Alice Peacock

By Alex Teitz & Karen Weiss

Alice Peacock is an original artist who came into music from a very different route. Raised by parents who wouldn’t always allow her to listen to music a great deal of the time, she evolved into one of the most creative voices in folk today. Moving from San Francisco to Chicago, Peacock established herself and her music. Peacock’s debut CD, Real Day, hit like a thunderstorm nationwide, and the echoes continue. For more information about Peacock visit alicepeacock.com

FEMMUSIC: What was it like to grow up in a family where you couldn’t listen to your music a lot of the time?

AP: Well you know, I was just talking about this last night, actually, at a show. I think for me the radio was like this special world. It was that kind of place of refuge. You know, when you’re a teenager and everything is really blown out of proportion and you get very dramatic and really emotional (laughs) and you’d go and retreat in your room, and you think they’re singing to you. You know, it’s like, “Oh my God! That song is so true!” But I think always, when I was little, I just always had a connection with music. I’d would be in my room and I’d sing in the hairbrush, you know, the old…it was just, it fed my soul. So, it was a bummer not being able to share that. I mean, I remember a few times wanting to call one of my parents into the room and saying, “Hey! You gotta listen to this song! Whaddaya think?” And they were like, “Oh, the beat’s too loud,” or “I don’t like it.” (laughs) That’s not fun, but it was my own special thing. And now, of course, they’re very supportive, and it’s really kind of cute. But it’s also a little weird. If I’m playing in their area, they’ll come to the shows and my mom and dad will wear their Alice Peacock t-shirts. (laughs) So, it’s a little strange, but they’ve mellowed with age. And my little brother writes trance music, house trance music, which is completely, totally different from my music. It’s really funny because we’re older now, so now we can respect each other’s music and listen to it. But my dad is so proud of us, that we’ll be at the dinner table when I’m home visiting and he’ll put on a trance CD of my brothers. (laughs) He’ll be like, “This is your brother’s new CD,” and I’m like, “OK, but it’s not really dinner music.” So they’ve changed. They’ve become very excited about what we do.

FEMMUSIC: I’m curious as to why you moved from San Francisco to Chicago.

AP: Well, it wasn’t for the weather and it wasn’t really for the most noble reason. I was dating a guy that was from here originally and he wanted to move back. And half of me wanted to move but I didn’t know where and I was like, “Oh well, I’ll just go there.” So it wasn’t really noble reasons, but I have to say, when I was in Los Angeles, I just didn’t feel like—I felt like it wasn’t really a place for me to grow and to kind of figure out what I had to say as a musician. I mean, I wasn’t writing. I wrote when I was little, but there was a very long period of time where I just didn’t write. And I think when I was in L.A. I was still in the mentality of “well, somebody’s just going to discover me,” or “they’re going to put it together,” which is…(laughs) That’s fantasy. And even if they did, that’s not the way that I’d want to go. Because then I wouldn’t be doing what’s real to me. I’d be somebody else’s vision of what my music is. So Chicago seemed like a good compromise for me. I thought, it’d be the Midwest, I’m familiar with the Midwest, these are my people, my tribe. (laughs) And there’s a lot of live music here in town, and there was a lot of opportunity to sit in, to play open mics, to get gigs, even when you may not be very good. And that’s kind of what it was. I really, I’d just started playing guitar, I’d just started writing, and I got a gig. And one gig led to another, and I sort of learned on the job. And met different people that I would work with as I was playing out. So it really allowed me to grow in public. (laughs) Which is the best way, to just get up there and do it. So that’s why Chicago. It was familiar, and seemed to have a supportive live music scene. Los Angeles, a lot of clubs there, pay to play situations, and the industry is right there, it’s tough to get going as a developing artist unless you’ve got management, and a deal, or you’ve got things happening that were way beyond where I was at the time. So, that’s why. Oh, and you asked about San Francisco. Yeah. I was in San Francisco and I lived in L.A. for about 6 months, then I moved to Chicago. And San Francisco, you know, it was a good live music scene. I just didn’t have my act together. I wasn’t really writing. It just seemed overwhelming to me. That’s a very long answer. (laughs)

FEMMUSIC: Can you describe your songwriting technique?

AP: Hmm. Oh. Well, if I sit down and try and write every day, I’ll write a lot of really bad songs. So usually I wait for some real emotional reason to go the piano or go to the guitar. Or I’m hearing something, and I go and write it. And usually those are the best songs—they come very quickly. So I’m not the most disciplined when it comes to the craft. I mean, I don’t sit down every day and I probably should. Because if you get an idea and you’re not at the piano or the guitar, then it’s lost. So. But I usually hear a melody. I’ll start playing a riff, or a chord progression, and I’ll sing something over it. Usually fake lyrics, you know, my make believe lyrics. And somewhere in there usually the idea of the song comes out, I’ll say it or say something like it, and then kind of build the song around it. So I don’t put poems to music, or prose to music. I come up with a melody first, then kind of fill in around it. And say “Hmm, what is this I’m singing? What is this song about?” So it’s really kind of channeling, in some ways. Does that make sense?

FEMMUSIC: It does. What was it like working with Rick Barnes on “Real Day”?

AP: He’s very cool. He has an extremely comfortable studio, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to work there. A lot of different music comes through there. I mean, he’s engineering punk bands, country, everything. He’s all sorts of stuff. I wanted that for my first record. And since I was to produce it myself, I really wanted to learn what goes into making a CD and what’s involved. I liked that he had ears for a lot of different types of music. He started out just as the engineer, and it became quickly apparent that he was invaluable. ‘Hey, what about this?’ ‘That’d be cool!’ ‘Let’s try this!’ and he quickly became a co-producer with me, very supportive, positive. It was a very warm, casual environment which I found to be important since this was my first time doing it. So, yeah he’s cool. He’s a really cool guy and I’ll probably do the next record at his place also.

FEMMUSIC: What was the best experience making this CD?

AP: The best experience…umm, I don’t know. I guess, I mean, the obvious answer is just seeing it all come together. There were a couple periods where we had tracks down, and we were like, “Oh, but it’s not quite right. What’s going to really help this?” And putting something on there and going, “Oh yeah! That’s how the song should be.” I was on a limited budget and limited time, so we kind of made decisions and then lived with them. So there wasn’t a lot of room to fiddle around with a lot of different ideas but it was fun to hear it all come to fruition. The night before the CD was to come out, it was sent away to be pressed, I was very anxious. It was like: Oh God! It’s done, it’s out there and some people will like it, and some people will hate it, and you can’t control their reactions to it. That was scary but it was nice to find out that it was so well received. Overall the comments have been so positive and that’s nice to hear that people think it stands on its own. So that’s feel good. Kind of like a child, I think. (laughs)

FEMMUSIC: What was the biggest challenge making Real Day?

AP: For me, just the basic coordination. I’m somewhat organized, but it’s been interesting for me to learn to take charge and to trust my instincts and to be a leader, especially a band leader. I’m playing with wonderful musicians, but I think at times there’s this stigma out there. “Oh she’s just the chick singer”. I’m not a virtuoso guitar player, but what I DO bring to it is songs, and they’re great songs, and my way of doing it. I’ve had to learn that what I bring is very important, and I’ve met other musicians who respect that. I’ve met people who don’t make me feel like I’m not quite with it. And so much of that is my own self-doubt; we’re our worst critic. There were times when I was like, “What do I have to say? I don’t know how to explain this to them in musicians terms”, or “This is what I’m hearing but I don’t know how to tell them.” So I’ve had to learn how to do that and how to be a good band leader and how to say, “This is what I want to hear, and why don’t we try it this way?” And certainly be open to everybody’s ideas and what they bring to the project. Because I am playing with talented people who can bring a lot to the project. But being able to learn to take charge, I guess. And be organized and say “Nope, this is what we’re going to go with.” and “Why don’t you give me this?” and “You’ve got to show up at this time”. Crack the whip. (laughs) So I’m learning. The coordinating end of the producing was a challenge for me. But it’s taught me to trust myself and realize that it’s OK for me to be in charge, even if I’m just a girl. (laughs) And I guess we get those ideas from our childhood, growing up, that well, you’re just a girl, they’re not going to respect you. Just learning to earn their respect.

FEMMUSIC: I noticed a lot of the songs on Real Day are now two and three years old. What have you been writing since then?

AP: I’ve got everything for the next record. “Real Day” is still really new to a lot of people, so we felt that we wanted to work a little bit more, but I’m going to do the new CD this summer. It will happen this summer. I’m just trying to figure out all the details in the next few weeks. So, I’m looking forward to doing a new record but there’s also a part of me, I don’t want “Real Day” to get lost in the cracks. But I think as people figure out who I am and hear…I think the new record will really open a lot of doors. And maybe people will go back and hear it. Because I think some of the songs are really special, on “Real Day”. I’m ready. I’ve been writing a bit more on piano, I’ve got about 4 or 5 piano songs for the new record. I have some good stuff. (laughs)

FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you like to change about the music industry itself?

AP: Certainly the fact that…I don’t blame them for being a business, because I think we can’t forget that it is a business and there’s room for…not to say compromise, but working together with the artist. Realizing that it is a business for them, but I mourn the fact that there are very few music visionaries in the business anymore and that artist development is not an issue. I think of some my favorite writers, people like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones…some of them had hits right away, but Bruce Springsteen didn’t have a hit until a couple albums in. I think if he were coming along today, he might very well have gotten dropped by his label. I don’t know that for a fact, but I think that there were people like Ahmet Ertegun and other music industry people who were real lovers of music and really were interested in developing an artist and letting them find their way. Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt. Granted, she had her deal for a long time and it wasn’t till she was 40 that all of a sudden she was an overnight success, you know? (laughs) So I guess I wish there were more of that because today it’s so much about the bottom line that good music and people who make interesting music that maybe isn’t radio friendly right away, don’t get a chance. And also the state of radio. I think there are more people out there that would like to hear different types of music than what is offered. People will listen overall to what you tell them to listen to. They’re plugging all the boy bands and Christina Aguilera and all the teen stuff, which is fun, but they’re underestimating people. If they took chances and put different stuff out there, people would respond. There’s a few artists like Macy Gray who sound totally…it’s a new different sound than what’s being played, and that’s cool when people like that get played, but I wish it were more open. People want more variety than what they’re being spoonfed. And those who know there are other resources, those who search, find it. It’s just not the big marketplace.

FEMMUSIC: As a woman in the music industry, have you been discriminated against?

AP: You know, I can’t think of any obvious events, but I think certainly…there’s been a promoter that when I was first starting out, because I wasn’t really interested in him that way… (laughs) He was real excited at first when he heard me play, was really excited about my music, and then when I wasn’t interested in dating him, things really slowed down and he was really tough to work with. And this was when I was booking myself. There’s moments of that when you’re expected to kind of be at everybody’s whim. I don’t know if that happens so much with guys. There’s more women of power in the music industry, certainly. But I think there are more men in power and you know, there’s kind of the old school way of, well, if you flirt a little bit, and you sit on enough people’s laps, and you’re charming and cute and all those things, that those things will help you. If you just kind of want to make your music, sometimes you run into obstacles. But usually those are people of no consequence, and I think ultimately if you’re good, it rises to the top and you’ll find the right people and you can make the choices about who you want to work with. I think of someone like Ani DiFranco who really wants to work with ethical people and people she likes. And she’s built such an amazing infrastructure around herself that she’s able to make those choices. And I think we can. I think we can make these choices. You know, I don’t want to work with this person I don’t really like, I want to work with people I respect, and that respect me. We can change the rules a little bit.

FEMMUSIC: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

AP: I would just say get out there and do it. It sounds really terrifying, but when I was starting to write, I knew a few chords. I had written a couple of songs and I knew some covers. I had barely an hour’s worth of material—it was pretty lame. (laughs) And I went out there and started playing and you play in some tough situations, where maybe people aren’t always listening. But play open mics, just get out there and do it and people respond to what you do. It’s like, if you build it, they will come. If you focus on your music, on your writing, and doing it, just getting out there and doing it, I think the universe rewards that bravery. That’s the most important thing. And ultimately, if the music comes from your soul, and it’s really honest, then that’s it. You don’t have to sound like anybody else, you’re you. And nobody else can sound like you, and I know that sounds very much like Mister Rogers (laughs) but it’s true. People connect with that. So you may not be Faith Hill, you may not be so-and-so, but you’ll be you, and you might be that big. Or you might not! (laughs) But at least there’s an integrity there, and people can smell honesty. That’s what I would say. I’m still learning as I go.