Andrew Allen: The Man of Many Happy Emoticons :)

     One man with a passion for music is Andrew Allen. Not only does his music make people happy, but his website and blog posts have you wishing he was your neighbor. He has toured Canada, the UK, and some of the United States. Allen has two full albums  and two single available for purchase. His songs are full of energy and they evoke dancing or tender emotions. Allen is a guitarist, pianist, and vocalist (who can play almost any instrument you can throw at him) who makes every place feel intimate, whether the Club Nokia or your living room. While he is more popular in the UK, he recently toured with the Script and that is where I first heard this animated musician. Learning more about him from his website, Andrewallenlive.com, has made me a fan and I want to invite him over for Thanksgiving or better yet, have him play at my next barbecue. 

What food do you eat on the road that you never hope to eat again? Because I'm a vegetarian, it's actually pretty challenging to find food on the road that's healthy and still falls in the vegetarian category... I think if I never had to eat those fake eggs that come in the free breakfasts at hotels... I don't even really know if they're classified as food... sponge maybe? So I hope I never have to eat sponge again.

Are the crowds different in Canada vs. the States? Maybe a little... hard to tell though 'cause the US is soooo diverse, so each state seems like a different crowd... it's hard to lump 'em all in! The states that I've been too though have been incredibly supportive and most of the time have a ton of energy:) I love that! Canadian crowds range from different province, and some have seen me grow up in a sense, so there's a neat feel to that too:)

photo credits belong to AndrewAllenlive.com

Would you still tour by staying on people’s homes and playing to small groups? I love playing to small groups, and will definitely do that when I can... it sometimes gets challenging though when the work load is so big... if you wanna play to a bunch of people, but you're playing small groups all the time, you've got to play a whole lot more and it's tough to cover that much ground... but I'm not opposed to it:) And as far as staying with people in their homes? We still do when we can... it's just few and far between since we're usually coming in super late after a show, and leaving super early the next morning... we like being good houseguests and getting to hang, so if that's not possible, we'll usually just hotel it...

What advice do you give for young musicians? Go for it! I don't know what else to say... work on your craft, get good, listen to advice and criticism (and not just from your family and friends... they love you, but sometimes they lie and tell you you're really good when it would do better if they told you to work on it) and then go for it... you gotta believe in yourself first, 'cause if you don't fully believe in yourself, why should you expect anyone else too?

When is your album set to come out? I'm not entirely sure... I'm hoping for the end of summer, but timing is key in this industry so it'll come out when the timing is perfect:)

Which of your songs are closest to your heart? I have a few faves, one is on the new record called 'Feathers and Lights'... it's a song about the coming together of two people, with the help of the entire universe to make sure it happens... I also feel super strongly about my song 'Love Life' 'cause it's lyrically all about the things I love and the journey getting to contentment:)     

Many of your songs are upbeat, happy songs. Is there any reason for that? To be honest, I don't have a lot to be upset about... and even if I was or am upset, I don't usually feel like I need to contribute to an already depressed humanity... though I know people can identify with sad songs, I just love being on stage and having a smile on... and when I sing upbeat happy songs, I can't help but smile, in hopes that maybe someone else is too:)