Interviews,  Six Pack Interviews

Crack Open This Six Pack With No Deceit’s Allison Stafford

We’re starting a new series here at Capture Kentucky that will hopefully help introduce you to new artists, but to also allow you to get to know them a little better. It’s a series we’re gonna call Six Pack. Sure it’s an interview with six questions, but that’s not why we chose the name. Nope! We chose the name because of the Kenny Rogers classic movie by the same name.

Today we bring to you a band that calls Campbellsville, Kentucky home. The band is called No Deceit and we feel that you’re gonna enjoy these folks. Led by the powerful vocals of Allison Stafford, No Deceit is a country band, but that’s too simple of a description. No Deceit are a smorgasbord of talent and styles that ultimately ends up having the side effects of a damn good time while listening. So if you’ve got a fever, the only prescription is more No Deceit!!

CK: Kentuckians have a very low tolerance for bull crap. The name of your band is No Deceit. Give us some insight about the process and journey that landed on ‘No Deceit.’

Allison: Very true! Kentuckians appreciate authenticity and that’s what we try to bring to the stage. We don’t try to fit in a specific genre, we are who we are, and we aren’t sorry about that. I think “No Deceit” has grown to represent us as a band. We’re raw, authentic, and real. But the band name was actually born from the start of the band. We created the band as a one-time project form a hometown talent show, our guitar player at the time, came up with the name that came from a bible verse. He came across the phrase, thought it would be a cool band name and we went with it. Not knowing at the time that one day, it would come to define us as a band. And yes, we won the talent show! Hahaha

CK: There seems to be an abundance of female talent in Kentucky, which I couldn’t be happier about. Who are some of your favorite Kentucky artists that happen to be female?

Allison: Oh my goodness! There is so much talent in Kentucky! It makes me so incredibly proud to be not only a Kentuckian, but a Kentucky Musician. And especially a female Kentucky musician among some incredible company! The ladies in Kentucky Music are unreal! I grew up listening and loving not only country music but also Kentucky Bluegrass and Appalachian Folk Music, when I was young, I listened to Zoe Speaks, (Carla Gover) and women like Wynona, Loretta Lynn, and I have had the privilege of playing with some great new Kentucky Women who are making their mark in the music world such as Chelsea Nolan. I’m also a fan of Senora May and Magnolia Boulevard! Honestly, there are a TON of Kentucky women killing the game and it would take me forever to mention all the ones who inspire me!

CK: You’re very active on social media, which is a necessity these days, there’s no room for being a “rock star”. How important do you feel social media is for a band like No Deceit?

Allison: Social media is the heart and soul of artists promotion these days. Everyone (mostly) has a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account, and check it daily. We’ve been using Facebook since the beginning of the band back in 2011 but we have grown and changed with the years and the rising popularity of social media since then and now we use it in any way we can to promote shows, new music, or just brand ourselves. It’s such a useful tool and is such an incredible way of getting the word out to as many people as possible. Not to mention the fact that you can do things like interviews, and networking over social media as well. The possibilities seem endless and there are a lot of down to social media in regards to the music business, but the good outweighs the bad, tremendously.

CK: If no one has ever heard No Deceit, in your own words, how do you introduce your sound?

Allison: If someone hasn’t heard of No Deceit and we try to explain it, it usually starts out with a chuckle because it’s kind of hard to explain. Sometimes we give the generic, “it’s country/rock” but other times, when we really are tying to explain it, it’s like, a little bit of southern rock mixed with country, soul, and blues. I’ve had other people describe it as a “female led, Eric Church type, Band.” Or something along those lines but we drawn inspiration from so many different genres and musicians that it’s hard to describe exactly what it is, so we just try to show them.

CK: Watching your EPK and several YouTube videos, you exude a wonderful energy and much like myself, the band speaks fluent sarcasm. What’s a day in the life of No Deceit like?

Allison: Oh man, a day in the life of No Deceit. We are like siblings at this point, we pick on each other a lot, and we love each other. And you are right on the sarcasm. (hahaha) Our bassist (Eric) may be one the most sarcastic people I know, hah, he’s a funny guy.

Anyway, a day in the life. On days we have shows, we usually show up to set everything up together and the majority of our set up and breakdown time is spent catching up, and also picking on each other. We kick the show off and everything just flows, we all feed off each other’s vibes and energies at this point the guys can tell if I have missed something or messed up and they can make seem like it was never a mistake. And packing up everything after the show is when most of the fun happens, that’s when we get really funny because we’re all exhausted and slap happy.

We occasionally fight like siblings, but it’s always over within a few minutes and we’re back to picking on each other again. No 2 days are ever the same. No 2 shows are ever the same. So it’s hard to describe and exact day in the life. We spend a ton of time writing, practicing and perfecting our music, and we spend a lot of time on and off stage hanging out and doing what we love.

CK: I’ve seen you tackle covering some big voices. I think I even saw a little Greta Van Fleet out there. Are there any voices you won’t tackle, and on the flip side, are there any go-to voices that you feel most comfortable with?

Allison: Oh yes, you did see some Great Van Fleet! I LOVE those guys! I know a lot of people say they are a todays Led Zeppelin but I’m cool with it. And he has a BIG VOICE. I do try to push myself to the limits when it comes to tackling cover songs. I love to sing songs by people like, Chris Stapleton, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, and even some rock voices in there as well like Five Finger Death Punch’s version of “Bad Company” and whatnot. I will say there is nothing I won’t at least try. Hahaha I have had people request Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, type stuff and I will say those are probably the most daunting request to me. I don’t have a huge voice like they do in the sense that they do, don’t get me wrong, I can get loud and hold notes, but it’s just a different style of singing that I’m not used to, but it doesn’t mean I won’t try it. I’ll try anything once when it comes to that.

But as far as go to voices I’m comfortable with, oddly enough it’s the biggest ones, Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Greta is a stretch for me but I love doing it, and of course Janice and Stevie Nicks. But when it comes to original stuff, I’m just me. I use the influence of all those big singers to hit notes I never dreamed of, but I like to sing in a way that’s all my own and keep things interesting.

We hope you enjoyed this six pack with us and if you’d like to keep up with No Deceit follow the links below!

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