AliT — 16 October 2019 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Ali T, aka Alison Turner, joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop‘, Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator. Catch up with her at facebook.com/alitentertainment and her album release show:

Wednesday, Nov. 6 7:30pm at Higher Ground, South Burlington with special guest Sabrina Comellas.

On Wednesday, October 16, Alison Turner, known as AliT, joined Tom Proctor for an enjoyable evening of indie rock. Often compared with Alanis Morisette, AliT’s style mimics that of 90s rock, but with her own spin. 

Alison opened the show with her song, “Smoking Gun.” The track comes off her new album, Smoke and Mirrors, which released this month. AliT fuses pop and indie rock to create a sound of her own.

Alison grew up in Royalton, Vermont, and continues to perform in her home state. With the exception of four years of collegiate education at Wagner college on Staten Island, Alison has kept her roots planted in Vermont. The sirens of the music industry have beckoned her to New York, Nashville, and LA, but she refuses to separate herself (yet) from the mountains and valleys of her homeland.

It was amidst the rolling hills that Alison wrote her first song. She was seven years old and learning suzuki piano at the time. Alison recalls her desire to write came from a desire to document—to remember. These days her desire to create comes from many different muses, but music remains the primary creative outlet.

She turned away from the piano at a young age, deciding that a guitar slung ‘round the shoulder and the title “rock star” suited her better. She continued writing songs throughout high school, and even recorded and mixed a few using Garage Band. Though the quality was not high, Alison credits these early recordings for preparing her for future experiences with studios.

After returning from Wagner College, Alison immediately hopped into the Burlington music scene, and has been performing as a full-time musician ever since. Her discography now includes two albums, along with an array of singles.

For her second song, Alison performed, “Cliche.” Written about a musician who made it big, the song dictates some of the stigmas which arise from chasing fame and fortune through music.

Her recent album, Smoke and Mirrors, arrives as Alison’s sophomore album. She has few qualms about the album, and fewer learning experiences to draw from it, but one thing does not sit well with her: the title. Alison does regret the title of her album. She admits that it is not particularly unique (a quick googling will yield a swamp of similarly titled albums), and she’ll do more research before naming her next album.

That said, no third album is in the works yet, but Alison is still creating. She rarely has to force herself to write. She’s regularly typing ideas into her phone, and penning lyrics and strumming chords in an organic manner. Many ideas do end up in the bin, and many more sit in a folder or on a notepad for years before they’re touched.

Influences for Alison’s songs come from artists like Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Alanis Morissette, her father’s “50s bops,” her mother’s folk music, and—surprisingly enough—ska. She didn’t explain to us how the latter fit into her music, but we definitely hear the former artists in her music. Alison’s music lies in the fringes of pop-rock—sometimes pop-rock with a sprinkling of folk, or maybe pop-rock with a little bop to make her father happy.

Alison wrapped her performance with “Paradise Reality,” written about her disgust for Vermont’s colder months.

If you want to hear more from this two-time Seven Daysies finalist, you can find her music on her website, or on any streaming platform. You can also catch her live. She’ll be at Higher Ground on November 6, and she regularly tours the northeast. As she says, “music and beer go hand in hand,” so you can expect to find her playing at your favorite brewery in the near future. Also keep your eyes out for a BIG northeast tour coming next Summer. Catch all news about this and other events on her Facebook and website.

Text by Luke Vidic.

Photo by James Lockridge.