Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Charm City Devil's John Allen

Charm City Devils: From Baltimore to the ‘endless road’

August 18, 2009

Hard work has paid off for John Allen and Charm City Devils. “Let’s Rock-N-Roll (Endless Road),” the first single from their debut album, Let’s Rock-N-Roll, made waves at rock radio, and they are in middle of a two-month run on the main stage of the rolling extravaganza that is Crüe Fest 2. In mid-July, on the eve of their departure for that career-altering tour, the band played a hometown show at Rams Head Live in Baltimore. Earlier in the day, Live-Metal.net’s Greg Maki sat down with Allen to talk about Crue Fest, the pressures of playing in front of friends and family, the Baltimore Ravens and more.

Live-Metal.net: The first time we talked, we covered how you got to starting your own band and everything, but I didn’t ask you how this lineup came together.

John Allen: Well, another band stole two of my guys. We actually were playing here for a Super Bowl gig. This band called Autovein from St. Louis, they were on the bill. The guy needed a guitar player and a bass player, so he snagged my guys. He was going out on tour that summer and things were taking a long time for us, so I don’t blame ‘em. Those guys, they wanted to get their careers going, so they split. So I called up [guitarist] Vic Karrera and his brother, [bassist] Anthony [Arambula], both of whom I had played with in the past. So it was really great to have my friends back up there with me. I was still playing guitar and singing, but I was coaxing [guitarist] Nick [Kay] to come up and jump up and play an AC/DC cover or two. Then I was like, “Why don’t you learn a couple more songs?” And then I was kind of like a drug dealer. I was like, “Why don’t you learn some of our material?” Then I was like, “Ah, fuck it, man, just learn the whole set and come out.” It really freed me up to be able to move around a lot more and be more high-energy onstage.

Is that what you wanted?

Yeah, I really did. It was great to have Nick playing with me again, as well. The whole band I’ve known and we’ve been friends for a long time. The newest guy is [drummer] Jason [Heiser]. I’ve still known him for, it’s gotta be 10 years or more now. It really feels good. It’s a good thing to have people that you like and care about, especially when we’re driving around in a small van all summer long, gonna smell each other’s fuckin’ dirty feet and everything. It helps to start off at least on a good footing.

I guess since you’ve known everyone so long it probably didn’t take too long for you to really come together as a band, I would think.

Yeah, I think so. It happened right when the brothers came in, right at first. The drummer, Jason, was like, “Oh my god! It’s so great playing with these guys.” And then, of course, when Nick came into the fold, it just solidified everything.

So how long did it take for you to become comfortable as a frontman? It’s a big change moving out from behind the drums.

It came in stages. First, I was playing guitar and singing, and I think that’s more difficult because you’re trying to do two things at once. So I’ve been fortunate in that it was a little bit of a gradual thing. I feel like finally I’m coming into my own. I’ve only been doing it for two years, really, so I’m still new, I’m still learning. But I’m having a fuckin’ blast.

Do you still play drums?

I haven’t played drums in a while yet. I love it and I keep thinking about I’ve got to sit behind a kit and bang out some stuff. I probably will when I demo new songs here pretty shortly.

The first time we talked was, I think, two days before the Crüe Fest announcement came out. Now, two days from now, it starts. So how excited are you about this?

It’s incredible. You caught us on a day when we’re trying out all our new toys for the tour. We have these enormous set carts that we built with all the back line amps on it. Nick built those. Nick built the drum riser that we have. It looks like this expensive stuff, but we did it pretty cheaply. It pays to have somebody who can do that, who’s a craftsman. I got my cordless mic finally. So yeah, we’re fuckin’ so excited to start this thing. I can’t believe it’s here. It’s been a year dreaming about it and hoping we would be on one of them, and to it finally have arrived I can’t believe it.

Are you up for the challenge of being the first band up?

We better be, right?

[laughter]

Do you know the guys in the other bands yet?

I had the pleasure of meeting all the singers for the bands at the announcement, at the press conference and all. And then, later that night, we got up at Madison Square Garden and sang with Motley Crüe. Man, that was another thing, totally surreal. Madison Square Garden. I’m up there singing, arm in arm with Vince Neil. I look back at him, he looks over at me and I just lost it. I was like, “What are the words?” [laughs] I just stopped singing for a second. I was like, “I can’t believe this.” I’ve known Shannon Larkin, the drummer from Godsmack, for a long time.

He’s from around here, right?

He’s from Maryland, yeah. He’s phenomenal. Being an ex-drummer, I’m just going to enjoy myself watching all the guys playing from the other bands.

You’ll get to see Godsmack probably do their drum battle every night.

Right! I’ve never seen it. I’ve heard about it. I can’t wait, yeah. We just played with Drowning Pool down South a couple shows, and my god, those guys are gonna rip people’s faces off, man. They’re so great. So we’re looking forward to all that. And Theory of a Deadman, we saw them when we did the announcement and they’re incredible. Great band. Again, another great drummer. It’s gonna be fun. I can’t wait.

Tonight’s the going-away party or whatever they’re calling it. You were saying that a hometown show keeps you pretty busy leading up to it. What all goes into that?

Well, I don’t know. I put a lot of pressure on myself when I play for my family and friends. I want it to be so great and I want it to be so perfect. Not to say that playing out of town it’s like, “I don’t give a fuck!” But I don’t know what it is. It’s that extra little thing. [in British accent] You need that extra little push over the cliff. We have to turn it up to 11 this evening.

[laughter]

I know you’ve played here before. Have you headlined here?

I think we have, yeah. It’s a big place.

This is probably my favorite place to see a show around here. Is it like that for you guys, too?

I love it, yeah. It’s a great stage, great sight lines. You’ve got all the balconies and everything. It’s an awesome room.

Back in May, on one weekend you played two pretty huge shows, Preakness and Rock on the Range. How did they go?

Great. Preakness was fun, but it was really about the horse race. It was really great. We got tons of television exposure here in town and press exposure. Everything tied into that was phenomenal. It really helped us to have a really big first week when the record came out in town. We sold out of every Best Buy in the area. Yeah, it was phenomenal. And then the next day, after Preakness, we played Rock on the Range. That was an incredible show. We played in front of a couple thousand people or maybe more on the Jägermeister stage, and Columbus ended up being our second biggest market next to Baltimore selling CDs. So maybe it’s working live. People are digging it when they see it.

What would you consider your best show or your most memorable onstage moment?

Columbus was fun. I was asking for a drink and they threw a shot glass up, and it hit me right in my penis. [laughs] I told the crowd, “Whoever threw that is a marksman because it’s not a big target.” [laughs]

I see the shirt there. Are you a big Ravens fan?

Yeah, I’m a Baltimoron, what can I say? But my new favorite—although I didn’t really have a favorite—NFC team is the Detroit Lions now. The head coach [Jim Schwartz] is from Maryland. He went on the air in Detroit on the big rock station and he sang our song on the air. He’s a huge rock ‘n’ roll guy, totally into music and he heard our song on Sirius satellite, saw the name, did a search on it, he was like, “Holy crap, I know these guys. I’ve seen John play drums like 30 times.” I got on the phone two weeks ago and was talking to him. I’m like, “I’m talking to a fucking head coach of an NFL team.” For me, it’s a big deal because I’ve gotten into football lately. So it’s really, really cool. And I don’t know what it is, I’ve always pulled for the Lions and now it gives me an extra reason to pull for them. A hometown guy is the head coach now and a good guy, too.

And if they win one game, that’s an improvement.

[laughter]

That’s right. I guess maybe he doesn’t have that much pressure on him.

What do you think of the Ravens chances this year?

I don’t know. I think [Joe] Flacco is incredible. If we get that wide receiver, if Derrick [Mason] doesn’t come back, we get someone to fill that void and the guy keeps on building on what he did last year, I think it’s gonna be fucking great.

And what, they were four minutes away from the Super Bowl last year? I just wish it had been anyone other than the Steelers, especially because my dad is from Pittsburgh, so anytime I go see him there’s Steelers stuff everywhere.

Yeah, yeah. They were good, though. I have to admit, as much as I don’t want to, the Steelers were really great last year. Their defense was just like ours in 2000. So I have to hand it to them.

Anything you’d like to add?

No, just if you get a chance, pick up the record. I’m getting so much positive feedback. People really seem to be digging it. If you come to the shows, hang out, come up and say hello. We always go to the merch area and hang, have a drink with you, sign whatever you want us to sign, and shake babies and kiss hands or kiss babies and shake hands—however it goes.

[laughter]