Chewelah’s Allen Stone wraps up busy year with Knitting Factory show
It’s been a banner year for Chewelah-born soul singer Allen Stone.
He started things off in February with a TEDx Talk at the University of Nevada called “Love Where You’re At.”
Then he popped back home for a performance at Zola in March.
Then, Stone gained a new batch of fans after two performances on “American Idol” with contestants Dennis Lorenzo and Marcio Donaldson.
Those appearances led to more than 15,000 sales of his single “Unaware,” which he performed with Lorenzo, and more than 5,000 album downloads.
Stone kept that momentum going by releasing “Brown Eyed Lover” before hopping on the road with Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, which brought him to the Bing Crosby Theater in May.
July saw the release of “Warriors,” which Stone performed during ABC’s broadcast of the Special Olympics opening ceremony in Seattle, accompanied by a 2,000-member choir.
“This song came in a period of struggle,” Stone said in a statement. “Inspiration hadn’t come through to visit for a while. I had felt like I was just pushing a big rock up a hill while wearing flip-flops. I was reminded in that moment that true success comes when you face adversity head on and push through those moments of hardship. Walk tall like warriors even when terrified.”
On a personal note, Stone got married in September, but soon after he was back to business.
In October, Stone performed at the Grand Ole Opry as part of a tribute to Ray Charles and kicked off his headlining fall tour, which brings him to the Knitting Factory on Tuesday.
If that weren’t enough to keep him busy in October, Stone also released his third single of the year, “Taste Of You” featuring Jamie Lidell.
“I had the opportunity to play an Aretha Franklin tribute show at Carnegie Hall last year and I was privileged to sing ‘Say A Little Prayer.’ What an iconic song!” Stone said about the song in a statement. “Getting to play that song in such an inspiring environment made me want to write a song just like (it). This was my attempt. My personal tribute.”
Stone’s jam-packed year is not over just yet, but his 2019 is already shaping up to follow suit.
He’ll release his new album, which features “Brown Eyed Lover,” “Warriors” and “Taste of You,” and he’ll play four shows in Australia in April.
In the summer, he’ll hit the road with Train and the Goo Goo Dolls.
The only bad news is Stone won’t be at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino show on June 9.
But a road trip to the Auburn, Washington (June 7), or Ridgefield, Washington (June 8), shows would be well worth it.
Though if you can be patient, there’s a good chance you’ll see Stone, who recently moved to Spokane, popping up for a show here and there around town.