We were lucky to catch up with Chesley Cheese Allen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chesley Cheese , appreciate you joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

I’m up down about it I feel like if we’re family I shouldn’t have to ask you to support! I feel like it’s appropriate to support someone you know rather than support someone you don’t! I draw the line at being over look! Or playing a game that’s rigged

I been active since 2016 minus the pandemic it’s been a blessing! It’s been up and down! But it gets to me knowing that! And doing it from the heart! But trying to hold the attention of a audience that know but also is unsure if the process or quote success

I feel that way cause some people are just more popular than others but the ppl who really worked I mean worked no help nobody to big them up but really got it out the mud people look at them as if there nothing

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well my Name is Chesley it’s pronounced ches-ley lol you be surprised how many people don’t read that name correctly! I was born in North Carolina south east Raleigh! I grew up in church like everyone els lol and always had a passion for drumming! I kinda wish I played keys but out the rhythm section and at the time the drums was the only thing that stuck out!! Iv did music of my life playing in local bands from doing Marching band in high school and college! I wanted to further my music career but couldn’t quite escape the pressure of life and consequences of my actions being a young black male growing up in Raleigh!! Music has always been apart of my life but didn’t take it seriously till after college!
Like I said I played in numerous bands and was pretty much set in my ways till I realized I wanted something better! In 2007 I met Brian Frazer Moore he introduced me to a Carolina native witch at the time I had no idea of his Achievements!
His name was Chip Shearin! Chip gave me my first tour! Outside of the chitin circuit that I’ve been working for years prior to! So this was the first gig where I was going to major cities, Chicago, Philadelphia, DC places like that before then I was going to Goldsboro Martinsville Fredericksburg, Virginia lol I mean the list goes on!!! Don’t get it twisted I still go to some of those places not cause I have to but because I really enjoy playing even with some of my bands I grew up with! But it was in this band with Chip and the name of the band the avengers! There I met a guy by the name of O’Neill Palmer, who told me about the agency called Gobbo agency out of California back then it was ran by a man named Keith Harris and his wife who was given opportunity’s to musicians that wanted to get to the next level, but didn’t have any help getting there and it was with this agency that I joined and sat in it for a year and then got my first real audition in 2016 for Meghan Trainor went to LA to audition. It was like 30 drummers and all of the drummers got up there just going for Blood when the gig was a pocket gig by grace of God she heard something in my playing that she like and pick me and that’s how I got in the industry that was 2016 nine years ago! So went on to book other artists and tour of the world and in 2019 I started my own business my own band which is called the deacon board. You can find them on Instagram at the @thedeaconboard22! We are a hip-hop, jazz, funk fusion soul base band with players out of LA Atlanta, Seattle and Raleigh! We provide good music for the soul we really enjoy what we do! We don’t do it for accolades! but cause we love to play! We do it because the industry is changing it’s not the same! It’s going down in my opinion it’s not what we pictured growing up social media has gave this false since of it! And actually seeing how it goes I started this band to become more of a consistent financially! The thing that I most proud about is that we have an EP and an album available on all social music streaming platforms I’m proud that is something that I created working for somebody else is cool it’s a blessing but it’s just that! So if they don’t wanna work we don’t work that way in the long run if I wanted to step away from major, I have my band that could keep consistent flow of income coming in! I want you all to know that we are going to continue to keep making good music for the soul and hopefully inspire others to do the same! Please make sure you stream my album my way available on Spotify Apple Music or wherever you stream music we are working on shows as we speak, but if I could get more people involved as far as interacting or supporting, that would be very helpful! So again, please follow us on Instagram at the @Deonboard22. Also, you can check us out on the YouTube Chesley Cheese on Drums where we have several videos featuring the band.!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the social media world is so fickle and the only reason I got into it is because I wanted to do like educational videos for like my companies! I remember I went to an event and every Drummer that I saw had over 10K so I started an experiment. I said if I get 10k maybe I could do a video It never happened so I just started posting. I posted a spam clip that brought me over 20 followers and from there it was up so I feel like if you could play it will catch on just be yourself play how u want do what you want Don’t even worry about it too much. Just keep doing what you do and I also say it’s like playing a slot machine in Vegas you never know.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Just meet me and me being as honest as I can be sometimes that can hurt you specially in this business people don’t like to talk real but ppl just gravitate to it so like I said be yourself

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zildjian.com/blogs/artist/chesley-allen?srsltid=AfmBOoqUHIYKfnfVgQmusRGIf5UAPu2fByPJFd0e_VPldQqrrD7OXc7H
• Instagram: @chesleycheese
• Facebook: Chesley Allen
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@chesleycheeseallen
• Other: Band camp the deacon board