We recently connected with Christine Alice and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I learned my first chord on the acoustic guitar when I was 27 years old. A little old for music industry standards. I also was a little old to be living with roommates for society standards, but I usually have this inner voice telling me that I’m behind in almost all my avenues of life.

My roommates would cringe at the sound of my tuning, and their hints that I should play in solidarity weren’t subtle. I often heard, “that’s enough” or “Please! A moment of silence.” There were eye rolls and other not so supportive queue’s that my music wasn’t appreciated. Though their behavior hurt my feelings, I didn’t blame them; I was really awful and I practiced a lot. I had no idea what I was doing and they were subjected to the beginning, which savants aside, is never pretty. I would play as quietly as I could, hidden away in my bedroom. I didn’t have any formal lessons. I watched a lot of youtube, learned how to read tabs, and listened very carefully to my own sound.

I wanted to be a musician with all my heart. I dreamed of playing stages and writing songs that spoke my soul and stole people’s hearts. Deep down it’s what I always wanted but I had pushed it aside for more “realistic” pursuits. Typical of my insecurities, I also felt embarrassed that I was a “late bloomer” to guitar and the music industry.

1 year into learning the guitar, I took to the stage for my first open mic and was so scared I was trembling. I almost chickened out when they called my name, but I was fortunate to have my best friend behind me to literally push me on stage. When I began to sing, the clank of glasses, scooting of chairs and murmuring voices stopped. To my complete and udder surprise they all clapped at the end and cheered for more.

This experience energized me. The audience didn’t seem to care that I hadn’t already sold platinum records for 10 years, or that I wasn’t performing some crazy solo I learned when I was 15. They just appreciated the music. It was 3.5 minutes of my life that made the endless hours of rehearsing over the past year worth it.

Fast forward to now; I’m 36 years old and I make a successful living with just music. I quit my 9-5 job about 4 years ago. I perform live, I produce music, I am a session singer, and I write for film.

When I was just starting out, I felt more joy from learning and playing than I felt pained or self conscious. It was worth all the insults and jabs. For everyone who wasn’t supportive in the beginning, I have found 100 times the amount of people who are cheering me on now. I had to put myself out there to find my supporters which was terrifying at first but now, it feels like second nature. I still don’t consider myself a great guitarist by any means but I am a lot more confident about it and am proud of the progress I have made. Being a beginner is never easy. It cuts the ego and bruises the pride but we have to cut through the bullshit to find the beauty deeper inside. No matter where on the linear timeline we find ourselves, it’s always ok to be a beginner. I’m still reminding myself of that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in the mountains of Colorado and went to a one room schoolhouse as a little girl. We moved into Fort Collins when I was about 12 and had a modest upbringing. I have always loved to play piano and sing and was in choirs for all my school years.

Like I said, I started out doing open mics and that really is the jumping off point. Everything I am doing now is because one thing led to the next. I had no idea how I would become a musician but my best friend once said, “You don’t need a map to start walking down the path.” Open mics led to paying gigs. Word of mouth led to writing music for film and my songwriting and performance led to producing music for other artists.

I play a lot of covers ranging from Stevie Nicks, to Chris Cornell, Michael Jackson, Billy Eilish, to Tyler Childers. When people ask me what genre I am, I really struggle to find an answer, but I suppose I would consider myself a cover artist by putting my own spin on all the covers I do. When I perform solo it’s rhythm acoustic guitar with my voice. It’s a very simple set up. My own original music is mostly americana-ish but I have some pop and darker music inspired by Tool as well. I pull inspiration from my childhood, from painful experiences, from frustrations and from sounds that I think are beautiful and I make up lyrics to emulate the emotions I hear. I also have a band that creates a much bigger sound and I’m the worst musician on the stage by far. My band mates are animals on their instruments and I’m so proud to play with them.

I have written and performed music for two films. One was a short film titled, “Chords” which I also had the pleasure of acted in. That film went around the world and won numerous awards at film festivals in Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, and all over the USA including Best Original Score and Best Original Soundtrack in multiple festivals.

The other film I wrote music for was a documentary about Temple Grandin. A project I am probably most proud to be apart of. Temple Grandin is a hero for animal rights, autism and education and has long been an inspiration of mine since I saw the motion picture about her starring Claire Danes released in 2010. Our documentary, “An Open Door” just won an award for Best Original Score in San Diego. I had the honor of meeting Temple Grandin because of this project.

I think the thing that sets me apart from other artists is my voice. It’s the compliment I receive the most and the instrument that brings me closest to my soul and the sound. I feel a deep connection with the vibration in my chest and I love sharing that more than anything.

I am working on my first album and I hope to have it completed before the summer if all goes according to plan.
I play shows both solo and with my band, The Canyon Echos, all over Colorado and I would love to meet you so please come say hi if you make it out to a show.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

“Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss taught me how to value my creativity and be able to negotiate prices that are more fair.

“The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron is a staple that I think every artist should read and reread. It helps with writers block and opening up creatively.

“The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks was inspirational and reminded me that my fear isn’t idiosyncratic to me. It provides tools to overcome imaginary ceilings of success.

“Live Music Method” by Tom Jackson is the book I wish I found 8 years ago. It’s an outline behind what makes a good live show.

Also, Marty Schwartz on Youtube has an extensive library of tutorials on how to play almost any song on guitar.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I quit my 9-5 job I was really scared. I had known for about 5 years at that point that I wanted to pursue music but that prospect seemed so out of reach. I would never be good enough to make enough money to pay my bills. It truly seemed unattainable. But I realized that I was turning down gigs because I had work the next day and I didn’t want to be tired. I realized that including tips I was making more in one night of performing than I was in one day at the job. I did the math and factored in that I could supplement with teaching beginners guitar, piano and voice. There was no guarantee that I would succeed but I felt that I would regret not trying more than if I had to swallow my pride and ask for my job back. I had some savings and it was a good thing too because the Covid shutdowns put the Kibosh on all live music so I had to bide my time for a bit and work on my craft. Those savings were crucial and I somehow coasted through that ordeal. Now, that decision was the best decision I have ever made. There’s still no guarantees but I don’t know anything in life that is 100% guaranteed. I’d rather bet on happiness and fullfilment than ” job security.”

Contact Info:

• Website: ChristineAliceMusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinealicemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christineAliceMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@christinealice4180
• Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChristineAliceMusic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4NnTOC96BDJ75lyKis14zm?si=pYSkXvrWR-auOvOdu5X_GA&nd=1&dlsi=34bcf076df12427f

Image Credits
Dana Paige Jasmine Mallow John Barnhardt Scott Allen Gii Astorga