When I learned that Allen Stone was opening for Jack’s Mannequin’s January 29 show at the Cleveland House of Blues, my first thought was, ‘Who?’ After a quick Google search for Stone, my next thought was, ‘What does this nerdy white guy know about soul music?’ I mean, he’s from Seattle. Do they even have soul music there?

When Stone took the stage, I figured he’d play for about 30 minutes, and then we could get to Jack’s Mannequin, the reason I was here to begin with. But then Stone opened his mouth, and I very quickly forgot all about the upcoming act. Stone–who looks like Napoleon Dynamite’s cousin–has a voice that’s reminiscent of soul greats like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder (his all-time favorite). And he doesn’t just sing soul; he embodies it, proving that appearances no longer matter when he opens his mouth. When Stone says his soul is “a little bit greasy,” the crowd, full of mostly teenagers and young adults, goes wild.

For kids that were raised on pop radio, soul music can seem like a foreign language, but when Stone sings, it becomes an awakening. These young kids are listening, hell, some are even singing along. And they’re not the only ones. Stone’s gone from church choir boy to the musician on everyone’s radar.

GALO: Tell me about your music background.

Allen Stone: When I was 15 or 16, the seed was planted in my head that I wanted to do music full time. I came from a really small town, and there was no opportunity. It didn’t really click until I was 18 or 19. I got asked by an independent record label in Seattle to do a record and work for the label, so I moved up to Seattle. That was the first time I was like, “I can find a way to do this as a living.” Still working on it, but getting closer, I think.

GALO: Why soul music?

AS: I’m not sure really. When I was about 15 or 16, somebody gave me a Stevie Wonder Innervisions record, and I remember being enthralled with it. From then on, I dug into as much soul music as I could.

GALO: When your sophomore album came out, you were on everyone’s radar. When did you start to see things pick up?

AS: Some really cool papers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Sun Times — all these publications started writing about me. I guess it got passed through the grapevine. I think it was that coupled with the opportunity I got to play “Conan.” It was like, “Wow people are turning an ear to this.” The collaboration of all those opportunities that flipped the switch in my brain, like, ‘Oh my goodness, some good stuff is happening.’

GALO: Many of your songs have political and social undertones. Is that something you strive for or does it happen organically?

AS: I like songs that have content, and I like songs that are conscious. It’s kind of lame for me to put myself in a place to judge what’s conscious or not, but I think there’s a lot of over saturation of love and sex songs in R&B and soul music. I really love “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. It’s one of my favorite records of all time. I love what the record meant to culture and society. I think soul music can be powerful and can move mountains.

GALO: One thing that’s constantly said about you is that you don’t look like a typical soul singer.

AS: I think I’m still fighting that off. I get that from everybody like, “Dude you don’t sound at all like you look.” You know what, this is me: a weird scraggly hippie form Seattle who loves soul music. I feel soul music just like anybody else who’s done it in the past. I think that’s the major point to soul music — the feel of it.

It doesn’t put me off. We’re visual creatures. My style’s a little different. It is what it is. I think when people are presented with somebody, who does something traditional like soul music, and it’s a little bit different than what they’re used to, they’re like, “What? Weird.” I mean I don’t care. It’s kind of like Hootie and the Blowfish singing country music.

GALO: Are you thinking ahead to the next album?

AS: A little bit here and there. I just know that I can make a better record and I haven’t made my best yet. I’m really excited to chip away at that and get back in the studio. The last record, a lot of the musicians in the studio, I was just enamored with them. I couldn’t believe I was in the same room with them. Their talents and abilities were incredible. This last record, a lot of it was me; I was very self-aware in those situations. I think I got a little more comfortable through my insecurities, and to be in the room with actual R&B players. I don’t know when we’ll start (the next record), but I definitely have thoughts and ideas bouncing around my little noggin.

GALO: You’ve gotten this far without the backing of a record label. What made you decide to go at it on your own?

AS: I’ve just heard horror stories about labels. Granted, I’m not kicking it with Q-Tip, Common and John Mayer, so they can be like, “No, record labels are the greatest!” I don’t have those kinds of friends around me. All the stories I hear are negative ones. Like, “F labels!” and “They’re always impeding on your creative freedom.” For me it was always like, “let’s do this as well as we can and as far as we can grassroots, so I can go into a label and partner up with one with my shit together.” I feel like we’re slowly approaching the point where we can go in there and I can sit with my head held high and know that I have something to bring to the table.

GALO: What’s next for you?

[Stone names an astounding number of upcoming shows, from a jazz festival in South Africa to a weeklong stint in Europe.]

AS: My passion is playing live; it’s my favorite thing to do. I love that way more than being in the studio. I love being in front of people and feeling that energy. It’s a joy to get out and be able to play every single night.

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