New Yorker Alan Hampton has been a professional musician, bassist, and sideman for some time, but is just now branching out on his own with the release of his solo debut, The Moving Sidewalk. With an extensive musical background, Hampton’s style is grounded in mellow, jazzy pop but also hints at a unique variety of inspirations and influences. His voice and songwriting skills are raw talent and the album is a polished collection that any fan of Sondre Lerche, Matt Kearney, or Langhorne Slim would be eager to hear. Alan Hampton answered all our burning questions about how he got started and told us a pretty embarrassing story about a GPS malfunction. Click here for tour dates and to listen to a few songs from Hampton’s upcoming album.
Kelly: Tell us the story of how everything came together…
Alan Hampton: I grew up in a musical household with a piano-teaching mother and two musical older brothers. I wanted to play, and after a lot of begging I got a guitar when I was 10. Since it’s only me, I guess that’s when the official band started. But my frequent collaborators; Bill Campbell, Pete Rende, and Ryan Scott (to name a few) are close friends that I’ve met as a working musician in NYC. Josh Mease I met in highschool in Houston, TX.
K: How would you describe your sound?
AH: Ashy tenor singing over finger plucking guitars, vintage sci-fi keyboards and a thumpy, often 2 stepping rhythm section.
K: Who are some of your sonic influences?
AH: I really like a lot of jazz records from the 60s, like Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. I also love Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Stevie Wonder is an all-time favorite.
K: What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
AH: Making my first album “The Moving Sidewalk.” Not only was it a tremendous amount of work to complete the homemade record (never would have happened without Pete Rende, who engineered and co-produced the whole thing in his Brooklyn apartment on homemade gear), but also on a personal level, to commit to my own music after working as a sideman and bassist in NYC for years. It felt risky at the time, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
K: What has been your favorite city/venue to play in?
AH: Rockwood Music Hall in NYC. I’ve played there a thousand times by now, with my own band and as a sideman. It’s a cozy, intimate space with a friendly staff, and great sound.
K: What’s on heavy rotation in the tour bus/ on your ipod?
AH: Old Delta blues from the 20s, Béla Bartók plays Bartók, Richard Swift, and Broadcast.
K: Who is your favorite new artist?
AH: Josh Mease. He’s one of the most thoughtful and meticulous songwriters around. Each song fits together like a house of cards with no extraneous information blocking up the sentiment. People should play his songs.
K: What would be your dream collaboration and why?
AH: I’d love to work with Stevie Wonder. I’ve been moved by his music since I was a little kid. Judging by the songs he’s written for other artists, he seems to be a very thoughtful and intuitive collaborator.
K: Tell us your craziest/most embarrassing band story, and make it a good one.
AH: I once drove the band to the wrong city. I guess I put the wrong address in the GPS, because we did fine following the directions. But when we got to the address, it was a suspicious building. We called the promoters and learned we were about 3.5 hours away. We gunned it across Massachusetts and played our gig about 3 hours late.
