Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
When singer Alice Spencer joined the reuniting Geyer Street Sheiks in the early 1990s, she found kindred spirits in the musicians of that classic roots ensemble. The creative kinship was perhaps greatest with guitarist Tom Hall, with whom she’s founded an eponymous duo. Though she lives in Austin, Texas, Spencer’s been a regular visitor to St. Louis, coming up every couple of months to gig and when possible, write original material.
The arrangement’s worked: Spencer and Hall play frequently in town and have also developed a regular concert circuit that extends from St. Louis to Texas and back, “between here and Denton, Texas, with Dallas, Little Rock,” Spencer says. “There’s a lot going in the Ozarks. That’s what we’re currently doing, these mini-tours out of St. Louis. And in Austin, we play house concerts.”
In some towns, Tom & Alice (who also go by the truncated moniker T&A) perform a more blues-inspired set. But that’s not a limit they impose on themselves; when able to stretch out, they examine a host of influences.
“We keep adding, and we don’t let anything go,” Spencer says of the duo’s set lists. “We have a solid two hours of blues, and we’ve also got world music, some originals, some Tin Pan Alley and old-timey songs. We can play Hawaiian music. Recently we started playing Led Zeppelin songs.”
Spencer’s even added some African percussion to a mix that, with her amazing voice, Hall’s own striking vocals, and his mastery of the resophonic guitar, makes this duo unique.
With new originals edging into the picture, the duo hopes to return to the studio soon to record a sophomore album. “We have enough material,” the ever-upbeat Spencer says, “and we may crowd-fund again.” (The first record was untitled but informally known as “The Kitchen Album,” partly in reference to Robert Johnson’s “Come on in My Kitchen.”)
While Spencer plays in three bands in Austin, Hall spends 15 to 20 days a month playing solo shows in St. Louis. When they’re together, though, the chemistry’s apparent. “It’s the only gig that lets me do all the things I love playing,” she says. “Tom likes to take on new challenges in his playing. There’s no end to what we could do or experience.”
