Michael ( Cowmuddy) McShane, Chuck Treece, Tom Hampton, Chelsea Allen, Mollie McShane Allen, Kerry McShane Kay.
Influences
Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Springsteen, Counting Crows, Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Band, Nanci Griffith, Ryan Adams, U2, Son Volt, Stephen Stills, James Taylor, Grateful Dead, Lucinda Williams, Pete Yorn, Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, John Denver, Kate Wolf, Steve Earle, Marah, Shawn Colvin, Eastmountainsouth, Dan Fogelberg, Doors, John Hartford, Jonathan Edwards, Brandi Carlile, Norman Mailer, Larry McMurtry, John Steinbeck, Jack London.
Blake Allen was born in Seattle, Washington – across the border from his family’s previous roots in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – where his mother was a neighbor of Joni Mitchell's family. Blake and his siblings learned the ways of the road early on - the result of being born into a professional sports family. "My Dad, Keith, is a member of the NHL Hall of Fame for building the Philadelphia Flyers' "Broad Street Bullies" team that won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975...so I started skating when I was two and played hockey up through high school," he says, "until I discovered the guitar, beer, and my future wife Mollie McShane." Mollie along with brothers Michael (Cowmuddy) and Brian, and sister Kerry joined Allen to form the band Aunt Pat.
Aunt Pat’s debut album was well received, indeed WXPN played several tracks from their self titled debut. Before long they found themselves sharing bills with some of the darlings of the format: Dar Williams, The Nields, Erin McKeown, Joseph Arthur, Vigilantes of Love, John Sebastian, and others.
Aunt Pat headed back to the studio to record their follow up album, titled Patoo, in 1998. Working in Woodstock, N.Y., they managed to lure legendary Band alumnus Levon Helm into the project, singing and playing mandolin on the song Hard Inside. "I got to play both of Levon's mandolins, the Martin that he played at Woodstock and the Gibson that he played with Emmylou Harris on The Last Waltz," Blake gushes. Helm was very supportive, telling them in his trademark drawl, "You got yourselves a band here." Of Patoo and Aunt Pat, Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote “Studio polished like a $100,000 gem… walloping with in your face theatricality… I can imagine a talent scout from Warner Brothers or Atlantic going wacko for this band…”
Aunt Pat went on to release a third record, Swim, in 2002. Promotions and touring were cut short when sister Kerry announced to the band that she was expecting a child. With Aunt Pat in hiatus,
Allen took the opportunity to record his first solo album. The result is Ghosting featuring ten songs that echo Allen’s musical and literary influences. It combines musical elements that reflect the admiration of artists like Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Nanci Griffith, Springsteen, Ryan Adams and Counting Crows with traces of Norman Mailer, Larry McMurtry, John Steinbeck, and Jack London.
Hey Blake, again, your tunes are great! Nicely arranged...great melody. If you want to set something up contact me at Djanesbooking@yahoo.com please. my msg ctr is messed up on my space.
Your presence at the B&B show was greatly appreciated, Blake. Thanks for the support and the inspiring comments, maybe I'll finish a couple of tunes myself! See you again soon.
hey blake, yep, that was me doing sound. i'm there *almost* all of the time. unless i have a show of my own. and you're about the 1,356 person to say that about my martin. it's a beautiful thing!
take care, and i'll see you on the 30th.
ks
by the way, pretty cool about yer pops. i'm biting my nails watching to see if the boys can hold on to the 8th seed.
...So let the ashes fall And lay where they will Just say that once You used to know me One last time sing that old song We used to know But this time sing A little more slowly....
Thanks for the comment and the friend add, Blake. Enjoyed your beautiful songs-- very instinctive and poetic! Andy and Bennett are old pals, Tom is a new one. I hope we cross paths soon.
I'm playing a very last-minute set in Bryn Mawr, PA (outside of Philly) TONIGHT at a FREE, ALL-AGES venues called the Milkboy Acoustic Cafe. I don't know if you're available, but if you are, I would SO love to see you (and maybe a friend) at the show! Let me know, k? The show's at 7:30 pm.
<3 Lindsay
P.S. ALL MERCH IS HALF-OFF AT TONIGHT'S SHOW ONLY!
Hi Blake, see ya at WCL in June. Oh hey since you liked my Chaplin pics, check out my scenic pics of my Smoky Mountain trip in April. :) Take care John
