The Road to Workplay

<----the face of experience!! (our drummer Dustin and Joshua were the only ones to have played on stage at work play before 3/27)

I still have a little trouble realizing that we did play a show at Workplay...for real...no joke. When I was first getting into music on a listeners level, developing my own taste and opinions, I saw a local band called the White Oaks start off playing in coffee shops and by the time I saw them at Workplay I made a secret goal of opening for them on that stage one day. Little did I know that at the age of twenty I would find five other people who have the same drive and attitude towards music and we would play our original music at Workplay for only our second gig. Even when we formed Alice Gillee just months ago I doubt any of us thought things would go quite so well. After months of practice in a cramped storage unit and one gig on an iffy sound system under our belts we were on our way to the best venue in Birmingham. Arriving at 4 for load in, we parked v.i.p. in the garage only to be greeted by two pairs of hands to carry our equipment (spoiled!!!) after checking out back stage we were itching to get sound checked and out the door to pre game it up.

8 o'clock showtime! We came out rip roaring, full of energy and maybe some nerves. Played our set with hardly a hitch and received huge crowd response not to mention the owner told me personally he wants to have us back! Big thanks to all friends and family who came out - much love:) We all had a blast and can't wait to keep the music rolling.

Luck O the Alabama Mountain Games

This year AMG fell on St. Patrick's
Day weekend, a perfect time the go loose yourself in the woods with friends,
music and a good cold beer. Our group was the first to arrive and we promptly
parked in the first available spaces and set up camp in no time. Let the
festivities begin! The first night consisted of one group of unorganized people
trying to get a fire going and another group of unidentifiable people sitting
by the tents in the dark. Granted, they did have flashlights, and our fire was
constantly going out due to the metal bin we were expected to keep it in as to
not burn the grass. So I'm not sure which group was better off, though in the
end most of us looked up and the amount of stars in the sky was the only thing
that mattered. It was a breath taking view and in our own thoughts I'm sure we
all were thinking of nothing except the next day.

Three, Two, One Eyed Mary -
St. Patrick's Day at Boogie Bottoms was beautiful and even the heat couldn't bring
our spirits down. After a scary sound check that couldn't have ended badly, One
Eyed Mary kicked off the music for the evening with little more than a bit of
feedback here and there. Once the sound system was worked out we headed back to
camp to group up which actually proved to be a task because there are now six
people in Alice Gillee. I found a four leaf clover, we went over the set list,
waited around, sound checked, and played our show. I couldn't have gone better
for a first show either so I'd like to think there was some sort of st. patty's
day luck with us. The band that played after us was called Rescue Dogs, they
are another Birmingham band of around 3 years who rocked my face off. I found
out later that they had told Dallas they were intimidated to go on after us
because we did so well and we play original music. Taking the biggest
complement of our lives and running with it we prepare for WorkPlay and everything after. I couldn't be any more proud of the guys I have
the honor of singing with and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Bec and the Flashback

At the awkward age of 13 I picked up playing guitar. I had already been writing poetry for three years and singing since I could remember. When I was a kid my family had 5 kids and my aunt and uncle only had one kid at the time. Every year when they took a vacation one of us would get to tag along. When it was my turn my favorite thing always no matter where we went was singing songs on the road. Riding for hours passing the time with goofy children tunes I’ve long forgotten about. But with those quirky songs came the lesson I never forgot: harmony. My aunt taught me how to sing a note then she would sing a different note but they sounded good together. For many many years this was the extent of my musical education but I sure as hell took it and ran with it. Singing more than talking, writing poetry more than studying I continued to be a person who looked forward to the journey more than the destination. Sometimes I still feel like I’m riding in the back of that old van with my aunt and uncle and cousin, perfectly content with singing songs and learning how to harmonize with the people around me in my own way, with my own voice. Once I started playing an instrument the game changed, I no long had to just sing my song, I could hear something in my head and feel a beat and then put it all together. Granted my songwriting skills were very elementary, however, I was still writing my own songs and if I knew anything about music so far it was that plenty of people can play but not everyone can write. This always seemed important to me and might have been a big reason why I continued to tumble head first into the idea that my identity was ended up to lie in placed I didn’t picture myself when I was a child. Aside from dating a musician in high school I had little direct outside influence on my musical career other than the church. I was thrilled to be introduced to anything outside the stuff I grew up listening. Groups like Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, Blue Merle, Queen, Boston and Gypsy Kings were placed in my tiny library of mostly Christian artists and Michelle Branch. Then came Iron and Wine, Death Cab for Cutie, Paolo Nutini, Tracy Chapman, Frank Sinatra, Muse, Mars Volta, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Ben Folds. When I was 17 a friend paid for some home studio time as a graduation gift. I recorded 10 tracks all originals and I must say they aren’t too bad for a first go around all on my own. Fast forward two years and I have my first band playing songs that I’d written all those years ago and then progressing into collaborative songwriting. Now, with a full band behind me I really just get to sit back and write, but it’s not quite that easy, this new situation poses a whole new set of challenges for me as a writer and singer and in the future an instrumentalist. In the fall of 2011 I fell in love with the band Chicago. Their blend of classical, rock, and jazz is perfect to my ears. A rock band with horns, my one wish for a band if I could make one. And here I am, with something like a rock band with a horn. It’s a start. I’m pretty much set on Chicago and their way of presenting music. Their form of writing and their precision in playing, their soul and unity as one living breathing song. But like my new favorite band says, “good things in life take a long time.” My musical education has only just begun and yet I feel I’ve learned so much already. I sit and pick away at my scales and scratch letters into words that might become songs if I can wrap a melody around it and it be something worth making other people listen to. If there is one thing I can carry on its their message I’ve found loud and clear - we can love one another. But how do you say that, how do get people on your side, how do you convince them of a just cause and what is their motivation? I hope to find a way through my passion to communicate the positives in life, the truth(in my eyes or otherwise), and the things I’ve learned about life.

Now Presenting: The Alice Gillee Project

featuring: Dallas Chamblee(electric guitar), Dustin Gorman(drums), Joshua Chandler(keys, vocals), Bob Taylor(trumpet), Ryon Moncrief(bass guitar), and Bec Simpson(vocals)

I first heard of The Alice Gillee Project right around when my first band, Bec and the Frets formed. The reason for this meeting was more or less because Joshua(my bass player at the time) and my drummer greg both played with Alice Gillee with Dallas(the original founder) and two other members as a southern rock jam band. A few months in and Alice Gillee as it was then broke up. With the full attention of the guys now on Bec and the Frets, the three of us focused on song writing and playing gigs, also we recorded a five track demo. Things were looking bright and our confidence boosted with each show and new song. However all good things must come to an end and Joshua and I parted ways with Greg at what musicians might call the crossroad in which you have to decide if your art is who you are and therefore your reason for living. Music is what we do so Joshua and I kept writing and recording rough takes of our songs on our own. We didn’t have to wait long for another band opportunity to come along in the form of The Alice Gillee Project who just let their bass player go. Dallas, Dustin, Joshua and I started the tedious task of building a set and practice, practice, practice. Once Ryan was brought in Joshua moved from bass to keys(his main instrument). shortly after Bob entered with his trumpet. So here we are: a six piece rock, jazz, funk, blues band(as best I can figure). Our first show is this St. Patrick’s Day at the Alabama Mountain Games. We are more than ready and so excited to present our music to you

When all else fails, music speaks.