Allison Brown: How’d You Get That Awesome Gig?

Occupation: Traveling Folksinger/Freelance Music Writer
Location: Windsor, Ontario
First Job: The Only White Girl in a production of “The Wiz”; seriously… it was a summer job, it was a government funded program, we all got paid… I played a munchkin, an old lady stuck in the tornado, and one of the wicked witch’s flying monkeys.
Best Job: Grooves Records, London, Ontario
Greatest Professional Challenge: Actually making enough money to live, creative challenges, writing songs that haven’t already been written…
So, how did you get this awesome gig anyways? I started singing for audiences in High School when I was about 14, following that I ended up getting into folk music in my early twenties when I had a chance to explore the record collections of various boyfriends. I started doing solo shows, and started to book shows as a duo with my cousin Erin Gignac all over Southern Ontario. There have been a couple times since then where I took a few months off from gigging, but its been pretty consistent since then.
I just recently started Freelancing at CBC Windsor 97.5fm, they needed more women’s voices on the air for the morning show “The Early Shift”, which didn’t have a music or arts columnist. I also write for www.OurWindsor.ca, doing features and reviews of music in the Windsor/Essex area. Also recently got back on the campus radio airwaves on CJAM 99.1fm from the University of Windsor; I host “Border City Roots” from 5pm to 6pm on Monday evenings.
What do you like best about your job? What I like the best about performing, booking, managing and promoting my music is its flexibility. Nobody is breathing down my neck making me work except me; and sometimes I take breaks from gigging to concentrate on new music, and other times I book lots of gigs to keep me busy in the spring and summer. Another amazing aspect of the ‘job’ is meeting interesting and inspiring people on the road and hearing their stories. Also collaborating with other musicians is a major perk.. lots of great stuff.
Any special skills required? I think there is a ‘triple threat’ system at play in folk music especially as a solo songwriter; and rarely artists have all three, including myself. If you’re a striking, versatile vocalist with outstanding songs that really get inside the audience, and can accompany yourself extremely effectively, then you’ve got most of what you need. Stage comfort, charisma with the audience and the media, and a keen self-motivation as far as the marketing and business aspects of music are also important. That’s a lot to juggle and most of us fall short on at least a few…
Favourite experience on the job: This is a tough one to answer… but this summer I did have ‘the best hour and a half of my life’ at Live From The Rock festival in Red Rock up near Thunder Bay where I got to jam out all my favourite songs in a workshop with Harlan Pepper, Amanda Rheaume, Marc Charron and my accompanist “Uncle” Dan Henshall… that’s definitely my favourite from this summer.. The best experiences for me are always at folk festivals in workshops where you get to share the stage with other artists. Epic festival jams – that’s always the best.
Advice for people who want your awesome gig: If you really want to make music, especially folk and roots music, an integral part of your life, you do really make a lot of ‘regular life’ type sacrifices. I’ve had to design every other part of life around what I’m doing musically, and that’s a big risk financially; make sure it’s really what you want. Re-evaluate if anything about music becomes un-fun, or seems like it’s not worth it to you. If you don’t really love it, it won’t love you back. Give great performances every time and don’t ignore the audience, no matter how large, small, loud or quiet. Be dedicated to it, and open to learning new things about music and the business part of it all, and play your face off. Play a lot of gigs; but not for free… make sure and get paid something for the majority of your shows and if there’s ‘causes’ you feel strongly about for sure do the odd fundraiser. Put a value on your performance and raise it as you develop.
Favourite CDN Music Venue: Aeolian Hall, London Ontario
Favourite Record of the Moment: Being a radio host I have about a zillion favourite records; mostly Canadian, but oddly over the past month or so I’ve been addicted to Dylan & The Band’s Basement Tapes Volume II ….!