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Sam Allen moving on to bigger things

Photo courtesy of Amanda Grant.

When your life revolves around creativity and a tight-knit community of talented artists, a lot can happen in a short period of time. Indie folk-rock musician Sam Allen has experienced this first-hand, as only a year ago he was playing bass in A Horse and his Boy and was the director of London’s Open House Arts Collective. Both endeavours have dissolved since then, but Allen hasn’t slowed down. The London native and Western graduate student took time to discuss his future goals and current projects.

Can you discuss what you’re currently working on?
Right now I’m writing and arranging a new album, which I would hope to have released by the fall. I have demoed six songs, but now I’m taking the time to write another six songs and kind of go from there to come up with an album. I’m also writing a blog to track the creative process—I just started that when we recorded the demo in January.

How has your sound progressed since you last released music?
I always try to make the music more interesting to me. Some of my more popular songs are kind of more rock or blues, but I’m trying to move away from that and be a little more progressive. I’m trying to take all of my different influences, like Bob Dylan, Timber Timbre and Radiohead, and mix that with London’s music community and my own personal experiences. I’m also really into rhythm right now, so I’m making a lot of music with a strong emphasis on that.

Does releasing new music to old fans make you nervous?
I’d say it excites me—I’m always excited for the experience of having something new to share with the world and to actually get it out there and show it to people. I do get nervous sharing new material with other musicians or friends who will possibly play on it, but it’s always a relief when they think it’s good or they like it. It’s nice to get that recognition.

How does it feel to leave A Horse and his Boy and London’s Open House Art Collective?
It’s weird because for so long I was kind of going in one direction, and now I’m going in a new direction. I’m still making my own music and focusing primarily on that, I’m doing my masters in popular music and culture at Western and I’m still trying to figure out how to do these new things. It’s interesting to do things on your own and have that freedom.

Do you think you will focus on using your education to find work, or do you hope to make a living playing music?
I think it will be a bit of both—I can’t see a time where I won’t be making music. My masters kind of goes hand-in-hand with that, as I’m definitely becoming more critical of the music business and the industry. In the future I could see myself taking that academic career and getting some sort of municipal job helping to foster their music community, or maybe working for an organization like that. But as far as trying to have a career in making music, it’s definitely something I’m interested in pursuing right now. It’s something I’m not going to back down from in the near future.

Catch Allen open for Forest City Lovers on February  22 at the London Music Club. Tickets are $12 at the door.

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