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Ashton Allen

By: Ginny Yang

Sad-core troubadour Ashton Allen is trying to break your heart. Equipped with an acoustic guitar and a meticulously groomed five o’clock shadow, the singer quietly weighs in on themes of faith and forgiveness. The Jacksonville, Fla., native had played bass in the rock group Big Sky for eleven years before pursuing his own career. The musician had never fronted a band, played guitar or sang in public before, yet signed a record deal with Livewire after his second solo set.

On his debut release, Dewdrops, Allen writes hushed and intimate folk melodies in the vein of Elliott Smith and Badly Drawn Boy. The 14-song disc describes troubled relationships over gently plucked guitars and the occasional washes of strings and horns. In “Something to Say,” Allen wonders, “So are you somebody who I could love / Or just somebody new or a drug / That’s gone straight to my veins / Or into my heart?” Whether detailing regret in “Starting Over” or coming to terms with his pride in “Center of the Universe,” the singer delivers his woeful tales with a soft voice and a heavy heart.

But the album isn’t all about the suffering at the hands of lovers. While Smith’s life imitated his tragic art, Allen spots a silver lining in his stormy relationships. “You know each hair upon my head / And tell me where I should go instead,” he sings in the opening track “Better Than I Know.” “All my blue skies were turning grey / You turned my darkness into day.” Hooray for a little bit of hope in the mope.

Ashton Allen tour dates:

9/26, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Room, Smith’s Olde Bar) 9/27, Birmingham, AL (Moonlight Music Cafe) 9/29, Marietta, GA (Media Play � Thursday Night Live) 9/30, Chattanooga, TN (NACA 2005 South Region) 10/4, Jacksonville, FL (Freebird Live) 10/5, Ocala, FL (Tin’s Cup) 10/6, Gainesville, FL (Purple Porpoise) 10/7, Lake City, FL (Marion Street Cafe) 10/8, Boynton Beach, FL (Red Lion Pub) 10/9, Orlando, FL (Slingapours) 10/10, Tallahassee, FL (Big Daddy’s) 10/12, Mobile, AL (Brew Pub) 10/14, Austin, TX (Mozart’s Coffeehouse) 10/16, Oklahoma City, OK (The Conservatory) 10/17, Oklahoma City, OK (The Jesus Place) 10/19, Albuquerque, NM (Sol Arts) 10/24, San Francisco, CA (Brainwash Caf�) 11/1, Spokane, WA (The Blvd.) 11/2, Spokane, WA (Rock Coffee) 11/3, Portland, OR (NACA 2005 West Region) 11/8, St. Louis, MO (The Way Out Club)

Ashton Allen official site