Ehron VonAllen
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| Ehron VonAllen | |
|---|---|
 concert shot of Ehron VonAllen live. Phoenix Arizona |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Christopher Allen |
| Born | September 27, 1980 Walnut Ridge, Arkansas |
| Genres | Dark Wave Industrial Electronica Alternative Rock |
| Occupations | Musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, Synthesizer, Drum Programming |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Hydrology Records |
| Associated acts | Recoil, Leæther Strip, Covenant, Haujobb, Wumpscut, Professional Murder Music, Alien Skin, Klutæ |
| Website | Official Site Ehron VonAllen database |
| Notable instruments | |
| Minimoog Voyager, Korg Karma , Nord Lead 3 | |
Ehron VonAllen (pronounced Aaron Von Allen) is a dark style synth-pop act based in Dallas, Texas. Born Aaron Christopher Allen in 1980, VonAllen began music in a small town of 4,000 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas during the mid 1990s. Delving deep into the gothic scene, VonAllen tried to emulate his favorite music such as Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb and Tori Amos. Within a week of graduating high school in 1998, he moved to Dallas, Texas, and played shows in the popular music district of Deep Ellum in downtown Dallas. In 2000, VonAllen moved to Phoenix to form the very colorful but strange industrial trio Nuclear Winter. During this time the band enjoyed a year of shows played throughout the Phoenix area, released a full length album and hired a band manager. However, the band soon after permanently disbanded.
Ehron VonAllen's music has always either been embraced openly or completely shut out. While he seems to be able to gain the "casual" fan, most are either die hard collector type fans or people who are completely turned off by it. It is widely known to his fanbase that he is heavily influenced by his musical idol Alan Wilder of Recoil (band).
His instruments of choice are the synthesizer and piano. Although not claiming to be a guitarist, he has appeared on stage with a guitar a few times and is credited on albums for guitar work. VonAllen is distantly related to the 7th President Andrew Jackson and Susan B. Anthony on his mother's side. On July 1, 2008, VonAllen reached the 10,000 download mark for separate songs being purchased from all music sources on the internet since 2004, when the downloads began being tracked. This number does not include full albums downloaded or physical CD sales.
Contents |
[edit] Album history
[edit] Incarnation, 2002–2004
In 2002, VonAllen took a vacation back to his hometown and decided it was time to release his first ever solo project. Upon his return to Phoenix, he booked time at a major recording studio. This was to be the recording of his debut album, Incarnation. It was during this time that he legally changed his name to Ehron VonAllen, a suitably theatrical choice for his project. The producer for the album, Jamison Weddle, just happened to be VonAllen’s studio recording teacher at the music school he attended in Phoenix. During the year it took to complete the album, quite a bit happened. He had the honor of getting a sound in the Minimoog Voyager synthesizer, named after him called "Bass For E. VonAllen", thanks to the new age artist Zon Vern Pyles. Coincidentally, he had dinner with Bob Moog not long before he died, fulfilling a long time wish of getting to meet him.
Pop star CeCe Peniston was originally going to be the guest female vocalist on the album and had even gone to the studio to go over the material. Due to record company contractual conflicts, she was replaced by R&B vocalist Morgan Hinton, who appeared on the songs "Insecure Armies" and "Countless Contradictions".
His debut album release was immaculate to say the least. Released on Hydrology Records, he had the freedom to manufacture a two disc version of the album containing re-inventions of the original songs and a beautiful art layout by the photographer John Hall. His wife Irene VonAllen is the female model on the cover. Hall altered the image giving it a stained glass window feel. She also appears inside the artwork posing with trees and is also one of the girls posing with VonAllen.
The album appeared in Keyboard Magazine getting a great review, again fulfilling a lifelong dream of his to be in the magazine he had read since childhood. To celebrate the release, VonAllen had a CD release party with 150 guests including notable musicians, entertainers, artists and radio personalities. The band played 5 songs and spent the rest of the time playing the album over and over through the P.A.
A standard version of Incarnation was also released, which was printed in a jewel case without the extra remix CD. However, this version included a hidden track 13 entitled "Discovering Neptune", and until 2006 even his closest friends and relatives had no idea of the songs existence. Naturally most of them listened to the Special Edition version only.
[edit] Your Only Friend, 2005-2006
In 2005 he released his second album, Your Only Friend, which was produced, recorded and mixed by VonAllen himself at his very own Nebula Sound Studio. With Your Only Friend being widely popular across several electronic music sub genres, it sold very well considering the new download era of music. The CD sold out the very first week of its release. A lot of fans consider this to be one of his best. This album is to be reissued in 2010. The songs are being reworked, remixed and remastered while the artwork is staying intact. The reissue will also include never released remixes and demos from those recording sessions.
2006 saw the release of the single "Don’t Worry Anymore" which was a preview of his upcoming third album. The lyrics were written with his wife in mind. The single contained several remixes of the song and including a new instrumental track, "Alpha Centauri".
[edit] God's Grandchild, summer 2007
His third album, God’s Grandchild, was set for a winter 2006 release date, but was delayed due to manufacturing conflicts. On July 7, 2007, the album was finally released. VonAllen claims the album is the most "commercial" he's done so far while still maintaining his unique style. The lyrical content consisted of mainly personal conflicts with past relationships with women, family and friends, although two songs were directly written about his marriage. The album included two cover songs, one by The Cure and one by David Bowie, along with a very strange interlude at the ending of track 10. The album received mixed reviews due to its departure from most of his material. There were reviews praising his wanting to reach out to the mainstream while others coined the album as pretentious and boring.
[edit] The Sin of Nature, fall 2007
Because of God’s Grandchild delayed release, his fourth album The Sin Of Nature was released almost immediately after on September 4, 2007. This album proved to be his most unusual and ambitious album yet. A quote from VonAllen concerning the album: "I made this album for me. I did not consider time constraints or worrying whether or not the songs had a hook in them. I designed the album to unfold like a movie. It should be listened to in it’s entirety without interruption." The CD has extremely heavy dark and religious overtones. Clearly not shying away from his feelings about the Bible, VonAllen even writes some very personal things in the linear notes of the album.
[edit] The Perfect Lie, 2008–2011
The Perfect Lie began production on August 6, 2008 and is scheduled for a New Year's Day 2011 release. VonAllen began the production himself at Nebula Sound Studio however, due to being unhappy with the direction the album was going, 6 months later he sought out Roman Marisak of the band Professional Murder Music to take over as sole Producer. Marisak's current vision for the album draws along the lines of a more commercial friendly Ehron VonAllen album while still maintaing his unique darker electronic style. Due to the new switch, all of the progress made in the first 6 months had to be discarded as Marisak had a completely different vision for the album. Many guitars are currently being introduced in the songs leaning the album arguably towards Alternative Industrial. The album is currently in the mixing stages at PMM Studios in Los Angeles. This will be the longest time between Ehron VonAllen albums yet. The album will have several guest vocalists including Morgan Hinton (who has worked on 2 previous albums of his), Daniel Myer and Roman Marisak. There will also be remixes available by Haujobb, Professional Murder Music and Wumpscut, Leaether Strip, Alien Skin and Jamison Weddle. Cover art is being designed by John Hall, who designed his first 2 album covers ("Incarnation" and "Your Only Friend") and is planned to be released in a digipak style similar to that of his debut album Incarnation along with several singles that will include extra remixes and B-sides including Stephanie Bale and Sasha Stinchfield as guests vocalists. Mastering is scheduled to be done at Studio Cat Productions in Phoenix, Arizona by Jamison Weddle.
[edit] Live supporting musicians
- Stephen J. Allen - backing vocalist, synthesizers (2010)
- Irene Leon - synths (2006–Present)
- Morgan Hinton - backing vocalist (2003–2004)
- Jamison Weddle - guitar, synthesizer (2003)
- Louis "Lashes" Lopez - lead guitar (2003)
- Zon Vern Pyles - synthesizer (2003)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Incarnation | debut album |
| 2003 | Incarnation 2 disc w/ Remix CD | special edition came with 12 page booklet |
| 2005 | Your Only Friend | re-released coming 2010 |
| 2007 | God's Grandchild | released July 17, 2007 |
| 2007 | The Sin Of Nature | released September 4, 2007 |
| 2010 | The Perfect Lie | release T.B.A. |
[edit] Singles and EPs
| Year | Song | B-Sides & Info | Album source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Incarnation Radio Edits | 4 song radio EP | Incarnation |
| 2006 | Don't Worry Anymore E.P. | 8 song EP with remixes & b-side Alpha Centauri | God's Grandchild |
| 2009 | Sin Of Nature / Wumpscut Version E.P. | 7 song EP with remixes | The Sin Of Nature |
| 2009 | When Music Meant Something E.P. | 8 song EP with remixes & orig. tracks | The Perfect Lie |
[edit] Other work
| Year | Project | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Nuclear Winter - Leadlaced Master / album | Co-wrote songs & vocalist under the name Aaron Allen |
| 2007 | IAMX - Nightlife / promo | "Nightlife" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2008 | Wumpscut - Cut To See How Much I Bleed / promo | "Cut To See" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2009 | Alien Skin - Burning In My Hands / single | "Burning In My Hands" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2009 | Depeche Mode - Peace / promo | "Peace" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2009 | Oral Silence - Just Trust Me / single | "Just Trust Me" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2010 | Architect - The Shadow Of Eve / single | "The Shadow Of Eve" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2010 | Professional Murder Music - All Comes Down / single | "All Comes Down" Remix (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2010 | Professional Murder Music - Remember / single | "Remember Remix" (Ehron VonAllen version) |
| 2010 | DMX - Who We Be / promo | "Who We Be" (Ehron VonAllen's Industrial Mix) |
| 2010 | Leæther Strip - My Shadow Is Your Home / single | "My Shadow Is Your Home" (Ehron VonAllen Mix) |
| 2010 | Recoil - Jezebel / promo | "Jezebel" (Prophet Motive Mix) |
| 2010 | Recoil - Jezebel / single | "Jezebel" (Seductress Mix) |
| 2010 | Real Life - Send Me An Angel | "Send Me An Angel" (Ehron VonAllen Mix) |
| 2013 | Dante's Inferno - Musical Theatre | Composer, Producer, script writing credits. Based on poem |
[edit] Guest Vocalists, Contributors and Remixers
- Roman Marisak - producer of the album "The Perfect Lie". Lead vocals and co-writer on "Shine". Guitarist on "Shine", "A Perfect Way" & "All I'm Asking For"
- Daniel Myer - remixed "Multiverse" Haujobb Mix / Vocalist on Untitled song
- Rudy Ratzinger - reworked "Sin Of Nature / Wumpscut Version"
- George Pappas - remixed "World In Trouble" Alien Skin Mix
- Professional Murder Music - remixed "A Perfect Way"
- William Branham - narrator sermon preacher on "God In His Power" & "The Instrument Of God" Posthumous work
- Jamison Weddle - produced and mixed the album "Incarnation". Performed guitar work on "Faded Memory"
- Brian Vassallo - remixed "Enigma"
- Morgan Hinton - lead vocals on "Ardent / Into The Wind" & "My Desire". Guest vocalist on "Countless Contradictions", "Insecure Armies" & "Hang On"
- Alison Lewis - guest vocalist on the Recoil cover "Jezebel"
- Irene Leon-VonAllen - narrated the song "Prophecy"
- Nancy Allen Mitchell - lead vocals on "Estella", "Estella" remix and "A Heavy Burden"
- Stephanie Bale - lead vocals & lyrics on "Quiet"
- Sasha Stinchfield - narrator and translator on the Russian language song "Past Is Prologue"
- Erektor - remixed "Artificial Knights Of War"
- Stephen J. Allen - guest vocalist on "Incarnation - Stefan Joseph Mix"
- Otto D'Agnolo - string and sound fx arrangement on "Countless Contradictions"
- John Hall - photography, art direction, graphic design associated with albums "Incarnation", "Your Only Friend" & "The Perfect Lie"
- M. Jason Allen - remixed "Don't Worry Anymore - Official Version Mix", author of the song "Smile", guest vocalist on song "Incarnation"
- Michael W. Brown - lyrics and vocalist on the song "Inferno"
- Todd Chuba - live drums on the songs "Virtues", "Countless Contradictions", "Red Angel" & "Estella"
- Jeff Clark - narrator sermon preacher on "The True Prophet"
[edit] See also
- Minimoog Voyager
- List of Moog synthesizer players
- Korg KARMA (notable users)
- Your Only Friend (album page)
- Backing track
- Arkansas (notable residents)
- Walnut Ridge, Arkansas (notable residents)
- List of industrial music bands
- September 27 (Births)
[edit] References
- Keyboard Magazine, December 2003, Mark Vail
- Electronic Musician, February 2004, Geary Yelton
- CDReviews.com, Michael Sutton, September 2006
- Shotgun Reviews Interview, January 2007
- Ink 19 Kyrby Raine, 2006
- In Your Ear Magazine, August 2004, Kevin Wierzbicki
- Whispering and Hollerin, Adam Harrington
- Ehron VonAllen official website
