Scott-David Allen
Encyclopedia
Scott-David Allen is the founder, singer and song-writer of the one-man, Synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
/Darkwave
Darkwave
Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
project, A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man, Synthpop/Darkwave project from the United States. Formed in Seattle, in 1992, by Scott-David Allen, the project is currently based in the upper midwest, outside of Chicago.- History :...
.
After growing up in San Francisco, in 1992, Scott-David moved to Seattle and formed A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man, Synthpop/Darkwave project from the United States. Formed in Seattle, in 1992, by Scott-David Allen, the project is currently based in the upper midwest, outside of Chicago.- History :...
. In 2000, he moved to the upper midwest, outside of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he currently resides.
Background
Allen's interest in music started from an early age. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, his father was a disc jockey for several radio stations in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Because of this, Allen grew up surrounded by music. When he was 7 years old, he taught himself to play piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on an old stand-up piano that his mother owned. Later he taught himself to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, drums and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.
After graduating high school in 1990, Allen took a year off from school and moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Durning this time off and the following years in which he attended music school, he became interested in sound design and the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. This ultimately led to the founding of A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns
A Covenant of Thorns is a one-man, Synthpop/Darkwave project from the United States. Formed in Seattle, in 1992, by Scott-David Allen, the project is currently based in the upper midwest, outside of Chicago.- History :...
.
Personal life
Allen currently resides in the upper midwest, outside of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, with his wife.