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| The Exclusive Interview With Clint Allen |
| You can trust me when I say that there is no musician I know better than Clint Allen. He is the only one of my interview subjects that I have had the pleasure of playing with (for many years, in fact). As a matter of fact, I very well may not have ever wanted to be a musician if it weren't for Clint. The reason is simple: He's my Brother. It's amazing for me to think back to the days when we would listen to his Rush and Gary Numan records, and it was clear that the music was force enough for us to want to be a part of it all. I am proud to say that Clint is getting to spread his wings, so to speak, and his musical voice is being heard in the Louisville-based band, IO. When I originally entertained the possibility of interviewing Clint, I questioned how akward it might have been. The fact is, it wasn't at all. As a matter of fact, it's one of the best interviews I have ever done. I am proud to present to all of our readers: My brother, Clint Allen. |
| Q: Clint, thanks a bunch for taking the time to join us for this interview. I wanted to start off by talking a bit about your band, IO. Can you tell us a bit about the styles and sound of IO, and how you came about joining the band? A: I joined IO (codename: SunZero at the time) back in June of 2002. Up until that time, I was still in "solo" mode with my Dark Halo project. IO brings the elements of a fierce rythmn section, spacey-loopy guitars creating a backwash of sound and etherial vocals and flute. I hate to categorize IO as being "dark", but perhaps there are several dark elements to the music. Maybe a better term would be simply "grey". Q: Can you tell us a bit about the other members of IO? A: IO was founded by Daniel and Marci VanDerMeer. Daniel and Marci were the founding members of the popular band Radio-Active Flowers (www.ky.net/raf). Daniel plays the guitars and loops and writes a good deal of the arrangements. Marci is the flautist and lead vocalist. Marci also writes most of the lyrical contect. Andrea Vickers is the other vocalist with a strong sense of harmony. Kevin Ahern plays the drum kit and percussion. Q: In your live sets, are you playing mostly original or cover material, or is it a fairly even mix of both? A: Though we do give homage to a few of our individual heroes through one or two covers (usually as an encore) our material is original. Q: You have brought a unique element to the band by introducing the sound of the Chapman Stick into the music. Being a traditional electric bass player most of your life, tell me about the adjustments it has taken to play the Stick. A: I wouldn't say that I have ever been traditional. I've always tried to experiment with sounds and sonic landscapes. I've always been a huge fan of the Stick. I've been playing the Stick for about a year now and the adjustment was anything but easy. In some ways though, it was a natural progression for me. I had for several years been experimenting with tapping on my basses and guitars. However, the method behind traditional Stick playing proved to be a hurdle which, once realized, helped me to overcome my fears of the Stick. Q: Can you tell us how playing the Chapman Stick has expanded your approach or vocabulary to music? What are some of the common misconceptions some of the more traditionalist musicians or fans may have about the Chapman Stick? A: One of the big misconceptions about the Chapman Stick is that it is merely a bass and a guitar in one instrument. Though this is an easy way to explain the instrument to someone who is unfamiliar with it, the Stick is much, much more than that. The approach, tap method, tuning, tonal ranges and most everything else about the Stick is vastly different. The chord possibilites alone are practically endless. Q: Can you tell us what kind of equipment you are currently using in your live shows? A: Currently I am using a 10-string Rosewood Chapman Stick, #874. The bass-side of the Stick is running through a Line6 Bass Pod Pro. I'm using the Line6 floor board in conjunction with the Pod. On the melody-side, I'm using a number of pedals including the EH Memory Man, EH Micro Synthesizer, EH Big Muff, Morley volume and other devices. I'm running all of this through an SWR 350 which splits out to an SWR 4x10 cabinet with activated horn and an SWR 1x18. I am also using my Alembic Epic IV bass, Fender Jazz Fretless and a DeArmond Ashbury bass (the little red one). Q: Your last big project before joining IO was a period of time spent in a band called Caezure Melodius, which was a bit more of a traditional Progressive Rock outfit. Can you tell us a bit about playing in Caezure Melodius, and how it helped you grow as a musician? A: Caezure Melodius was and always will be the love of my life. We had so much potential and only ever realized 5% of it I think. That is not a slant on any of the musicians, rather the circumstances of life that surrounded that band. Had it not been for CM, I would still be in the dark. I think we created some of the most beautiful, haunting and at times, over-the-top music I've heard. Q: Being a superb multi-instrumentalist as you are, do you feel a bit of a restraint playing in a typical group setting? What is the ideal musical situation for you? A: I am both flattered and flattened. I suppose there is a certain amount of restraint involved in such a lineup, however, it also lends well to adopting a more strict sense of collaboration and equal group time. I certainly see this band as a part of the evolution of my being. Each lineup that I am in IS the best situation for me at that time, as I take in my surroundings and apply what I have learned. Q: I wanted to go way back in time here and have you tell our readers about some of your earliest musical influences. Who or what was it that really inspired you to begin musically experimenting? A: Hmmm. There are so many. From a group perspective, my earliest influences were Rush, Gary Numan, Yes and Devo. A strange collection to be sure. Each had a vastly different element of experimentation that I immersed myself into. Certainly Rush and Yes were the complex, progressive bands that paved my existence. Bands such as Gary Numan, Devo and later, influences like Ministry, Skinny Puppy and Front242 led the technology of a totally different kind of experience. Other early influences were the obvious Led Zeppelin, ELP, King Crimson and other such bands. Q: All of these years later, knowing that influences change and new ones are discovered, who or what do you listen to for inspiration today? A: Ahhh most definitely into No-man, Porcupine Tree, Greg Howard (Stick player), Nick Beggs (Stick player), Tangerine Dream, Steve Roach, Klaus Schulze , Brian Eno... Q: Looking ahead, is it possible that IO may be recording an album in the near future? A: Right now we are working with a lot of song ideas and trying to lay out which pieces of music would be best for an initiative like that. We certainly want to get into the studio at some point, but only when we feel we have quality material. Q: What other projects would you like to get involved in for the near future? A: I've got a few potential offers on the table right now for a few projects. Most of those are me as more of a guest musician with the Stick or a fretless sound. I would love to play with Louisville-based Easter Island. They have an incredible sound! I'm also considering a few acoustic jazz projects with a lot of earthy sound and a LOT of space. Q: Thanks so much for joining me here for this interview. It has been fun and somewhat challenging interviewing my own Brother, but I think it turned out very well! I do have one question for you to wrap up here: How many times do you think we played Bang-a-Gong together in 1985? A: At least 300 times, but it was never enough. I only wonder if it exceeded the amount of times that we played Owner of a Lonely Heart. |
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