Alice Tong - photo by Anna Wu
We here at ATO fancy ourselves a rather eclectic bunch; we’re into a mad, disjointed variety of unrelated people, places, things, etc. We seldom agree on anything, but two interests do top all of our lists – good animals and good music. Imagine our surprise when we stumbled across an artist whose main passions matched ours! That person is California-based singer/songwriter/shelter dog trainer Alice Tong.
Alice and Lance
By day Alice (who is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker) is employed at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, CA – plus she offers private dog training, as evidenced HERE. She has also assisted SIRIUS Puppy/Dog Training Classes, East Bay SPCA’s TLC (Teaching Love and Compassion) dog training classes, and trained service dogs for individuals with physical disabilities. Alice graduated with distinction from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior- one of the most respected and comprehensive dog training programs available using force-free methods. How cool is that?
Anybody that involved with animals must have a big heart — and Alice just happens to have a big talent to match. Her first album, “Small” (2005) reveals huge singing chops she puts to good use on sultry standards like “Black Coffee”, “Round Midnight” and “Nature Boy” — along with a sprinkling of original material. To say this collection is gorgeous is an understatement — and it only gets better with her more recent offering, last year’s “Please Be Brave Before The Lions They Come”. Despite the Yoda-esque title (just kidding Alice) the album brings into sharp focus the masterful songwriting and warm, unique voice possessed by Ms. Tong. I must also add that Alice plays piano, guitar, ukulele and harmonica on these cuts – and her musicianship is second-to-none. You can hear all this for yourself AND download these albums at Alice’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
Right now — here’s a little taste of the music courtesy of the Alice Tong Youtube Channel - where we strongly encourage you to spend a great deal of time.
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Obedient animals and good music — two of life’s great pleasures — both supplied by Alice Tong.
