A Fine Frenzy
Encyclopedia
Alison Sudol known professionally as A Fine Frenzy (formerly Alison Monro), is a US alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....

 singer and songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, One Cell in the Sea
One Cell in the Sea
One Cell in the Sea is the first studio album by A Fine Frenzy , released under Virgin Records on July 17, 2007...

, was released on July 17, 2007, and peaked at number 91 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 chart. She has been in the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and France, among other countries. Her music has been featured on television shows, and on the soundtrack of the film Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking (film)
Sleepwalking is a 2008 dramatic film starring Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb, and Charlize Theron . It centers around the bonding of a 30-year-old man and his 12-year-old niece after she is abandoned by her mother. The girl is taken in by the state after he loses his job and apartment...

.

Early life

Born in Seattle, Washington to two dramatic arts teachers, Sudol and her mother moved to Los Angeles after her parents divorced when she was five years old. She didn't see her father - John Sudol
John Sudol
John Sudol - father of Alison Sudol, a.k.a. A Fine Frenzy - is a creative professional in Los Angeles, CA; he has worked as a director and casting director. He is a noted acting coach in Los Angeles....

 - often while she was growing up. She grew up listening to a wide range of music, including Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

, and swing.

She graduated from high school at the age of 16, and considered herself "nerdy and quiet." Sudol did not "drink or smoke or do anything like that." She stated in an interview "I was so nervous about going into college like that and super young. I figured I would take two years and try to find out what I was doing with music. And when I was 18, I was just so deep into it that I didn't want to stop." At age 18, Sudol started her first band, Monro.

Sudol had a passion for literature, and immersed herself in the works of C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...

, E. B. White
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...

, Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...

, Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...

, and Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

. Her band's name, "A Fine Frenzy," is taken from a verse in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

(Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...

, Act 5, Scene 1: "The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven"). After teaching herself to play the piano, she began putting her creative energy into writing songs.

The short demo she sent out received attention from EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

's Jason Flom
Jason Flom
Jason Flom is an American music industry executive. He has served as the Chairman and CEO of music labels including Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and the Capitol Music Group. In 1995, he founded Lava Records...

, who signed her after visiting her house and "listening to her play."

Music career

In March 2007, Sudol appeared at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...

 (SXSW) conference, opening for The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...

. Shortly after, her debut album, One Cell in the Sea
One Cell in the Sea
One Cell in the Sea is the first studio album by A Fine Frenzy , released under Virgin Records on July 17, 2007...

, was released to generally positive reviews. The first single, "Almost Lover
Almost Lover
"Almost Lover" is the first single released from A Fine Frenzy's debut album One Cell in the Sea. The single experienced success in Europe....

", peaked at number 25 on Billboard's
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 chart. In mid-2007, she secured another opening spot, this time for Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...

 on his tour. In March and April 2008, Sudol headlined her own tour in the US and Canada, and in April she toured France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. In September 2008, she was the star act on the opening night of the 'New Pop Festival' organized by the German broadcaster SWR3. She returned to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on a headline tour in November 2008 and played in the 'Super Bock em Stock' festival in Portugal in December 2008.

Her song "You Picked Me" was featured on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 as the "Free Single of the Week" for August 14, 2007, and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

 featured her as one of their "You Oughta Know" artists. Additionally, in October 2008, "You Picked Me" was chosen as network theme by SIC, a Portuguese television network.

One Cell in the Sea has sold 300,000 copies. In 2008 it was released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Poland. In each of those countries, the album peaked within the top 30, with the first single, "Almost Lover," reaching number eight in Germany, number ten on the Swiss Charts and number five in Austria.

Sudol's second album, Bomb in a Birdcage
Bomb in a Birdcage
Bomb in a Birdcage is the second album by American band A Fine Frenzy. It was released on August 28, 2009 in Germany and on September 8, 2009 in the United States. The album had a career high debut for A Fine Frenzy at #28. The album's singles have all been digitally released via iTunes: "Blow...

, was released September 8, 2009. The first single, "Blow Away," was released on July 17, 2009, followed by two more singles, "Happier" and "Electric Twist." On November 23, 2009, a live album and concert film recorded in 2007, A Fine Frenzy Live at the House of Blues Chicago, was released on iTunes.

Sudol announced on her official Twitter that she's excited to start work on her third record, but a date and title have not been confirmed, though slated for a 2012 release. On October 31, Sudol stated via Twitter that the band is currently mastering the record.

Television appearances

On February 6, 2008, Sudol performed "Come On, Come Out" on The Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

. On February 23, she sang "Almost Lover" and "Come On, Come Out" on CBS' Saturday Early Show. She guest starred in the fourth season premiere of CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...

, playing the character Nova Kent. During her October 15, 2009, appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...

, she sang "Blow Away". On the television series House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...

the song "Whisper" was heard during the episode "Joy to the World", and the song "Hope for the Hopeless" has been in three episodes: "Act Your Age", "Human Error", and "Airborne". "Hope for the Hopeless" was also featured in the series premiere of Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity (TV series)
Defying Gravity is a multi-nationally produced space travel television science fiction drama series, first aired on August 2, 2009 on ABC and CTV and canceled in the autumn of 2009...

. The song "Near to You" was played in the episode "Friendship/Passion" of the TV series Wildfire (TV series)
Wildfire (TV series)
Wildfire is a US television series that aired on ABC Family, which was produced by Lions Gate Television, Piller2 and The Segan Company . The show premiered June 20, 2005; its fourth and final season ended May 16, 2008 due to low ratings...

. The song "Lifesize" was played during the episode "Doppelgangers
Doppelgangers (How I Met Your Mother)
"Doppelgangers" is the 24th and final episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 112th episode overall. It originally aired on May 24, 2010.- Plot :...

" of How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...

. Also, the song "The Beacon" was used during the episode "Hot and Bothered" of the Canadian police drama Rookie Blue. "Ashes and Wine" was used in the Vampire Diaries episode "Bad Moon Rising". Her music has also been used on the series The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...

.

Her track 'What I Wouldn't Do' was used by the UK fashion chain Matalan on their Christmas 2010 television advert campaign. In 2011, Banana Republic used Sudol's songs 'You Picked Me,' 'Blow Away,' and 'Happier' in their Fall advertising campaign and behind-the-scenes footage.

Literature and writing

Sudol has often referred to the literary influences on her music. Recently she disclosed that she is also pursuing a secondary career as a writer. In an interview, Sudol said she is working a children's story in the "Narnia" tradition, a fantasy featuring animals. In a later interview with Ladygunn Magazine, Sudol revealed the title of her fantasy adventure book to be "Three Sails and the Family Moss."

Albums

  • One Cell in the Sea
    One Cell in the Sea
    One Cell in the Sea is the first studio album by A Fine Frenzy , released under Virgin Records on July 17, 2007...

    (2007), Virgin
    Virgin Records
    Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

    , Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, US
  • Bomb in a Birdcage
    Bomb in a Birdcage
    Bomb in a Birdcage is the second album by American band A Fine Frenzy. It was released on August 28, 2009 in Germany and on September 8, 2009 in the United States. The album had a career high debut for A Fine Frenzy at #28. The album's singles have all been digitally released via iTunes: "Blow...

    (2009), Virgin
    Virgin Records
    Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

  • A Fine Frenzy Live at the House of Blues Chicago (2009), (iTunes exclusive) Virgin
    Virgin Records
    Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

  • TBA (Spring 2012) Virgin
    Virgin Records
    Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...


EPs

  • Demo - EP (2006): "Rangers," "Almost Lover," "The Well"
  • Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) - EP (2007): "Almost Lover," "The Minnow & the Trout," "Borrowed Time," "Last of Days"
  • Live in 2007 (2007), (Amazon.com exclusive): "Almost Lover (Live)," "Come On, Come Out (Live)," "Rangers (Live)," "The Minnow & The Trout (Live)"
  • Come On, Come Out (2008), Germany: "Come On, Come Out" + Nachtwandler Protone Mix, "Love Sick," "Devil's Trade"
  • Oh Blue Christmas (2009), (iTunes/Target exclusive): "Blue Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," "Winter White," "Christmas Time is Here," "Wish You Well," "Redribbon Foxes"

Singles

  • "Almost Lover
    Almost Lover
    "Almost Lover" is the first single released from A Fine Frenzy's debut album One Cell in the Sea. The single experienced success in Europe....

    " (2007), Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, Lithuania
  • "Rangers" (2007)
  • "Come On, Come Out" (2008), Poland
  • "Blow Away" (2009), International
  • "Happier" (2009), International
  • "Electric Twist" (2010), International

Soundtracks

  • Dan in Real Life
    Dan in Real Life
    Dan in Real Life is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Hedges, starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche.-Plot:Dan Burns is a newspaper advice columnist, a widower, and a controlling father to his children Jane, Cara and Lilly in the New Jersey suburbs. His column is in...

    (2007): "Fever
    Fever (1956 song)
    "Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958....

    "
  • Sleepwalking
    Sleepwalking (film)
    Sleepwalking is a 2008 dramatic film starring Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb, and Charlize Theron . It centers around the bonding of a 30-year-old man and his 12-year-old niece after she is abandoned by her mother. The girl is taken in by the state after he loses his job and apartment...

    (2008): "Come On, Come Out"
  • Powder Blue
    Powder Blue
    Powder Blue may refer to:* Powder blue, a shade of blue* Powder Blue , written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui...

    (2009): "Ride-Goldrush"
  • The Vampire Diaries
    The Vampire Diaries
    The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...

    (2010): "Ashes and Wine," "Stood Up," "All You Wanted" (with Sounds Under Radio)
  • Monte Carlo
    Monte Carlo (2011 film)
    Monte Carlo is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Thomas Bezucha. Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Arnon Milchan and Alison Greenspan produced the film for Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises...

    (2011): "Blow Away"

Compilations

  • Stockings by the Fire
    Stockings By the Fire
    Stockings By the Fire is a holiday compilation album, released in the United States under Starbucks' Hear Music label on November 1, 2007. The album reached a peak position of #34 on the Billboard 200 on December 15, 2007, and was ranked #10 on the magazine's list of 2008's Top Independent...

    (Starbucks Entertainment Compilation) (2007): "Let it Snow"

Live covers

  • "I Will Follow You into the Dark
    I Will Follow You into the Dark
    "I Will Follow You into the Dark" is a song by Death Cab for Cutie and the third single from their fifth album Plans. It is a solo, acoustic ballad written and performed by frontman Ben Gibbard and was recorded in monaural with a single microphone and little editing. The song details the singer's...

    ", Death Cab for Cutie
    Death Cab for Cutie
    Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....

  • "Across the Universe
    Across the Universe
    "Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...

    ", The Beatles
    The Beatles
    The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

  • "Seven Nation Army
    Seven Nation Army
    "Seven Nation Army" is the first track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released as a single in 2003. "Seven Nation Army" reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks and won 2004's Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The song is known for its...

    ", The White Stripes
    The White Stripes
    The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

  • "Heart of Glass
    Heart of Glass (song)
    "Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...

    ", Blondie
    Blondie (band)
    Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

  • "I'll Follow the Sun
    I'll Follow the Sun
    "I'll Follow the Sun" is a song by The Beatles. It is a melancholy ballad written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in 1964 on the Beatles for Sale album in the United Kingdom and on Beatles '65 in the United States, but was written long before that year:...

    ", The Beatles
    The Beatles
    The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

  • "Everybody's Talkin'
    Everybody's Talkin'
    "Everybody's Talkin" is a folk rock song released by Fred Neil in 1966 that became a global success for Harry Nilsson in 1969, reaching #2 and #6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and Pop Singles chart respectively and winning a Grammy after it was featured on the soundtrack for the film...

    ", Harry Nillson
  • "Ring of Fire
    Ring of Fire (song)
    "Ring of Fire" or "The Ring of Fire" is a country music song popularized by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash...

    ", Johnny Cash
    Johnny Cash
    John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

  • "The Things We Did Last Summer
    The Things We Did Last Summer
    "The Things We Did Last Summer" is a popular song from 1946. The words were written by Sammy Cahn, with the composition by Jule Styne. Several recordings have been made, the most well known of which include versions by Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford and Vaughn Monroe...

    ", Dean Martin
    Dean Martin
    Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...


External links

  • A Fine Frenzy official site
  • A Fine Frenzy - YouTube
    YouTube
    YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

    channel
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