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MEMBERS
Name: Russell Allen
DOB: July 19, 1971
POB: Long Beach, California
Instrument: Vocalist
How + why did you start playing/ Early Influences/ Musical training/ First piece of gear, etc:
I started singing at a very early age. I was 5 when I first performed in front of an audience. I used to get up and sing country songs with my grandparents at gigs they used to do in the Southern California area. I was introduced to a lot of country music when I was a kid. Of all the country musicians I was exposed to, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash really moved me. I liked their 'outlaw image' and the honesty in their music. Johnny Cash's "Ghost riders in the Sky" always made me dream of men riding on horses of fire across the desert skies of California. When I got into school, I performed in talent shows and vocal show cases. I also took an interest in seriously playing instruments at this time in my life and played clarinet and drums. I quickly became disinterested in playing these instruments and began to take piano lessons. I took piano for one year and then I discovered Van Halen and I just HAD to play guitar. All the while, I never stopped singing, that was and still is my first love. But, I did stick with the guitar and played for seven years straight. I never auditioned for bands as a guitar player because I never had enough confidence in my playing, but I did play acoustic in many vocal ensemble groups in high-school. My singing was always there and I was really trying to find an instrument I could play while I sang and guitar seemed to be my "weapon of choice".
Later Development / Main Influences:
As I got more and more into rock and metal I became obsessed with bands like Iron Maiden, Dio(Rainbow), Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. I guess the first prog band I liked was Rush. They opened the door to Yes and then to my ultimate favorite Pink Floyd. I then went through my 60s phase I got into the Doors, Hendrix, The Beatles, and Deep Purple. I also liked the folk stuff too like CSN, Simon & Garfunkel, and James Taylor ( I played all this stuff in my vocal groups in high-school and I did like some of it). As I was developing my singing style I looked to old and new influences. I liked Badlands, AIC, and Soundgarden in the early nineties that was about the time I stopped taking things in and I began to evolve into the singer I am now. And the timing couldn't have been any better because the "Great American Rock Singer" had all but vanished from the scene. By the time Symphony X got rolling, I found that Rock & Metal was alive and well in Japan and Europe. So, I knew there was a place for me in the world :) Lucky for me because If SX hadn't found me, I don't think I would have been able to make it in the Alt Rock world of "suede rap with nasal singing". There are a few newer bands I do like, though, - Tool, Audioslave, and Godsmack. Their roots are similar to mine, that is probably why I'm drawn to their sounds.
How did you hookup with the band Symphony X:
Well, basically Rod and Tom ( the old singer and bass player) had told Michael Romeo about me. Rod wanted to leave for some "mystery" reason.... ( Actually, he wasn't working out in the band ). Rod had decided I would be a 'decent' replacement for him. So, after seeing me sing at a benefit concert for Ray Gillen in NYC, Tom called me and asked if I would be interested. At first, I was unfamiliar to what they were doing, because I was coming from a completely different band. The sound was foreign to me, but I was drawn to the band because I heard the enormous amount of talent in the musicianship and I felt that Symphony X had a lot of potential. I knew I would have to "go back to music school" to be in this band , but soon I was having a lot of fun - singing in choir arrangements that I hadn't done since high-school. I never thought I would have to use any of that stuff in metal - but this band had no limits. I quickly found that I could use a lot more of my vocal skills in a variety of different ways. And the rest is SX history.
Important turning points in your musical career:
That first day I stepped on stage. Moving to NYC in '90 and hooking up with Sin River (my previous band) the Ray Gillen benefit ( where the Symphony X guys discovered me). Then I would have to say our first tour in Japan. And most recently the show in Paris on the last European tour.
SOLO ALBUMS:
Russell Allen's Atomic Soul (2005)
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