Fuse fearsome dedication with four diversely talented musicians, a mind-boggling work-ethic and a positive mission, and you’re facing an unstoppable force. Welcome to Alice Sweet Alice, a Kansas City alt rock hybrid, whose tasty tunes, stylistic diversity and passionate live show are paying dividends with a hard-to-ignore street buzz. ASA is Female Fronted Indie Alternative Rock with Teeth.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Alice Sweet Alice about the new project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Alice Sweet Alice (ASA) is from Kansas City Missouri, and plays 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 that ignite the senses with progressive composition and meaningful lyrics. Many tell us our sound is familiar, yet they never can quite put their finger on it because it seems new and dynamic.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
For most of us it is different. But for all of us, music is in the blood of our families and it is a natural progression for us to do it. Some of us just caught the bug of creativity and never looked back. What keeps us going is the excitement of songwriting, performing and the interaction of our listeners. Our fans mean SO much to us, and when just one of them tells us one of our songs made a difference for them – well, that’s probably the most incredible thing in the world.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Viola Organista – The Macabre Carnival is a revisit of our 2016 album, which was released in a hurry after we reformed, and all too hastily. This time, we took our time with the songs and made sure the mixes were doing them justice. Our new lineup is performing better than ever before, and it shows in the response we get when we play live. As far as accomplishing something, we just wanted to make a suite of songs that really captured what Alice Sweet Alice represents: diversity, drama, driving rock and excitement.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Of course, the biggest is standing out in the crowd, but the tools are there, and it requires the utilization of those tools, coupled with hard work and determination. We spend hours pretty much all week working social media, reaching out to radio, magazines and direct to fans. Technology has helped us in the way of social media, being able to directly contact our potential listeners, but also in the recording process. Even though we have a very nice recording studio, we don’t have to buy tape anymore, though we do have a tape machine to use – we have the convenience of total recall when it comes to mixing, recording etc., so that definitely helps in post production, and helps shave some money off our overhead. It is EXPENSIVE to be in a band! People don’t realize. So we appreciate if you pull out your wallet and buy a song for a dollar!! Believe me!! It means the world to us!
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Anything else before we sign off?
You can be part of our family and receive some really cool things like rehearsal recordings, help us writing lyrics, tickets, gear, etc by joining our PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/alicesweetalice
WE RETURN ALL MESSAGES, SO PLEASE REACH OUT!!
