When the casual listener hears the name Allman, they conjure verbal cues to genres such as southern rock, blues rock, jazz-rock and songs that are guitar driven. The Allman Brothers, started in 1969 by brothers Gregg and Duanne Allman, crafted a legacy through these musical stylings.
Gregg’s son Devon has drawn on many of these same influences and genres, honoring the past while forging his own path, creating dynamically crafted original music both as a solo artist and playing with groups such as The Allman Betts Band (featuring Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers’ member Forrest Richard “Dickey” Betts).
However, when it came time to work on material for what would become Miami Moon, his first solo album in eight years (which came out August 16 via his own Create Records label), he sought to share a different side of himself musically and showcase lesser-known influences such as R&B and funk. He drew from influences such as Curtis Mayfield, Sade, The Cure, and Steely Dan and focused on rhythm by writing the songs on bass guitar for the first time.
“This was the first record where I didn’t care about how it was going to fit in what category or whatever,” Allman said during a recent Zoom interview. “I just made a record that felt good at the time. I think previously I was curious as to, should I make a record that’s blues rock or guitar driven, guitar heavy? Will Alman Brothers band fans like this record or will jam band fans like this record? And you can get in your head sometimes.”
“It was the first record where I was like, I’m just going to make a record for me that feels good without any of those preconceived notions or concerns. So, when I started writing the songs, I was like, holy shit. Some of my other influences have entered the chat. I’m hearing some Curtis Mayfield in some of these songs. I’m hearing a little bit of the alternative rock band The Cure. I’m hearing some jazz. I’m hearing some things that are a big part of what I listen to and love finally showing their head in the music.”
Allman recorded the album in Miami, FL at the historic Criteria Studios, the same studio where the Allman Brothers recorded Eat A Peach, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman recorded “Layla” and where countless others made their mark. He was far from alone as his efforts were boosted by multi-GRAMMY winning producer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Chris “Kingfish” Ingram) and a talented all-star band featuring George Porter Jr (The Meters) on bass, Ivan Neville (Keith Richards, Dumpstaphunk) on keyboards, Adam Deitch (Lettuce) on drums, Karl Denson (The Rolling Stones) on saxophone and Jackson Stokes on guitar.
Prior to setting off to tour with his high energy six-piece band the Devon Allman Project, Scummy Water Tower caught up with Allman to discuss his busy tour schedule of late, why writing on bass appealed to him and the joys of playing with many talented musicians.
You’ve been touring a lot lately. Last year you set a world record playing 50 shows in 50 states in 49 days. What appealed to you to do that type of tour?
We just thought it’d be fun to try to set the record for consecutive shows in all 50 U.S. states. I wouldn’t say that I necessarily liked that. I just did it to see if we could do it.
I imagine it was exciting to get to so many places in such a short time.
Yeah, it was exciting. It was a lot, but we were happy. We were happy to do it and to succeed with it.
Your new album is your first solo release in eight years. Why did you feel it was the right time to go back to creating your own music?
The focus had been for several years on the Allman Betts Band. And we called a hiatus on that, and then we’ve had some reunion shows lately with [Allman Betts Family Revival]. I got married last year, life happened. And I turned around, and it was eight years. I was like, “oh shit. Better get this done.” I want to get a new vibe out there, so I’m happy to jump back on the horse. I made the record in 2022, which would’ve been just a six-year difference, but life got in the way and I kind of put the record down for about a year and just didn’t even want to mess with it.
I was kind of in my head a lot and then I kind of came back to it with fresh ears and I really loved it and really believed in it. So, I’m happy it’s coming out and happy that it’s a new direction for me. It’s a fun R&B kind of romp. It’s kind of funky and it feels nice to have something new to share with everyone.
You wrote the songs on the bass guitar for the first time. What did you enjoy most about that?
I think when you write on bass guitar, the feel is really the number one component. And you don’t have to worry about chord voicings and everything right away. You can kind of see how that’ll fall into play. I think it was just kind of having the freedom to let the songs evolve out of a root note kind of expression and be based in a groove. I wanted all the songs to be feel-based.
What songs had the biggest impact on the direction of the album?
The first song written for the record was “Body Electric.” I was like, wow, that’s a funk song. That’s a funk rock song. I think that had the biggest impact because it kind of revealed a doorway for where this could go. And it also revealed who I would really want to play on the record, and that’s why I’m like, Hey, if this is funk, I want to go get the funkiest cats. So that’s why I went after her and was able to get George Porter Jr. And Ivan Neville and Adam Deitch and Karl Denson. It turned out to be an explosive band. Just amazing to work together with all these cats.
Did you have a list of people that you had that you went through to try to see who was available?
No, I just wanted these guys, and I found a window wherever they were available, and we locked them down and we went down to Miami and had a blast. We set up in a circle in this great big cutting room at Criteria Studios, and we ordered Cuban food, and we watched the NBA, and we made a bunch of really cool music together.
What were some of your favorite moments working with them in the studio?
The whole experience was my favorite, honestly. There weren’t really standout little moments. Everything was one great big moment. That week that we spent together was an entire highlight. Hearing the songs come to life. Picking out some of the instrumentation for Ivan Neville was a lot of fun. Like, hey man, this song is screaming for some mellotron or some electric piano or whatever. Those things were fun. But yeah, the whole thing was a highlight. I mean, they’re consummate pro cats, and their feels are just unbelievable.
Tom Hambridge produced the album. How did he help you most this time around?
Tom is great. He’s been a collaborator with me for several albums. He’s really good to bounce ideas off of. He’s really good at arrangements and he’s just the cat. He is real good at getting the correct BPMs. I think we just work really great together. The tempos, like when I sing him a part of a tune with an acoustic, he’s got a real keen sense of what the tempo should be. He can let everybody in the room know what we’re going after. We just work well together. We’re a really good tandem team.
I’m guessing he was excited to get to work with some of the new sounds.
Definitely. He’s always been [helpful with] wherever my musical muse needs me. He’s always been very supportive, and this was no different. He’s just really at letting you do your thing. He doesn’t overstep. He accentuates everything. He’s fantastic and he’s really great with cutting vocals. He’s really great at cutting vocals, kind of telling me where to back off and where to dig in. He’s really great with mixes. I really enjoyed his mixes on this record. So yeah, he brings a lot to the table.
How did the opportunity come about to record at the studio in Miami?
That studio just has always meant a lot to me because the Allman Brothers did Eat A Peach there and “Layla” was cut there and so many historic albums. So, it just kind of always had a place in my heart. I don’t know what it is, but I just have a bucket list. I want to work in historic studios. I made several records at Ardent Studios in Memphis where the early ZZ Top records were made, and now Criteria. I’d love to work at Electric Lady in New York City. I’d love to work at Abbey Road. They’re meaningful places. They hold a place in my heart because a lot of my favorite music was done in these places.
The album has a very Miami feel to it. What about the city appeals to you and connects so well with what you wanted to do with these songs?
I think Miami’s always been a sexy destination to me. Obviously, it is to millions of Americans too. It’s such a destination. It’s a postcard city. Ultimately, I think the love affair began at age 17 when Dickie Bets told me that I was going to sit in with the Allman Brothers and sing “Midnight Rider.” That’s really kind of the night that I decided to become a professional musician was having that experience. So that was in Miami where I sat in with the Allman Brothers for the first time. So yeah, that city has always held a magical place for me. It’s a very artistic, very inspiring place.
Why did you feel that Miami Moon was a fitting title for this collection?
[Saxophone player] Jackson [Stokes] and I had written a big chunk of the song in the back of the tour bus on our tour with Samantha Fish. I had a bass and we really chucked them out pretty quick, and I didn’t really have a song title or anything. And then he brought in the music for “Miami Moon,” like the main riff, and I started scatting lyrics. And for some reason it sounded very Miami to me. So, I had this line “Miami Moon/in the month of June/not quite hot yet, but warming up soon,” and it felt right, and I was like, well, shit, there’s your album title. It kind of ties everything together. And we did know that we were going to go down and cut the record in Miami, so it put a little bow on it.
What were the most surprising songs to write and record?
None of them really surprised me. I think I was delighted that I was writing a funk record, a R&B record instead of a blues rock record that was delightful to me, but nothing really surprised me.
Was there gear that you were really excited to play?
Yeah. I used guitars from my collection. Some of the ones that I used on the record were brand new and some of them were vintage. There were six different keyboards I brought in for Ivan Neville. He had a grand piano, had a vintage Hammond B3…He had a Rhodes…He was like a kid in a candy store. He got to really have all those different sonic textures available, those different paint brushes that were really sweet. And just some good drum kits were brought in, and some even brought in some Tempest drums, which was crazy. You can hear some Tempest rolls on “Miami Moon” and “Sahara.” But yeah, recorded to two-inch tape, a lot of the record analog and yeah, we had a blast.
Were there any that were particularly challenging?
There was an instrumental called “Sahara” on the album, and I wrote that in 2021. When we cut it, I had a pretty darn good performance on lead guitar, but the guitar tone just wasn’t there. So, I had to recut the lead guitar on “Sahara,” and I think I went through four different iterations of that main guitar performance. So, the initial one at Criteria Studios, and then a few months later, I cut it with a different guitar and a different amp and a different studio, and I loved it. And a month later I hated it, and then I did it again and I did it again. And finally, what you hear was a white 63 Gibson SG direct through a Brownface Fender. We really fell in love with the tone. It fit the song.
We were going after a Santana “Moonflower” tone, which is a very kind of tricky. It sounds simple, but it’s fucking tricky because it’s not quite distorted and not quite clean. It’s this weird [thing], and we were really trying to replicate it, at least the ballpark of that for that song, “Sahara.” And we finally ended up with what you hear on the record, and I’m happy with it. Thank God! It took me almost a year of going back and trying out a different guitar and amp set up, and then I was just not happy with my playing. And that one took a while. That was a pain in the ass.
I imagine that those types of songs have helped you make you more patient with the songwriting process.
Yeah, I mean, the thing about something like “Sahara” is you’re writing a framework. It’s a framework, it’s an instrumental. So, it’s much more a kind of attuned to a jazz odyssey than anything. So, when I play it live, I repeat some little bits and pieces here and there. I’ll repeat a theme, but overall, you’re not really playing it the same way twice. It’s really an odyssey and yeah, it does tend to humble you and make you patient to let the melodies come instead of forcing them, for sure. But yeah, that one took a while.
You’ll be going on tour with your band. What do you like about touring with those guys?
Oh man, they’re young, they’re hungry. They’re super talented, just such a sweet gang of guys. They just feel really blessed to be out there making music in crazy places like Finland and France and Spain and doing some headline festivals here in America. And whether we’re playing a small club or 20,000 people at a festival, they bring the heat the same. They’re always trying to improve and lock in better and better every time. I mean, they’re just consummate professionals and I’m really grateful to have a band of cats like that.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
Just to keep pounding the pavement, keep spreading the good word, and have this record out and really go out there and campaign and play these songs live. I look forward to seeing fans of my solo work that have been really waiting for a new record for eight years and deliver some new material for them.
With having multiple projects to tour with, I imagine it’s nice to have that variety.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I’ve got three vehicles for my music. I’ve got the Devon Allman Project, I’ve got the Allman Betts Band, and we’ve got the Allman Betts Family Revival. And just when I might be a little tired of one, I can switch gears into the other and just when I want to sing and play more, I can switch to the other. It’s a luxury that’s not lost on me. I feel very, very grateful to be where I am as a musician. I think if I had to do one project all year long, it would drive me a little crazy.
With the Allman Family Revival, you get to play with a lot of talented guest musicians.
Definitely. Yeah, that’s a pleasure. My role with that event is really the role more akin to being like a casting director. I get to look at the list of musicians for the year and go, who’s going to sing “Melissa” really great this year? And who would be killer on a guitar solo on “One Way Out”? Or Who do I want to harmonize with on “Midnight Rider”? Just looking at the songbook and being able to attach these lovely, talented musicians to the songs, that’s a real treat.
You can follow Devon Allman at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and check out his music via YouTube.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
