Chris Allan

Chris Allan grew up in a house full of music: his mother at the piano, Chris singing in choirs. Picking up the guitar felt inevitable. He formed his first bands during six years in Bend, Oregon. Then he brought his folk and Americana songwriting to Austin, where he released the EP Places in 2016. After that, he played with the CF Allan Band and with Jimmy George in the duo Allan-George.

For twenty years, mantra music, above all the voice of Snatam Kaur, was what calmed his nervous system. With encouragement from his friend Thupten, he began writing mantras of his own. Today he performs them beside a 32-inch CrysTanium titanium gong, handmade in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It hums at 432 hertz in E-flat. Chris tunes his guitar to match, so voice, strings and gong ring as one.

Whether he’s leading a mantra circle, a sound bath or a team wellness session, his intention is simple: that people’s nervous systems settle, and they leave grounded and at peace.

Stages include Medicine for the People, the Starlight Theatre, La Kiva, The Boathouse, The Globe Theatre, Duchman Family Winery, Angel’s Icehouse, Black Sparrow, Central Market, Madam Mam’s, Lucky Lounge, Anderson Mill Pub, One2One Bar, Rattle Inn, Dozen Street and Kick Butt Coffee.

“I tune my guitar to the gong. When the two ring together, something magical happens in the room.” — Chris Allan