BTS Vault
Welcome to my Behind-the-Scenes Vault.
This is where you’ll find a collection of moments from the process around the music ~ from writing and recording to rehearsals, touring, and everything in between.
These are the in-between spaces that don’t always make it into the final songs ~ snapshots of ideas forming, gear setups, backstage moments, and the day-to-day reality of building a life in music.
Some of these clips are quick and candid, others capture specific parts of the creative process, but all of them are part of the bigger picture behind the songs.
Dive in and explore the moments that live around the music.
Gear & Setup
Meet My Guitars (Part 1)
I’d like to introduce you to five of my guitars 😄
I’ll introduce more of them to you in Part 2, but for now, here they are:
1. 1994 Gibson Les Paul, Classic Plus, Honeyburst
2. 1986 Fender American Standard Stratocaster, Black
3. 2010 Fender Custom-Shop Telecaster, Tobacco Burst
4. 1997 Gibson SJ-200 Jumbo Acoustic
5. 2005 Taylor T-5, Koa
Video Corrections: 🤦🏻♀️
When I watched the video, I realized I misspoke about a few things:
1. Stratocaster – The pickguard is NOT tortoise-shell, it’s white pearloid.
2. Telecaster – The first example of the different pickups I demonstrated was the NECK pickup, not the bridge pickup.
3. Acoustic – When I said “the rest of this whole pickup,” what I meant to say was “the rest of this whole pick GUARD.” 👻
Meet My Guitars (Part 2)
This is Part two of this series: Meet My Guitars. I’d like to introduce you to four of my more unique guitars: 🎸
1. My Tele-Monster guitar ~ Tele neck? Monster body!
2. 2002 Baby Taylor
3. Dobro Resonator
4. 1961 Hagstrom (if memory serves, the year is correct)
My Carry-On Travel Rig
Join me from the upstairs bedroom in my dad’s house in Connecticut ~ the night before Thanksgiving ~ as I demonstrate my travel rig that’s compact enough to fit in my carry-on bag.
I use the iRig, my laptop, a portable Bluetooth speaker, and the Tonebridge guitar effects app (it’s AWESOME!). I show you how I plug everything into my computer (since I used my iPhone to shoot the video), but you can also plug everything into your phone or tablet (it doesn’t have to be an iPhone). It’s really convenient, and the sounds are KILLER! 🔥
As you’ll see (and hear), the sounds inspire all kinds of guitar playing and song playing 🤩
The New Rehearsal Space
If you’ve seen any of my Guitar Therapy videos, you’re already familiar with this room 🤩
Some friends and I started renting this lockout rehearsal space at the end of 2021. It’s chock full of great guitar amps and has a really nice vibe.
This is also where we recorded Brave’s music video 😌
Creative Process
The Songwriting Process
Bryan G. asked me to talk a bit about my songwriting process, so here it is! 😊
Apologies for the wind! We were a couple of months into lockdown and I was craving to get a bit of fresh air.
Getting Through Tough Times
Ali-Cat Bryan G. requested I talk about how I got through tough times early in my career, when nobody believed in me. Here’s my thoughts on that, including some things that you may not expect… (live from a park in Sherman Oaks CA) 😊
Hawaii Songwriting Trip
I spent the last week of October on “the Big Island” of Hawaii, writing and recording new songs with old friends (Patricia Bahia and Austin Willacy) and new (the producers we worked with). Here’s a little video footage from the trip ~ we recorded in the studio of Grammy-winning producer Charles Brotman. He had a 1971 Les Paul that I played in the footage that you see. But for the song we ended up scrapping the Les Paul track and using a Weisenborn acoustic lap steel guitar (like the kind that Ben Harper uses). It just seemed to fit the song better. You never know if something will work until you try it!
The song you hear in the video clips is something we wrote and produced while in the studio ~ it took a total of about six hours. A totally different experience from writing my songs and then recording them with Seth, a process that takes much longer, due to our schedules. There’s something fantastic about blocking out a whole week to do nothing but write and record ~ it’s much easier to do that when you’re away from all the obligations and distractions of home!
Rugrats Session @ Mutato Musika
Here’s the story behind my February vocal session. I got to play the voices of two dolls singing pop songs to each other (it was pretty silly and very fun!).
In this video, taken a few hours after the session, I talk about what it was like and give you all the background info on the players involved. The studio I worked in is owned by Mark Mothersbaugh, one of the founding members of Devo, and look what I got to model after I was done singing! 😃 ⬇️
Late Night Practice Session ~ 7-String Guitar Shenanigans
Just messing around with a 7-string guitar I was given ~ tuned down to a low A and leaning into a heavier, more distorted sound than I usually play. Here I’m playing around with a version of a song by my friend Jamie Green, taking it from its original 90s pop feel into something a bit more heavy 🤘🏻🔥
On the Road & Backstage
A Moment Alone Backstage
Just a peek behind-the-scenes at our most recent RagDolls gig. I had a rare few minutes alone backstage at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills. I love having time to myself to warm up and appreciate how lucky I am to be playing loud rock & roll with such a wonderful group of women 🥰
Backstage at The Music Box (San Diego)
Here’s a little video I took for you on my cellphone before the RagDolls most recent show at a gorgeous San Diego club called the Music Box. They treat their performers really well ~ great food, sound people & security staff, and the backstage area is CLEAN, with big lit mirrors for prepping beforehand. We’re very much looking forward to coming back and rocking the house again!
Here are a few still shots from the evening…
Attending Inspiring Shows (Nov 2022)
I went to see Lizzo with my friend and co-writer Patricia Bahia, and this was my very favorite part of the show. Lizzo is SO inspiring ~ both with her musical abilities and her empowering messages to the audience. I’m so happy I caught this touching moment on “tape” 😉
Three out of five RagDolls got to see Aerosmith in concert (Susie Major (our Steven Tyler), me & Tara Rae (our Tom Hamilton on bass) ~ it was fascinating watching a concert where I knew how to play 90% of the songs note-for-note. Very trippy, and wonderful! Joe Perry played a different guitar for EVERY.SINGLE.SONG!
Moments & Updates
Ali on The Price is Right
This is the story of what it was like to play guitar on “The Price Is Right!” (spoiler: it was fun & kinda surreal!) May include stories about camouflaging music gear with potted plants, models practicing their moves backstage, and little bags of pretzels… Plus a BONUS music licensing lesson! 😜🤓
The footage below is from the 3rd (and final) time I appeared on “The Price Is Right.” I jammed out on my song “Tie Me Up” while crossing the stage, and Drew Carey gave me some lovely props after I played. He was such a gracious host 🥰
2020 Recap
Let’s raise a toast to 2021!!! And give 2020 a swift kick in the you-know-where… 😜
2020 was one of the most difficult years I think most of us have had to face. It’s crazy to look at these videos now.
For this behind-the-scenes video this month, my assistant Alex suggested we do a 2020 recap / Meet Ali’s team video.
I loved the idea ~ I hope you enjoy meeting Alex & Addison, as well as hearing about how we felt about 2020 ~ the bad and the silver linings ~ and what we’re hoping for 2021. 🌈
Plans & Goals for 2022
For our behind-the-scenes video this month, I’m sharing my goals and plans for 2022. I have a LOT of exciting musical experiences in the works, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you! 💖
This is the second year I took the time to talk about how my year was and what I’m aiming to do in the future.
Inspiration
Inspiring Reads ~ The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
One of the most important books to shape me as an artist is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
Whenever ANYONE creative asks me for advice, I ALWAYS recommend they do this book (it’s a book with weekly assignments — it doesn’t do much good to just read it — you need to do the work to get the results).
In this video, I read a few passages from the book and chat about how some of the lessons helped me as a developing artist.
Inspiring Reads ~ The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
To help ring in the New Year on a positive note, I picked out my very favorite passages from one of my all-time favorite books: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
Quick note: Because the video I recorded is over 15 minutes, I had to split it into two separate videos — Part 1 & Part 2. Make sure you watch the 2nd video right below ⬇️, as that’s the most inspiring part!!