Alison Mosshart

Alison Nicole Mosshart (born November 23, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, artist, and the lead vocalist for the rock band The Kills and the alternative rock band The Dead Weather. She started her musical career in 1995 with the Florida punk rock band Discount which disbanded in 2000.[1] She then co-founded the Kills with British guitarist Jamie Hince (formerly of Scarfo and Blyth Power) in 2000 in London.[2]

Alison Mosshart
Performing in July 2010.
Background information
Also known asVV, Baby Ruthless
Born (1978-11-23) November 23, 1978
OriginVero Beach, Florida, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1995–present
Associated actsDiscount, The Kills, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, Royal Trux, The Last Shadow Puppets, Arctic Monkeys, Placebo, Primal Scream, Carla Azar, Cage the Elephant, Mini Mansions

In The Kills' first album, Mosshart was known by her stage name "VV" and Hince was known as "Hotel".

In early 2009, she joined the supergroup The Dead Weather, formed by Jack White, along with Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita. In that band, her stage name is "Baby Ruthless."

Musical career

Discount

Mosshart formed pop-punk band Discount (for which she was the singer) at the age of 17 with skateboarding friends[3] in Vero Beach, Florida. The band recorded their first album, Ataxia's Alright Tonight when the band members were still in high school, and began touring aggressively throughout the DIY punk underground in North America and Europe.[4] As a front-person, Mosshart distinguished herself through her intense, erratic, and earnest stage presence.[5] Discount's subsequent album, Half Fiction, was subsequently named the 50th Greatest Pop-Punk Album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.[6] The band moved from Vero Beach to Gainesville, and released their final album, Crash Diagnostic in 2000.[7] The album reflected a move toward more angular sounds and detached lyrics than the emotionally frank pop-punk of the previous two albums.[8] After touring in support of the album, the band played their last show in Gainesville in August, 2000.

The Kills

Before the two even met, Mosshart, while on tour with Discount, overheard Hince playing music in a squat above where she and the band were staying.[9] She finally approached him, after which they started playing around with some music ideas. After she went back to Florida, she continued writing songs with Hince, by sending her ideas overseas to London where he lived. She became very exhausted and ill, so after saving money, Mosshart moved to London and the duo officially started. She has tattooed the date of their first concert on her left hand: 14 February 2002.

In 2003, The Kills released their first album Keep on Your Mean Side. In 2005, they released their follow-up album No Wow.

In 2008, Midnight Boom was released, and singles "U R A Fever", "Cheap and Cheerful", and "Sour Cherry" got much more exposure than the Kills' previous singles on shows and movies like House M.D., 90210, The House Bunny, Friday the 13th (2009 film), and The Losers.

On January 11, 2011, Mosshart announced the name of the new album Blood Pressures. It was released April 5 in the U.S. and April 4 elsewhere. The album is their most commercially successful to date. During the 'Blood Pressures' tour they celebrated their 10-year anniversary on February 11, 2012.[10] They have released a photography book called Dream & Drive of their past 9 years with the photographer Kenneth Capello.[11]

On June 26, 2014, The Kills opened for Jack White in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, for White's Lazaretto tour. Mosshart joined White to perform White's song "Love Interruption", and both Mosshart and Hince joined White to perform Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene".

On June 3, 2016, The Kills released their new album Ash and Ice.

The Dead Weather
Alison Mosshart and Jack White performing live with the Dead Weather at the Glastonbury Festival, June 26, 2009.

Mosshart is one of the original members of the alternative rock band The Dead Weather, formed in late 2008. She had performed previously with Jack White and Jack Lawrence and The Raconteurs, prior to this band's formation. She sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar.

She co-wrote (with Dean Fertita) the band's first single "Hang You from the Heavens", which was released on March 11, 2009. Mosshart also wrote "So Far From Your Weapon" and co-wrote the other eight of the ten original tracks on their debut album Horehound.

In 2010, a second album - Sea of Cowards - was released. The lead single, "Die By the Drop", was written by Mosshart, Fertita, and Lawrence.

Mosshart and White jammed with Seasick Steve and John Paul Jones for the 2011 ITunes Festival. [12]

White's Third Man Records released a book made by Mosshart for her three bandmates called Shark Infested Soda Fountain containing pictures she took during their tour.[13]

In 2014, she joined Jack White on stage for his show at Bridge School Benefit to perform "I Cut Like A Buffalo" (from Horehound) and "Love Interruption" (from White's solo album Blunderbuss) with him while Dean Fertita was playing guitar.[14]

On 29 August 2013, The Dead Weather announced that they had returned to the studio to record a follow-up to 2010's Sea of Cowards.[15] Announcement of their third album, Dodge and Burn, came in July 2015 for a release in September by Third Man Records. Along with four previously released tracks, remixed and remastered, the album features eight new songs.

Other

Mosshart features on the 2006 Primal Scream song "Dolls (Sweet Rock and Roll)", from the album Riot City Blues, as well as on the Placebo song "Meds", the title track of their 2006 album. She also featured on Cage the Elephant's song "It's Just Forever", from "Melophobia". Mosshart also joined the Last Shadow Puppets on stage in 2008, in the Olympia Theatre in Paris. They performed the song "Paris Summer". Amongst her other accomplishments is her role as backing vocals on the Arctic Monkeys track "Fire and the Thud" off of their album, "Humbug".

Art

Mosshart debuted her artwork as part of ArtNowNY's collaborative exhibit, Push It, in 2014. Her primary medium is paint. In 2015 she had first solo art show, Fire Power, at the Joseph Gross Gallery in New York.[16] In 2016 she featured in the Impossible Project in Berlin where she exhibited photographs.[17]

Fashion

In April 2011, Mosshart contributed to Vogue.co.uk's "Today I'm Wearing"[18] feature, sharing a picture of her outfits each day for one month. In 2013, she teamed up with French brand Surface to Air to design her ideal leather jacket.[19]

The model and fashion designer Alexa Chung cites Mosshart as a style idol in a 2010 Vogue UK piece.[20]

Personal life

Mosshart grew up in Vero Beach, Florida. She has a brother, Matthew Mosshart, a chef, who was engaged to media personality Kelly Osbourne until they announced their split on January 9, 2014.[21] Mosshart maintains a residence in London, England as well as Nashville, Tennessee.[17]

Discography
See also: The Kills discography

With Discount

With The Kills

With The Dead Weather

Appears on

References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Discount". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  2. Phares, Heather. "The Kills | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  3. "We've Got A File On You: Alison Mosshart". 2020-12-11.
  4. Svitil, Greg (1996). "Alison Mosshart (Discount)". Veils of Teeth.
  5. Heller, Jason (29 April 2009). "The curious transformation of Alison Mosshart". AV Music.
  6. "50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums". Rolling Stone. 15 November 2017.
  7. Denberg, Betsey (3 November 2011). "The Kills' Alison Mosshart -- The Discount Years". New Times Broward-Palm Beach.
  8. Opie, Russell (13 June 2007). "Discount Crash Diagnostic". Collective Zine.
  9. Cody, Dan (29 September 2016). "Profiles: Alison Mosshart, a Woman of Many Parts". No Majesty.
  10. "The kills-10 anniversary show NYC (full concert)". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  11. "The Kills - Official Online Store". Kills.dominorecordco.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  12. "Write me a few lines ( ft Jack White & Alison Mosshart )- Seasick Steve iTunes Festival 2011". YouTube. 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  13. "VAULT PACKAGE #14". Third Man Records. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  14. "Photo show". Jackwhiteiii.com. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  15. "Jack White Brewing New Songs With the Dead Weather | SPIN | Music News". SPIN. 2013-08-30. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  16. "We Talked to Alison Mosshart About Her Debut Solo Art Show: 'Fire Power' | NOISEY". Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  17. Eckardt, Stephanie. "Alison Mosshart, Rockstar and Photographer, Prefers to Hang Out in Sports Bars". W Magazine. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  18. "Alison Mosshart's fashion and style choices, day 1". Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  19. "Meet: Alison Mosshart". Surface To Air. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  20. "Style icon Alexa Chung keeps going from strength to strengthStyle icon Alexa Chung keeps going from strength to strength". Irish Examiner. April 13, 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  21. RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Chris (28 July 2009). "Weather front: An interview with Alison Mosshart". Star Tribune. Retrieved 27 July 2012. having spent her childhood in Vero Beach, Fla., where she fronted an emo-ish punk band

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