Alice J Austin profile picture

Alice J Austin

About Me

I am sometimes a one-woman rock show and sometimes the frontwoman of a band I call the Stark Raving Mad. My style has been influenced by and compared to Siouxsie Sioux, Social Distortion, Neko Case and Joan Jett. For the last 10 years, I've played in bands from Vermont and Boston, including The Lavas, Queen Tangerine and Zola Turn. I've performed on a number of legendary Boston stages such as TT the Bear's, the Middle East, the Lizard Lounge, The Cantab Lounge and The Abbey Lounge. I also played gigs at New York City venues like Arlene's Grocery, Brownie's, the Continental and the Knitting Factory. Back in Vermont, I regularly rocked Higher Ground, the Metronome, Club Toast, and 242 Main. In addition to local and regional touring, I've appeared on college and commercial radio stations such as WRUV, WBTZ, WERS and many others throughout the Northeast United States. In 2002, my band Zola Turn signed a record contract with Brick Red Records, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Gold Circle Entertainment. Under contract for two albums, our self-released debut was accepted in its entirety. Shortly after Zola Turn played in Austin, TX for SXSW in 2002, Gold Circle Entertainment dropped all of their musical acts in order to focus on film production. Zola Turn carried on as an independent act, and recorded an album at The Playground in Chicago with Keith Cleversley (Flaming Lips, Tuscadero, Mercury Rev) under a new moniker, Queen Tangerine. Prior to focusing on solo shows, I performed with Cambridge band The Lavas. Our debut, Wall to Wall, was released in 2007 and was very well received by local press, as well as internet media and college radio. Due to geographical impracticalities (members live in three different states), the band is on an extended hiatus, but we plan to record a second album.While I love to collaborate with other musicians, I'm enjoying the freedom of expression that comes with performing as a solo artist. My current situation allows for a kind of spontaneity I was never comfortable with dragging my bandmates through. Previously, the focus was on well-arranged pop-rock songs, delivered with a confidence and precision. That dynamic is still present, but I now have room to delve into deeper emotional territory without sacrificing melody or hook. I am currently writing, recording my debut solo album, and booking shows in the East Coast U.S.

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Music:

Member Since: 18/12/2007
Band Website: www.alicejaustin.com
Band Members: The Stark Raving Mad is:Alice Austin: Songs, vocals, guitar, recordings. Julia Austin: Live bass and backing vocals. Sean Toohey: Lap steel, electric 12-string guitar, backing vocals, other sounds Franklin Butkus: Drums, percussion, backing vocals
Influences: violent femmes, howlin' wolf, joan jett, x, asie payton, r.l. burnside, dead kennedys, pj harvey, nick cave, nirvana, the shirelles, sam phillips, t. rex, social distortion, skeeter davis, patsy cline, hank williams, neko case, the the, john doe, the veils, velvet underground, brian jonestown massacre.
Sounds Like: Alice Austin, To a Star in the Yard Album Review BY DAN BOLLES [06.10.09] TAGS: albums, musicEMAIL THIS PRINT VERSION FEEDBACK What's this? Want to hear for yourself? Alice Austin celebrates the release of her new disc with her backing band, The Stark Raving Mad — which includes her sis and former Zola Turn bassist Julia Austin, and Venus Envy/Red Telephone guitarist Sean Toohey — this Saturday, June 13, at The Monkey House. Local indie-pop upstarts Lendway and ambient auteurs Tapis Bleu open the show. ALSO BY DAN BOLLES The Urgency, The Urgency Shaken and Stirring Still 99.8 Percent Jazz Free! (Mostly) Free Jazz Free Jazz? No, Jazz Free! ARTICLES IN MUSIC Craft with the Band The Urgency, The Urgency Shaken and Stirring Still 99.8 Percent Jazz Free! (Mostly) Free Jazz TAGS music albums (Cotton Pony, CD)Once upon a time, Burlington’s Zola Turn was widely presumed to be the next big thing to come out of Vermont, following in the footsteps of other successful local acts such as Belizbeha and, of course, Phish. Forged in the midst of Burlington’s much-ballyhooed 1990s alt-rock heyday, the group made national waves during its seven-year run, signing with Gold Circle Records and scoring a distribution deal with Sony-BMG. But major-label bliss was short lived. In 2001 Gold Circle dumped the band — all of its rock acts, actually — and Zola Turn called it quits the following year.The group’s front woman, Alice Austin — now based in Cambridge, Mass. — has gone on to modest success, playing with regional acts such as The Lavas and Queen Tangerine. But the sort of national acclaim she achieved with Zola Turn has proven elusive. However, should her old fans get wind of her new solo album, To a Star in the Yard, that stands a fighting chance of changing.On the whole, the album is a striking collection of alt-rock gems that will no doubt inspire bouts of wistful nostalgia among those who remember the era fondly. That is not to say Austin is stuck in a flannel-lined rut. Rather, she simply embraces her roots, dated though they may be. Refreshingly, she imbues her music with the no-frills sensibility that was a hallmark of the genre — and by extension, Zola Turn — both sonically and lyrically. Or put another way, you can take Siouxsie Sioux out of the Banshees, but you can’t take the banshee out of Siouxsie Sioux. And in case you were wondering, Austin still wails.From slow-burning album opener “Wings to Me” through tracks such as bottom-heavy scorcher “Never Cry Halo” and the sneering “Sharp Side of the Knife,” Austin proves she’s still a force. What’s more, she seems to have matured as a lyricist. While never lacking for poetic grit, she manages to temper her observations with a subtle intimacy heretofore unseen, at least in the Zola Turn catalog. The result is startling, especially on cuts such as the bruising, Blackhearts-esque rocker “Vicarious” and swooning album closer “Blink and We Miss.”
Type of Label: Unsigned

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Seven Days VT article

http://www.7dvt.com/alice-austin-caroline-o-039-connor-lendw ay
Posted by on Wed, 07 May 2008 19:32:00 GMT