Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

David James Allen & The Growing Machine [Solo/One-Man Band] performing at Musikki Cafe in Kingston, Ontario.

NEW ALBUM RELEASE PARTY!! with special guests Brothers Gently and Cody Allen James

Listening to David James Allen, it often feels as if he channeling every cool record you’ve ever owned. Built upon a rootsy funkiness that’s part JJ Cale and The Band, accentuated with shades of Daptone and Bill Withers, his songs spin off into emotional realms populated by the likes of Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Harry Nilsson. As with all great art, the magic is conjured through alchemy, and more importantly, through a connection to a level of consciousness few of us have the capacity to access. 
 David James Allen has been releasing music for more than a decade, but over the past five years—after moving eastward from Toronto to the wilds of Prince Edward County—he has been startlingly prolific. Beginning with 2017’s When The Demons Come and carrying on through 2020’s Radiations and the following year’s The Architect, Allen has been steadily amassing a remarkable body of work that stands alongside those of any of his Canadian contemporaries. 
 Now comes By The Summertime, an album that keeps Allen’s winning streak solidly intact. Allen cites Canadian poets Al Purdy and Nelson Ball for inspiring many of his new lyrics, but he could surely write his own book based on the backstories to each song on By The Summertime. Finding the sweet spot between simplicity and boundary pushing is a goal many artists seek with varying degrees of success. For David James Allen though, it just seems to be where he naturally resides.

BROTHERS GENTLY

Brothers Gently are a two-piece folk outfit from Sydenham, Ontario.

Featuring original music and lyrics, their honest song writing is often inspired by legends of the craft like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. Musically, their unique song structures give them the freedom to go where the songs take them. Fans first, on any given day you can find them listening to music as much as playing it. Other favourite bands and artists include metal mainstays Iron Maiden and Megadeth, Hiphop icons Nas and Wu-tang, and so many more. A wide array of influences gives Brothers Gently a unique soundscape of poetry and song, balancing between sorrowful and reflective and upbeat tongue and cheek tunes that will have you humming along.

Their debut Album 'The Pint of No Return' is out on Littleknown Records is available everywhere you stream music.

CODY ALLEN JAMES

Born and raised in rural Ontario, Cody Allen James spent the lion’s share of his early years back in the fields of his family’s farm. Raised on an equal blend of Bluegrass and Rock n Roll, Cody began playing guitar in his early teens. However, his natural sense of rhythm and song structure quickly led him to become a go-to drummer for many local hardcore and punk acts. James graduated from his hometown scene and left for Toronto, where he continued to hone his skills as a drummer and vocalist in numerous garage rock and hardcore acts. All the while he had been quietly amassing a catalogue of songs of an entirely different variety - simple, bare, and honest.

The pandemic hit bringing all other musical activities to halt, but Cody’s songwriting only accelerated. Sensing he was really onto something, he commissioned the skills of some of his favorite players he has met over the years and had them cut tracks remotely on what would become his self-produced debut. Inspired by the success of his first outing, Cody’s focus has become singular and his well of material overflowing. He has relocated to Kingston to have more time and space to invest in his craft - a decision that pays daily dividends. These days he can be found writing songs in Portsmouth Village.