If there is one musician to capture the ear of anyone fortunate enough to find themselves at the International Pop Overthrow, then arguably Canterbury resident Alison Green is that performer. The sound of honesty, the smoke filled aroma of something tangible and laden with meaning stands out as being on the side of majestic, pleasing on the ear and yet filled with a charm that is both seemingly shy and powerful enough to break down imposed barriers.

Alison Green has performed at the I.P.O. for the last two years and certainly garnered much attention. With a new album recently released and with the sound of great applause still perhaps resounding throughout The Cavern, getting hold of Ms. Green to ask her about her experience of the festival and her music is not just a necessity but a true pleasure. I ask Alison,

What does the I.P.O. mean to you as a performer?

AG: “The IPO is an amazing place. 140 musicians and even more music lovers coming together on a culturally and musically historic street is pretty spectacular. I’m kind of jealous that David Bash thought of it first! As a performer I suppose at first I found it intimidating but you soon learn that everyone’s friendly, everyone’s got their own style and everyone’s in the same boat. Whether you’re a signed, experienced band or a small-time musician it’s for either end of the spectrum and everyone in between. It’s a bit misleading to talk about playing on the same stage as so many brilliant musicians because the original stage no longer exists! Some excellent musicians have played there since the Cavern’s re-opening, but it’s the atmosphere that makes it; it’s a great experience to play there, and also just to hang around and listen to the music is pretty cool too.”

Last year was your debut at the Cavern, to come back for a second successive year must have been quite thrilling, what was the expectation like?

AG: “It was really cool to be invited back for a second year; at least David didn’t hear my set and immediately regret his decision! Good to know… I always just played music for myself, but it’s nice to know that other people enjoy it. It felt like by this time around I knew what I was doing and what to expect, so a bit more comfortable, but the fear still gets me every time!”

Your new album Whiskey Ginger Johnson is very personal, deep and with tones of isolation in parts, what was it like to make the album?

AG: “Isolation is interesting. For that, I think You Look How I Feel sums it up. The title is phrase is desperately trying to communicate something that’s so internal it’s not even visible. It’s about feeling so disconnected you feel like you’re behind and above your body, controlling it like a puppeteer, being numb to the outside world because you’re enclaved up there. Originally that title was going to be the name of the album, but the content changed so much it became something different. I think most of the songs come from isolation because it’s voyeuristic; just watching things happen. You have to be a little on the outside for that view.

To be honest, making the album was really hard. I like that I made it but it was emotionally heavy going. Each song means something to me, usually something very specific, and the music carries images, memories, connections to different songs and sensations to me. A year after recording it the songs still get to me, but they’re no problem to play. At the time, however, some of them were pretty rough, particularly Take Me Home and It’s Over Now. The version of Take Me Home you hear on the album is actually made up of a few takes because I kept crying, or just generally f****** up because it was hard to get through.”

Songs on the album and others that you have created such as Herbert Finnegan, Ghost Boy, Dreaming of You, Whiskey and Cigarettes all have the framing of poetry within, they capture the ear, how do you view poetry within the song?

AG: “I never really thought of it as poetry, but all the songs you mentioned are quite lyrical, probably because when writing it’s always been about the lyrics for me (maybe that’s obvious, most of my songs only have a chord and a half). Music plays a role, of course, like the bendy lilting sound of Whiskey and Cigarettes which for me sounds like a few too many drinks and a veil of smoke, but the lyrics usually come first. These songs also have a definite structure, which others don’t, which I suppose is a bit poetic. I like the story-telling side of poetry, the set-up and the reveal. Maybe Ghost Boy is a bit like this; an ethereal character who you’re either remembering or imagining through a haze. Then you finally see the half-drunk coffee which reassures you he was there at all. I wrote a song called Porphyria’s Lover, an imagining of the Robert Browning poem of the same name, which I’d have liked to play at the IPO but it didn’t manage to sqeeze it in. I based it on the music of All Along The Watchtower. I always thought Dylan was quite poetic in a vague sort of way, and I like doing that; references here and there from which the listener can get more meaning than one song can convey alone.

Apart from that I don’t really consider poetry much. I used to write a bit though, which got me into song writing, so I should probably consider it a bit more…”

What music inspired you when you were growing up?

AG: “I remember being listening to Carole King’s album Tapestry when I was about six or seven years old. I was a bit obsessed with it. I listened to it so much that tapping the CD tray a certain way to get it to work became second nature. I loved her voice, it felt scratchy and real. There was something about her which was melancholy, which I liked. Way Over Yonder, Home Again and So Far Away made me quite emotional. On the other hand, Beautiful, Smackwater Jack and I Feel The Earth Move made me want to get up and dance. The polarity of the album is cathartic, very up and down, and I think that influenced me.

My songs seem to be either upbeat and happy or pretty miserable. Most of them the latter. That caters for most stuff that needs washing out, I suppose. Another musical memory is of my Mum playing a Beach Boys record (I only remember well Good Vibrations, I Get Around and Surfin’ USA. Surfin’ USA was in my head a lot when I was a kid, the soundtrack to childish adventures. I also recall lots of bikini-clad women on the cover. I’ve since looked it up and it’s a compilation of greatest hits). It had everything: groove and good times. I’d love to be able to pull off harmonies like that, but that requires a band I’ve not yet met, and probably cutting down on some cigarettes at my end. Also Joni Mitchell’s Blue album, which is beautiful.

I don’t remember much music going on again until I was about thirteen and started listening to The Offspring, and stuff like that. Blink 182 were dreadful, but what stuck with me was the silly, ridiculous side of music. Just have fun with it, I guess. I still like the sound, following it up with more bands I’ve started listening to recently like the Rival Sons, Deap Vally, Boston. With rock ‘n’ roll you can’t go wrong (Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly) but I also tend to go back to mellower roots like Cat Stevens, Dave Van Ronk, Rodriguez and the like. When in doubt I usually listen to the Kinks. Musically, they were revolutionary, doing things that hadn’t been done before. I have tapes of Billie Holliday and Julie London which I like to play when it’s raining. I love some of the tracks from older bands like Dream Lover, Rhythm of the Rain, Be-Bop-A-Lula… I can’t really pin point an inspirational musician or band, actually. I feel like I’ve been leading you on. There’s too much to mention and I don’t think I sound like anything I listen to. Listen to the album!”

As a solo artist there must be a lot of pressure on you to deliver all the time? How do you relate to that?

AG: “I feel like when I’m playing solo there’s more pressure not to f*** up. There’s no other sound to hide behind, and you’re the only one to watch. With bands, there are other people for the audience to have their eyes and ears on, so if you get caught playing a bum note or missing a beat it’s more bad luck. When a solo performer does it it’s really obvious and the silence doesn’t get filled, you just have to grin and bear it. I suppose it’s quite nice not to have to deal with people, but it would be nice to have a band with the right chemistry, so everything flows. Or maybe be in a band where someone else tells me what to do so I don’t have to worry about it!”

Is there plans for a follow up album?

AG: “Always.”

Thank you for having been part of this year’s I.P.O., it was, as always, a pleasure to have you in Liverpool and performing so beautifully and congratulations on the tremendous album.

Ian D. Hall