Alison's Halo

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Alison's Halo
Background information
OriginTempe, Arizona
GenresDream pop, shoegaze
Years active1992–1998, 2009–present
LabelsIndependent Project Records, Burnt Hair Records, Manufactured Recordings
MembersCatherine Cooper
Adam Cooper
Roger Brogan
Past membersLynn Anderson
Thomas Lanser
Scott Macdonald
David Rogers
WebsiteOfficial site

Alison's Halo is a band from Tempe, Arizona. Their sound, distinguished by dreamy vocals and loud, spacey guitars, is often also associated with shoegaze and dream pop.

History[edit]

Alison's Halo formed in Tempe, Arizona, in October 1992. The original lineup included vocalist/guitarist Catherine Cooper, guitarist Adam Cooper and bassist Lynn Anderson; they dubbed their Alesis SR-16 drum machine "Alison". Their debut gig was at an old Odd Fellows hall with Jimmy Eat World opening.[1] The band quickly obtained opening slots for international touring acts like Ultra Vivid Scene, Curve, the Verve, the Boo Radleys, Bailter Space, and Stereophonics,[1] performed at several music festivals (including CMJ Music Marathon and South by Southwest) and recorded two demo cassettes, Slug and Halo. They added drummer Thomas Lanser prior to recording their debut single, "Dozen", released in early 1995 on Independent Project Records. The lineup changed again, with bassist David Rogers (also of Half String[2]) and drummer Roger Brogan replacing Anderson and Lanser. During 1997, the band added Scott McDonald (formerly of Closedown[3]) as a third guitarist.

Their first album, Eyedazzler 1992–1996, a CD compilation of songs the band created between 1992 and 1996, was released in 1998 on Burnt Hair Records.[4]

After the dissolution of Alison's Halo in the late 1990s, Adam and Catherine Cooper relocated to Chicago and recorded Burt Bacharach-influenced pop at their home Jetpack Studios under a variety of band names. As the Pastry Heros, they self-released the five-song Horn Rim Fury CD EP in 1998 on their own Submersible Recordings.[5] As Kitten Factor, they released the "Nite Lite" single on the Rainbow Quartz International label in 1998, and the three-song "Surround" 7-inch EP in 1999 on Sunday Records.[6] In 1999, they changed names again to Insta, re-releasing Horn Rim Fury under that name on Sunday Records.[7] Insta released a full-length album, Checklist for Love, in 2002 on Sunday.[8]

Adam Cooper also records as the solo ambient guitar project Signals Into Space.[9] Drummer Brogan joined Sonic Boom's band Spectrum in 2008 and also recorded with the Idaho Falls, Frausdots, the Vacant Lots and Britta Phillips.[10]

In 2009, the Coopers reactivated Alison's Halo and released several digital compilations of old material via their website, including three live albums and the Jetpacks for Julian demos EP.[11]

The Alison's Halo song "Dozen" was included on the Still in a Dream: A Story of Shoegaze 1988–1995 box set compilation, released January 29, 2016, by Cherry Red Records.[1]

On April 13, 2016, the band self-released a digital single, "Some Heaven"/"The Hardest Part", both tracks being Eyedazzler-era demos from the 1990s.[12]

An expanded reissue of Eyedazzler finally materialized in 2017, released by Manufactured Recordings in CD, vinyl and digital formats as part of that label's The Shoegaze Archives reissue project.[13] It included remastered tracks from Eyedazzler 1992–1996, both sides of the "Dozen" single and three unreleased demos from the Eyedazzler sessions. Three videos were released to coincide with the reissue: "Dozen" (which debuted on The Big Takeover),[14][15] "Slowbleed"[16] and "Sunshy".[17]

Discography[edit]

Singles and EPs[edit]

  • Slug cassette EP (1993, self-released)
  • Halo cassette EP (1994, self-released)
  • "Dozen" 7-inch single (1995, Independent Project Records)
  • Jetpacks for Julian digital EP (2009, self-released)
  • "Some Heaven"/"The Hardest Part" digital single (2016, self-released)

Compilation albums[edit]

  • Eyedazzler 1992–1996 (1998, Burnt Hair Records)
  • Eyedazzler (2017, Manufactured Recordings)

Live albums[edit]

  • Live at the 1995 All Fish Go to Heaven Festival: Hollywood Alley – Mesa Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)
  • Live at the 1995 Beautiful Noise Festival: Downtown Performance Center – Tucson Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)
  • Live at the 1995 Beautiful Noise Festival: Rancho De Los Muertos – Phoenix Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)

Compilation appearances[edit]

  • "Dozen" on Still in a Dream: A Story of Shoegaze 1988–1995 (2016, Cherry Red)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Tom, Reardon (18 March 2016). "Tempe Shoegaze Band Alison's Halo Added to Seminal Shoegaze Box Set". No. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  2. ^ "David Rogers". Discogs.
  3. ^ "Scott McDonald". Discogs.
  4. ^ Dale T. Nicholls. "Artist Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  5. ^ "The Pastry Heros". Discogs.
  6. ^ "Kitten Factor". Discogs.
  7. ^ "Insta – Horn Rim Fury". Discogs. 2002.
  8. ^ "Insta – Checklist For Love". Discogs. 2002.
  9. ^ "Signals Into Space". Signals Into Space.
  10. ^ "Roger Brogan". Discogs.
  11. ^ "Jetpacks for Julian – EP, by Alison's Halo". Alison's Halo.
  12. ^ "Some Heaven / The Hardest Part / Demos, by Alison's Halo". Alisonshalo.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  13. ^ Harris, Ashley (May 19, 2017). "Now You Can Own Eyedazzler by Alison's Halo on Vinyl". Phoenix New Times.
  14. ^ "Alison's Halo – Dozen (Official)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Video Premiere: "Dozen" by Alison's Halo". The Big Takeover.
  16. ^ "Alison's Halo - Slowbleed (Official)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Alison's Halo – Sunshy (Official)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
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