Hi, everybody. I'm tamor Judge.
And I'm Dan Gesling and.
You're listening to Talking a Big Game. Welcome to another episode of Talking a Big Game. I am Tamar Judge and I'm here with my co host and Geesling.
Excited to be here?
Are you excited?
I'm very excited because of the pre show I just found out. So Tam and I spent a lot of time together, recording podcasts, hanging out, when out to dinner with her and her husband, and she just dropped a bomb on me. I'm like, hey, what are you doing after the podcast?
And you said, I'm getting new hair extensions And.
I'm like, you don't have hair extensions.
Like I have hair extensions.
Dan, I'm very perceptive, and I was like, you know, a seat cushion away from you, I had no idea.
Well, your wife clearly doesn't have hair extensions, right, No, But what's like your wife you would know something about it? Well, Dan, you know some of us aren't as blessed as others when it comes to hair, and so I have to have it, you know, just a couple of rows there sewn in?
Just is it human hair? What kind of hair? Is it?
Yes, good question. I hope it is. I don't know. It's not like synthetic, it's not like animal hair.
I don't know.
And then what's the process is like someone comes to your house and what are they doing to my house?
They it's a big long weft it's called and they they beat it and sew it into my head. And then as it gradually grows out, it takes about two months, and then they use the same hair and they move it back up and sew.
It back in. Would they sew it to your existing hair?
Yes?
Yes, so like doesn't it I don't know. Is it like they like do miny braids and tie it to your hair? Is it like weaved in your hairs?
Are like, it's not a party city wig.
Okay, I don't go to party city and get like if they're expensive, the hair is like seven to seven hundred to one thousand dollars.
For the hair, Okay, So it's got to be real hair. There's no way they're charging all real hair.
Yes.
Well, I'm learning a lot from you, Tamaran.
I know well, you know, Dan, I don't know what to tell you. I can I can have some put in your head. You can understand the process.
Hey, you know what, That's why I'm here. But I'm excited. We have a new guest on Yes.
So today we have Chris Allen. He is an American singer songwriter and a winner of the eighth season of American Idol. So I just went on his Instagram and did a little search. He's on tour right now.
I saw that he's coming to Michigan very soon. I think in the next couple of weeks.
Maybe when he comes into our town, because I saw he's gonna be in La too. Do you think maybe he will invite us to.
A show, you know, I guess it depends how the interview goes.
Yeah, don't piss him off, Dan, don't piss him off.
I'm excited to talk to him about the process of the game within American Idol because I see all these shows like Dancing with the Stars of American Idol and they're not like considered in depth games. But I know there's a metagame to how do you one up the other people? And I can't wait to hear from him as so the little things he did to differentiate himself.
I'm going to ask him this, But do you know, do they win like a grand prize like a lot of these shows, or do they just get like contract.
I'm pretty sure it is a contract, which I'm sure is fairly lucrative.
And you know, like, oh, I'm sure, yeah. I mean he he is touring right now. Yeah, you know, he's got his American idol sign was No Boundaries and his version of Heartless both charted within the top twenty of the Billboard Hot one hundred.
So let's bring him in.
All right, let's do it, Chris, Guys, I don't do these things very often.
I'm very sorry you don't know well that we're so lucky to hockey for us.
Yeah, yeah, thank you for talking.
We did a little deep dive one on your Instagram. Okay, you don't follow any housewives?
They ever going right for the jocket?
I love it? Yes, right in there, huh.
Yeah, christ Chris, in your extended circle Watchhousewives. I'm like someone in your extended circle.
My wife is a fan. I'm sure I have other people that are fans as well well.
I just don't know where they are in this world.
We don't walk, we don't watch a lot of TV at our house.
Where do you live?
I live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Oh nice, I love Nashville. It's only in there once. I had a hell of a time from what I can remember.
Hey, there's a lot of that. There's a lot of Yeah.
Yeah, that's why a lot of appearance down there, And I just had so much fun there.
You go.
Chris, you said you don't watch a lot of TV in your house. What does your family do in place of TV?
Well, is I would say that if I say that we don't watch a lot of TV, we watch a lot of Blue at our house.
Is that a kid, Joe?
It is? Yeah, and it's actually really.
Great, Tamra.
You should watch an episode because as an adult, you know, we watch in my family too. Like you walk away as an adult or a parent and you're like, wow, this is kind of some cords.
Yeah, it's really well done.
Well, you guys have little kids.
My youngest is eighteen, so we're over Like back in the day, it was Blues Clues, so that's my.
Bluey, So I feel like it. It kind of feels like that. But also every once in a while, me and my wife will will look at each other and be like that was actually really funny or it'll be some like very deep message that they're saying, and we're just like, why are we crying right now?
It's true, I'm serious.
So since American Idol, you have gotten married, you have two kids.
I have three kids?
Three kids kids?
Yeah, what are the ages?
Yeah, so my youngest son's birthday is actually today. But so now they are eleven, eight and five.
Oh are those are good ages?
Yeah?
Ages where they can they can wipe their own butt, they can kind of get food.
If they have five year olds, you know, he might be who knows what, but at least they can kind of take care of themselves a little bit. Well, you're not like, you know, prisoner to your children anymore.
It's very nice. Like they can go and ride their bikes by themselves. It's great, it's great.
Yeah, yeah, I have four. Dan has three.
I got three.
So you're touring right now and you have, you know, a wife and three kids. How do you do they come with you? How do you manage that?
As a dad on the road doing that?
It's hard. So this is actually the first So we're doing it a little bit different this year, trying something different because usually in the past I've been touring and it's been gone for like three weeks or sometimes longer, sometimes a little bit shorter, but for long stretches of times. And then so this year we wanted to try something
different to see if it works. And we've gone like three stints of these little long weekends where it's been like three shows or four shows, and then back home for a couple of weeks, and it's been really good so far. And then this past weekend was my other, my oldest son's birthday, and he had never been to New York City, so he came on the road with us. We did four shows, We did Boston, New York City, Philly and it was Yeah, it was a blast.
He did you perform in New York.
At Joe's Pub? Have you ever been?
Huh? I have? I don't know a lot. I mean a few places there, but I'm just wondering where.
I feel like, I don't even I've been there a million times and I still don't know where I am in New York.
Isn't there like some likes something in winery or something people perform in New York?
Yeah, City, Winery is it. I've played there quite a bit, but this place is awesome. Joe's Pub was great. It was a fun show and my son had a blast. We went and saw the Harry Potter Broadway.
Oh my god, I'm going. I'm going eighteenth. I'm going to New York to be on Watch What Happens Live. And this is the first time taking my My kids are pretty much adults now. I'm taking one son and his girlfriend he's twenty four, and then my daughter who is almost nineteen. So we're going. We're gonna the last day we're there, we're gonna watch Harry Potter because they're huge fans of Harry Potter.
I'm not is it good? It's good?
I was.
I love Harry Potter. I think it's great, but like I wasn't excited about the show for some reason, and I was just blown away. It was unbelievable.
Yeah, and it's long too, huns like.
Three three hours? Yeah, three hours.
Yeah, Well I'm excited.
Well you're our best known for the winner of American Ndol Season eight. Now let's go back to those moments. All right, what was the entire IDOL process?
Like, how did you like, what did you have to do to get on? Just I want to know everything.
Yeah, so I feel like I got a little bit tricked into trying out. My my brother was he had tried out the season before I did and then didn't make it and wanted to try it again. And then he kind of came to me the day he was leaving. He was like, why don't you just come with me? And I was like, okay. So we drove to Louisville through the night and it was nine hours from Little Rock and got there super early in the morning. There was fourteen thousand people there.
WHOA, that's like trying out for housewives.
It was wild. It was wild. We were the very last people to try out that day, so we sat in the arena and just listen to so many people saying some amazing, some not so amazing. But it was yeah, it was wild, singing. Yeah we made so we've actually both made it through that stage there those like first that kind of cat call situation there, and that was two thousand and eight, and then we kept we had to go back a couple of weeks later. Gosh, the
timeline kind of like is forever ago. So I think it was like two or three weeks later we had to go back to Louisville try it out again. And that was when like the celebrity judges, like the Simon and Randy and Paula and all that. Oh yeah, yeah, what was.
That like for you?
Like, so when you went home, you're like, okay, we made it through this first filter. We'll call it like where was your gauge on, Hey we can do this, or hey, this is just kind of like a silly thing.
Let's see where it goes.
I think it's the felt like that. It's like the latter of what you just said. I just feel like it felt like, what are we like? This is a joke, right, we made it through this far. It's not We're not going to make it any further than this, but it will at least like try out and have fun. And and I feel like that's that was like a good at least way to think about it. We weren't banking on.
It, yeah, because you won, well you won, You freaking won. You were the last. I mean they obviously left the the best for last in line, right, you get up there and then you freaking win. That is how far did your brother go when?
So he made it. He made it right before the Simon and Paula and Randy and Carroll.
You audition, Yeah, yeah, So.
Did you have a car ride home where you made it? And he didn't? We did, Yeah, it was his dream.
Well, he was bummed. And I would say that my brother is a great he's an amazing singer, but he wasn't like I was playing shows and like was writing my own music and had just made a record that sort of thing. That really wasn't what he was doing. He just likes to sing and he likes and he's actually he probably should have made it because he's great for TV. But yeah, he's amazing for TV. He like flipped in his audition. He's a gymnast and so he did a flip. I don't know, it's crazy, but uh yeah,
So the drive was fine. The drive was fine. He he has no hard feelings whatsoever.
Really did They're deep down they're suppressed.
One day maybe so okay, so you get the car right home, like you you make it to the next round. When is it like the real when you're okay, now I'm actually on the show and it's live every week. You remember, like the process of riding home with your brother.
You make it? He doesn't.
How long was it until it's like Showtime and actually on television.
So the that was like late July or early August of two thousand and eight. And then we did the Hollywood auditions. I don't know if you guys remember that, but they would like stick us all in a theater in Hollywood and we would do a week there. And that was in November of two thousand and eight, and I had just like signed back up for school. I was like, I'm going to go back to school because I had just dropped out a little bit ago. It's like, well, I probably need to get a degree. And then I
had to sign out. I had to like drop out again because of the show. And yeah, that was like the first time like this is this is a big deal. There was a lot of people, a lot of like a lot of time in front of camera, which I didn't really get in the auditions initially. So that was that was interesting. It was something I was not ready for or used to.
In what way were you not ready for that?
I just had never done anything like that before where like where I was on camera like ever, you know what I mean. It was it was a long time ago, like YouTube wasn't really a thing. Instagram people like even my phone, like our phones didn't really do that, and so it was it was very new to me and having to answer a bunch of questions about myself all the time.
Could you imagine if there's Instagram back then? I think that changes so much.
I do.
I think about it all the time because I have friends that are heart that have been on the show since. Like there's a guy that's opening for me right now who's incredible names Walker, and he was on the show and it was like I think it was like it wasn't that long ago. Its like four or five years ago and Instagram was around, and I can't I I can't imagine. I literally cannot imagine.
Well, yeah, what kind of hate do you get?
Like if you just put I do get some for sure. I mean there's a lot of So I went up against Adam Lambert, who's incredible and we were friends on the show, but people his fans are very mad that I won.
And so so you were on the same season as Adam Lambert.
Yea, and we were we were very different people and very different artists, but we really got along during the show. But for some reason, our fans were doing this, you know, quite a bit. They were button heads and they still do.
I guess, really, do you keep in touch with Adam?
I just texted him today. He hasn't texted me back yet, but I do. I just texted him today. But I'm sure you will. Yeah, yeah, hell my son.
Hi, he doesn't know who the hell I am.
You might he's actually a Brovo fan because he's on Watch What Happens Live quite a bit.
So yeah.
So it's not so much anything you've done.
It's just like the fandoms that maybe like you know, yours thinking they're happy you one and his are like mad that he didn't win, like.
Something that that's the that's the main thing. It's just people are are like, I mean, it's very simple, like I can't believe you won, or you should not have won, or you know, it's just it's fifteen years later and people are still saying the same thing. It's insane to me.
First, real quick, is there a prize with American holes? Do like a cash prize or is it contracts or how does that work?
A lot of contracts, A lot of like a management So we got a management contract and you also just like sign a record deal when I was on the show with one of the Sony parts.
Those deals, were they good deals?
Like in hindsight, I think in hindsight they were, Like I don't know if they always are, but I feel like what we got i've I mean, I'm sure there are negative things about it. There probably is, but for the most part, coming from like a very green artist that had no I don't know, I felt like they were really good and they were looking out for us.
Everybody wanted it, all of us to win, you know, like I got signed, Adam got signed, and then the fifth place, fourth place, a girl named Alison Irihida she got signed as well.
Oh so you guys all like the top top four or five people?
Yeah, it was three of the top four got signed and they were they I mean, was it perfect? Absolutely not. But I do think that they were looking out for us, or I will say, I'll speak for myself that I felt like they were looking out for me and trying to do the best that they possibly could.
Yeah, well they should.
You were before we talk about you winning, like when you were on like Idle Hysteria was crazy. I mean, how did you deal with that going from essentially anonymous to you know, top five, top ten, and it's like your life is completely different.
How did you manage the how did you deal with that success?
It took a long time to get used to. I think I put on a smile in front of the cameras or you know. We moved to La right at that time, me and my wife, and it was there was like Papa Rozzi. There was always something to go to, and that's just not like who I like in my soul. AM is like trying to be seen all the time, and so it it. I was happy to do those like smile and take the picture when it happened, But I do think it was a lot for my brain too. I just wasn't ready for it. I was in no way.
I loved that about you though.
It's like you're not completely comfortable with doing that, but you did it. And it's not like some people come out of certain situations or reality shows where they're just really in for the fame.
I was definitely not in it for the f I just I think I saw it as an opportunity, you know, like I saw it as an opportunity to make this a living, and like music has always been my passion since I was like an eighty bitty kid, and so I just I saw this as like I'm maybe somebody will see I wasn't even trying to win, you know, I was just trying to.
Like just having a good time.
Now, obviously the music is in your family because your brother sings as well. Is that something that comes from your parents?
Yeah, my dad's is a great singer, great guitar player. We grew up with him singing and watching him sing, and there was I remember like putting in VHS's of him playing shows in stoge rooms in high school. Like he is. He's a great entertainer and just a yeah, phenomenal, phenomenal guitar player and singer.
Was your family there when you won?
They were that? They were Yeah, they would not have missed it.
Can you try to describe to Tammer and I would It's like, so you have a performance, it's live, everything's on the line. What type of pressure is that like for you in that those defining moments or was it just easy for you?
I don't think it was easy. I won't say that it was easy. But you were only having to come up with like a minute and a half of music and you had to like condense a good song down into a minute and a half, which that was the hardest part. But performing on stage was not hard like
it it. I mean, there was a lot of rehearsal and there were people looking out for us as vocal coaches and like these coaches that were like telling us what to do as far as like where the camera's going to be went during your performance or help you know, Ricky Minor who was the band director, like kind of talking with you about what you might want the band to do. I don't think the performance part was the hardest.
It was all the other stuff. It was the like the interviews and we had to do a commercial every week, We had to record a song every week. All the other stuff was the hardest part. The performance stuff was fun, Like there were people there, you could feel their energy. It was really exciting. Like I love being on stage and performing for people, So that that was definitely not the hardest part.
Yeah, did you let's say you didn't win American Idol, do you think that you would be a singer today?
I think so, you think so? I do think so? I feel like, do I think that it would be like the way that I'm doing it now. I have no idea, but I do feel like this is always what I'm supposed to, what I was always supposed to do, and so I feel like in some form or fashion, I would have been making music.
Yeah, I just want to ask this because I'm fascinated by So You're competing against all these people and on TV it looks like kumbaya and everyone's like hugging each other after performance. What kind of and this is the part that I'm intrigued with. What kind of gamesmanship is there behind the scenes. Is it like, well, so and so is doing this song and I know my song has a different edge, or do some of the contestants get into that. Did you get into that at all?
Or can you talk about like the meta game if there is one behind American Idol.
I do think that there's In different seasons there have been more of that. But I do feel like for the most part, we all got along and I think we all understood what it was like. This is this is like a you could have the best performance of the night and get sent home for some reason that you're not in control of. And so I took it as I'm gonna do. I'm gonna challenge myself do the
best that I can do on my side. And then the only thing that I would say the gamesmanship part of it was I was just trying not to be the last person, you know, like, don't be the don't be the person that's the least of this week. And then but even that is like, I don't It's not like I was in control of like how I could do that. I was just trying to be honest and true with myself and genuine and take songs make them
my own in whatever way that I could. Because I knew that if I just got up there and sang a song, I wasn't going to be I probably would get sent home. So I had to like really like construct how I was going to make these songs my own.
Yeah, when it comes to voting, now, is the voting real or do you think the producers pick who stays?
That's a great question that I don't know the answer to.
You know, you'd like to think it's real.
I do like to think it's real, and I do feel like I could be wrong about this, But if the voting is not real, I don't well, I'll say this, I don't feel like the producers were like, we're hoping that I would stay, so I would imagine that the voting is real. I'm not good story. I'm a I'm an awful story that I'm just a dude, Like I'm the guy that that plays music and I love it. And it's not like I had some crazy backstory.
Oh yeah, some of them come in with like crazy backstories, y'or even really sad backstories.
Super sad, we're sad, or like really or like Adam, you know, he's he's really exciting to watch, you know.
It is really exciting to watch now, you because you came in and you weren't really looking for fame.
You're like, hey, I'm a guy that sings. You're like the perfect winner to me. Because there's people that want it so bad that they get in their own way, and then there's people that I and this goes across the board, even like with Housewives, where they want it so bad that they they ruin it for themselves and you're like, listen, you had a great mindset. I'm going in, I'm gonna give it my all, I'm gonna have a good time and let's see where it goes.
I do think that you're not wrong there, Tamra. I feel like I did. I had friends that were on the show that we're thinking like, oh, I have to do this, like I have to win, and it you could tell that it like you can almost see it on them a little bit during their performances, and they put so much pressure on them and you don't think that those things can be picked up by the audience. And maybe they they don't exactly know what it is
that they didn't like about the performance. But I do think that some of that is like is visible, and.
So I guess and it shows, and it shows for a lot of people also want to ask you. It's kind of a deep question, but what the secret to success is within the American idol world.
I don't. For me, it was to be absolutely genuine and myself at all times.
Yeah.
I think people because the show is wanting the audience of the of that show, I think just wants to feel connected to you.
Yeah, I'm sure the show's a lot different like the years after you were on it, Like with social media and everything, a lot of things changed for every industry.
Yeah, I do think it's a lot different now.
Yeah, So Chris, you won money, won a contract. You know it was a great car too.
Well, I got to choose what it was. This shows you how boring I am. I got. I don't think I chose a Ford Fusion two thousand and nine, Ford Fusion Higher Practical.
What was the other? Was there another choice.
We could we could chose, We could have chose anything. It's time. I don't think just to Ford, So I could have got or something like that.
How were you How old were you when you went?
I was twenty three.
That's a very very smart choice. So you win a car, you know what?
I still I still drive that car.
How many thousand miles are on it?
Not a lot? It's like one hundred and twenty five thousand miles on it?
Oh, not a lot at all.
Yeah, that's you're my kind of person right there. My goal is to get like my truck up to like two hundred three hundred thousand miles. But anyways, so you win a car, you win, you win an opportunity, you get a contract, you get money. On top of all that. Outside of all these things, what did you learn about yourself through this ruling? Like exposing process of going on American Idol and winning.
Ooh, what a great question. I feel like I learned that. I learned that I wanted to do music for the rest of my life. I know that that is like maybe maybe I knew that and then I felt like I belonged and was good enough to do it. I learned that about myself. I also learned that, well, I think those are the I think those are the big things for sure. I needed to know that to keep going.
I mean, when all of America, you know, dubs you and you win this competition, what better way to say, Hey, this is what you're meant to do. So let me just so now that because you always see people going to reality TV show win and then like some people make it and some people don't, you're clearly someone that has been able to, you know, have a full career from this. How post American Idol. What are some things that you did to create a successful music career for you?
Because at some point, like there's hype and then at some point like it's on you to carry it.
Yeah, you have to carry it, man, So true you think like the hype is going to last or or whatever. At least I don't know. I don't know if I thought the hype was going to last. But I just thought all the things would last, whether it be like the contracts or like I was always going to be with you know, a record label or something like that. I do think that I I I just kept going.
I just kept making music, like even when I wasn't with a label after twenty twelve, and like the record label changed their president and all the people that I was working with, and I just I just kept going.
Like.
I didn't see any other choice. I felt like I still have so much more to say as an artist, and I want to get better and I want to like, I just want to do this. I love it. I love being on stage. I think for me, it was just it. I just kept going and that for better for worse maybe, but like I do think it's been for better. And I've learned a lot throughout this process.
And it's a weird trajectory, you know. You go from like my first tour ever, I was playing in Staple Center and now I'm playing at Joe's Pub in New York City, and I love it, like I never you.
Prefer smaller places to perform.
I don't know if it matters, you know, to me. I would play for one person, I would play for fifteen thousand people.
Yeah. You know, what's the most you've ever played? Oh, you've done about fifteen I've done both.
Yeah, yeah, I would say the most. I played in Golden Gate Park for a festival. I think there was like thirty or forty thousand people there. It was wild.
Yeah.
So after American Idol, you released Live Like We're Dying, which was a huge hit.
What did you love most about that song?
You know, I didn't write that song. I did not write that song. It's one of the very few that I did not write on the first record. And I was shown quite a few songs to because I think they wanted me to write and I wanted to write the album and they but they also were like, hey, we need something quick though, can we show you a
bunch of songs? And it was I can honestly say this now, fifteen years later, I feel like it's the song off the first record that sounds the most like me, which is crazy to say, Like, I didn't write it, and the first time that I heard it, I had no qualms about it. I was like, yeah, this is like, this sounds like me. It feels like me. I liked what it was saying. I liked the vibe of it. I still love singing it today. It's weird. I should not like to sing this song anymore.
I've saying, how many times do you think you performed it? Like if you had to, like get us within a thousand, I.
Do think it's at least a thousand, But I would say, like like two at least like two thousand if I'm being like, okay, if I'm crunching numbers, right, like two thousands of times something like that got it.
So you've so you've had this extended career, you know, post American idol, you made, you made your own way in music. Now like in the present day, after everything you've been through, how do you define success for your career and who you are as an individual?
Oh? Man, the playing the numbers game is one that has always failed me. So I try not to look at streams and charts and things like that because it's it's not something that it's you can chase those things, and we have and sometimes they've worked out, which is
really cool. But I would say, like when the thing that makes me feel the best and the thing that makes me feel like I'm most successful is whether I get to talk to a fan after a show and they tell me like, hey, this song means a lot to me, and they tell me the song, or like a buddy of mine or a peer of mind, and another musician will text me and be like, dude, that new song you put out is amazing, And those are the things that feel like success to me.
What advice would you have for aspiring musicians out there? Go on American Idol.
Don't know, don't know, I don't know, maybe talent maybe. So I feel like American Idol, yeah, they I think that there's a lot of people that are still doing that that are really successful. But I would say, like, I don't really know. I feel like everyone has their own things that they that make them successful or or
that they need to hear. I think most of the time, if you're good enough, the only thing that I would tell people is that they are, and like, just keep going with what you're doing and don't like it's a lot of work. I do think that growing up, I just jabbered to get to this answer, but I do think growing up, I thought, oh, this is going to be a pretty easy job. You just go out you write your songs and you play the shows and people
and everything will work out. It's a it is a lot of work, and it's and if you're not working at it all the time, whether it's like singing or playing or writing recording, if you're not working at it, you're not getting better. And if you're not getting better, you're no one's gonna listen to your stuff.
What does that work look look like to you?
Because it's not like there's you know, you don't punch in at a cubicle, you have a family. I'm sure there's a lot of distractions to what is doing the work look like to you on a you know, daily or weekly basis? Like what do you do to stay sharp and continue to get better outside of like going and touring?
What you're going to talk about?
Yeah, I do feel like like doing something daily, and I do a lot of like admin stuff from my for my business. I guess as well, which that feels like the business part of it, creating emails and that sort of thing. But I would say that the the work is is sitting down and this is hard. It's hard to like sit there with a blank page and go what do I want to say today, and what
do I want to sing about? Like what is and then not getting frustrated with not coming up with a lyric and coming to the page the next day and going like, well, that didn't work out, so let's do something else. That's a that is a really really really hard thing to do to have like tell yourself, Okay, this, I have to do this again today even though I didn't do a good job of it yesterday, and then wait for the magic to happen.
Is there a process or you're like, okay, from noon to two every day I'm doing this. Is there like a technique or something you learn that Okay, no matter what, this is what I'm doing because I imagine as a creative it's probably not the I mean, not easy to be disciplined if you don't have that juice at the time.
Yeah. I do feel like there are phases of different things. So writing comes in phases where I'm like writing every day and then I haven't written a song in a little bit, but I've been We're putting out a new album next month, so I'm doing a lot of things for that. We're having to get together with the people that are doing the artwork for the vinyls and make sure that it's all all together and do photo shoots and that sort of thing. But then, like we're talking
about playing shows. I think you know, I told you we're breaking it up quite a bit. I think we did the second run. In our first show in Dallas, I didn't rehearse the songs, and they're my songs. I know the songs, but I didn't rehearse on my own before the shows, and I mess up way more than I wanted to, and so like it takes like I have to rehearse and I have to, like you know,
I don't. I don't want to phone it in, and I feel like I feel like, uh, I feel like a jerk whenever I do phone it in because these people have paid money to come watch these shows.
You know, speaking of shows, I was looking at you. You were going on tour. We talked about this earlier and the month of August. You're August fifteen, sixteen seventeen, nineteen twenty. So is there a certain amount of days You're like, I with a family and kids, I only want to go, like, you know, five different cities this month, or do you You're like, I'll go wherever they want me.
The hope was to do like one long weekend a month, and then it kind of has turned into more of that. So like that little block that you just talked about, I think that's the longest one for us.
Can you let people know where to go to get tickets and to look at your schedule?
I know, I think it might be on your instagram as well.
Yeah, my instagram has a link to shows my website Chris halnofficial dot com. Like it's I think it's all the places, all the places that people usually look.
Now, you said you're doing the tour a little bit different.
It's supposed to being gone for weeks at a time that you're saying you're doing long weekends and you said earlier said you know, we're seeing if this works, and you said you think it is. How do you define it working? Like, how do you know that this is like going? Well, what are the metrics or is it a feel texted.
Ticket sales or No, it's it's more of like it's more of how does it feel at home?
And you're the great guy, They're very super like, well, I've just done it, I've done where I've been gone. I did this tour a little bit ago where I was gone and I think for almost like two and a half months, and and my family would come out but it but being on the road is never the same, uh, And they wouldn't be out for very long. They'd be out for like a couple of days or something like that.
And it happened like we play. We had one more week left in the tour, and my and my son, my oldest son, we played in Nashville, and so that's where we live. My oldest son came to the show and I knew I was gonna have to leave that night, but I took him home and I put him in bed, and I was like, hey, buddy, I thanks for coming to the show. I'll see you in a week. And he was like you're not and you're not, Like this
isn't you being home? Dad? And he lost it and I lost it, and I was like, I think I tech or like I talked to my managers not too long after, it was just like I can't do it like this anymore. So, honestly, it's been a long time since we've been on the road because I've been trying to figure out how to do it and make it right. Like I love being at home. I love like coaching my daughter's basketball team, even though we're no good.
We would have never known that if you didn't say that, I know too much. Dad's the same way.
You guys are a lot of like he coaches his kids games and he's very.
Much well for you, Chris, I mean, it's it sounds like I mean, it's tamory. It's not like a special person to be like, Okay, hey, look you could let this sing rip and be on tour and be on the road X amount of months at a time. But you're making a decision that's.
Not that's a Garth Brooks move right there.
Yeah, he stopped singing all together just to take care of his kids.
Yeah. And maybe it will like once my kids get a little bit older, it will become easier to be gone for a longer periods of time. But I just feel like right now with the phase of life that we're in. And also my wife is like, she's not a stay at home mom. She is a she is a businesswoman and owns her own business and works hard, and so it's it's not like it that also makes it a little bit different too. So I carry a lot of the load when I'm when I'm at home,
and I love it, I really do. I've always wanted to be a dad, and so this is like it's fun for me. And the music stuff is really fun too. So it's just trying to like, it's trying to find the balance of it all.
Chris, as we wrap things up here, when someone goes to a Chris Allen show, whether it's coming to Michigan, Mount Pleasant and Arbor or Lake Orient, this is in my backyard. What can they expect, what can they expect to feel, or what do you want them to walk away with when they come to your show?
I don't know. I feel like I love to feel like I'm not up there for you to look at and for you to like listen to solely like, Hey, this is me up here. I want to show you what I'm doing. I feel like the whole point of people coming out is so that they can forget about whatever life is, whether it's good, bad, whatever, and have a good time. And that means like I want people to sing along, and whether you know the songs or not, I will teach them to you. And so come come
to the shows. I'll teach you the songs. We will all sing them together. So like I don't take any of it too seriously. Like I love to joke around during the shows. I'll have conversations with people from from the stage. It's fun to me. There was a guy the other night, his name, his name was Devin, and he was uh. He was like telling me all his favorite songs from the from the crowd and I was like, dude, why don't you come up here and sing one of them? And he did, and so we got to sing a
song together on the on stage. Like that's what I love to do. It's like, it's just have a good time.
You are such a good guy. You are just such a good guy. It's just I'm really, yes, you are. I'll ask your wife, she'll tell me different. You're just doing something.
You really truly love, and you just you really just want to make people happy. And you know what, you are the type of person that will always be successful because you have that in your heart.
Thank you, Timber. That's very that's very sweet of you. And I'm gonna now I'm gonna watch the OC.
A few good interview mate, Chris, thank you so much for taking time out of your day, Yes, to be with us.
Absolutely, we thank you so much. And guys, check out his tour, his concert tour and buy those.
Tickets Texas, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California, Florida.
I mean he's going somewhere near.
You're going everywhere. You're going to be my.
First housewife follow so better follow me.
I'm going to follow follow you right now.
Thanks Chris, thank you guys so much, so much,