News

Southern roots band opens concert series

The Allen Thompson Band kiskc off Rhythm and Brews series on Thursday, May 21.

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 15, 2015

The Allen Thompson Band, a six-member ensemble that plays a mix of country, roots-rock, Southern soul and Appalachian folk music, opens the 2015 Rhythm & Brews concert series on Thursday, May 21.

“Ever since I began building a band,” Thompson says on the band’s website, “I’ve always wanted a communal situation in which everyone gets an equal say and no one’s input is more important than anyone else’s.”
Thompson added a strong rhythm section and a fourth harmony vocalist to the 3-piece string band he’d been touring with since 2009, eventually rounding out an electric six-piece lineup in early 2011.
“After a few false starts in the business, I’ve finally learned to stop writing for an imagined audience and start writing for myself,” he says. “If you get caught up in making things sound a certain way—if you try to force your music to sound like someone else’s definition of a musical genre—then you’re setting yourself up for failure. You should follow the muse, not force it to follow you.”
Thompson began writing music as a teenager in Roanoke, Va. His parents split up when he was very young and Thompson spent most of his childhood bouncing between different homes, staying with a combination of relatives and school friends. Music was a source of stability, a way to connect with each home he visited.
“If I was staying with my grandparents,” he recalls, “we’d listen to country music, old folk tunes and World War I songs. We’d watch ‘Hee Haw’ every Saturday. With my mom, I’d listen to a lot of soul music. With my dad, it was Southern rock and ‘80s country. And then my friends’ families showed me all the tunes they were into. It was fascinating to learn how different types of popular music touched different types of people.”
Rhythm & Brews concerts take place on the third Thursday in the Azalea parking lot on King Street between Third and Fourth avenues in downtown Hendersonville. Shows are May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20 and Sept. 17. Shows start at 5 p.m. with the local singer-songwriter showcase, followed by the opening act at 6 p.m. and the headliner at 7 p.m.