Alice - Toronto, Canada
Post-Woodstock '99 Interview
By Hotbands Editor - Pat Ferris

I found this band...or should I say they found me through a posting I placed on a music message board searching for new emerging artists.

They had just returned from playing on the emerging artist stage (a converted airplane hanger) at Woodstock '99 last Friday (July 23rd) and mentioned a very busy schedule this week which included a CD release, and several shows. 

After receiving the email from them, I took a gander at their site http://www.alicemusic.com   as well as reviews on some other independant artist sites and listened to their songs.   Liking what I heard, I quickly set up an on-line interview to find out what was happening in the land up north, and what plans they had for upcoming tours, advice to new bands, and more.  This was our second "LIVE" ICQ chat interview allowing me to capture their essence in text and bring it to the readers.  Enjoy.

<HOTBANDS> Greetings! I've done some reasearch on your band and have listened to some of your cuts.
How many band members are present for this chat interview?

<ALICE> All four. We gig as a six or seven piece, but there are four members of  the band.

<HOTBANDS> So who plays what? I saw your list of musicians, but you told me you didn't play guitar, and the AMP3 site said that you had a different guitarist

<ALICE> Todd - Drums, Steve - Bass,  Melanie - Vocals,  Vince - Guitar

<ALICE> I (Vince) started playing the guitar with the original band when the CD was finished. Russ Broom (from Jann Arden) played the lead parts on the CD.

<HOTBANDS> Is Russ going to be a permanent part of your band?

<ALICE> No, we flew him in for the recording only.

<HOTBANDS> So tell me, how did you manage the gig at Woodstock? Even though it wasn't on the main stage it must have been a rush with all the people there.

<ALICE> Not as big a crowd as we expected, but 4-5 thousand. Michael Sharp from AMP3.com has known of our
band for some time now. He is a fan. He is also the owner of AMP3.com. He is a musician that had his music on mp3.com
(the big site) and felt that artists were not being compensated fairly so he started his own website. They are the ones that
sponsored the entry into Woodstock. When people ask me about AMP3.com, the first thing I say is that MICHAEL HAS
GOOD INTENTIONS.

<HOTBANDS> It looked like a TV studio. Was it indoors?

<ALICE> Yes, it was in an airplane hangar. The fest was at a decommissioned Airforce Base (Griffis).

<HOTBANDS> What I read was that you were all members of cover bands that changed your name, changed your style, started
doing your own stuff and got professional management. How did that come about?

<ALICE> Yeah, we played the new country chicken wing bar circuit...Small bars that have local musicians come in on the
weekends and play covers. 50% Rock and 50% New Country, for about 2 or 3 years.

<HOTBANDS> I see....been there, done that!

<ALICE> We are just getting ready to go back out...starting this Friday and Saturday.

<HOTBANDS> Have you played any other major festivals in Toronto or elsewhere?

<ALICE> Not really. We are booked for one outdoor thing on Labor day. 10,000 expected.

<HOTBANDS> When are you planing on heading to the United States for a Northeastern regional tour?

<ALICE> We are waiting to see how the world reacts to the CD. We will gauge it on that.

<HOTBANDS> You have your first CD coming out, but it seems you were able to establish a bit of a following prior to that
release. Do you have another CD already in the works, or is that expected to be a ways off still?

<ALICE> The CD was released on the net about 6 months ago. We since have been signed to an indie label (AME Records).
They repackaged the CD and are officially releasing it this week. If it starts out slow, we will probably be back in the studio
sometime in October or November 99

<HOTBANDS> What plans do you have for getting your music heard around the world? Are you planning on any type of major
advertising or touring campaign?

<ALICE> We will release a single to Canadian Radio some time in August and go from there. There I think it would be easier
to start in our own back yard.

<HOTBANDS> The band that is currently on our homepage (The Puddle Jumpers) have some pretty unique ideas for marketing,
and have a groundswell of people in the UK and Russia listening to their stuff.

<ALICE> Yeah, all that is possible because of the net.

<HOTBANDS> What final comments could you give to other artists on how to get exposure to yourself and get yourself into that
upper 1% of the bands that make it?

<ALICE> It seems to me that it will still be a few years before the internet has an impact on a band making it big. I believe
that the route to take is through convention means such as radio, and gigging.

<HOTBANDS> Well Vince and friends, Thank you for your time this evening. I'll talk with you in the future and look forward
to hearing your CD. I expect good things from what I have heard so far and hope you get to where you want to go.
I'll talk with you more soon and let you know when and where it's posted!

<ALICE> Great, and thanks again from all of us.