The Latin-American power pop-punk band Allison has arrived in Orange County and is ready to give their all on their first US tour since Warped Tour in 2007.
Besides Mexico, the US is the country that Allison gets the most attention and where a big part of their fanbase is.
“We played at the Roxy in LA and at the House of Blues in San Diego in December. Both of the shows were amazing, but the show in LA was on a Monday night and it was packed,” says lead singer Erik Canales. “It was great to see the reaction of people.”
The pop-punk band formed in high school and as soon as they started to perform in their town they began to gain fans, according to Canales. As the fame grew, the members started to travel and perform more, which then resulted in the band to dropping out of high school.
As Allison started to quickly gain attention, they were soon discovered by Sony Music Entertainment, who signed the band to their label. The members of the pop-punk band were only 21-years-old when their first record dropped.
“They found us, signed us and our first record became a golden record within a month,” Canales says. “Everything happened very fast. It was crazy.”
Allison had not written or put out new music for over three years, but they are currently on tour because of the song, “El Juego”, from their most recent album Todo Está Encendid released in 2016. The band is also working on a new album that will be coming out this year.
“I’m a composer and a producer so I had to work and write for many people, except for Allison. We are very excited and are trying to get a new album out this year,” Canales says.
The only thing between getting an album out this year is the US tour they are on. Allison being on tour is good for the band and the album because, according to Canales, all of the energy from the crowd helps them write.
When describing Allison, Canales says it is made up of the energy they give off when they are performing. The reason for their name is because when they are on stage “all is on” and they make sure to give their everything when performing.
“The stage is the place that we found freedom and no one can say anything to you when you’re up there,” Canales says.
A key component that keeps Allison going after years of being together is communication and making sure to talk to each other before things get in the way of the band. Canales says that when the band formed they had only known each other through school and had yet to become good friends.
“We are all friends now and we have a blast every time we are together. Now, we are always laughing and saying stupid things to entertain ourselves,” Canales says.
After years of becoming friends and being signed to Sony, Allison departed from the label and decided to create their own record label, Nítido Records. The reason they parted from Sony is due to creative differences and wanting different things overall.
Nítido Records is dedicated to signing and promoting solid, up and coming bands. According to Canales, it was hard working for a company where the people were working for the label and not for the bands.
“It was hard for us when we quit from Sony because we were used to people doing everything for us. We were always fighting with the label because we didn’t want to do this show or that interview,” Canales says.
Allison has been around for over 15 years making sure every concert is a party, creating music and building friendships, but overall the one thing that keeps Canales going is the traveling that comes with being in the music industry.
“Knowing the world and the customs and the food and watching the sea and forests of many places is the best thing for me,” Canales says. “Music is great and it is a dream come true but the best part of being in music when you see all these countries and cultures.”
Allison performs Feb. 3 at Marty’s on Newport. For full info and tickets click here.
