Biography
After an initial period performing alone, Alice Schneider established the evolving New York rock outfit Alice Texas during the mid-'90s, cultivating a brooding and intense style informed by the approaches of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and PJ Harvey. Early on she cycled through numerous supporting players, among them nine different drummers, until former Go-Betweens bassist and Jetset Records executive Robert Vickers came aboard and facilitated the arrival of drummer and keyboardist Jim Sclavunos, a veteran sideman with both the Bad Seeds and Sonic Youth. Lead guitarist Peter Mavrogeorgis soon completed the configuration that became the group’s first settled roster. The band tracked its debut album, Gold, in 1999; the largely self-produced effort appeared the next year on Schneider’s own imprint. By then Sclavunos had departed and Vickers had resumed his label responsibilities, leaving Schneider and Mavrogeorgis to proceed with drummer David Berger and bassist Byron Isaacs. Alternative Press placed Alice Texas at number 51 in its March 2001 issue spotlighting “100 Bands You Need to Know in 2001,” after which Schneider returned to the studio to cut demos for a follow-up release.
Albums