Our annual Summer Stars series features a variety of groups making the rounds on the festival circuit. Today we feature Allen Stone. We’ve also checked in with Lord Huron, Shovels & Rope, Passion Pit, John Scofield, The Lumineers, Futurebirds, Tea Leaf Green and moe..

With a voice that recalls both Donny Hathaway’s emotive intensity and Daryl Hall’s pop appeal, blue-eyed soul purveyor Allen Stone crafts old-school flavored R&B for the modern age. This self-described soul man – whose sophomore full-length can be heard everywhere from hip dive bars to swank dancefloors – cites music festivals as a way to help hone his distinctive sound and get exposure to new tunes.

“I’m around a lot of other artists when I’m at festivals, so seeing things live that inspire me really helps,” the bespectacled blonde songwriter opines between gigs in Tokyo, Japan. “Musically, I try to take things from as many places as I can.”

Although his signature sound owes a lot to yesteryear’s slinky grooves, this Chewelah, Wash.-bred musician didn’t grow up exposed to his soulful forefathers. In fact, Stone didn’t hear essential albums like Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions until his teen years. It’s safe to say that after the first listen, he was hooked.

This summer, Stone is bringing his sonic smoothness to the festival circuit, but that doesn’t mean he’s strictly in tour mode. “Other than playing festivals, I’ll be working on writing new songs for the next album, which I’m very excited about,” explains the prolific songwriter, who has previously worked with Raphael Saadiq’s rhythm section, former Miles Davis keyboardist Deron Johnson and has plans to collaborate with Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Bernhoft. So what’s Allen Stone’s key element for a proper festival experience?

“Great music, obviously – although that’s a pretty subjective thing. Regardless of location or climate, music is key for me.”

Album for a Hot Summer Night: Al Green, Green Is Blues – that thing is timeless.

Summer Drink: I typically stick to a nice cold beer and lots of water obviously. But if I’m mixing it up, I could always go for a nice piña colada on the beach!

Festival Stops: Bonnaroo, Coast West, High Sierra, Waterfront Blues Festival