About Me
Simply put, a bricoleur is a jack of all trades, master of none. As a hired gun of sorts, Allen Cote has been blessed with the opportunity to play in a wide variety of situations and styles, incorporating his own unique ideas regarding music, spirituality and the instrument (generally guitar, though he is also proficient in mandolin, bass, lap steel, ukelele and a wide range of ethnic percussion). In addition to regular appearances with multiple bands, Allen may also be found composing and performing his original compositions with various (ever-changing) lineups.
Raised in Central Texas, and performing professionally since age 14, Allen has had the great fortune to share some of the largest stages in the state with such artists as Ghostland Observatory, Carolyn Wonderland, The Texas Sapphires and many others. Throughout high school, he was afforded the valuable opportunity to learn from and play with some of Texas' finest songwriters, including Susan Gibson, Michael O'Connor and Jeff Plankenhorn. A graduate of Southwestern University, Allen's education included several years with the University jazz band (on guitar, bass, bongos, congas and timbale); a stint as percussionist for an original live score to the theatrical production of Euripedes' Medea (composed by friend Aaron Carter-Cohn); and an extended period learning the intricacies of musical acoustics and digital recording.
As of late, Allen has found himself on a rigorous touring schedule, reaching from the East Coast to Alaska; balanced by a regular position as guitar instructor at Milwaukee Montessori School. He is responsible for co-production and songwriting contribution on Milwaukee-based band The Championship's 2008 release, "Midnight Golden," and is currently at work on the release of a new album of originals, featuring backing band Tomato Junction. In order to avoid the pitfalls and abuses of major-label music industry, Allen has joined friends Joe Crockett, Melissa Wright and John Crockett to form Bear Rifle Records, LLC., an artist-owned and driven record label.
Despite wide and varied experiences, his musical goals have always remained the same: drawing on the past to inform the future; incorporating aspects of the incredible depth and breadth of folk/ethnic music from around the world to promote acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity; and above all, communicating the human experience as only art can - mind, body and soul.
"Allen Cote might not look like much - a scruffy, dark-haired wanderer with aviator glasses, a camo jacket, a cheap cigarette dangling from his mouth - but get him talking or put a guitar in his hands, and Cote (pronounced 'co-tay') imparts a depth of wisdom unknown to most 25-year-old songwriters [...] Cote's lyrics, accompanied by his rhythmic strumming, aim higher than those of so many troubadours before him. He speaks directly to the listener, almost with a burning hunger, but it's not necessarily love he's craving. It seems as though he wants some sort of commiseration between artists, or sympathy, or, maybe, an agreement between the listener and the songwriter that there's something greater than either of them."
- Casey Grove, The Anchorage Press, 8-2-07
Allen Cote has performed at such notable venues as:
Gruene Hall (Gruene, TX)
Cactus Cafe (Austin, TX)
Antone's (Austin, TX)
Saxon Pub (Austin, TX)
Stubb's (Austin, TX)
Victory Grill (Austin, TX)
Momo's (Austin, TX)
Club Dada (Dallas, TX)
Notsuoh (Houston, TX)
The Grey Eagle (Asheville, NC)
The Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, OH)
The Cactus Club (Milwaukee, WI)
The Subterranean (Chicago, IL)
Elbo Room (Chicago, IL)
The Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
The Marlin (Fairbanks, AK)
Howling Dog Saloon (Fox, AK)
Maxine's Bistro (Girdwood, AK)
Vagabond Blues (Palmer, AK)
The Down East Saloon (Homer, AK)
The Fire (Philadelphia, PA)
Fiume (Philadelphia, PA)
Young's Avenue Deli (Memphis, TN)
The Bottleneck (Lawrence, KS)
Cheatham Street Warehouse (San Marcos, TX)
The Carousel Lounge (Austin, TX)
Flipnotics (Austin, TX)
Headhunters (Austin, TX)
Trophy's (Austin, TX)
with such notable artists as:
The Championship (Milwaukee, WI)
Jackson Browne (Los Angeles, CA)
The Tosca String Quartet (Austin, TX)
Ghostland Observatory (Austin, TX)
Jenn Wood (of The Postal Service) (Seattle, WA)
Graham Weber (Austin, TX)
Carolyn Wonderland (Austin, TX)
Decibully (Milwaukee, WI)
Alina Simone (Chapel Hill, NC)
The Blue Heels (Madison, WI)
Pat McDonald (Sturgeon Bay, WI)
The Texas Sapphires (Austin, TX)
Ruby James (Austin, TX)
Juniper Tar (Milwaukee, WI)
The Lonesome Heroes (Austin, TX)
The Vega Star (Milwaukee, WI)
Jane Weidlin (of the Go-Gos) (Los Angeles, CA)
Pauline Reese (Austin, TX)
Lauren Adams (Los Angeles, CA)
Christina Bell (Nashville, TN)
Django Walker (Austin, TX)
Susan Gibson (New Braunfels, TX)
... and many, many more across the country.
