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Opening Acts
Dawne Allynne for Jeffery Gains
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from page 1
"It's special to me because I've loved Jeffrey Gaines and I had seen him play years ago at the Tradewinds," Dawne shares. "I was just awestruck. He was adorable and he was afraid. I never thought about playing and opening for him. This show came up and I said 'wow, cool, Jeffrey Gaines is playing. I'm going to go see him' and my manager turns to me and says 'oh by the way, you're opening for him.' I was in shock [to say the least]."
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Dawne Allynne opening for Jeffrey Gaines
at Harry’s Road House
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Dawn took some time off, but now she's been back on the shore circuit for almost a year, but it was the first time she'd opened for a national act at Harry's Roadhouse. "I've played out before but I've been in and out of the scene for a while," she admits. "I'm just sticking to Jersey shore gigs for now." Feeling a sense of comfort and down-home fun after that show, she earned a spot on the home-grown talent bill for Writer's in the Raw, Volume 7, at Harry's July 2004.
The crowd enjoyed her 30-minute set and she was amazed how her adrenaline was pumping. "I walked off that stage like a guy," she shouts. "Like a drummer. I was telling people not to touch me because I was so sweaty!"
But when did this woman who went to concerts in Manhattan and on the Jersey shore all of her life, realize she could be right up there with those she
Continued page 13
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Toby
Lightman
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from page 4
because I was playing tennis and lacrosse," she admits. "I valued sports more in my teen years than the violin."
So once she was off to college, she decided to learn the guitar. "It took me a couple of years to get comfortable playing and singing," Toby shares. "I wasn't comfortable with the level I wanted to sing while playing for four to five years. I like being free with my voice and not following a specific beat and with guitar you have to be [more rigid]. I had to learn to split my brain and not pay attention to the guitar while I'm singing so it took me a long time to really master it."
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Toby Lightman
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What makes this Cherry Hill, NJ gal's voice really stand out is her range. She can really get the crowd going with her soulful, raspy voice in "Devils and Angels," and then softly sing "Frightened" and it's a totally vulnerable voice the listener hears. Her personal style and niche is sorely needed on Top 40 radio
continued page 10
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