For local singer, songwriter and humanitarian Jay Allan, it’s all about connection — whether he’s on stage performing for his "Friendly Friends" or out in the community helping people in need.
“I’ve definitely struggled with the ups and downs, but my favorite part — and this goes for life in general — is just getting to connect with people, getting that symbiotic response,” Allan said. “If I’m playing a gig and just one person comes up to me and says, ‘That was great,’ ‘That moved me’ or ‘I liked that song,’ then I feel like I did it, like I’ve made it. It makes any of the stress or hardships worth it.”
The musician
Allan has been performing for nearly 20 years and has made music his sole profession for the past 12. The Phoenix resident plays all over the Valley, most regularly in Cave Creek, north Scottsdale and Old Town. In fact, he’s developed a pretty loyal crowd at Janey’s in Cave Creek, where he’s performed every Monday night for about six years.
He does solo work and is part of two bands, The Uncommon Good and JTM3. Allan described The Uncommon Good as an “upbeat, rock/funk, five-piece band” and said JTM3 — named for band members Jay Allan, Tony King and Matt Henderson — is more of a “harmony-driven low-key funk rock.”
“They formed very organically and not really out of necessity,” Allan said. “In both instances we had all been playing together for a while and then just kind of looked around and realized ‘I think we’re a band.’ They’re all my best friends, so it works out really well.”
He didn’t start out as a solo artist, though, and actually didn’t even start out on the mic. Allan started his musical career as a bass player in high school — even before he actually knew how to play bass.
“That seemed to be where the need was — every band needed a bass player. So, I told them I played bass, even though I didn’t really, but I got one and picked it up,” Allan said.
He got his first official gig shortly after, toward the end of his freshman year of college.
“There was this Grateful Dead cover band/original band looking for a bass player, so I told them I was a good bass player — I lied to them. But they brought me on and pretty much from there that was it for me,” Allan recalled. “I remember the moment that I got on stage with them and thought, ‘This is all I want to do. And this is what I’m going to do.’”
For the next few years, he did gigs all over the country and with a number of different groups. Allan ended up in LA, but said it wasn’t really his scene. Reluctant to return home to Phoenix, he went out on a limb and stayed with a friend in Costa Rica for about six months.
“That’s where things really changed for me,” said Allan. “I didn’t want to take a bass to the beach, so I borrowed a friend’s guitar, started writing songs and really started coming into that side of myself.”
When he did return to Phoenix, Allan said he started getting gigs as a solo performer, “and it’s kind of been like that ever since.”
Largely because of his genuine desire to connect with people and passion for music, Allan ended up meeting the right people at the right time, further propelling his career. In fact, he credits a lot of his success to the music scene in north Phoenix and Scottsdale.
“There’s a great music scene here. There’s a lot of opportunity and the vast majority of musicians that I know and work with are all cooperative,” Allan explained. “Everyone helps keep each other afloat. Everyone plays in each other’s bands and projects and sets up shows for each other. Everyone is more cooperative than competitive.”
The humanitarian
As a musician, Allan admitted he could have easily ended up homeless if he didn’t have the support he did. There were times he struggled financially, had to ask his parents for help or crash on someone’s couch, and said that while he was fortunate to have those connections, not everyone does.
That’s why he started helping out at Cloud Covered Streets, a nonprofit that provides shower and laundry services for those experiencing homelessness.
“A friend of mine started going on street missions and would ask people, ‘What do you really need?’ A lot of them said they would love to take a shower or wash their clothes,” Allan said. “So, he built a shower and laundry trailer and now we’re out three days a week throughout the Valley and try to help as many folks as we can.”
Previously, Allan was performing gigs almost every night and helping Cloud Covered Streets as much as he could. However, his achievements span more than his eight albums and multiple singles — he’s also a husband and a father to two daughters. When the founder, a friend of his, asked him to officially come on board, Allan said he saw it as an opportunity to have the best of both worlds.
“I started volunteering for the cause itself and then came on board so I didn’t have to gig six or seven nights a week with my daughters being 6 and 9,” he explained. “I have the opportunity to be home more often and to not have to say yes to every gig to keep a roof over our heads.”
Even when he’s not doing gigs or working with Cloud Covered Streets, Allan can often be found playing at nursing homes for those experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and providing guitar and songwriting lessons.
To connect with Allan, listen to his music, find his next performance, purchase merchandise or stay up-to-date on some upcoming new releases, visit jayallanmusic.com.
