Estero Musicians Make It Big

Not one, but two local musical talents have found careers on the big stage. Ben Allen relocated to Estero as an adult and though he never imagined a career in music, he found his voice and some pretty good guitar skills, too, his nationwide audiences would agree. Casey Bishop grew up here and attended the Cypress Center for the Arts where she perfected her incredible voice. And she’s only 16 years old!

Kudos to our Cypress Center for the Arts for nurturing musical talents. They must be proud of Casey Bishop, last year’s “American Idol” candidate who has signed a recording contract with 19 Recordings and BMG Records.

Bishop, who grew up in Estero, recalls her supportive teacher. “Mr. Gary Stroh was totally invested in my music education and was very supportive. Even when I had not considered going on a show like American Idol. He taught me a lot about having a stage presence,” said Bishop. “I entered a local talent show at school and I knew my performance was not 100 percent there. I needed to work on completely letting go and would tell myself to just do it and not think about it.”

She laughs recalling how nervous she was during the American Idol audition. “When I walked in there and saw Katy Perry, whom I have loved since I was two,

Casey Bishop

my voice went super high. I had a lump in my throat. I had no idea what I was saying. It was a total out-of-body experience.”

When asked when she knew she wanted to sing, Bishop said, “Apparently when I was two years old, according to my Mom, my favorite person in the world who has been amazing throughout all of this. At the most inappropriate times and places, I will start humming. In a classroom, students would be looking at me. One of my teachers sent me out of the room because he got upset about it—not Mr. Stroh!”

Bishop says she will be traveling back and forth to Los Angeles to make music for the next few years but will continue to spend time in Estero and perform locally whenever she has the opportunity.

“The people in Estero have been so kind. It’s mind blowing. If I go out to dinner, someone always walks up and says they are so proud of me.”

Estero calls itself the Heart of Southwest Florida and Bishop has grabbed everybody’s hearts. She held a concert for the people of Estero when she returned from California and her

American Idol experience.

“That was my first show actually, other than performing on television. The energy was completely different. The feeling and the love from the people in the audience was really cool. I am excited to do more. I feel really lucky to come from such a great hometown.”

Local Band Leader Says ‘Go Big AND Go Home’

Another Estero resident and singer songwriter Ben Allen moved here from middle Tennessee just north of Nashville in 2009 and, as unbelievable as this may sound to those of us who know of his talent, he was not musical then and says he had no intentions of becoming a musician!

“I raced bikes and motorcycles. I never did anything with music. It wasn’t on the horizon. My hobbies changed. My clique of friends were gone. I found my-

Ben Allen Band

self learning to play the guitar for my personal enjoyment,” said Allen. “I’d spend my evenings playing guitar. I have never had a guitar lesson, but I started learning to play. I sang in the children’s church choir and chorus in school one year, but I would never take lead parts. I was bashful about stepping out in front of people.” Pushing out of his comfort zone, Allen decided to take his talent further and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to play and sing a couple of songs for an audience?”

Fast forward to 2020 and Ben Allen is a candidate on NBC television’s The VOICE on team Gwen Stefani and he makes it to the top five. He opens a restaurant, Ben Allen’s Backyard Grill & Pub in Naples where he will pop in and perform occasionally. He travels nationwide and entertains audiences with his band all year long. And he sings the National Anthem for our Chamber Annual Luncheon.

“Since we got back from California, we have been performing at a lot of private events,” said Allen. “We went to Ave Maria University campus for a big public event. We’ve flown to Maine, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Oh, and 3 shows in Cabo San Lucas,” he added. “You never know. People ask me about touring, but I’m just following the breeze. People saw me on The Voice, watch our promotional video or call agents to say, ‘Go get that guy.”

Allen says he is humbled by the attention, finding it especially intimidating to have someone fly them to Austin to play. “Austin is such a great music city. I know that they have lots of local options, so we are honored to have been invited.”

Asked about musical influences, Allen mentions current artists— Jason Aldean, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church—as well as country/rock legends like The Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Daniels, and Hank Williams, Jr.

“I love country music that has a rock edge to it. That blend of country and rock has been around a long time and it is all just good music,” he said, decrying the industry trend to classify genres. “Why put a label on me, Bro?”

As an example, Allen mentions Brothers Osborne and challenges the listener to hear all the bluesy guitar in their album cuts. “Does that make them blues musicians? When our band performs, we want to keep the energy up, so instead of playing what we might prefer to play, like a ballad that, we limit those to one or two a night.” Allen laughs, “I watch it happen. When you start playing a slow song, it’s time for the audience to go get a drink.”

Final question: What was it like to work with Gwen Stefani?

“Gwen was a sweetheart. She is quieter in person; not as bouncy as on screen. With Blake, he’s the same guy. It was nice to spend time with musicians at that level. When I worked with Gwen, I said I wanted to sing a ballad with keyboard only and she responded, ‘I see that you truly have a vision and I fully support that.’ She’s a true professional and respects the artists who appear on the show.” Remember that guy who said he was bashful about stepping out on stage? Allen went to open mic night in Naples and got up on stage to do a couple of songs. “It was a real thrill to do it,” he said. “I worked for Collier County Water Dept. at the time, so I was sweating my butt off in the sun every day. Then I find people will applaud when I get out there and sing. Well, THIS is fun. Then I was offered a gig to play every Thursday night. I did not have any sound equipment. I only had five songs, but they handled everything. At some point, I put the band together. I strive to surround myself with really good musicians. It’s always the Ben Allen Band, not just me. The phone keeps ringing. We use social media to let people know where we are going to be. I’ve been blessed in this situation and continue to be busy.”

Allen says he always wants to write new songs and travel, but he insists on keeping balance in his life. His wife Laura owns Southwest Florida Designs and creates award-winning interior designs for clubhouses and model homes. He says he knows he is truly blessed to be able to come home and spend time with his family here in Estero.