 Courtesy of the Artist
For over 30 years Alice DiMicele has been a grassroots trailblazer in independent music. Bucking the advances of record labels, the Southern Oregon-based singer-songwriter has self-released 14 albums on her Alice Otter Music label including 2018's One With the Tide, a beautiful blend of genres anchored by powerful storytelling and DiMicele's distinctive vocals. Recently, DiMicele very kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8 and talk about meeting two of her heroes, her current musical obsession, songwriting, and much more!
What are your “must have” albums for the road? I get obsessed with albums. When I was a kid my first obsession was Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In the Key of Life” and that is still a go-to album for me. My current obsessions are Jason Isbell’s albums “Southeastern" and his latest “The Nashville Sound.” I was on tour in Colorado a few years ago and the son of one of the promoters gave me a burnt copy of “Southeastern” because he thought I would dig it. I pretty much drove my band and my husband bonkers playing that album over and over. Luckily I have the new one now too. John Hiatt’s “Walk On” album has been in heavy rotation since it came out (a LONG time ago) and Trombone Shorty gets a fair amount of play as well as Mavis Staples in the van CD player. Which song of yours gets the best crowd response? My song "Wise Old Woman” from my first album “Make A Change” still seems to be the most requested song. It’s fun to get the audience to sing along on the chorus and crowds have always seemed to enjoy that at my shows. Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? I got to play a show with Bonnie Raitt & Joan Baez. The road that we had to take to get there had a landslide so we had to take a 4 hour detour and got to the show while Bonnie was on stage, figuring we wouldn’t get to play. As I walked in she said “Hey Alice is here!!” and after her set she helped me get my gear on stage and had me use her mic and made sure I was taken care of. As I played my set I saw her and Joan on the side of the stage dancing! Then they invited me up to sing with them at the end of Joan’s set. That was pretty fabulous! Who would you love to collaborate with? This is a good question. I wish I could have answered this for every stage in my life because my musical taste is so broad there are so many answers to this. But at this moment in time, I would say Jason Isbell. There is a sincerity in his music that encompasses my own philosophy in songwriting. If his wife Amanda Shires were there too it would make it even better. I love her playing and she harmonizes so well with him.
Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
Definitely a combination. I often write from first person perspective--but the story is not always mine. The best feeling is when someone reacts to a song and connects to it and then thinks that the song is about my life even when it isn’t. Believability is pretty important as both a songwriter and a singer. I am “in” every song I write even when the story isn’t mine. And I try to write in a way that allows people to put themselves in the songs too. When/where do you do your best writing? Songs come at different times. Sometimes I wake from a dream and the song is there and I have to get up and grab a guitar so I can remember it. Sometimes they come like a freight train and I have to stop everything I’m doing and write. And sometimes they brew for long periods of time. Could be days, months, or years. I’ve started to write songs many times only to hate what comes out and then try again and again until finally the emotion I’m trying to express finds it’s way into a song. I love the way the muse just dictates the process and I just hold on for the ride. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? My long-time voice teacher P. Peter Sacco (may he rest in peace) had me stop listening to other vocalists for two full months. If I went to the grocery store and there was singing on the radio I either had to put in earplugs or walk out. I listened to a lot of horn players during that period. John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz. Lots of instrumental stuff. I’d learn the horn lines or the melody lines and sing them without words. It really helped me settle in to my voice as a instrument and find my own authentic voice. What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out? I would say that it’s most important to be honest in your music. To find your own voice and add that into the musical choir of the world rather than copying or mimicking what other people have done before. You can’t touch people by pretending to be someone you are not. You have to be vulnerable in order for people to feel safe enough to give you access to their deepest hopes and fears. Music should always be about touching people and giving them something to use in their lives that could benefit them and those they love. Bandcamp https://alicedimicele.bandcamp.com/album/one-with-the-tide Website: http://www.alicedimicele.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alicedimicele YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/aliceottermusic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GTLKa7etYFhkKklJyoSgX Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceDiMicele
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