Kamloops This Week

Music's in Fallan Soldier's bones

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Fallan Soldier a.k.a. Harris Allan is bringing his inventive beats and unique lyrics to Kamloops on Nov. 14 at Pogue Mahone. Tickets are $5 and show starts at 9 p.m.
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It’s a soundscape like no other — hard-hitting beats merged with rock and hip-hop rhythms infused with electric-dance sounds.

If you haven’t yet heard of Fallan Soldier, you will as the 24-year-old Vancouverite starts travelling the province, promoting his debut album, Above the Call of Duty.

Off stage, he is Harris Allan who, at 16, began writing the creative lyrics for which he’s quickly becoming renowned.

His unique lyrics, genre-mixing tracks and distinctive vocals set Allan apart, something he hopes adds to the longevity of his solo music career.

“The songs are all different vibes, but I like all these styles of music,” Allan said of the 40 he recorded that were pared down to 12 for the album.

“So, I wanted to see if I could cram all of this stuff onto one album and, see if it would still flow.”

And flow it does.

On the album, his rap roots come through the album’s title track Fallan Soldier and 60 In The Tank, compared to the modern techno sounds heard on Hands Up High and You Were Alive.

Also, there’s a distinct rock tempo on Blood On The Pin.

Tracks sure to make mainstream airplay are Fights — of which there’s a video on YouTube — A Big Front and the slower, melodic At Night.

Writing and producing his material seems to come as standard as breathing for the musician, who was lead singer and guitarist for Vancouver emo/rock band Square9 from 2005 to 2007.

“It just comes natural,” Allan said, adding he often draws from personal experiences to create original lyrics and beats.

“Just life in general — whether it’s from relationships or just everyday life.”

If his sound isn’t familiar, perhaps Allan’s boyish good looks might be recognized from Showtime’s Queer as Folk, on which he played James “Hunter” Montgomery, or his roles in blockbuster films A Home at the End of the World and Final Destination III.

Allan started his acting career 12 years ago as a guest star on The New Addams Family and, at 15, he played a cold-blooded killer in three episodes of Cold Squad.

Allan has appeared in Smallville, The 4400, Masters of Horror and the TV movie Spectacular.

Because of similarities between mediums, the transition between acting and music has been easy.

“It’s really weird because they totally play off each other,” Allan said.

“As far as being creative and, like, conveying messages, it’s the same thing except with different tools.”

With music, he said, it’s about lyrics, melody and emotion and, with acting, it’s about the actions, words and emotions.

However, the multi-faceted Allan has had a zeal for music, dating even further than he can remember.

“There’s this story that I was rapping when I was seven,” he said.

“My grandpa tells the story and it’s really quite funny — but I don’t remember that.”

Already there are plans for a second album, though Allan said he’s trying to pace himself, making sure each song is the best it can be, before putting out a new album, expected to be released in August.

“It’s so funny because, literally, we put out the record and now I’ve got like 25 more songs,” he said.

“But, I just want to do the songs in different ways and really focus on making them really good.”

Check out Fallan Soldier’s fresh sound at Pogue Mahone, 843 Desmond St., on Saturday, with Velvet Trench from Montreal and locals Basic Value and Swisslizz.

Cover is $5 and the show starts at 8 p.m.

Pick up a copy of Above The Call of Duty at the Art We Are, 201-322 Victoria St., and for more about Fallan Soldier, go to fallansoldier.com.

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