Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters Ep. 132 - ALLEN STONE ("Unaware")
Grammy nominee and neo-soul singer songwriter Allen Stone, described by USA Today as "a pitch perfect powerhouse" joins us for a deep dive into his creative process. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul catch up after the holidays and chat about the appeal of Allen Stone (and Christie Brinkley). PART TWO - 6:15 mark Paul and Scott call up Allen Stone to get the details on how a Cake album was his gateway to music outside the church; why the chemicals coursing through his veins led him to write songs of his own; why he says "everything is imitation" in songwriting; the reason he might be an X-Ray technician if he had it all to do again; why he was "super ashamed" of his debut LP; what he does to force himself to write songs; what happened when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis invited him to collaborate; why he tried not to fall in love with his now-wife; and the reason he says most pop music today has been dumbed down. ABOUT ALLEN STONE Washington state native and Seattle-based singer-songwriter Allen Stone is only in his early 30s, but is already an old soul. Heavily influenced by classic R&B of the 1960s and 70s, Stone and his band built a grassroots following with their high-energy live shows up and down the West Coast. Featuring a handful of co-writes with Andy Grammer, Stone’s self-titled and self-released debut album landed in the Top 40 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart without the help of a major distributor. The album was re-released by ATO Records and Stone continued to build a national following with appearances on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His follow-up album, Radius, found the soulful songwriter moving over to Capitol Records. He later returned to ATO for a deluxe re-release of Radius, as well as his most recent album, Building Balance. Featuring the lead single, “Brown Eyed Lover,” it’s clear why USA Today has called Allen Stone “a pitch-perfect powerhouse.” Including collaborations with British neo-soul mainstay Jamie Lidell, the album features Stone’s most intimate lyrics to date. “I don’t have time,” he said, “to write about anything that isn’t deeply personal.” With a recent high-profile gig at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympic in Seattle, viral videos with millions of views, and collaborations with other artists such as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the self-described “hippie with soul” continues to make waves with his rootsy sound and socially-conscious lyrics.