Alison Scott

Artist Information

Biography

"Don’t forget us when you’re a big star, which you will soon be." - Brian Turner, DJ, Cities 97

"Alison’s songs are deceptively damaged and clever; she’s not even remotely interested in pleasing the so-called hipsters."
- Pat O’Brien, City Pages


Singer-songwriter Alison Scott is originality, confidence, and charisma all in one package, with all the talent to back it up. She belts out her heartfelt lyrics with both grace and style. There is no doubt Alison is redefining her genre, and people are starting to notice; she is the strongest new voice to come out of the Minneapolis music scene in years. Her organic style ignores the “rules of cool” that limit so much of today’s music, and instead delivers a unique sound which combines soulful vocals and brilliant lyrics with a keen sense of creativity and passion.

With a gorgeous voice that combines the confident swagger of Cassandra Wilson, the electrifying emotion of Aretha, and the sweeping emotion of Eva Cassidy, Scott’s brilliant songwriting paints pictures that dance in your head long after she’s left the stage. A true multi-talented performer, Scott’s voice can soar high one minute and be seductive and fragile the next. She’s also a keyboard talent, whose beautiful harmonies mesh with her skintight backing band that’s made up of four of the Twin Cities’ most accomplished players, all with experience and recognition.

Along with local superstar and triple platinum songwriter, Kevin Bowe on guitar, Alison’s band includes veteran keyboardist James Tyler O’Neill, rock solid bassist Steve Price, and drum sensation Pete Anderson. Together, this five-piece unit is as powerful as it is talented; they are a serious force to be reckoned with when they fuse contemporary soul with undercurrents of 60’s Brit-pop, silky jazz, and full-throttle rock.

Alison has sold out the Dakota Jazz Club (an upscale original music venue in the Twin Cities) over a dozen shows in a row and with her band, she has performed at benefits, corporate functions and opened for several national acts such as Bon Jovi, Chris Isaak, Marc Cohn, Boz Scaggs, and Nanci Griffith. Alison’s CDs have sold almost 10,000 units and counting. Her newest release, “Chinese Whispers,” has been picked up for national distribution and is creating a lot of buzz around the midwest. It was named one of the year’s ten best albums by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Alison Scott is truly one of those unforgettable artists that is destined for greatness.

" "Chinese Whispers” is one of those rare discs that makes you want to lean in and turn up the volume." - John Ziegler, Duluth News Tribune

Instrumentation

Alison Scott- piano,vocal
Kevin Bowe- guitar, vocal

Discography

Wish On The Moon (2008)
Hiding Under The Covers (2009)
Chinese Whispers (2011)

Alison's debut CD "Wish On The Moon" has received airplay on Cities 97 and The Current in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Alison Scott Web Site

Audio

• So Why
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• Smash and Grab
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• I Stay Anyway
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• Almost
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• Stop!
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• How Do You Know?
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• Pennies In The Fountain
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• Roundabout
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• What The Autumn Brings
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• Wish On The Moon
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Lyrics

• So Why
• Smash and Grab
• I Stay Anyway
• Almost
• Crazy Game
• How Do You Know?
• Pennies In The Fountain
• Round-a-bout
• What The Autumn Brings
• Wish On The Moon

Video

Smash & Grab long version.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• CD review: Scott's debut full of vibrant, strong songs [+ Show ]
  

  Growing up in Minneapolis, Alison Scott developed an ear for good lyrics and some sophisticated chop...Growing up in Minneapolis, Alison Scott developed an ear for good lyrics and some sophisticated chops on the piano. Both come together on “Wish On The Moon.”
  Scott’s debut disc was produced and directed by Kevin Bowe, one of the Upper Midwest’s best songwriters. The cream of the Twin Cities studio-player crop brings Scott’s songs to life with a vibrancy that belies the fact that these are some of the first songs she has composed.
  
  “Pennies In The Fountain” conjures up divas from the 1970s like Flora Purim and Angela Bofill, who had that scatty, jazzy vibe. Between the flute solo and Scott’s vocal agility, this song about hoping love will endure even after a relationship has ended starts the disc on a high note.
  
  “When I Wake” was written after Scott saw the first news reports on the toll that the Iraq war was taking on young lives. Falsetto reminiscences tell the story of the void that death leaves: “Out of touch with reality, a chill takes the place of your embrace, empty space resides and lingers where our love used to be.”
  Scott’s parents had a record collection heavy with ’70s music and that comes through in her writing, vocal phrasing and the feel of the material. Scott comes in somewhere between veterans like Carol King and Chi Coltrane and contemporaries like Jamie Cullum and Alisha Keys. She possesses a Beatlesque sense of clean pop melody, a Patti LaBelle sense of soulfulness and maybe just a bit of Laura Nyro’s quiet confidence.
  A cover of Sly Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay” gives listeners a chance to compare and contrast — old and new, male and female, black and white. Scott has a sassy, throaty reading that rides on top of Jeff Bailey’s solid bass, Tommy Barbarella’s funkified B-3 organ, a harmonica ride from Noah Hoehn, handclaps and Scott doing her own background vocals. It’s a family affair and so funky you can smell it.
  As if to pay homage to a pioneer in the singer-songwriter movement, a cover of “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carol King closes the disc with an almost live take. Little studio production here, but it’s an electrifying reading of a classic tune.
  This is a great combination: A young talent with good instincts and a veteran producer who brings all-star musicians to lay down a good batch of tunes. With this quality material, Scott will be a force to be reckoned with.
  
  Alison Scott
  
  CD title: “Wish On The Moon”
  Cost: $15 on her Web site
  Recommended if you like: Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt
  Musicians: Alison Scott on vocals and piano; Kevin Bowe on guitars/percussion; Jeff Victor on organ; Jeff Bailey on bass; Billy Thommes on drums; Tommy Barbarella on strings and organ; Cynthia Johnson on vocals; and Noah Hoehn on harmonica.
  Where recorded: Terrarium Studio and Okemah Studio, Minneapolis.
  Web site: www.alisonscott.com
  Upcoming gig: 8 p.m. Friday with Kevin Bowe at Beaner’s Central, 324 N. Central Ave. Also on the bill are the Fish Heads. Cover is $5.
  
  John Ziegler has worked as program and music director at KUMD-FM for 31 years. He has produced seven compilation discs from some of his 3,500 in-studio sessions. He reviews music for the News Tribune. Reach him at johndziegler@gmail.com.

Setlist

Alison can perform 3 full sets of original music, along with covers by Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Prince, Sly & the Family Stone, Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt.
Audiences will recognize these songs off her new album
Pennies In The Fountain
Wish On The Moon
Crazy Game
How Do You Know?
Babymama
Stop!
Little Bit
Saturated
What The Autumn Brings
Roundabout
When I Wake
along with new songs like
When The Needle Hits The Groove
All The Good's Gone
Just For Us
Here Comes The Fall
Lately
Waiting For You

Basic Requirements

Calendar