Abbotfinney /Jeffrey Alan

Jeffrey Alan is a work in progress. A multi-faceted individual: a singer/songwriter, a designer/sustainable builder, and ultimately a dedicated environmentalist who is committed to combating the threat of climate change and protecting the planet. To understand the artist and his vision, you must recognize that the synergy of all his pursuits combined is infinitely more powerful than any individual element of his story. Simply put, Jeffrey Alan has evolved.

Alan is the front-man for the Seattle-based band ABBOTFINNEY, along with band-mates Tarik Abouzied (Bass) and Dave Skaggs (Piano) Nicholas Molenda (drums) Max Keene (guitar), will release their new CD this spring. The sophomore project, produced by Glenn Lorbecki (Third Eye Blind, Weezer, The Violent Femmes), features nine intimate, lyric-based tracks, including “Change,” “Isabella Rain” and the first single, “You Alone,” which shares Jeffrey’s point-of-view that “music is the ultimate form of communication.” Alan explains, “The right lyric or melody allows us to reach out without judgment, fear or rejection. It helps us to grasp our true feelings and inspiration to be who we are.” Jeffrey envisions his music as a rallying cry calling people to discover their own creative paths, hence the new album’s title, WHAT YOU’RE HERE FOR.

Alan’s path began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the youngest child in a creative family whose regular station-wagon road-trips featured sing-alongs with the radio and cassettes. Home life meant harmonizing with his sister and absorbing the musical education his big brothers instilled, evidenced by his array of influences ranging from storytellers John Denver, The Carpenters, CSN&Y and Joni Mitchell, to the classic rock icons of The Who, The Grateful Dead, Santana and Led Zeppelin.

At eighteen, Jeffrey picked up an acoustic guitar and taught himself the basic chords of his favorite James Taylor songs but the instrument spent the better part of its time collecting dust. After one year of college, Alan relocated to Seattle to pursue his art in a city that boasted a thriving arts scene, rich in theatre productions, amidst the sublime natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. But less than a year later, Jeffrey was on crutches, nursing a broken ankle. Immobile and living alone, Alan spent months, hobbling to the beach, looking out over the water and writing songs. “I had an epiphany,” Jeffrey confesses and from that point on, the once dust-ridden guitar became his creative outlet. “Songwriting became my greatest form of expression.”

Finding newer inspirations in the work of Bono and Eddie Vedder, Alan began to discover his own voice, recording his music and busking throughout Seattle. While hard rock and grunge ruled the radio airwaves, Jeffrey was among many local musicians who focused on their own sounds, hoping their hometown would eventually embrace these other styles.

While Alan pursued music, he found another creative outlet renovating homes. As success in his musical pursuits ebbed and flowed, his real estate endeavors thrived. But as Seattle was rapidly becoming the U.S. mecca of the ‘Green’ living, Jeffrey was reminded of the words and deeds of his brother, Steve, who had for more than a decade lead an alternative lifestyle, living semi “off the grid” and promoting the philosophy of Natural Capitolism, permiculture and self-sustainable communities. Realizing his building contributed to the problems burdening the planet, Alan vowed to be a part of the solution: he would design, work and build green…if not try and evolve out of the business all together. The greatest lesson for Jeffrey was defining that there was a bigger calling to his work and that the world needed more people with greater voices if we were going to survive as a race and live in concert with the planet.

Jeffrey also realized the correlation between his songwriting and his architecture was more than the ways in which to express himself; he now had two passions: his music and a devotion to helping the planet. “Music is the purest international language,” Alan explains. “People connect through music more than anything else,” and Jeffrey is determined to share his vision. Alan’s music gives voice to the need for people to live together in concert with a healthy planet. “We need to learn to accept each other, live with one another and connect – to each other and to our planet.”

Jeffrey’s song “Change” is the clearest link between his two passions. “My heart is my music,” Alan professes, “but the experience of composing ‘Change’ redirected my focus from awareness to activism, fundraising and encouraging others to make a difference.” Jeffrey further explains, “The lyrics touch upon where we’re going as a country, a government, and as humanity,” Jeffrey explains. “It’s my political, environmental and social commentary. It’s a plea to evolve our collective consciousness. This was my awakening.” Ad