Alison Sudol Finds Her Sound, Hooks Up with Capitol
by Chris M.Junior
With every career there's trial and error.
Long before she hooked up with a big-time label, Alison Sudol burned and distributed her share of miscellaneous CDs featuring what she refers to as "confused music."
"It's just as important to find yourself as it is to find out who you're not, and I really found out who I wasn't by doing that," says the 22-year-old singer/songwriter/pianist. These days, she finds herself leading A Fine Frenzy, and last month, Capitol Music Group released the group's first album, One Cell in the Sea.
Sudol's road to the major leagues began in Los Angeles, where as a child she listened to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. "My mom played a lot of it around the house; it was part of my consciousness growing up—so were classical music and opera," she explains. "I just had grown-up tastes and spent a lot of time with grown-ups."
Years later, Sudol discovered—on her own—such acts as Keane, Radiohead and Aqualung. "I've always been fascinated by fairy tales and whimsical things and colorful images, and that music—there's such a freedom," says Sudol, who began singing at age 12 and took up piano at age 18. "The images and the stories that are told are so vivid, and that really attracted me to it."
More than two years ago, Sudol put A Fine Frenzy in motion with help from Lucas Burton and Hal Cragin. They would go on to co-produce One Cell in the Sea, which was recorded last September at Eldorado Recording Studios in Burbank, Calif.
"It was great because we had the whole building," Sudol recalls. "It turned into this amazing family experience where we were all united with a common goal."
Since late last month, A Fine Frenzy has been on the road with Rufus Wainwright. The tour is scheduled to stop in Manhattan on Aug. 19 for a Central Park SummerStage show. For more information, visit www.summerstage.org.
The official A Fine Frenzy site is www.afinefrenzy.com.
A Cut Above
The scents, the sounds and, of course, the heat and humidity—those things come to mind when guitarist Leo Moran of Ireland's Saw Doctors thinks of summertime in New York.
The oppressive heat is mentioned multiple times in "Last Summer in New York," a song on the band's last studio album, The Cure, but the song's inspiration came from a friend, not the weather.
"He had been living in Brooklyn and things had gone a little against him and he was considering leaving the city and maybe moving to Berlin," says Moran, who co-wrote the tune with singer Davy Carton. "Shortly afterward, he fell in love with a new woman, and probably with New York again, and he's still there, but the song remains from his wondering period."
Speaking of the Saw Doctors and New York, the band will perform in Manhattan on Aug. 11 at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place. Doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets are $30. For more information, visit www.irvingplaza.com.
The official Saw Doctors site is www.sawdoctors.com.
Worth Checking Out
Mia Dyson's residency at Mo Pitkin's will continue Aug. 2-4. Look for the 25-year-old Australian blues-rock guitarist to perform songs from her third studio album, Struck Down, which is due next month. Mo Pitkin's is at 34 Avenue A; call 212-777-5660 or visit www.mopitkins.com for more information. Dyson's official site is www.miadyson.com.
The New York rock trio ZO2 is on the road supporting its Riker Hill Records debut, Ain't It Beautiful, due Aug. 7. The band will make a stop in Manhattan at Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St., on Aug. 31. For more information, visit www.arlenesgrocery.net or www.zo2.com.
The North Jersey-based band Jet Lag Gemini won't be too far from home when it plays Aug. 16 at Manhattan's Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St. Visit www.knittingfactory or call 212-219-3132 for more details about the show. The group's Fire the Cannons album is due Oct. 9 via Doghouse Records; to hear the catchy single "Run This City," visit www.myspace.com/jlgrock.
To contact Manhattan Sounds columnist Chris M. Junior, send an e-mail to chrisjr@mindspring.com.
