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By Vickie Aldous for Revels March 05. 2015 2:00AM Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship Ashland-based singer and songwriter Alice DiMicele will perform this weekend with Jeff Pevar, Mikey Stevens, Crystal Reeves and Rob Kohler. Photo courtesy of Tina Bolling Local singer and songwriter Alice DiMicele celebrates the release of her 13th album with a concert on Saturday, March 7, in Ashland. DiMicele, whose acoustic music is inspired by a rich mix of folk, jazz, funk, rock and soul, will perform with her band at the Unitarian Fellowship, 87 Fourth St., Ashland. The doors open at 7 p.m., and the music begins at 7:30 p.m. Jeff Pevar on guitar, mandolin and Dobro, Crystal Reeves on violin and viola, Mikey Stevens on guitar and trumpet, and Rob Kohler on bass will join DiMicele to perform new songs from her album "Swim." DiMicele has nearly 30 years of touring, performing and recording under her belt and is in the midst of a West Coast tour. Speaking by telephone from the road, she says her songwriting style has changed over the years. "I used to write every single day in my early teens and 20s. Now I don't write as much, but when I do, it's usually pretty potent," she says. "I've learned to let it brew and then come out. I'll sit down when I know it's time and have a songwriting session. Sometimes they'll just come flying out. Those are my favorite songs." After the initial rush of inspiration, DiMicele says she'll tweak the lyrics to make them more rhythmic and musical. She usually writes the lyrics and music for her songs simultaneously. DiMicele says it doesn't work to try and force a song. Once a friend wanted her to write a song for the friend's teenage daughter and presented DiMicele with a list of messages she wanted included in the lyrics. "I said, 'I can't fulfill your list. But I can write a song about what it's like to be a teenage girl.' It's an anthem for being true to yourself rather than following in the set of shoes that have been laid out for you," she says. Often, her songs are inspired by intense personal experiences. DiMicele wrote a song after her dad's best friend — who had been like a second father to her as she was growing up — died after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. She grabbed her guitar in the middle of the night and the song came through. DiMicele later played the song for the man's widow, who had been like her second mother. "She just started to cry. She felt like it was him sending a message," DiMicele says. "Sometimes, I get taken over and a song will come through. I always hope it will do some good in the world. I wanted that song to be a gift to my other momma. It's about saying goodbye to someone you love." DiMecele's Saturday concert is sponsored by Ashland Food Co-op. Part of the proceeds from each ticket will go to the Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center for the group's campaign to protect the Smith River from nickel mining. The event will also feature a raffle, bake sale and wines poured by Wild Wines from the Applegate to support the Smith River cause. Advance tickets are available at Ashland Food Co-op, Fretwell Music and Music Coop in Ashland, at the Northwest Outdoor Store in Medford and at Listen Here in Grants Pass. Tickets are available online for $15 with a $1.74 service charge at www.uniiverse.com/aliceinashland . For more information or to buy the album "Swim," visit www.alicedimicele.com/newsite/ . http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20150305/News/150309970 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->