A Fine Frenzy

By: Brett Merle

Thursday May 01, 2008

A fine start..
A Fine Frenzy is the stage name for American musician Alison Sudol. Wielding her own brand of unique piano rock, she has softly propelled herself to the alternative music scene's spotlight. Carrying her music with professionalism and marksminship, her sound is heart warming and intelligent.

Born in Seattle in family known for its performing arts, Sudol was naturally exposed to music at an early age. She is also an avid reader and it shows in her often story like lyrics- sometimes fictional and always thought provoking. After recording a short demo, her music caught the attention of EMI's Jason Flom who visted her house for a personal performance. She was signed shortly there after.

Despite a very busy scheduel filled with tour dates in places such as Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and of course the states, I was fortunate enough to ask Sudol some questions about herself and her career. She came off as very genuine, honest, and a true intellect. Look for these qualities in her music to come, for you will be hearing a lot more from A Fine Frenzy.


Brett Merle:What are some inspirations that you draw from when writing your songs?

A Fine Frenzy: Love, loss, friendship, nature, literature, film, and loneliness, to name a few.

I noticed you guest starred on a CSI episode, has acting always been a passion of yours as well?

I tried to act when I was younger but was always pretty terrified of it. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it has something to do with going on a few auditions and completely freezing up. Acting never came naturally to me, even though my parents and my aunt are or were all actors/acting teachers. I seem to have missed those genes somehow, along with the skiing gene and the golfing one that everyone else seemed to get. CSI:NY was great for me to do because it forced me to challenge myself and learn that acting is actually quite fun and not nearly as scary as I'd previously found it.

What other artists, of all sorts, influence your creative works?

I think any artist that can transport their audience to an entirely different place or state of existence is someone to be deeply admired. Bright Eyes, Sigur Ros, Coldplay, Iron & Wine, Ray Lamontagne, Philip Glass, Brian Eno, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry, Woody Allen, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and T.S. Eliot are a few artists that do that for me.

Did your exposures to Hollywood and the artistic culture in Los Angeles guide you at all to do what you do now?

I'm not sure, to be honest. I suppose it did, in an indirect way, but I think the culture I was looking for growing up found its way to me through books, films, art and music, rather than any particular scene near where I lived. Living in LA definitely encouraged me to disappear into my own world a bit, because I never entirely felt comfortable with the noise, sparkles and pace of Hollywood.

I know it's still early in your career, but are there any other musicians you would really like to work with?

Of course! Any of the musicians I mentioned earlier would be incredible to work with. Also, it would be amazing to work with Sufjan Stevens, Kings of Convenience, Camera Obscura or The Shins.

How did you come up with the name, A Fine Frenzy?

It's lifted from Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. Theseus is talking about the different sorts of madnesses; that of the lunatic, the lover and the poet. The lunatic is just plain mad as a hatter; the lover mad with wild affection. The poet's madness is that of inspiration. It's a pretty gorgeous quote, one that really resonated with me, so I stole from it.

What has it been like touring? Do you have any favorite places to play yet?

Touring is incredible. I've been to more places than I ever realized I would, and have gotten to meet lovely people all over the world. Of course, I miss my bed, my dog, my family and friends, but it's entirely worth it when we're playing a show in Germany for the first time and people are singing along, or when I've gone running in a forest somewhere in the middle of nowhere and feel like I've stepped into a fairy tale. So many cities have been great to us. San Francisco, Portland, Montreal, Austin, Boston, Chicago... There aren't very many places we don't like to play, really.

Obviously you're a busy woman, but what do you like to do in your free time?

I like to do as many ordinary things as possible. Grocery shopping, hiking, baking, reading, renting movies are particular favorites, and every now and then I'll go dancing.

If you could go back and do any of this over again, is there anything you would do differently?

No, amazingly enough. I've learned from my mistakes and feel like I'm exactly where I ought to be. I didn't think about that before, wow... That's pretty cool.

As your career accomplishments mount, do you feel any pressure as a role model or true 'American Idol'?

Not pressure, per se. I think I have the extraordinary opportunity to do what I love and do it without compromise. If I manage to remind people to read more or be comfortable in their own skin, then that is an honour and a privilege I'm glad to accept. I would never be able to think of myself as any sort of idol, though. I really am just a girl that likes reading classic literature, wearing dresses, having good old-fashioned manners, and being a bit nerdy. Maybe more young girls need to know those things are ok... If they want to look to me to see that, if that helps them at all to not feel alienated or pressured to be something they're not, then fantastic, I'm in!