Artist Spotlight :: Haeli Allen

Bio

Haeli Allen and family band, "THE SIGHTLINERS"

What kind of band do you get when you combine: An over-the-road cattle hauler (who prefers calling himself "livestock procurement and relocation executive")

A singer-songwriter turned house-wife wrangling four kids, a milk cow and a mullet.

A hair-dresser and health-nut/gym-rat married to a macho former Marine who only seems to sire daughters, two so far.

A law school student juggling school, family (wife Mitzi and a baby boy) and three part time jobs. The only thing lazy about this guy is the genetic lazy eye that runs strong in the Allen family gene pool.

And A brick-layer hustling to build his masonry business into an empire...one brick at a time... You get The Sightliners, a band with a major need to kick back and blow off some steam!You get four members of the Allen Family and a friend that have created real down to earth original music along with a repertoire of covers that you'll love and recognize. This group of folks comes from a varied array of musical interest, genres and backgrounds and will provide an equal variety of live music that is sure to relate to the everyday human who, like The Sightliners, may also need to kick back and blow off some steam.

Jaxon Allen, his wife Haeli Allen, and two of his siblings, Kenzie Allen Palmer & Weston Allen, and friend CJ Bailey make up The Sightliners.

What/Who inspired you to pick up your instrument?

In Y2K, I was a 12-year-old pre-teen girl with a vision of myself rocking spiky hair, metallic pink pants, and an electric guitar. I had none of those things but I did have my older sister's classical acoustic and the chords to "Free Fallin." After grueling over my sloppy chord progressions and sore fingers, I was so defeated that I didn't sound anything like Tom Petty. That's the moment I decided, 'Hey. If I can't sing his songs like he can, I'll just write my own songs like he did' which is cute and comical to think that as a junior high girl, I knew I couldn't BE Tom Petty, but maybe I could WRITE like him?! I WAS DREAMIN. But, not only am I now committed to be a life-long songwriter but "Free Fallin'" has a regular spot in our Sightliners' setlist.

What piece of musical advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to the beginning of your musical journey?

I've been given a lot of advice along my musical journey, some I've heeded and much I have not. If I were to give my younger self advice, I would say, keep a strong and humble head on your shoulders, don't quit piano lessons, and practice your barre chords.

What keeps you excited about playing?

What keeps me excited about playing is that no matter what, you can always guarantee the crowd is going to be different every time! Even if it's the same venue you've played before, the energy and dynamic of the crowd are always going to be new. It's my job to match, exceed or jive with their energy. And that aspect is always a thrill. Even when the energy is challenging, it keeps each performance new and even the songs now how tp adjust to fit or improve the mood of the room.

Desert Island 3 pedal pedalboard (not including tuner)

If we were on a desert island (with power and not including tuner) our pedals of choice would be:

Blues Driver: because, as said in the 80s classic movie, "ain't nobody leaves this place without singing the blues" - Adventures in Babysitting with Elizabeth Shoe. And truly, any genre has a bit of the blues woven in.

Cry Baby Wah pedal: isn't it our job as musicians to make the crowd cry? I know when our lead guitarist Weston lets the wah rip, it makes me cry tears of joy like a baby.

The Mother: I haven't used this pedal myself but since we are talking desert island here and time and money are of no consequence, sounds like the perfect chance to throw down on a new pedal and have all the time in the world to master it.

A close 4th: Vibrato. In the right doses, this can take any mundane country song to intergalactic proportions.

When you find yourself in a musical rut, what techniques do you do to break out of it?

When I'm in a musical rut, the first thing I turn to is live music. Nothing gets the juices flowing like going to a live concert. If I'm in a writing rut, I listen to something completely opposite of what I'm putting out and let it influence my sound. For example, sounding too country cute or peppy pop, I put on something like "No Scrubs" by TLC. If I sound too soft and pretty, I crank something like Buckcherry or "Temple of the Dog." I will say, I never listen to what I'm TRYING to sound like. I like to overshoot in complete opposing directions and try to naturally fall somewhere in the middle. I don't like trying. Trying sounds forced or mimicking, and I am all for originality, so that is sometimes a melding pot of bits and pieces and never comes genuinely when trying or listening too hard.

Who is your favorite artist/band today? And who was your favorite artist/band ten years ago?

I feel the same way about Tom Petty today as I did 10, even 20, years ago! His sound is so timeless. His melodies are so natural, and his lyrics, while they seem effortless, are completely relatable, never over-blown, and just as classic and intentional as the production on albums like "Wildflowers." I've ping-ed and pong-ed between artists my whole life, currently fan-girling the hardest over singer-songwriters like Butch Walker, Natalie Hemby, Parker Millsap, and Elizabeth Cook and bands like Greta Van Fleet or Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats who have mastered the old sound while maintaining a contemporary feel. I will always be a classic rock baby. My first live concert was Styx. The sound of the classics like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Cream and CCR, Stevie Nicks, and even The Mamas and The Papas will forever peel my ears.

When you find yourself in a music store - what is your go-to riff when test drive gear?

Anytime I sit down to play a new guitar my go-to is an original of mine called "Lonesome." Not because it's super complex or impressive instrumentally by any means; in fact, it's entirely simple. But it has all I need to hear to know how a guitar will fit my voice. It's written in my favorite key to sing in and has all the high to low energetic dynamics I need to feel as a performer. Not to mention I've played the song for so many years that it's a no-brainer. I don't want to think when I'm listening; I just wanna feel it.

What is your most prized/cherished piece of gear? And why?

I'd have to say my most prized piece of musical gear is my Gibson J-45 that I got in 2019. I graduated from an Alvarez I bought when I was 19 years old that my voice and style had outgrown. The J-45 has a deeper, fuller tone to offset my sometimes chimey soprano voice, but also has the body to support my growly, sometimes nasty vocals.

What is the next big musical purchase you're hoping to save for?

We are hoping to find a Gretsch for lead in the band. My son Freddie (only 11 but sometimes fills in for our lead guitarist!) likes one with a Bigsby. As soon as we find the right fit, a Gretsch will likely be our next addition to The Sightliners.

Gear Breakdown

We have a 5 peice band with four frontmen/women! Drums, electric lead, electric bass and 2 acoustics (a Gibson and a Taylor) but we all take turns singing lead vocal (even our drummer!) , and many times switch instruments between rhythm guitar and bass. Lead guitar is a Mustang, played through a Fender tone master twin reverb Currently we use two Rattlesnake cables on both acoustics. They are the most durable, long lasting cables I've ever used. I love how they literally 'coil' themselves up. And the rattlesnake pattern makes them look pretty hardcore matched up against the sunburst theme we have going with our acoustic, electric and bass guitars.

Running a mackie pro audio system.

Dual floor subs and top mounted mains.

Mackie DI boxes on stage for full sound support.

DL16s wireless mixer aids in sound mixing portability as each venue has a unique acoustic environment.

The setup is big enough for outdoor venues yet small enough to trim back to lounge gigs.

Bands / Projects

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