She Can't Stop
Allison Bencar, on her way to the top

If you haven't heard of Allison Bencar, you probably will soon. She is one of the newest voices on stage in the Cleveland music scene, and is headlining at Brother's Lounge, 11609 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, this Saturday 2/27 at 10 p.m. Allison Bencar's music is a fusion of retro pop, modern blues and rock, featuring smoky, sultry vocals, honest lyrics and raw emotions. Her original songs are peppered with flavors from Latin Jazz, Reggae, 80's Rock and Vintage 60's Pop, and her ballads combine haunting melodies with narrative lyrics that transport the audience to the most poignant moments in their own lives.

"Songwriting and singing is something I have always wanted to do," she says. "I dreamed of telling a story with my voice and connecting with people that way. There is something thrilling about creating and performing a song, bringing it to life, and seeing how it effects people the moment they hear it for the very first time."

Before I get too much further, I must, in the spirit of disclosure, admit that I am a member of Allison Bencar's band. Allison and I were friends at Cleveland State University where we both sang in the Chorus. Our relationship really solidified when I was added last minute to a production of Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll as a singer, but for a few years, we fell out of touch. We reconnected in the summer of 2009, just after her band had started to take off, and after a quick conversation, I became her violinist, back up vocalist and occasional small percussionist. Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you about this exciting new artist...

If you ask her proud parents, she's been a musician as long as they can remember. "When I was very small, I thought I was a singer/songwriter," says Allison. "We have these recordings of me singing when I was just two years old." Allison is a Clevelander born and bred, and while she hopes to tour the country one day, sharing her music with fans new and old, Cleveland is the city she always plans to call home.

Allison got really excited about music after she went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time as a child. She was inspired by the Beatles, by the music of the 60's and 70's and the music her parents loved, including two of her favorites, Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison. Listening to these classic crooners inspired her to sing and write more as a child. In her teenage years she got involved in theatre and realized that she belonged on the stage. "Theatre had a great deal of influence on me," says Allison, "I was always very shy, and being able to step on stage and become someone else showed me how to get up and express the creativity that was inside."

College also fanned the flames of her passion for songwriting and singing, as she was involved in both the Music and Drama Departments, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre in 2007. Her comfort on the stage and ability to translate emotion into action was rewarded by a position as an actress for the Talent Group, a Cleveland and Pittsburg-based talent agency. Fate seemed to have different plans for Allison. Her agent, Douglas Snyder, just happened to be an aspiring guitar player who had experience being a band member and getting musical ventures off the ground. The two began to write songs and play together after work, forming an artistic partnership that would become the foundation for her current band.

Allison's love of theatre led her to a full time position with the Great Lakes Theatre Festival as an Actor/Teacher. "I travel to different schools in the Greater Cleveland Area each week and set up residence there," says Allison. "Then, my acting partner and I act out and direct scenes to get the students excited about classical theatre. We give them their chance to participate on the stage." During her first year as a Great Lakes Actor/Teacher, fate stepped in again, and Allison met Tim Keo, who would eventually become both her bassist and her acting partner.

In 2009, Allison's dreams of becoming a singer/songwriter started to really take off. "Doug and I had played the Chagrin Art Walk in the summer of 2008, but Tim our bassist joined us in January of 2009 for our first major show at Wilberts." The band had a big high in March of 2009, when they were asked to headline at Playhouse Square's Kennedy Theatre. Since their first few major shows, Allison Bencar and her band, which has expanded to five, sometimes six regular members (including me!), has played at the Hi-Fi (now the Breakfast Club), Wilberts, the Downtown Cleveland Phoenix Coffee House, The Grog Shop, at Cleveland Public Theatre's annual fundraiser Pandemonium, and at Brother's Lounge in Lakewood.

2009 ended with the Allison's third and most exciting show, headlining at the newly renovated Brother's Lounge in Lakewood. "Our December 26th show was incredible," says Allison, "the lounge was full of supporters and new fans, and we sang and played our hearts out." Allison really expects things to take off in 2010.

"We're hoping to go even further in 2010," says Allison. Bencar will head into the studio in March to record her first full-length album with her band. "I am also hoping to break into some great Cleveland venues like the Beachland Ballroom and the House of Blues," she says. She also hopes to take the band on tour this summer to a number of festivals, events and clubs in Cleveland, and beyond into the surrounding states. "I want to bring my music to as many people as possible," says Allison. "My passion is letting people know that they aren't alone out there, that we all share the same feelings and life experiences," she explains. And that's why she can't stop... she wants to share her music with everyone.

Learn more about Allison Bencar and her music and check out upcoming concerts at http://www.allisonbencar.com, on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/allisonbencar, and on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Bencar/91493989443. Be sure to check out the entire band, playing originals and some fun covers this Sat 2/27 at 10PM at Brother's Lounge in Cleveland at 11609 Detroit Avenue, http://www.brotherslounge.com.

Julie Cajigas is a Cleveland girl who grew up on the East & West Side and now lives near Akron – she’s got the whole town covered! Cajigas holds degrees in Communication & Music from Cleveland State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Communication at CSU.

She is a professional freelance writer who occasionally writes in her blog in between gigs at http://www.inspiredfreelancer.com. Cajigas is also an avid musician and can be seen performing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and as a violinist in the Allison Bencar band, http://www.myspace.com/allisonbencar.