Vocalist and songwriter Allyson Seconds has long been a central presence in Sacramento, California’s indie music community, where she is recognized above all for her extensive work alongside Anton Barbeau. She entered the world as Allyson Goble on December 27, 1968, in Anderson, Indiana, and later married Kevin Seconds of the enduring punk outfit 7 Seconds. As a child she first discovered her voice by harmonizing with her brothers and sisters, an early pleasure that eventually shaped her career. While attending the University of California, Davis, she concentrated on sculpture before expanding into photography, documenting many of the state’s most prominent musicians both for personal enjoyment and professional assignments.
Once established in Sacramento, she moved from photographing artists to performing with them, supplying backing vocals for Jonah Matranga of Far, Kepi Ghoulie of the Groovie Ghoulies, Sal Valentino of the Beau Brummels, and the collective Andrew Jackson Jihad. Although she and Anton Barbeau had already been close friends and intermittent collaborators, they waited years before committing to a joint recording project. Their first effort, the 2009 debut Bag of Kittens, was produced and largely co-written by Barbeau, who also recruited guests including Kimberley Rew of the Soft Boys, Cake’s Gabe Nelson and Vince Di Fiore, and several members of the British group Stornoway.
The pair reconvened for Seconds’ follow-up, 2016’s Little World, which drew further contributions from XTC’s Colin Moulding and, in one of his last sessions, Scott Miller, the founder of Game Theory and the Loud Family who has since passed away.
