INTERVIEW: A Fine Frenzy
- Posted on May 7, 2008 5:43 PM
- 1 comment
Interview by Katie Spain
On a recent trip to New York I settled back in my hotel room for a bit of room service and some American channel surfing. What I got was a hefty dose of A Fine Frenzy; she's all over the music television over there. Her success isn't limited to the States though; it seems that Europeans love Alison Sudol (aka A Fine Frenzy) too. The American alternative singer-songwriter has just completed a European tour and wowed fans with her flame red hair and mesmerising voice. In person, she's as sweet as your mum's best apple pie and thoughtful in her demeanour. On the outside, Alison is a figure of startling beauty, below the surface she reverberates with inner strength. We love her, something tells us you will too.
During our recent interview with the pretty young thing we talked tour vans, knitting, her beautiful debut album 'One Cell in the Sea' and Death Cab for Cutie. Oh, we also talked cheese... lots of cheese.
Thank you for joining us once again. What have you been up to since we last saw you in London?
Wow, it’s been busy. We have been back to Europe. We have been back and forth doing a lot of promo. We also did our first headline tour in the States. It has been amazing. We just finished out three week tour out here too. We did France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Holland, and then the UK.
Your time in France and Germany sounded pretty special. I hear you brought a seal?
I did yeah! He is the cutest thing I have ever seen. The rest stops in Germany are the cleanest, sweetest, places ever. I would always go in. I was looking at the stuffed animals and I was looking at this kitten. I knocked into something and it was this little seal with button eyes. My dog looks like a fur seal; he has these little round ears.
What do you miss about home the most?
I miss my dog – which is why I have a seal. I miss having a routine too. When you are on the road, you have a routine but it’s the anti-routine where you discover something everyday.
You’re doing very well in Switzerland in particular. You also reached number two in the charts. And you had a cheese overload!
Yeah, Switzerland is phenomenal. They are so friendly. They also just cheesed me to death. They won me over with some high quality cheese.
Did you see any of the country side?
Not really? We just drive through it. I did explore the city though and some of the old town.
Your tour bus sounds pretty interesting. It’s gold isn’t it? Did you spray paint it yourself?
We managed to find a gold tour bus. It was actually a big surprise. We are not like, into bling or anything. It just happens to be gold. It’s very comfortable.
You have named it haven’t you…but it’s rude?
Well, it’s not that rude. I found out that it is also David Beckham’s nickname. When they started making jokes about it, I just couldn’t…
Is it golden balls?
Yeah, but I think it is kind of rude.
We talked about shopping last time. Did you ever get to the shops?
I did. I brought a straw hat with some black ribbon on it. I got a bag that says ‘Catch Of The Day’ on it’ too.
It sounds like a festival hat. You are doing V Festival aren’t you?
We are doing quite a few festivals.
What, in your opinion, is the best festival out there?
I haven’t been to many to tell you the truth. I always wanted to but I have a fear of crowds. Getting in the middle of a crowd makes me nervous. I am looking forward to playing them though. I think that energy is amazing.
I guess being on stage is the best place to be.
Yeah, I can see everyone and it’s like the more the merrier.
I was in New York a while back. You were everywhere. Do you have to pinch yourself that you are doing what you love and that you are getting recognised for it?
Sure. The thing about touring is that you are turning it into the next thing. One thing that our drummer does is says ‘We’re in Brussels.’ It reminds you how far away from home you are and that you are playing a sold out gig. Those moments are extraordinary.
Tell me about your band mates.
Steven plays the key board and bass. We have been playing together for three or four years now. I love him. He is like my brother. He is so loyal and gentle. I can be in the bus throwing things and being angry – which doesn’t happen very often. He will just be like, it’s ok, it’s fine. He is such a great musician too. Jesse is our drummer. He is phenomenal.
Is he one of these multi-talented people?
Yeah, both him and Steven. All I have to do is sing and they are doing a billion things. I do play guitar to be fair, but not on stage.
Tell me about almost lover. It is extremely moving. We have all had one haven’t we? Where were you when you write that one?
I had just had a very heart-breaking experience. It just didn’t make any sense. The guy was just…gone. Nothing helped and so I wrote that song to figure out what had happened. In a terrible way, it is comforting to know that a lot of people have it happen to them. When it does happen, and you get left behind, you feel like the only person it had ever happened to. Just to know that it does happen to others and that you will be OK…
Your blog entries are fantastic. I see that you've taken up knitting.
Oh yeah, God, I am the worst knitter. I had a friend who came out on the tour with me to keep me grounded. She was knitting throughout the whole thing. On the last night, she was like, I have to teach you. It was midnight and I was so tired. She taught me and I remembered it but I think I forgot some key elements. There is a lump one side and a hole on the other…it has character though. I might have to keep it for myself though.
One of your blogs struck a cord with me. You mentioned the likes of Heath Ledger and Britney Spears who are not able to cope with the fame. As someone in the limelight, do you feel a pressure to be a role model? As role models go, your lifestyle seems like a good one to follow.
I don’t think it is a pressure. I write about it so that people know…I think people have ideas about what it is like on tour. These are the things that I do: I walk, I hike, I knit, I read, I watch movies…it’s very important, especially when your world is changing, to find things that make you feel at home with yourself. You have to know who your friends are too. If songs about not going out and not drinking make people feel more comfortable, than that’s great. It’s not a pressure, it s a privilege.
You have decided on a couple of songs to cover. What did you decide on?
We went with Across the Universe and Death Cab For Cutie. The one thing that I have found in the last few months is that people love to sing along. They don’t get to do it very often especially not in public.
One Cell in the Sea is out on 16 June.
Related links:
A Fine Frenzy's official site.
A Fine Frenzy's MySpace.A Fine Frenzy listings and tickets.A Fine Frenzy Come On Come Out review.Our previous video interview with A Fine Frenzy.
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Comments (1)
magalie
great interview! very interesting, thank you!
Posted on May 8, 2008 12:31 PM
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