Allen Stone

After handing out mid-day trophies for Bumbershoot‘s second day I briefly hit Macklemore and Ryan Lewis‘ highly anticipated Mainstage set. Fans had begun lining up at 4:30, 2 hours before the house opened and over 3 hours before his set, to catch the hometown heroes make their triumphant return. Macklemore is an exceptional live performer, and in the 2 songs I saw he did not disappoint the crowd of an estimated 10,000+ attendees, but I needed something a bit more intimate, and grown — the median age on the floor was 16 skewed toward 12.

It feels weird to say this about a Macklemore show but I’m glad I left to hit the EMP Level 3 stage and see the last four songs of Allen Stone‘s set. It was easily the festival’s highlight so far. The rising soul revivalist played an outstanding show in the one of the festival’s classier venues, hitting unbelievable falsettos with his talented backing band holding it down. The crowd was into it, heightening the fun, dancing to Stone’s dusty beats and impassioned vocals. He tore the house down performing his hit “Unaware,” proving the high notes reached in the video were no product of studio wizardry. Stone is going to be a star, and kudos to Bumbershoot for catching him early in what will surely be a noteworthy career. - D List Magazine

Key Track: Unaware
The Story: Singer-songwriter Allen Stone, a Kings favorite who we posted several months ago will self release his new album on October 4th. He has upcoming performances in Los Angeles and NYC. Stone is receiving love from USA Today and Seattle Weekly. His jazzy love songs are starting to make an impact. - Kings of A&R

Allen Stone
Allen Stone (Oct. 4)
The hook: The son of a preacher man, this diamond in the rough got his start at church picnics in Chewelah, Wash. (population 1,500). His voice, a pitch-perfect powerhouse, emotes confessional lyricism beyond his 24 years.
For fans of: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder - USA Today

Jesse Pulls Off His Headphones Long Enough to Give You the Low-down on the Most Intriguing Talent on the Hoof of the Year So Far

April 22, 2011

By Jesse Beer Dietz

Some amazing talent has been submitted to us at Wheels during the first three months of 2011. Here are the five acts we believe have the best shot to break.

Allen Stone
Label: Unsigned
Looks can be deceiving, and there’s more to this talented newcomer than meets the eye...or the ear. Close your eyes and listen to Allen’s seamless blend of Marvin Gaye and Raphael Saadiq. His self-titled debut album will be out this summer, but don’t wait on it—this one should heat up quickly. Management: BJ Olin. - Hits Daily Double

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Allen Stone (www.myspace.com/allenstone; @allen_stone): It’s not often that we immediately get blown away and caught off guard by a new record, but that’s exactly what happened when we checked out this dude—who reminded us not to judge a book by its cover. The natural soulfulness emanating from Allen’s voice reminds us of the late, great Marvin Gaye, no less. He created quite the buzz last week at SXSW as he performed with Raphael Saadiq’s backing band. One can only assume that the weasels will be coming out in full force in short order, if they aren’t sniffing around already. We’ll keep an eye on this artist, and we suggest you check out the tunes and do the same. For more info, contact BJ Olin (bj.olin@mac.com). - Hits Daily Double

We know. Stereotypes aren't cool and it's best not to judge a book by its cover. But lets be real for second. Would you have guessed that a soulful, almost gospel like voice would have come booming out of that blonde kid with the glasses? But, after learning a bit more about Mr. Stone, it all started to make some sense. A minister's son, Allen grew up in church singing old gospel hymns, and credits his parents for instilling him with "a love for songs at an early age." Vocally, Stone often gets compared to the best of the best - otherwise known as Stevie Wonder, Prince and Justin Timberlake. And while to us, these comparisons seem blatantly obvious, a grounded Allen insists, "getting compared to anyone successful is always very flattering!"

Though we were initially struck by his overwhelmingly incredible vocals, let us state for the record that the boy can write a song or two as well. "Another Break Up Song," his latest single and a self professed "rant" against the typical, well, break up song, is about as hooky as any pop record on the charts today. Allen candidly explains, "I feel the majority of us are wusses when it comes to relationships. We make small things a big issue, or we focus only on the negative. I really wrote the song to encourage people to work it out!"

So what's next? A major label deal? Not so fast. Though Stone dreams of collaborating with the likes of Janelle Monae or Mark Ronson, he won't sign up with a major label deal just to do it. Allen explains, "I'm really excited about how things have gone in my career so far as an independent artist. I have built up everything independently thus far. Perhaps at some point I might need to partner up with a label but right now I am happy. My only ‘end goal' is to make a living playing music and to do so by touring."

Well, Mr. Stone, while nothing in life is certain, we'll bet some serious cash that you'll always have an audience to play for.
- Seventeen/Cosmogirl

Allen Stone may look like a hippy Chewelah, WA, but he sounds like Stevie Wonder and Prince had a child. He blew the audience away during BMI’s “Snowball” at Sundance and got a standing ovation for an otherwise reserved crowd. His new self-titled release is due out this spring. He sat down with The Comet for a Q&A.

Q: This new album is your follow-up to 2009’s “Last to Speak.” What did you learn the last couple of years? And how did you approach the record process on this one?

A: Well, this one was kinda weird because we recorded it just a little under a year after “Last to Speak” and typically you don’t go into production on another record that soon after you release one. But the opportunity presented itself. I was given a chance to record with Raphael Saadiq’s rhythm section and so it was kind of like well, yeah I’d be an idiot to pass up an opportunity like that. That sparked the writing portion of the record. I think we recorded 17 songs, and the record has 12. It was thrown together quick but it was definitely a learning experience. I would say that what I learned from the progression of “Last to Speak” to this new record is I think that I’ve tried to find my sound a little better and have been able to capture that more.I don’t think I’m fully there yet, but I’m definitely making strides towards the right direction.

Q: You were working with Andy Grammer and Matt Wertz. How did that come about?

A:My manager used to do some tour management for Matt. I was in Nashville for a week and we got a hold of Matt and he was just totally down to get together and try to write a song. It actually went really quick. I think we wrote the song in about an hour. He’s a brilliant person and a beautiful spirit, so that was really cool. Same kind of thing with Andy Grammer, his manager is good friends with my manager so they set that up for us to get together. I met Andy at SXSW last year and got a chance to spend some time with him, get to know him a little bit. That kind of brought us together. Andy Grammer is another one of those just amazing, talented people. He is, in my opinion, about to blow up.

Q: How did the first single, “Another Break Up Song,” come about? Were you just tired of all those break up songs on the radio?

A: Yeah, that was a big portion of it. It was also stemmed from relationship issues that I’ve had in my life and I tend to blow them out of proportion. I think a lot of people tend to blow things out of proportion. A lot of the times, especially nowadays, people are just way too selfish in relationships. There’s just so much heartbreak and agony involved with relationships. It was kind of my test towards sucking it up and loving each other and getting through stuff and having a little bit more patience than I think a lot of people do.

Q: You got your musical start singing at your father’s church, do you recall the exact moment when you decided this was something you wanted to pursue professionally?

A: I’ve always really loved performing, I was always singing at church. I started leading worship at church when I was 14. I’ve always really loved being in front of people and expressing myself. But I think probably what put a spark in my mind at an early age was a close family friend that had a run in the music industry. She started when she was like fourteen and then she got signed to a Christian label and had quite significant success in the Christian industry and then crossed over to secular and had a couple of pretty big albums and did pretty well. I remember driving in the car with my dad and we didn’t really know that she sang. Our families kind of lost contact over the years, and one of her songs came on the radio and I was blown away, it was like wow, she’s traveling the world and singing and connecting with people just through lyrics and song. I think that was the kick-start, maybe I could write enough songs for these people to pay attention and maybe I could actually do it for more than a hobby.

Q: You live in Seattle now. What was it like growing up in Washington state?

A: I grew up in Chewelah, Washington. It’s about forty miles outside of Spokane. It’s really out in the middle of nowhere. It’s like a ski-bum town. I’m pretty sure the main reason why it even exists is because it’s right at the bottom of a ski hill. It’s pretty well attended throughout the winter. It’s really small, there’s about 1500 people who live there now. I was born and raised in Chewelah and then graduated and moved to Seattle when I was 19. I’ve just been there, trying to do it independently for the last four years now. It’s been a grind.

Q: The soul greats are a major influence for you, is that the type of music you primarily grew up listening to?

A: No, not too much. My dad, being a pastor, I was pretty sheltered from any music that wasn’t blatantly Christian, so not so much rock and roll. I grew up listening to like Steven Curtis Chapman, all these Christian bands, and then I think when I was about 14 I really got into Dave Matthews and then I discovered Stevie Wonder. I always grew up singing Gospel music and singing soul tunes in church, but it wasn’t until I heard Stevie, Marvin Gaye, and Solomon Burke, and all these old soul records that I found where the passion was.

Q: What was the first live show you did?

A: I was living in Spokane actually, I just moved from Chewelah for the first half of the year after I graduated. I was playing every Saturday night at this burrito restaurant and that was where it all started. I play piano too, so I’d bring in my keyboard and just set up a mic and play through the PA. I did that every Saturday for a couple of months. I was basically background music and I got accustomed to playing sets where people aren’t paying attention. I’ve definitely played a lot of those in the last four years of my life. I’ve played a lot of colleges, toured around trying to cultivate a new market. You have to start at the ground level when you’re an independent artist. I go into towns that I’ve never played before and tough it out and get lost in the music and not pay attention to the fact that nobody is listening.

Q: Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

A: Probably the only guilty pleasure I have is I like Boy George a lot. I’m the kind of person where I’m not ashamed of any portion of my life. I really enjoy Boy George, ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, that kind of stuff. I enjoy that music. I don’t feel guilty about it in any way.

Q: Are you going to SXSW? Festivals? What’s coming up next?

A:: I play SXSW in March. Right now, I’m just trying to get on the road as much as possible. My passion is performing live so I really want to cultivate that following and share the live experience with people.
- The Comet

Allen Stone ("A Night With Allen Stone" Show)
The Crocodile
Friday, July 8, 2011
When fast-rising vocal heavyweight Allen Stone crept center stage Friday night at the Crocodile, he wore a confident smile that acknowledged the actuality of a much-anticipated event. A well-deserved moment of self-satisfaction, the Seattle (by way of Chewelah, Wash.) resident has the kind of sultry approach to r&b that has local fans gobbling up tickets like the fucking Cookie Monster (it was a sell-out), and a set of pipes that, if focused at an American Idol-type TV contest, would leave the resulting season looking like the singing equivalent of a Blake Griffin dunk-reel.

While Stone's chops in the soul/r&b realm are well-documented, the vocalist chose to begin with a series of folky ballads (mainly covers), which included some killer harmonies with a barefoot blonde in a black dress named Alessandra Rose, in addition to some solid banjo, double bass, and drum backing.

After Stone apologized for the "Johnny-be-good bullshit," and promised to return and "funk the shit out of" the audience, he threw on a Sonics jersey and cued his newly assembled (some of the musicians were constant in both arrangements) seven-piece band James Brown style--arms flailing--and became a funk star for most of the remainder of the night. Primarily singing, gyrating pain-faced, and occasionally strumming the acoustic, Stone also hopped on the keyboard for a slow jam, and tossed in a Bob Marley cover for good measure. The variety was impressive, as was the backing band that kept stride perfectly with each turn, and Stone's delightfully sexual back-and-forth with the crowd made dancing easy, especially when he called upon each side of the room to "shake [their] tushy."

Then he played this song:
(Unaware video)


. . . and absolutely brought the house down. At the show's conclusion, the crowd appeared excited yet restless, but the vibe didn't last long, because, as with any good sexual experience, there was an encore.

The opening band: Eternal Fair, played a respectable, hair-whipping set of indie rock. Guitarist/vocalist Andrew Vait really jumped out of his singer/songwriter persona and had a rollicking good time.

The capacity of the Croc: reportedly clocks in at 560, but that must include the entrance hallway and both bathrooms, 'cause man, was that place packed.
- Seattle Weekly

Just when I think we’ve got Seatown on lockdown, a cat like Allen Stone pops up to show me there is so much more going on than I even know. This Thrilla from Chewelah is young but by no means a newcomer, having already headlined places like Neumos, Tractor and Crocodile in just the past year. Now splitting his time between Seattle, New York and LA, Stone is as serious as they come about nurturing his voice and becoming a full package entertainer, Friday July 8th’s “A Night With Allen Stone” is his bold venture in that direction.

“I’m a songwriter, but I really want to be a soul singer,” he relates as we talked on Cafe Vivace’s patio during that passing week of Spring . “I went and saw Prince at the Forum two and a half weeks ago, and sat like ten rows away. It changed my life. Not only is he just a stupid musician. But he owns every single seat in that building, and he demands your attention. He demands that you are up out of your seat, dancing and having a good time. And he does it every single night. Those are the kind of performers that just inspire me.”

As we spoke he was still without a permanent touring band to get him on his way, but he was stowing a finished but still un-released debut record featuring some of LA’s best soul talent as his backing band, among them members of the troupe surrounding one of his own personal idols, Raphael Saadiq. “It’s weird. So I haven’t officially released [my] record yet. I’ve been sitting on it for about a year now. And yeah, Raphael Saadiq’s band played all the rhythm section. I dont’ know how I’ve gotten myself into being surrounded by incredible musicians, because I”m not one. I can sing but I’m not an incredible player.” His humble carriage was a recurring theme in our hour in the Seattle shade.

“Somehow through the grace of God I’m surrounded by these incredible real musicians. Somehow Raphael Saadiq’s guys agreed to come and play on the record, the guy Calvin Turner played bass who I’ve been a fan of. I saw him with Marc Broussard, when I was like 17. It was that point in my life that I decided this is how I have to learn how to sing and perform. With that passion and that soul power. Calvin was playing with Marc at the time, so it’s this crazy full circle. I don’t belong in the same room as these people. I’m extremely humbled at the same time, but also grateful. This guy Darren Johnson played keyboards. Darren played for Miles Davis for fifteen years. He played on his last record. One of the players from the Town of Power played horns. So it was just this mash-up of all these people, that like I said, I don’t belong in.”

With the intention to one day count himself among giants, he is driven, but not a diva. Of “A Night with Allen Stone” he says “I want it to be this night of community, where all my friends who play music in Seattle can come and showcase their talents in front of people that I would normally draw to a show like that, but also just be there in the crowd. Shows to me, especially when I’m home are like this family reunion/high school reunion where I get a chance to see all my friends and catch up and then play music, which is my favorite thing in the world.” Stone’s comments typify the collaborative penchant of Seattle’s musicians, that’s happening right now across all genres. Broken up into an acoustic first set leading into a full-band second set, the evening will include a few guest-appearances from local friends, Alessandra Rose and Hot Bodies in Motion among them. “The middle set we’re still trying to figure out, but it’ll be different styles of music that lead into the full hour and a half set. I’m going to have a horn section and background singers, basically big soul band. I’m exicted. It’s kind of hairy, with a lot involved. I recently did the Seattle Rock Orchestra and it really inspired me with how many people were involved in that.”

“I want it to be memorable. I want it to be like, ‘I had an experience at that show!’ ” he remarks of the July 8th date, “So we’re going to give it a go.” Embedded in that comment is a uneasy honesty, an acknowledgement of how far he has to go to attain his ultimate aspirations. But given he has already come this far on sheer talent and cheerful intention, it’s easy to believe that surrounded by friends who inspire, the night will go exactly as he plans. “I don’t know if it will be the one, but I want to progress towards that. Progress towards almost more of a night, than just a set.”

“A Night with Allen Stone” happens at the Crocodile Friday July 8th. Tickets are $10 in advance. Watch the videos below of an impressive living room session, and an acoustic bathroom session with Stone in a pink robe, and get to know Allen Stone.

Update 7/4/2011: During the writing of this story, Sound on the Sound became a sponsor of “A Night with Allen Stone.” - Sound on the Sound

I’m certain that part of the allure of soul for me is its capacity for being something that I’m just not, a personality trait that’s eluded me throughout my life: suave. The intersection of outgoing and unselfconscious, dancing like a fool and still looking cool just isn’t where I hang out. Though I’m trying. As the son of a preacher man, Allen Stone was well equipped from day one to be all of those things at once, and it all came out on stage at the Crocodile for his “A Night with Allen Stone.”

Allen Stone is a goofball in a way only a preacher’s son could be, boisterous and respectful all at once. He cultivates a thick-rimmed suave, his toothy grin comes easy and he’s very interested in making sure everyone is getting “funked up.” His overwhelming enthusiasm is just that, overwhelming, and since it’s all in service of having a good time, it consumes the room in the best way possible. He made a point of getting everyone dancing at one point early on, and with hyper demands coming from a man who in the first few songs did a fair amount of flopping around himself, you had to figure “He’s getting wacky up there, why not me too?” Not even midway though Stone’s soul set I’m standing halfway back and people are happily gyrating around me (and on me) in 360 degrees at his request. Seattle was suddenly getting unusually funky.

Opening “A Night with Allen Stone” to an early crowd was Eternal Faire and frontman Andrew Vait’s classic rock persona came out in full force. I suddenly understood why he might also be a natural in a Freddie Mercury tribute role, he was fully using the stage as a stage. I suppose if I had hair like that, I’d be swinging it around like him at every possible moment too. An opening acoustic set by Stone and a small band saw a collaborative moments with fellow musicians Alessandra Rose, Kris Orlowski, and Hot Bodies in Motion as well as a number of well done covers, Ray LaMontagne’s “Let It Be Me” and Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” were the highlights. But the acoustic set was just a warmup for where his talent is most on display. His pipes are the knockout factor. And it seems, his charisma.

Allen Stone is Maxwell’s brain locked in Steve Urkel’s body: behind four eyes, funny faces and gawky moves is a lady-killer on the hunt. His countertenor runs are just one of his weapons of choice. “Celebrate Tonight” dutifully rips a page right out of Stevie Wonder’s volumes of work. Minor classic “Figure It Out” is probably the best representation of Stone’s preference not for dwelling on break-ups but on the far more difficult topic of staying together that Gaye set the bar so high for. (See also “Another Break Up Song”.) And watching Stone strut on stage, it’s apparent that his break-out living room video for “Unaware” only hinted at his vocal potential. His vocal run about two thirds of the way through that song live caused tangible chills. Of all the songs this night though, the unreleased participatory cut “Say So” most lived up to the funky precedent Raphael Saadiq been setting in recent years, a dance n’ chant anthem that should get even the most skeptical show-goer shuffling ten toes in time.

Though Seattle might seem like an unusual place for R&B star to be birthed, this night at the Crocodile proved we’re not just ready for it, but hungry for it. For the soulful swagger of those Hot Bodies boys. For the happy-go-lucky jump-alongs of Pickwick. And yes, for the exploding energy of Allen Stone and his band. It’s music that rubs off on you. And let me tell you, I could certainly use a dose of Stone’s suave rubbing off on me. To be honest, I could use a whole lot more than one dose.

Allen Stone’s next plays Seattle at Bumbershoot, Sunday September 4th, 7.30pm at the EMP stage. - Sound on the Sound

“As the music starts, I’m amazed as I sit and listen. With my head bobbing, I don’t believe what I hear. Then I realize this kid is special.” - Shaun Alexander - Running Back for the Seattle Seahawks - NFL MVP 2005

"Allen Stone is one of the most refreshing, raw, and amazing voices I've heard in years. This guy won't be unknown for long." - BJ Olin