A Fine Frenzy: Biography
A Fine Frenzy is the stage name of singer-songwriter Alison Sudol, born in 1985 in Seattle, Washington. After her parents divorced when she was five years old, she moved to Los Angeles, California. A self-taught pianist, Alison's debut album, One Cell In The Sea, was released in July 2007. She is signed to Virgin Records.
- Alison: (advice for someone who wants to pursue a career in music) I think that the temptation is to do what everybody else is doing because it seems like the safe thing. It's scary and difficult to find your own voice and go for it because it's risky and you expose yourself more. But, in the end, if you if you stick with who you are and what you believe in and your own creativity, style and voice, you'll go further. (edit)
- Alison: We all have our own insecurities and I am flawed like any other human being...quite flawed really! I just think it's hard to think something bad of yourself already and then to have someone else say it. (edit)
- Alison: (on her most happiest state) When I'm at a piano writing a song. You know, sometimes it doesn't come easy to me and I really have to work for it. But when I'm creating, there's nothing quite like it and it feels magical.(edit)
- Alison: (on being fluent with the piano) There's something about it that I have been fascinated by and I think it's such a complete instrument, and an emotional instrument. It just seemed like the natural choice for me to play. (edit)
- Alison: A lot of people are much better at being super weird and out there than me. I like bringing it down a little to really look at it, and then I can become a part of the music as I observe it.(edit)
- Alison: Burbank is a strange little town, but sweet and far enough from there to keep me pretty normal. It's just like growing up in any small town, except I could see NBC, Warner Brothers, and Disney pretty much from my window.(edit)
- Alison: I like continuing to be a normal human being and somebody that does what normal people do. I don't want to become this personality or someone who hates taking out the garbage. And I hate taking out the garbage. I've always hated taking out the garbage.(edit)
- Alison: Music is the thing that makes me wake up every day. Everything else is the icing on the cake.(edit)
- Alison: I don't even know how to write 'modern' music. I just know what I grew up with were classically crafted songs with real melodies.(edit)
- Alison: I think this industry can get too focused on a person as an entity or celebrity but I make music and at the end of the day. it should be about the music. It's not really about me. I want people to experience the record as their own and not as my viewpoint of the world.(edit)
- Alison: I'm usually a real fidgeter - the only time I'm not is when I am playing music, in which case I forget everything else in the world.(edit)
- Alison: Sometimes I worry that Christmas is changing into the "stuff season"... gift stuff, card stuff, stuffing ourselves, complaining about stuff, accumulating stuff.(edit)
- Alison: I always wanted to be an artist of some sort and I was really shy growing up, so performing didn't really seem like a natural choice, but whenever I got on stage to do something I felt more comfortable than I did in real life.(edit)
- Alison: I think that music comes in waves and there was kind of a hole for a while there. There was room for singer-songwriters who are doing something that was more alternative and different and now, we seem to be rising at the same time. And I think it's fantastic.(edit)
- Alison: (describing her music) It's sort of like the soundtrack to a fairytale. It's a bit consumed with love stories and the lovesick.(edit)
- While on the road when touring, Alison sleeps a lot, listens to a lot of music, writes little stories, and plays the guitar until her fingers are "almost bleeding".(edit)
- The inspiration of coming up with the name "A Fine Frenzy" came from the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night's Dream. She wanted another name to take the focus away from her and towards her music.(edit)
- The worst thing that Alison has read about herself is that her face is crooked and that she tries too hard and is pretentious.(edit)
- Alison's first musical memory was admiring her little yellow piano when she was just about three years old and living in Seattle.(edit)
- Featured Music in Movies:
"Almost Lover" - Music and Lyrics
"Fever" - Dan in Real Life
(edit) - Featured Music in TV Shows:
"Hope for the Hopeless" - 1-2: In Which Sam Receives an Unexpected Visitor of Private Practice
"Ashes and Wine" - 2-2: An American Family of Brothers and Sisters
"Last of Days" - 4-1: Can You Hear Me Now? of CSI: New York
"Almost Lover" - 4-1: Can You Hear Me Now? of CSI: New York
"Lifesize" - 4-17: It Gets the Worst At Night of One Tree Hill
"Near To You" - 3-11: No More Mr. Nice Guy of The Hills
Almost Lover" - 3-16: A Night at the Opera of The Hills
"Think of You" - 3-6: Second Chances of The Hills
"Hope for the Hopeless" - 3-18: Airborne of House(edit) - Using the alias Alison Monro, her movie credits include Here Dies Another Day, The Gray in Between, and Little Black Boot.(edit)
- If someone had to play her in a movie, Alison would want it to be Kate Winslet, who stars in one of her favorite movies of all time, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.(edit)
- The song "Almost Lover" reached No.25 at the Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.(edit)
- Alison loves to read books such as the works of C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, and E.B. White.(edit)
- Both of her parents are dramatic arts teachers.(edit)
- Her signature look is wearing bright red hair and romantic, feminine clothing.(edit)
- Her musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Elton John, and The Beatles. Her music is also inspired by British bands such as Keane, Coldplay, Radiohead, and Aqualung.(edit)
- Alison covered the song "Let It Snow" in Starbucks' Christmas album compilation, Stockings By the Fire.(edit)
- Her album One Cell in the Sea reached No.91 in the Billboard 200 Chart.(edit)
Person Score
8.9
great
- Person Statistics
-
0 of 5,900 Rating Rank
-
0 Reviews
-
1 Tracked by
-
2 Votes
top contributors
mackymacaspac
- user score: 151
TheDiamondDog
- user score: 5
- last online: Jan 7, 2009
