"Being able to share this experience with the town that shaped me means more than I can put into words."
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) -- There was a time when Jake Allard's biggest audience was a handful of buddies on a weekend afternoon in Simi Valley. Now the Santa Susana High School graduate spends his nights on stages around the world as guitarist for the Hollywood glam rock band Pretty Boy Floyd. On Saturday, August 1, he'll trade international arenas for a much more personal setting: the Simi Civic Center Plaza, the same ground he grew up walking on as a kid.
The free performance, part of the Concerts at the Plaza series, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and features Pre-Existing Condition, and Pretty Boy Floyd which Neil Felder of East Coast Pizza Company is quick to point out is not a tribute act. It is the genuine article, and for Allard, it is also a homecoming.
"I grew up in Simi Valley and graduated from Santa Susana High School in 2015," Allard told Clair. "Simi has always been home to me, and coming back to perform here with Pretty Boy Floyd feels like a true full-circle moment."
Long before his name appeared on tour posters, Allard was a Simi Valley kid with a love of the outdoors and the town's history. He spent afternoons hiking with friends and exploring landmarks like Corriganville and the historic adobe near First Street. He learned to swim and play tennis in town, and worked his first professional jobs here too. "Simi is where I learned to swim, play tennis, worked my first professional jobs, and ultimately became the person I am today," he said.
Before music, there was machining. Allard spent several years at BEMCO, helping build and transport testing equipment for aerospace and defense organizations. It was steady, hands on work, a world away from touring stages, though he says it shaped him just as much as anything else from those years. "It (Simi) was a perfect place to grow up, and even though the city has changed tremendously over the years, it still feels like home every time I come back," he said.
Music, by Allard’s own account, was never the plan. "I never planned on becoming a professional musician. I only played guitar as a hobby and always told myself I would never try to make a career out of it," Allard said. That changed after he moved to Texas, where he was recruited as bassist and backing vocalist for the Christian Shields Band and later caught the attention of Pretty Boy Floyd, the 80s glam metal outfit that would become his musical home. Looking back, Allard says, music found him more than he found it, and when the opportunities came, he took them.
Since then, Allard has toured internationally and built a reputation as an award winning composer, songwriter, producer and multi instrumentalist. One of his proudest achievements came when he won first prize at the World Melodia Music Awards for an original violin duet composition. Though most fans know him for his guitar work with Pretty Boy Floyd, Allard is entirely self taught and also plays bass, keyboards, piano and clarinet, in addition to providing vocals. Outside the band, he writes and produces original music with his own project, Midnight Maniac, and also records and performs solo work under his own name.
His sound blends contemporary production with the anthemic, melodic feel of the 80s, drawing on hard rock, pop, classical and electronic influences to reach listeners across generations. Beyond Pretty Boy Floyd and the Christian Shields Band, Allard has shared stages with acts including Queensryche, Foghat, Stryper, White Lion, Trixter, Enuff Z'Nuff, Jackyl and Faster Pussycat, and has played, recorded and written alongside former members of Def Leppard, Dream Theater, the Dee Snider Band, Ram Jam and the Yardbirds.
For all his success on the road, Allard says this particular show carries a different weight. "What makes this show so meaningful is that I feel like I'm returning as a completely different person than the one who left. I was just another Simi kid with a lot of hobbies and interests, and now I'm fortunate enough to come back as an internationally touring musician," he said. "Being able to share this experience with the town that shaped me means more than I can put into words."
He expects to see former classmates, teachers, coworkers, family members and longtime friends in the crowd, along with plenty of familiar faces he may not know personally but who share the same roots. "We all share Simi Valley as our hometown, and it's incredibly special to be welcomed back to perform here," he said.
Allard credited Felder for organizing the concert and thanked his Pretty Boy Floyd bandmates, Steve Summers on lead vocals, DieTrich Thrall on bass and Matt Muckle on drums, for the journey that led him to where he is today.
Allard still has roots firmly planted in Simi Valley. His uncle lives in town, along with many of his closest friends and longtime colleagues, giving him plenty of reasons to come back beyond the show itself.
Felder, who helped bring the concert together, sees Allard's return as a chance for the community to celebrate one of its own. "It's a unique full-circle moment and a great opportunity for the community to welcome home one of its own while enjoying a free summer concert," Felder said.
For Allard, the feeling is mutual. "I'm honored to be part of this event, and I'm really looking forward to sharing this experience with the Simi Valley community," he said.
Concerts at the Plaza featuring Pre-Existing Condition, and Pretty Boy Floyd takes place Saturday, August 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Simi Civic Center Plaza. Admission is free.
To view a video of Jake Allard performing with Pretty Boy Floyd go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwT0wF5kk5s
