performance, they were standing in the wings backstage rocking out to us! The place was packed (about 1200 people) and we sold out of merchandise that night too. People loved us. It was one of those nights that you wanted to press “pause” on and never want it to end.
What would be the festival of your dreams ?(with you playing in it of course !!!
Oooo, that is tough!!! I would want there to be variety on a few different stages. Maybe have a stage for blues and jazz players, maybe some guys like Eric Clapton would have a jam session with Howlin’ Wolf and Keith Richards with Buddy Guy on drums! Another stage would be the post punk stage with bands like Joy Division playing with The Cure, Siouxsie and Bauhaus, with newer bands like Killing Joke. Then another contemporary stage with bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Portishead, Mötorhead, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mastodon, Neurosis and maybe have David Bowie headline as Ziggy Stardust!! Alice Sweet Alice would want to play on that last stage for sure.
What are your future dates ?
We are still compiling dates for a 2016 tour, but so far we are sticking primarily to the mid-western USA, with feelers in the American South. We’ve played everywhere from Chicago to New Orleans in the center of the US, and would love to branch out a little to the east and west. Since we just rebooted with a new lineup, we are almost getting started again, so we’re just getting warmed up. We just played our first show in almost 2 years this past April 23rd!
In studio, what was the ambiance for the great album VIOLA ORGANISTA and other impossible dreams ?...etc.…
We were very organized going into the studio to record this album. We own our own recording studio and so time is not a factor, but still, we didn’t waste any time. We have been doing demos of the songs for the past year, tweaking things here and there and trying to really see that we were not doing too much or not enough. So we recorded the album VERY quickly so as to not screw it up. We did it over the course of 4 days!!! All of the drums were done on the first day, and it was a LONG day, believe me. We recorded all live, together, and I think this is the best way to do it. We are all able to look at each other, and play in sync with one another. So the performances you hear on the album are live in many ways. Of course, we did things like double tracking and adding a few instruments here and there, but we didn’t get ridiculous. Since we had already demoed the songs, we knew exactly what we were going to do and how we were going to play it, so from the first day until the day that our album was delivered to mastering encompassed about 2 weeks. No magic tricks on the recording, no drum replacement, no auto-tuning. It’s stripped down and raw and a true representation of Alice Sweet Alice and what we do. Call us old fashioned, and we’ll say THANKS!
How does it work for the design of the CD ? and why this title ?
Alice Sweet Alice is completely Do-It-Yourself (DIY), and in addition to owning our own recording studio, we do all of our own artwork, management, booking, etc. We call our artwork division “96 Tears”, a name one of my best friends who is now deceased wanted to call a music-related company many years ago. We chose the album title because the idea of the album is making impossible dreams come true. The Viola Organista instrument was designed by Leonardo DeVinci 500 years ago, and it took until these past few years for someone to actually build one. To Leonardo, it may have been an impossible dream of his to actually have one made a reality. But it happened. The song “Viola Organista…and Other Impossible Dreams” is about the rebirth of Alice Sweet Alice.
In 2014, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I left my life and band in Kansas City to care for him as long as he needed me – which unfortunately wasn’t longer than 2 months. During that time, I realized that life was indeed short, and if you aren’t doing what you REALLY want to be doing in life, than you are wasting your time. At that point, the former lineup of Alice Sweet Alice was stagnating a bit, and the music that we had created up to that point, especially 2013’s album “Ribbons & Stone”, wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing. We made the mistake of listening to Artist Development companies and were trying to create music to appeal to the industry, radio, etc., and if you are at all familiar with our discography – this album was a bit of a departure from our earlier work. I don’t hate the music by any means, but it certainly was much different from what I might have done had we NOT listened to other people. A lot of the style of the album was also due to a couple of the former members and their ability level and influences. Therefore, in September 2014 – while I was still caring for my Father - I broke up the band, and did some solo work when time allowed (I did it therapeutically to help me during this stressful time), until I was able to come back to Kansas City. Then, I looked for like-minded individuals that shared my views and that just wanted to have FUN making music. You see, I realized that life was indeed short – so NOW moving forward – I wanted to create music that I loved and TO HELL with the industry and without thought or regard for anyone that may or may not like the music. I wanted to create music that was true to myself and my soul and THAT is what this new album is all about. Restarting a band is a scary dream. An Impossible Dream – but we did it!
Did you find a label ? If yes, how do you made the research ?
No, again, Alice Sweet Alice is completely DIY. We do work with a couple labels for distribution and some promotion, but we do not have exclusive agreements with anyone, and frankly aren’t looking. As a result of some of our relationships however, people from all over the world can buy our CD’s directly from our website very inexpensively!
With Management and booking, how do you work ? And with whom ?
We do all of our own management and booking. It may be that we are cheap, or it may be that we are crazy. You decide!!!
What are your projects ?
At the moment, we are working on writing new songs as we are extremely prolific in that area, and are discussing shooting another video for “Viola Organista.” Alice Sweet Alice usually likes to release special songs in between albums for fun as well. Another thing we may do (perhaps your listeners can email us to tell us if they are interested), is put on a LIVE INTERNET SHOW, that people from all over the world can tune into. We did it a couple years ago on a service called “Stage It”, and we had fans from 5 countries signed in watching. People are able to talk with us during the show and we can talk back. It’s a lot of fun. Maybe if enough people show interest, we can put on a show for everyone just like that. Tickets are very cheap, like $5, and we would play for about an hour and personally answer fan questions the entire time.
What do you expect from the future ?
The most reassuring feeling that one can have is to not have ANY expectations about the future – except to have written a number of songs that we really enjoy. That’s one of the most satisfying things in the world, to have fun with music and to love the fruits of your labor, and who you’re making it with. In today’s music climate, the cards are stacked against many bands like ours, and that’s why it is so important that we start a personal relationship with our fanbase, and that if our listeners really like what we’re doing, to support us in any way they can, even if they just share a post from time to time. Of course, what gives us GREAT satisfaction is the personal relationships that we have developed, and continue to develop with our listeners around the world. We are VERY good about replying to all messages on Facebook, Twitter and from our main contact form on (www.alicesweetalice.com). We really enjoy talking with people and answering questions. We’ve also become therapists as well! People use our music as the soundtrack of their lives, and we couldn’t ask for a bigger honor than that. To know that one or many of our songs has helped someone through a difficult time, is quite satisfying indeed.
What's your motto ?
Ain’t nothing to it but to do it.
Website to remember
http://www.alicesweetalice.com
What would you like to say to the readers ?
Please visit our website and have a listen to some of our music, also feel free to write us anytime! We always reply to messages, you are very important to us. Let us know if you would like us to perform live online and we will put something together! When we do it, we will announce it on all of our social media pages and mailing list members, so please make sure to follow us on the internet.
