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The Lithiagraph, March 1998
Alice Di Micele, "ON THE RECORD": It's The Activist In Alice

By Karen Carnival

To say that Alice Di Micele's music is dynamic is like saying that Oregon is beautiful. Yes, it's true, but it doesn't begin to capture the essence of the spirit behind the word. As a performer, Alice has been described as "powerful, amazing, incredible, supple, eloquent, talented..." The list goes on. According to one reviewer in Santa Cruz, California, "Alice Di Micele has a dynamism to her delivery...Not only does she back up her powerful voice with heartfelt conviction in every word, but her guitar ability is fast setting her apart." Listen to her sing, and you may give up the search for words entirely, content to let her voice take you on a soulful journey that is passionately engaging.

Alice counts on that passion to make her music what it is: alive, flowing, organic. After nine months in the studio putting together her new CD, "Demons & Angels"(Alice Otter Music), Alice is enthusiastically preparing to go back on the road to celebrate the CD's release. "I adore being in the studio, but at a certain point I just need real, human feedback," says Alice. "I am a performer at heart. Physically, it's an andrenaline rush, being up on stage, doing my thing. Spiritually and emotionally, I'm bonding with all these people. My heart is open, their hearts are open, and it becomes this circle of exchanging energy."

Kicking off with a show in Ashland on March 7, Alice will tour the Northwest and California, and then head to the Midwest. Excited as she is to be in front of an audience again, Alice admits that touring takes its toll. "You know how if you to the store, and you leave your purse there, you might get this vague feeling like 'oh, I left something there.' Well, I started getting this feeling everytime I'd leave a town," Alice recounts. "I'd check my suitcases, and nothing would be missing. And then after a while, it finally sank in: I leave a piece of myself everywhere I go. I have to constantly get the energy back from my spiritual source to be able to continue to give...I can't just play or sing a little. That's not my way. I have to give it all."

Walks in the woods and hanging out with her friends, family and kids help Alice recharge. But as a self-described Gemini with a strong dose of Mercury, she never stays quiet for long. When she's not performing, she's either recording, writing, or putting energy into her independent lable, Alice Otter Music. A strong advocate for "alternative economy", Alice practices the principles she espouses by rejecting corporate culture and working hard to create another pathway. She explains, "I am one person who has complained about destroying the forests, destroying the land...so hey! It's part of my job as an activist, as an environmentalist, and as someone of conscience to say 'well, people need to make a living. How can I create a situation where other people can be supported by what I'm doing, too?'"

She formed Alice Otter Music almost ten years ago and has since released five albums (not including the latest) on the label to rave reviews and international airplay. Friends in the music metropolis of New York City were astounded by her success. But to Alice, she was just doing what needed to be done. Now, she says, corporate music culture is changing. "Now we have folks like Ani DiFranco and a lot of other independent small labels who are doing really well. When I started, there was nobody like that. Now the technology is such with the Internet and smaller manufacturing plants that it's easier to make the music and get it out there." You can find Alice Otter Music on the internet at http://www.amp.org/alice.

But the industry still has a long way to go, and Alice is fiercely determined to grow her own independent label. (Future plans for the label include creating a totally Oregon based business that provides decent-wage jobs and expanding to bring other local musicians in under the Alice Otter umbrella.) "The industry's still very racist and looksist and ageist and homophobic, and I just don't want to be part of that. Now lesbians are in, so there are a few more lesbian musicians out there. Those same musicians would never, ever have gotten a break ten years ago. I don't want my life and my career to be controlled by someone else's pocketbook or aesthetics. I just want to be able to do what I want to do."

Her new album is a perfect example. It's completely diverse and defies categorization, with songs ranging from "slammin" to funky to soft and simple. Though Alice has been defined as a folk singer, many of her songs display their roots in jazz or rhythm and blues. Music has always been a part of her life: Alice started playing guitar in high school and before that was the lead singer in a band. Alice comments, "I always knew what I wanted to do, I just didn't know quite how I was going to pull it off. Back then it was like 'gotta get a good record deal.' Now I could get a record deal, but I don't want to. I love what I do too much to sell it."