Wedding Guitarist Malaga | Soulful Music for a Southern Spanish Marriage
Wedding Guitarist: Alice’s Unique Musical Style Provides The Ultimate Backdrop to Ceremonies and Celebrations…
It’s a privilege to talk with a female guitarist who has been taking the Costa del Sol’s wedding scene by storm in recent years. Sunshine Weddings Spain are delighted to be working with Alice and excited to share her passion, vision and repertoire with our bridal couples in today’s interview:
I fell in love with a guitar at a friend’s house when I was 13 and I bought it for €25. Although I hadn’t a clue how it worked, I couldn’t put it down. Eventually, I found my way with a lot of patience, and my style developed much in the same way.
I am based in Spain. In fact I grew up here. I imagine for the same reasons I came back after a few years travelling around, Spain – and especially the south of the country – has a warmth very few places have. The colours, the mountains, of course the sea. I know no other place like it.
I love Soul, Folk and Blues. Although I grew up in a Rock and Roll home, I slowly found a fondness for more soulful sounds. It’s honest. If there’s sorrow in a song, it’s heard. The joy is also felt in every note. That sort of music is honest and I find myself lost in it very easily.
I have been doing weddings here since 2010, with a break of around 3 years in London and the surrounding areas. I play a few Food Truck festivals here and there, beach bars and restaurants. The joy of Málaga is there is a lot of music everywhere you go.
I really enjoy a gig I do every few weeks in a small, elegant jazz and cocktail bar called Speakeasy in Fuengirola. It’s the sort of place that seems to encourage people to listen. The second I start my set I feel the difference in the room. We’re all in that moment for 3 minutes of a song. In all honesty, there isn’t a venue I dislike though. Like I say, there’s something very special about Málaga.
I’d like to think I put a lot of myself into what I do. It’s very dear to me, so when a couple request me for their big day I try to cater to their wishes. As a backdrop, I especially enjoy putting in lots of songs that wouldn’t be expected but are familiar. I like spotting the tapping foot on guests that are chatting away to each other. I’ve covered quite a wide range of songs over the years for brides too: from classic Elvis Presley numbers to a House/Clubbing tune that was playing when a couple first met in Ibiza. I enjoy a challenge!
It’s very humbling to see my calender getting busier every year. Although 2020 has been a bit of a paused year for most of it 2021 looks like it may be a busy year!
I have a list of my repertoire, that I usually update every 6 months or so. I send that to couples to have a nosey through and select what they feel best fits their day. I know how important the whole day is, so anything I can do to add to it, I will.
Initially I found it hard to not be out playing very much this year. It’s something I’ve done professionally since I was 17, but I took it with as much positivity as my mind would allow and have used the time to play a lot of music at home with my partner who is also a musician. We discovered Facebook Live performances too! We were able to interact with lots of people that frequent our gigs, without breaking any lockdown rules…
Thus far I have quite a lot of weddings coming up in 2021. I imagine once we get used to this new way of doing things, plenty of other events will start to come up!
We love Alice’s positivity and here’s to exactly that: many more weddings in 2021, and many more opportunities to hear this artist and her golden notes. A huge thank you to Alice for contributing to today’s feature.