When people hear Devon Allman?s name, many immediately think of his father, the legendary singer/keyboardist Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band.
But it was actually his mother who inspired the young Devon to explore his musical talents.
“My mom was pretty paramount to getting me into music when I was young,” said Allman. “She wanted me to start [playing] guitar quite a bit earlier than I did, but I rebelled.”
Allman grew up with his mom and didn?t have contact with his dad until at age 15 he wrote him a letter. But even after the two reconnected, Allman said he worked hard to reject musical sounds that could be labeled as “The Allman Brothers.”
“During my 20s I shied away from it because I was stubborn,” said Allman. “Then I realized that what came naturally to me and what was the most organic representation of myself lent itself to the Allman?s world. It is still me, not them.”
The happy result is Devon Allman?s Honeytribe, which includes Mark Oyarzabal (drums), George Potsos (bass) and Jack Kirkner (keyboards). The group is now touring to promote their debut CD, “Torch.”
“Our audience is very indicative of those three genres,” he said. “We have old-school blues fans happy to see blues taken to the new millennium, we have fans of classic rock and we have those who like jam bands.”
Yet despite Devon?s own musical voice, many fans of The Allman Brothers find their way to Devon and his band because of his father. Even the president of his record label, Livewire Recordings, intoned the Allman heritage upon their signing.
“We are honored and excited to be working with Devon and Honeytribe,” said Colin Cobb, president. “Devon and his band truly live up to the Allman name.”
Such references to his famous parentage don?t bother Allman.
“That?s totally cool and we?re really grateful for their support,” he said. “It?s funny, you can see in the audience some parents, who are fans of The Allman Brothers, have dragged their kids there. But after the show, the kids are buying the CD and T-shirts and asking for autographs. It?s great that a lot of kids out there discover us and realize they don?t need to be spoon-fed [pop music].”
IF YOU GO
Devon Allman?s Honeytribe
» Venue: Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis
» Time: 8 p.m. Thursday
» Tickets: $15; RamsHeadTavern.com; 410-268-4545
