Alison Pipitone

Once upon a time, a 13-year-old Alison Pipitone was cruising through a flea market and wandered upon an electric guitar. Not wanting to empty her pockets to make the $15 purchase, she left empty-handed. Cut to five years later when Pipitone finally did get an electric guitar and The Monas were born, her first band formed with three of her siblings. The Monas would eventually make two records before disbanding. Heading out as a solo artist, Pipitone worked hard to develop her chops as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Her work is torn from her heart, from her life, from every day existence in the real world. Pipitone's artistic evolution can be traced through her string of mid-1990's independent solo releases Life in the First Person, Down to Money, and 1998's Like Being Born. Not unlike Michelle Malone, consistent regional and national touring has earned her much critical acclaim and a loyal following for her rootsy, bluesy brand of honest rock. To further stake her claim of independence, Pipitone officially formed Slice Records to release Shake It Around in 2000. Recorded in her attic-cum-studio, its feel is intimate and raw, not in small part due to the occasional radio interference from nearby broadcast towers which she left on the recordings to slyly pay homage to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Somewhere in her busy touring schedule, Pipitone found time to write and record another 10 songs, and I'll Ask Her hit the streets in 2002.