Ali Handal

Artist Information

Biography

Fun facts about Ali:

• Her guitar method book "Guitar For Girls" was released by Hal Leonard publishing in January 2013

• Sang on Neil Young’s Living With War album

• Danced with Janet Jackson on The American Music Awards

• Performed and co-wrote with songwriting legend Paul Williams

• Traded t-shirts with Slash at a jam session in Hollywood

• Performed at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch

• Assisted her Magician husband in a private performance for Johnny Depp

• Recorded her cat Indy’s meows for her debut CD Dirty Little Secret

• Appeared in a Playboy video as a guitar-playing hand-double

• Heard her songs on TV in Sex and the City and Dawson’s Creek

• Demonstrated guitars three times on The Price Is Right


"Ali's CD, Make Your Move, is a melange of riff-fueled rockers that could stand up to anything broadcast on "The Midnight Special" in the '70s, dreamy singer-songwriter fare, funk workouts, and ballads spritzed with Beatles essence."

~Guitar Player Magazine

Short Bio -- For the complete story, visit http://alihandal.com/main/bio/

Ali Handal is not an easy musician to nail down, as she covers many bases: best known as one of the few women in rock who can solo on electric guitar with the electric fury and fluid grace of a Hendrix or Jimmy Page, she’s also a multi-award winning songwriter and a uniquely expressive singer. “Chrissie Hynde meets Ani DiFranco meets Prince” is how Live magazine attempted to describe this multi-faceted musical phenomenon.

Her music has been heard in countless movies and TV shows, and her performances have taken her around the world, from L.A. to Japan; she’s performed at Neverland Ranch, danced with Janet Jackson, sung on a Neil Young album, had her hands filmed playing guitar in a Playboy video, and even demonstrated guitars several times on “The Price Is Right.” Ali’s own Guitar Method book will be released by Hal Leonard in the summer of 2012.

She’s an artist unlike any other; a compelling performer, virtuoso guitarist, sensitive and powerful vocalist, and richly gifted songwriter. Her work runs the gamut from spiritual to sexy, and in a music world where so much is artificial, Ali Handal is very much the real deal.

Written by Paul Zollo, author of "Songwriters On Songwriting"

Instrumentation

Ali Handal - Vocals, Guitar

Discography

Guitar For Girls -- Guitar Method Book - 2012
Make Your Move - 2010
New Thoughts - 2006
Breathing Underwater - 2004
Dirty Little Secret - 2000

Also, several songs have been featured in TV shows and in films, such as Sex in the City, Joan of Arcadia, Dawson's Creek, & several shows on MTV, VH-1 & more.

Songs from Ali's commercially released CDs have received airplay on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW (LA, CA).

Ali sang on Neil Young's anti-war CD, "Living With War."

Ali has co-written and performed with legendary songwriter Paul Williams ("We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Rainbow Connection").

Official Website

http://www.AliHandal.com

Links

• Ali Handal YouTube
• Ali Handal Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• Pin Me Down
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• You're Still With Me
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• My Sharona
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• All the Way
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• Distance
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• Breathing Underwater
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• Really Really Really Ali Handal master1 MP3
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• Canned Hunt
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• It's Up To Me
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• Beneath The Mistletoe
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Lyrics

• Pin Me Down
• You're Still With Me
• Distance
• Breathing Underwater
• You're Worth More
• Shut Your Mouth
• I Miss You
• It's Up To Me

Video

Ali Handal Promo Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Guitar Player Article 2011 [+ Show ]
  

  "Handal attacks her solos with Page-like fire, abandon, and gritty melodicism...Her new CD, Make You..."Handal attacks her solos with Page-like fire, abandon, and gritty melodicism...Her new CD, Make Your Move [alihandal.com], is a melange of riff-fueled rockers that could stand up to anything broadcast on The Midnight Special in the '70s, dreamy singer/songwriter fare, funk workouts, and ballads spritzed with Beatles essence."

• Music Connection Live Review [+ Show ]
  

  "If you can imagine Sheryl Crow 20 years ago, you already know Ali Handal. With a songwriting style..."If you can imagine Sheryl Crow 20 years ago, you already know Ali Handal. With a songwriting style similar to Crow's, she comes across just as earthy, natural and real. Influenced by folk, rock and alternative genres, Handal's songs have quirky perspectives that give her musical observations a sense of street credibility."
  
  "There�s something very inviting about Handal... it's an intimacy that beckons the audience to her. As Handal's set progressed, the crowd kept moving forward, inching closer and closer to the stage until they were leaning right on the edge of it. Slowly and sensuously, Handal welcomed them all with a warm smile and personal commentary. This connection formed a bond with her fans that was impressive."
  ~Bernard Baur

• Too Hot To Handal [+ Show ]
  

  ALI HANDAL had a fairly unorthodox introduction to the music industry, by performing guitar on the T...ALI HANDAL had a fairly unorthodox introduction to the music industry, by performing guitar on the TV show The Price Is Right!. That’s right, she was the woman who demonstrated how to play the exciting new guitars that were given away as prizes.
  
  “The first time I performed on The Price Is Right!, it was pretty nerve-wracking – especially because I was being presented on this revolving carousel while playing electric guitar. It was fun, but surreal,” the American singer-songwriter says of the experience.
  
  Since those early days, Ali has created quite a name for herself as a strong female musician, standing alongside the likes of Ani DiFranco and Alanis Morissette. Singing songs ranging from the topics of love to covers of The Knack’s My Sharona, Ali is as diverse as she is charming.
  
  “I’ve always loved My Sharona. When I was growing up, I thought it was the sexiest song I’d ever heard,” Ali reminisces. “Ironically, my girl version of the song has more ‘balls’ than the original – it’s much heavier!”
  
  The track is featured on Ali’s third album, Make Your Move, and sits alongside a mix of slower ballads and aggressive rock songs, all set to the tune of Ali’s superior guitar skills.
  
  When it comes to her favourite songs, Ali doesn’t like to pick and choose. “I don’t have just one favourite track – I have about six, which doesn’t narrow it down much, does it?”
  
  Luckily for us, Ali will be down under touring this month playing a grand total of four shows in Canberra (that’s right, FOUR shows), and even one in Queanbeyan. Never before has Canberra been shown this much love by a musician. “I am extremely excited about my upcoming tour!” Ali gushes. “I first visited Australia in the early 1990s and I fell in love with the country, the people and the koalas.”
  
  Those marsupials are a huge crowd pleaser. The Australian landscape has also been an influence on Ali’s music. “The Great Barrier Reef was the first place I tried scuba diving and I absolutely fell in love with it. That experience had a profound effect on me, so much so that years later I wrote a song and entitled my second CD Breathing Underwater.”
  
  And have Australian musicians had any kind of effect on Ali? “As far as Australian musicians I admire – all I can say is ‘for those about to rock, we salute you!’ I saw AC/DC in concert while I was growing up, and to quote (exactly) my teenage concert diary, ‘AC/DC was baaaad!!! The Jack was the BEST!!!’”
  
  I can imagine some teenage girls having similarly effusive reactions to Ali herself after they see her play live. With her crazy hooks and sultry vocals, it’s hard not to become addicted. And the good news is that there’s at least a week’s worth of gigs to keep you satisfied!
  
  Catch Ali Handal at the first of a number of Canberra performances at the Front Gallery in Lyneham on Saturday November 13. For more details on the other shows, head to alihandal.com.

• Handal Makes Her Best Move Thus Far [+ Show ]
  

  I’ve kept in touch with Ali since she released her first CD Dirty Little Secret in 2000. Her second ...I’ve kept in touch with Ali since she released her first CD Dirty Little Secret in 2000. Her second CD, Breathing Underwater (2004) was more polished, and a bittersweet collection of songs about relationships.
  
  Fast forward to 2011 - she really busted out of her shell, lost herself in the music and words and created her best sound to date. The CD, Make Your Move, kicks off with the killer guitar slinger “All the Way.” There are lots of rocking cuts here that show off Ali’s masterful guitar playing. Any of her heroes, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry or Joe Walsh would be proud to play along. This is one cool chick who knows how to make the axe do the talkin’.
  
  Born in New York, but calling California home this spunky girl has danced with Janet Jackson, sang on Neil Young’s Living With War album, written with songwriting legend Paul Williams, performed at the late Michael Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch and more. She’s so busy she about forgot to send me the CD.
  
  “Jim — I just found it! In my car, in a bag with some other CDs I thought I had already sent out! I’ll bring them all to the post office today,” Ali said a few weeks ago.
  
  Thanks Ali, it’s a great one.
  
  www.alihandal.com
  
  By Jim Clark
  Published: Thursday, March 24, 2011 11:34 AM CDT

• Top DIY Pick [+ Show ]
  

  "Ali Handal's record Dirty Little Secret flat-out rocks. Coming off as some child of Ani DiFranco an..."Ali Handal's record Dirty Little Secret flat-out rocks. Coming off as some child of Ani DiFranco and Jimmy Page, Handal has the guitar chops and fierce voice to knock you on your butt. From the John Frusciante/Chili Peppers-styled funk intro of "Slave to Ambition" to the fluid acoustic fingerpicking on "Distance," Handal's guitar work is impressive.
  
  Whether she's slurring through a sex-drenched number, crooning a ballad or singing a bizarre funk tune to her cat (who makes a special vocal appearance), Handal proves to be a compelling vocalist. As a guitarist and writer, she's equally at home on funk and straight-up rock tunes and is at her best howling through blood-pumping, feedback-drenched rockers."
  

• National Guitar Magazine
  

  "Ali swings her axe with the big boys on her debut disc Dirty Little Secret."

• On the Rise [+ Show ]
  

  "Talented and beautiful, Handal was selected as "Miss June" for Epiphone's 2005 calendar..."Breathin..."Talented and beautiful, Handal was selected as "Miss June" for Epiphone's 2005 calendar..."Breathing Underwater" is drenched with her lush acoustic guitar work and hushed vocals.
  
  "Breathing Underwater is an introspective and emotionally bittersweet album. And while there's a lot of fingerstyle playing and sonic textures, it's also quite bare."

• Review of Live Show [+ Show ]
  

  "Ali is not only an exceptional singer-songwriter, but a kick ass guitarist! And I don't mean she's ..."Ali is not only an exceptional singer-songwriter, but a kick ass guitarist! And I don't mean she's a good guitarist a la folk singer Jewel, or she's "good for a girl". I mean she's a kick-ass guitarist, electric and acoustic, a la Chrissie Hynde meets Ani DiFranco meets Prince."

• Live Show Review [+ Show ]
  

  "Dirty Little Secret explores the slippery emotional terrain between the soul connection we all long..."Dirty Little Secret explores the slippery emotional terrain between the soul connection we all long for and the physical attraction we'll sometimes settle for on a Saturday night.."

• Guitar Player Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Ali Handal on Jamming Out Riffs - by Michael Molenda After Led Zeppelin trashed her youthful enth...Ali Handal on Jamming Out Riffs - by Michael Molenda
  
  After Led Zeppelin trashed her youthful enthusiasm for piano lessons, and more or less fused a guitar into her hands, all Ali Handal wanted to be was Jimmy Page. But while she didn't grow up to be a Page clone, Handal did manage to steal some of the Zep wizard's knack for unleashing ballsy and beguiling guitar parts. Her new CD, Make Your Move [alihandal.com], is a melange of riff-fueled rockers that could stand up to anything broadcast on The Midnight Special in the '70s, dreamy singer/songwriter fare, funk workouts, and ballads spritzed with Beatles essence.
  
  The project's diverse 6-string sounds were constructed with the help of Handal's "guitar guru," Bob DeMarco of Nurvilicious Studios in Camarillo, California, who encouraged her to experiment with various gear combinations until she found something "delicious."
  
  "My voice isn't particularly 'rock,' because it's not male and it's not raspy," says Handal. "So I need killer guitar tones to deliver the edge, punch, and attitude that get the point across. Therefore, I like to hit the front end of the amp really hard using a boost pedal - a trick I learned from Bob - because the right boost makes it seem like your amp's speakers are exploding, and that sound can add incredible energy to a track."
  
  Handal's Make Your Move armory included three boosters - a Catalinbread Serrano Picoso, an Analog Man Beano Boost, and a Pete Cornish TB-83 - as well as her trusty 1998 American Standard Telecaster, two Les Pauls (a '69 Custom and a '59 Special), a '65 blackface Fender Princeton Reverb (her go-to amp), a Snarling Dogs Whine-O Wah, and "every pedal known to mankind."
  
  To write the riff for the album-opening "All the Way," Handal sat on her bed and played along to Queen's "We Will Rock You" - but she wasn't weaving around Brian May's guitar parts.
  
  "To get out of ruts, I'll often play around with the vocal melody of a song I really love," says Handal, who attacks her solos with Page-like fire, abandon, and gritty melodicism. "That approach gets me out of the normal fingering patterns I'd use. So the 'All the Way' riff was a result of me jamming with Freddie Mercury, and then going off on various tangents."
  
  While her Telecaster is now almost a constant musical companion, it wasn't exactly an instantaneous seduction.
  
  "It was a journey," she admits. "Before my Telecaster, I always used a Strat for clean parts, and a Les Paul for heavier sounds. But once I tried the Tele, I realized what a versatile instrument it is. It's more intense than a Strat for the funky parts I like to play, and it delivers a great crunch sound. It also didn't hurt to learn that Jimmy Page recorded most of Led Zeppelin with a Telecaster."

• Main Stage Festival Review of Full Band [+ Show ]
  

  “Ali’s live performance was a smashing success, turning heads of Rock Radio Program Directors at Sun...“Ali’s live performance was a smashing success, turning heads of Rock Radio Program Directors at Sunset Sessions Rock!” ~ Michele Clark, Founder of Sunset Sessions ROCK

• Live Performance Review by Fender Musical Instruments [+ Show ]
  

  "Sultry songstress Ali Handal knows her way around a great song and a magnetic performance." ~ Fen..."Sultry songstress Ali Handal knows her way around a great song and a magnetic performance."
  ~ Fender Frontline Live

Setlist

Ali can perform any length set from 2 songs to 2 hours of primarily original music. She tours solo-acoustically, and, budget-permitting, with her full rock band.

Australian and American audiences have enthusiastically embraced Ali's unique covers of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock n Roll" and Torn (made famous by Aussie Natalie Imbruglia). Another audience favorite is her full-band, heavy-rocking version of "My Sharona."

Ali tailors her song choices to the gig: she has a wide variety of material ranging from funky*sexy rock tunes to introspective, empowering songs.

She has a full hour's worth of material suitable for tweens & teens (empowering and non-sexual), and has performed her positive & uplifting material at workshops, coporate events and "New Thought" churches across the country.

Basic Requirements

Calendar