The first thing you'll notice about Alice Di Micele is her voice. With a five-octave range that is intense, sensual, rich and soulful, Di Micele has been known to turn a noisy bar silent within a few notes. Her warm presence and humor disarm and create a rare intimacy between audience and performer. Whether singing a jazzy-folk number, belting a sassy blues, or rocking out on one of her trademark rhythmic earthy grooves, Alice is a vocalist that moves people. A kick-ass guitarist as well, whether playing solo or with a band her acoustic guitar conjures percussive poly-rhythms, bass lines, and melodies that perfectly frame her vocals.
With ten solo recordings to her credit, her songwriting has covered a lot of ground. Her early albums are filled with folky anthems to the earth and as her music has grown so has her ability to express universal themes touching on politics and environmental concerns, human relationships and emotions all in a very musical way. Di Micele cannot be pegged into one category or style as she is truly unique.
The 2007 release by ebb & by flow is her first studio recording in 9 years. After a five year sabbatical spent whitewater kayaking and raft guiding in the Oregon Wilderness, Alice returns with an album steeped in her love for life in the natural world. For 15 years Di Micele toured tirelessly playing many festivals such as The Strawberry Music Festival, Joshua Tree Music Festival, Berkeley Earth Day, and the Oregon Country Fair, and venues such as the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, the Roseland Theater in Portland, and the Fineline Music Cafe in Minneapolis to countless coffeehouses, pubs, cafes, community halls, and even house concerts. She has provided music on many benefit tours such as the Ancient Forest Rescue Expedition travelling the country with an 800 year old log to show America what was happening to our ancient forests and the first Earth First! Roadshow in England and Scotland. Performing many benefits, conferences, protests, rallies, and festivals to support environmental, peace and progressive causes , Di Micele is dedicated to changing the world through music. When Earth First! activists Judi Bari & Darryl Cherney were bombed, Di Micele along with friends Dana Lyons and Citizen's Band toured the Northwest to raise money for them and for the next two years Alice raised money at every one of her shows to support Bari (who could not work due to her injuries) and her two young children.
Alice has shared the stage with folks like Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Janis Ian, David Grisman, Steve Winwood, Michael Franti, and many more. A true Independent musician, she has gained critical acclaim from press, public and community radio, a dedicated fan-base, and her contemporaries all the without the help of a record contract, agency, or management.
Alice's first album Make A Change, released in 1988 contained two of her most requested songs to date "Wise Old Woman" and "Dismantle", followed by nine more albums in the next 15 years. The 1992 release Searching included the anthems "Defend the Earth" and "In A World" proclaiming "I want to live in a world where all there is to sing about it love and the beauty of the earth" as well as the poignant "Land Of Broken Promises" about the first gulf war which is surprisingly still relevant today. In 1994 Naked highlighted Alice's love for jazz and blues and featured jazz guitarist Mimi Fox on two tunes. In 1997 EarthBeat! Records commissioned her to produce and sing on Circle Of Women. She gathered friends Elouise Burrell (from the Cultural Heritage Choir), Freyda Epstein (from Trapezoid), Tina Malia, Windsong, and multi-instrumentalist Shelley Phillips to form the group and record an album of circle songs including Di Micele's tune "Celebrate the Rain." Her song "Chinook Blues" from the 1998 release Demons & Angels and the 2000 release Alice Live has become a classic call for protecting salmon and was featured in the film 'Source to Sea: the Columbia River Swim'. Her song "Promise of the Sun" on by ebb & by flow was written after the murders of forest activist David Gypsy Chain and Matthew Shepard (a gay man killed by homophobes in Wyoming). Today the chorus calls to the peace movement and to those with minds fixed on war and hatred: "May I be kindness. May I be patience and hope. May I be healing. Even my enemies I will give my love."
Widespread radio airplay and touring kept her busy on the road until 2002 when she decided it was time to rest and rejuvenate. Her songs are about wild places and nature but years of driving around in a car, she needed time in the wilderness to find inspiration and energy to give. It's obvious through the new music that she has done just that. Rested and in balance Alice
Di Micele returns.
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