Blake is incredibly passionate about what he does. He’s interesting and you can tell he doesn’t care what people think. I respect that. I also respect the fact that he does what he does because he loves it. He does it independently (is everyone sensing a theme lately) and he definitely doesn’t do it for the money (you’ll see why I say that).
I have a special place in my heart for independent artists. They put themselves out there purely to express themselves. Whether they be musicians, writers, photographers, painters, or street dancers I think they all deserve to stand in the spotlight at some point. Why should they be left out?
Without further ado here’s the one and only Blake Allee…
Tell us about yourself…
Hi, my name is Blake Allee, that is my real name and artist name. I
am a musician/artist and super cool dude from Indianapolis. I wear PF
Flyers and like silent horror movies. All I really do is music.
What genre would you put yourself in?
If I had to pick one it would be Hip Hop since I rap. I just call it music.
Have you had or do you have a mentor?
Not really, I was self taught how to play, produce, mix, master, and
do artwork on my own. Growing up some of my friends rapped, but more
for fun. I always took it more serious. It takes longer this way,
but you create your own style, not a style based off of ideas from
someone else.
Describe your style…
HHmmm, I am going to go with, Futuristic spoken word in another
dimension. It is not real and it is not fake.
Do you write all your own stuff?
On my last project "My Best Friends Are Machines" I recorded, wrote,
produced, sampled, mixed, mastered and did the artwork for the whole
project. I like to do as much as I can by myself. That way it feels
more like art than manufactured sound.
Do you have a process when it comes to your music? Any quirks
(lucky charms, must haves)?
I like to mix regular Mountain Dew, Code Red, Voltage, and White Out
and drink that when I produce. I like to think it gives me super
powers, it doesn't tho. I also like to produce alone in headphones
when possible.
What other artists influence you?
Anybody with a new vision! Kraftwerk, Bob Dylan, Nas, Ian Curtis, and
Ted Hughes off the top of my head.
Have you always wanted to be a musician?
Pretty much, when I was super little I wanted to be MC Hammer and
Vanilla Ice. I don't care what people say I still like those guys.
I know you've done lots of live performances, and some recently
have been in bigger venues, what's that like?
I love performing in larger venues. If I am the headliner it is
really cool but a lot of pressure to bring a crowd, which is tough in
Indianapolis. Opening up for larger national acts the crowd is much
bigger tho. The crowd is not there to see you, so basically, you have
to impress the hell out of them ha. I have had really great reactions
thus far.
Last but not least...
What do you think about being an indie musician? Is it difficult?
I give my music away free and do not make a ton of money on live
shows. I love that approach, just being like a nomad/renegade. The
major draw back is having to have a real job. Most indie musicians
are not making enough to live on the music. It is as difficult as you
want it to be. Music is really all I think about, ask anyone who
knows me. It can be difficult and frustrating at times, but without
music or art, life would seem somewhat pointless.
Where can people buy your music?
You can buy it on iTunes, Amazon, in Indianapolis record stores.
Do not do that tho, download it free at:
www.blakeallee.com
www.facebook.com/blakeallee
www.youtube.com/blakeallee
www.twitter.com/blakeallee
Thanks to Blake for stopping by! I had a blast finding out more about him and I hope you all head over to any of his sites and check him out.
And…I think I found my new favorite quote… “It can be difficult and frustrating at times, but without music or art, life would seem somewhat pointless.” –Blake Allee
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