Allison Weiss

Hello, my name is Allison Weiss. I was born on April 13, 1987. I started playing guitar at age 15 when I wanted to impress a boy in my creative writing class. I decided to become a punk rock star, learned a few power chords, and he asked me out. One month later our relationship ended, but my passion for music lived on. Soon after, I discovered the acoustic guitar and realized it was okay to cry and/or sing about crying. From that point on, I developed a unique style of indiepopfolkrock with clever lyrics, catchy hooks, and an unavoidable message of hopeless hope.
I moved to Athens, GA in 2005 for school and got serious about promotion. Over the next few years I would make a name for myself through my grassroots marketing techniques and energetic live performances. In 2007 I released my debut album, played in the first annual 500 Song For Kids benefit in Atlanta, rocked the outdoor stage at Athfest, and was nominated best solo performer by Flagpole Magazine. This was the same summer I attempted my first tour, came home, got my heart broken, and wrote a bunch of new songs. At the end of the year I released a six-song mixtape and took it on tour up the east coast, where I fell in love with New York City and The Road in general.
In 2008 got even more addicted to the internet. I began developing an online following that would continue to grow exponentially and still does. I released another mixtape of new material and spent three hot summer weeks touring the Southeast. I recorded a live show in New York City and put it on the internet for free, where it has been downloaded thousands of times to date. That fall I released my first full-band EP and gained a solid reputation for loving pancakes and making good music. I finished the year with an email from a fan in Chicago who had tattooed my likeness onto his arm.
In early 2009 I spent spring break in New York City where I shook hands, kissed babies, and played a sold out show at the Sidewalk Cafe. Shortly after, I was named Southeast Campus Music Fest champion. I later went to L.A. to compete in the national round and lost, but I made it worth my while by playing a memorable show anyway. In May I launched a project on Kickstarter.com in an effort to raise $2k for a new record. I predicted I’d need two months, and watched in amazement as I met the goal in under 10 hours. Over the course of the summer I received over $7700 in fan donations.
In the middle of that summer I began recording Allison Weiss Was Right All Along with local producer and friend Nate Nelson. Soon after, I got a phone call from acquaintance and hero Dan Romer (Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs) who expressed a desire to “take a ride on the Allison Weiss express train,” and offered to mix the album. As soon as we finished tracking, I set out on a two-week tour dubbed The Quest For Glory with future best friends Bess Rogers and Lelia Broussard. Our stage show involved knighting an audience member, and was pretty incredible for everyone involved. Upon my return, I finished the new record and began the daunting but exciting task of spreading the word.
Musician by night and student by day, my life is all about living the dream. I’m playing every show I can get my hands on, and in the meantime I’m using the internet to my full advantage. I enthusiastically blog, twitter, facebook, myspace, and join every social networking site you’ve ever heard of. I make my own music videos and do all my own design. I’ve been my own manager since day one. “Allison Weiss” is music and “Allison Weiss” is me. It’s time to take this to the next level. I finish college in May 2010 and I can’t wait to see what happens next.