Meet Dréa Van Allen | Harmonicist, Singer, Songwriter, Music Teacher, and Organic Winery Manager

I first picked up a harmonica in 2011, immediately fell in love with the instrument, and began immersing myself in music that featured harmonica. I write a lot of my own music, play harmonica, guitar, sing, and play piano a little. I played music as a child for 5 years and fell away from it as an adult and left Ventura County for the Air Force. After 3 years of playing the harmonica. I was offered some paying gigs with a delta-style blues artist and was introduced to the blues. I fell in love with the blues as a result of my stint in the blues duo, Slidin’ Delta. After that I was given the ultimatum to choose  to continue to pursue music or remain with my husband at the time, well I’m divorced now, I could not and would not give up on my dreams and what makes me happy for anyone no matter how much I love them … if you take away what I love and what my life dream is, what does that say about the love they feel for you? The following years I pursued a solo career/one-woman band sort of thing. I competed and made it to the finals of the International Blues Competition as a solo act while living in Boulder, Colorado. After that, I played with several local bands as a “hired gun” sort of deal. Then after some hard times, I finally moved back to be near my family in Ojai, California. I’ve been back for 2 years now and I have been performing as a duo with my brother, Kellen Van Allen, as the Van Allen Twins (we are Irish Twins, not real twins), I also still perform as a solo act, and am hired to play with a handful of other local bands in Ventura County.

I think what sets me apart is my songwriting style, playing style, voice, and being a female harmonica player in a very male-dominated instrument and industry. Additionally, not many women perform as a one-woman band and use harmonica, homemade foot percussion, and guitar all at once. I have a lot of courage, I think it’s due to my time in the military and other life tragedies I overcame. At one point, after my divorce, I dropped out of grad school at CU Boulder and I gave away almost everything I own and moved into my car to travel the country playing music and “trying to make it in music” during that time, I busked (street performing) on the street and played open mics to get gigs mostly in the south and bible belt part of the country. I have a homemade vlog movie on my youtube channel about that. That was a very thrilling but unglamorous time in my life, I slept on couches, in my car, at rest stops, and camped for 4 months I did not make it in music and ended up going back to grad school and finishing my MA in Education after… lol.  I did land a lot of great gigs, met wonderful people, learned a ton, and learned from mentors on that trip though taught a harmonica workshop at the Society for Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica in Texas where I got to hang out and learn from the late Paul Osher known best from his time in The Muddy Waters Blues Band who helped me out a great deal and recorded a homemade EP at his house in Austin, TX to sell on the road, he then sent me to Deak Harp in Clarksdale, Mississippi, who owns the Mississippi Sax Shop and is the king of harmonica tone he took me under his wing for a few days, put me up which led to getting to play at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi (Morgan Freemans joint). From there I got to play a set a Pinkys in Nashville, and perform with and open for Sundy Best, Kris Bently helped me out incredibly getting 4-5 gigs a week and letting me crash at his place for free for over a month. I also got to play gigs in West Virginia and St. Louis, Missouri where the President of the Blues Society and his partner gave me a place to stay and a place to play. I am most proud of making the cover of Harmonica World Magazine UK last summer, the events of the solo tour I just spoke of, getting endorsed by Lone Wolf Blues Company, getting paid to teach and perform at Hill Country Harmonica in Waterford, Mississippi, but I am most proud of myself for not ever giving up and not living my life for a romantic partner … the military taught me that I am much stronger (mentally) than I could have ever imagined

I am also proud of all of the competitions I put myself through and failed, starting my youtube channel, and busking. It has not been an easy road at all, I often feel crazy and foolish as I am still pursuing this dream and making much less money than I could be to do so, I choose music, I choose to pursue what makes me happiest. It has been difficult to face all of the rejection of perceived failures but it has made me who I am. Street performing gives you thick skin – people can be so cruel but I kept playing and singing even when I was told to stop by mean men who would never have the courage to do what I was doing. I didn’t stop, yes, many tears have been shed and continue to be shed, life is lonely when you are pursuing something like I am, I think it takes a little bit of insanity as well as tenacity to be a musician over a decade now  all I can do is try again the next day. The fact that I still have not “made it” in music and don’t even have a single recording is difficult to process after doing this for so long but I just simply have not had the finances. Sometimes, it gets depressing and I feel crazy for all of the sacrifices at my age in this country you feel you should have a family of your own, a home, and be financially well off by now. A life alone, no money, and constant work is my reality but I love music and I love playing music even more. I continue to believe in myself but I get through a lot of the dark times with my faith in God and the support of my family and friends. I am still hopeful that one day that door will open that will change my life, that’s what keeps me going. You have to really love music to pursue it for this long with no real big success still. This is not easy by any means and even when you are making decent money for a show … a gig is much more than the 2 hours on stage it’s writing, rehearsing, rehearsing, loading your car, unloading your car, setting up, performing, tearing down, loading your car, driving, unloading your car … when it’s all said and done you really made about 50 cents an hour if even that and you’re relying on tips too …  you will never be on a normal schedule some gigs are at 3am some at 10am some at 8pm sometimes you do 2 gigs in a day – it is hard living but I love it. Additionally, doing what I do and being a woman has been another hurtle I have been faced with, perhaps it’s because I play a masculine instrument and focus on The Blues; there are not very many female harmonica players and the ones I have met have shared with me the sexist anti-woman behaviors towards them and it’s just sad really, women make up only 20% of the music industry and that is even a smaller percentage in the harmonica and blues community but after being the military I got used to sexual harassment. Don’t get me wrong the vast majority of men I have had the pleasure of knowing have been incredible, gentle, and kind human beings and female musicians can be very mean to other females as well, probably because there aren’t many of us it makes other women feel threatened like there’s only room for one woman on stage … but ladies, we need to stick together we are meant to lift each other up.

My style of music is what I call, BluesGrass it’s blues and bluegrass mixed. Americana is technically what I would be labeled but saying that does not describe my music style. I also perform country, folk, rock, and jazz music but I can play any style. My first harmonica influences were Sonny Terry and Peg Leg Sam, which helped me develop a unique style with influences from early blues, bluegrass, and other American Roots music. I am also influenced by Paul Butterfield, Little Walter, Ryan Koenig, Annie Raines, Jason Ricci, Charlie McCoy, and John Mayall.

I am a Veteran of the United States Air Force. I have a B.A. in American Studies from UCSC and an M.A. in Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a thesis on using music to facilitate social and emotional learning in K-12.

I have a YouTube channel that consists of Harmonica Lessons, Live Music from my shows, and VLOGs about life as a woman trying to make a name in the music world … this is my story from my first gigs to the present day. I strive to be not just the best female harmonica player but one of the best harmonica players … presently there are no women on any top harmonica player lists but I don’t want to be “good for a girl,” I just want to be known as one of the great players of my time (or of all time if I’m lucky 😉 ) and leave the gender out of it. Although, I am a woman and I am proud of that, I have a hot pink harmonica mic just to bring even more feminine energy while on stageI am 5 foot half and inch tall and 110 lbs … I am tiny but I have a big presence when I’m on stage and I must have abnormally large lungs for my size … lol…  One day I would love to record several albums and bring the songs I’ve written to life and to the public ear, tour the world sharing music and healing hearts in the process, have a love life again and a family of my own, and I also would love to put my MA thesis into action and open a non-profit for k-12 schools that have lost their music programs. My other passions have to do with natural health, organics, being with nature, sewing clothes, painting, drawing, cooking, baking, writing, traveling, being with my family, and always learning. Please check out my YouTube channel for free lessons and contact me at dreavanallenmusic@gmail.com if you would like private lessons via video or in person if you live nearby. I post all of my upcoming shows to Instagram and Facebook (normally in the stories section) and you can find me playing at least once weekly in Ventura County. I hope to record and book a couple tours this year and I am looking for the right person to be my booking agent and/or manger then I can focus more on my creative side and less on the administrative side.