Alison Sudol: A Frenzy of Expression

Alison Sudol

It’s no surprise that Alison Sudol lives at her home in Los Angeles for only three days a month. She’s a 22-year-old rock star who’s touring all over the country with her band, A Fine Frenzy. When she’s not performing or promoting her new album, One Cell in the Sea, she’s busy writing songs. Her music gets her noticed, not just her looks or her attitude. Named a “You Oughta Know” artist by VH1, Sudol is a genuine musician who’s respected for her creativity. We’re happy that she found some time to talk with Teen Voices!

Teen Voices: Where did you grow up?
Alison Sudol: I grew up partly in Seattle and partly in Los Angeles. I left Seattle when I was five because my parents got divorced, so my mother and I moved out to L.A. Growing up in L.A., I kept pictures in my head of Seattle’s rainy days, the evergreens, the water, the ducks, and everything like that, because we didn’t really have it in L.A.

TV: At what age did you first recognize your passion for music?
Alison: I think I was about 11. I’d never been so driven about something, and I was determined to conquer music. I just wanted to be able to make it and be independent⎯create songs and create worlds.

TV: Growing up, did your family shape your interest and talent in any way?
Alison: I definitely think so. They’re both artistic, my dad and my mom. I never felt like being an artist was a bad thing. No one actually thought I would become a musician because everyone in my family is in the acting field, filmmaking field, or an athlete. I’m kind of like the black sheep, but they’re excited for me.

TV: Do you play any instruments?
Alison: I play piano, a bit of guitar, and a little glockenspiel* here and there! I’ve been playing piano for about three years now, and I’ve been [teaching myself to play] guitar for about seven or eight months.

TV: How did you decide on your band’s name, A Fine Frenzy?
Alison: A Fine Frenzy comes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play by Shakespeare. It’s in a speech that Theseus makes about the lunatic, the lover, and the poet all having the same kind of madness. It basically means that when you get into a state of creation, it’s kind of a flurry, but you’re making something beautiful and refined⎯or at least trying to⎯and taking nothing and turning it into something. It perfectly describes the way I feel when I write and that’s how I came up with the band name.

TV: Which did you get into first, writing or singing? How did the two come together?
Alison: Singing came first. I spent a few years trying to learn how to sing, even though I wasn’t exactly a natural at it. Some girls I knew were singing Whitney Houston songs when they were seven or eight. I worked on learning how to do that, but then I got tired of singing other people’s words and relying on other people’s thoughts to express my own. That’s when I started writing…I tried when I was younger to fit into the mold and it never really worked. Everyone has a point of view and I have mine.

TV: Your sound is mature and unique. What inspires your music?
Alison: The inspiration is all over the place. I grew up listening to The Beatles, The Mamas & the Papas, The Beach Boys, a lot of Motown stuff, classic songwriting and classic jazz. As I got older, I got into more alternative stuff like Radiohead, Bjork, and Coldplay⎯stuff that was a little left-of-center. I also watch the world and try to create stories that reflect what’s going on or what people are going through.

TV: In what ways do you see your music evolving or changing?
Alison: Lately I’ve been listing to a lot of indie folk music and absolutely loving it. Now that I’m playing guitar, my songs are kind of going in that direction. Bringing in a new instrument brings in a whole new kind of inspiration. I don’t want to make the same record every time.

TV: What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
Alison: I love the instant gratification you get from playing an instrument and singing. It’s a way to express yourself that’s very pure. I love writing. Touring is magical. You get to meet people who are affected by music⎯that’s an incredible feeling.

TV: Are there any messages that you hope to send to fans through your music?
Alison: Being someone who was shy for many years and who felt different, weird, and alone, I want people to listen to music and realize that they’re not the only ones who feel a certain way. I don’t think many people are talking about how they actually feel. There’s just so many different things that people go through, and I want to unite people and bring back a little of the innocence. [It seems like] innocence really isn’t that cool, but it is cool. It’s about being hopeful and enjoying the little things.

TV: Do you feel pressure as a female artist? Do you feel pressured to become the next “hot babe”?
Alison: No one is pressuring me at all to be the next babe or the next sex object. It’s kind of the opposite. I keep hearing, “We love that you’re saying something different.” It’s really refreshing for me because, as a female artist, you never know how much you’re going to get pressured to do.

TV: What would you like to achieve in the coming years?
Alison: I want to make people feel good. I want to show girls that it’s okay to be different. Sex is not the only thing that’s sexy. There’s a lot of other ways to be who you are. It’s cool to be smart, it’s cool to read, and it’s cool to be yourself, even if you feel like a nerd in the process. When I get a little more known I want to help environmental causes. Global warming is something that’s worrying me. At some point, I would also love to score some films, but I’m not ready for that yet. As long as I’m doing something that involves making music, I don’t really mind what it is.

* Glockenspiel: an instrument similar to a xylophone.