Andrea
Alice De Buhr is a renowned legend among women drummers. She has played for Fanny, the all-woman band to be signed to a major record label. The drummer was born and bred in Mason City, Lowa. Upon finishing her high school studies, she left home and moved to California in 1967.
While in Sacramento, Alice De Buhr saw an ad looking for a female drummer and quickly went ahead to make contact, and it was June and Jean the Svelte’s. Unfortunately, her message never reached June and Jean as their little sister lost the message. That summer, the drummer explored selling vacuum cleaners and cleaning apartments.
During that time, she joined a boy’s band and performed a myriad of gigs in Sacramento. Luckily after June and Jean completed their Canada tour, they stumbled on Alice De Buhr’s message and connected with her. She auditioned, and as luck would have, it got the job, as it were. Her drumming career steadily hit the road running as they played extensive gigs in Sacramento and later had a gig set up in Portland at a region known as Dantina’s Lounge.
Alice De Buhr maintains that they did about five sets a night, and for her, it was a horrible gig and a horrible job. Sad to relate, the band later broke up, and Alice De Buhr and Addie, the lead guitar player-initiated Wild Honey. The Wild Honey band had its roots in the northwest. In less than a year, the band rejoined under the name Wild Honey. Wild Honey went to Los Angeles and performed “Hoot Night” at the Troubadour.
The band also performed at the Experience on Sunset and got a signing by Richard Perry to Reprise. Of course, Alice De Buhr’s drumming drive began in second grade. Her schools’ band director presumed she had a moving sense of rhythm and tapped her to learn drumming skills. Alice quickly picked up the idea to learn drumming ropes and by high school, she was performing in her first all-time female band, the Women.
Wild Honey soon transformed to carve a name for itself (Fanny). From 1969 to 1973, the band recorded four albums with a mix of personalities. Alice De Buhr flaunts owning two Camco Kits and a natural wood kit. This is an incredible set for the drummer and can be heard on various Fanny albums.
The drummer’s toms are 14” and 12” while the floors are 16” and 18”, all tuned low. Furthermore, she upgraded her bass pedal to a DW and graduated using 2B sticks to 5A Regal Tip. Alice De Buhr holds that her delight in playing was designing the drum part for each original song. Listening back to a wide range of Fanny’s music, she is intrigued by how incredible the music translates in her ears.
Moreover, the drummer is pleased for working pretty hard for the last two decades to get Fanny’s albums issued on CD. Alice De Buhr manages and oversees Fanny’s official website. She is fascinated with the notion of extending the word about the group.
