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Deb Mitchell is not someone you normally want to bump into on campus. Although she serves as a Public Safety officer by day – handing out speeding tickets to lead-footed collegians – by night Mitchell is the lead vocalist for the local hard rock cover band Crazy Alice. The group performed Tuesday night as part of the Java Jive Series at the Stillwater Canal Co. Pub.
“You get a chance to see me in my alter ego. What is she? Is she a cop? Is she a drag queen? Is she a she?” Mitchell said before the show.
The band started off with the T. Rex staple “Bang A Gong” and promptly switched gears to Lenny Kravitz’s “Dig In.” This trend continued throughout the evening as the band switched genres from song to song.
“Sometimes we fight over what to play next,” Mitchell said before leading the band in a decent version of “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Next, they moved into hard rock mode with Judas Priest’s “Livin’ After Midnight.” A lackluster version of the Guns ‘N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child Of Mine” followed, but Mitchell’s growling voice made up for the missing famous guitar riff.
Switching gears again, the group delighted the crowd with a great cover of John Cougar Mellancamp’s “Pink Houses.”
“This is a song about rejection,” Mitchell said of Nirvana’s melancholy tune “I Hate Myself,” which was next on the playlist. Van Halen’s “Ain’t Talking About Love” was well received by the older crowd. A rowdy version of Tom Petty’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” came next. The band then played The Wallflower’s rendition of the David Bowie hit “Heroes.”
Crazy Alice closed the first set with the Lynrd Skynard southern rock staple “Sweet Home Alabama,” which left the crowd pumped up for more old fashioned rock and roll.
After an extremely lengthy set break, the band, minus Mitchell, returned to the stage and stumbled through the recent Weezer hit “Hash Pipe.” A lovely rendition of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac brought the band back into a more solid groove.
“I play a mean f*cking cowbell,” Mitchell said before showcasing her talents on the not-so-serious Talking Heads hit “Psycho Killer” and Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning.”
The crowd headbanged in appreciation to Pink Floyd’s single “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2″ and sang along to the classic “Mustang Sally.” A cover of Alice in Chains’ “Man In a Box” was dark and moody.
In another musical departure, Mitchell and company ran through a hard version of The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” and finished off the evening with their best song of the night – Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Mitchell’s growls and posture were reminiscent of Robert Plant, while lead guitarist Larry York played behind his back and rhythm guitarist Paul Blair hammered out half-windmills.
Crazy Alice consists of Mitchell, Paul “Boogies” Blair, Larry “Ziggy” York, drummer Robert Gilbert and bassist Pat “Fat Bass-tard” Cote. Vocal duties are split among the five. The group formed from a mutual acquaintance between Blair and Gilbert.
Crazy Alice performs locally at wedding receptions, clubs and benefit shows. While they may not appeal to the younger crowd, those who remember “Dark Side of the Moon” when it was new are in for a treat. What they lack in technical performance, they make up for with heart and humor, nobody had more fun Tuesday night than the band. Mitchell’s stage presence was heavy, yet solid, influenced by some of her favorite performers, like Pat Benatar, Ozzy Osbourne, Pink Floyd and Alice in Chains.
“I get a chance to do something out of the ordinary,” Mitchell said. “For three hours I get to feel like a rock star.”
