Interview: Brien Allen (Bridges Ablaze)

Brien Allen (Bridges Ablaze) Interview
By: Rob Smittix

RRX: I appreciate you taking some time with me here today. Bridges Ablaze… so I’m sure you guys know about burning bridges, but sometimes that could be a good thing.

BA: Yeah, you know? It’s just contextual, right?

RRX: Exactly. So how long have you guys been around for?

BA: So, we’ve been a thing since about 2019, honestly.

RRX: Okay, so kind of like in the beginning of the plandemic and all that.

BA: Yes, it kind of was a seed planted, we didn’t really do too much, we weren’t even sure how we were gonna do it. We didn’t even know if we were gonna sing, so, we just covered “The Kill” and tracked it in San Antonio in 2019. I’ll never forget the first time we heard the studio bounce, it wasn’t even mixed or anything and we’re just like, wow… this is us, what the hell? Yeah, so that was kind of it and then COVID hit and honestly… I feel like it kind of made us stronger in a weird way. It was just very strange.

RRX: Well, I mean… if you were starting the band about that time, then certainly it just seems like well… now you have time to work on things, where other bands (like my band) that was around for 18 years actually… the pandemic killed our band.

BA: Wow!

RRX: Like that was it. It was over. So, it could work both ways, I guess.

BA: Wow, yeah.

RRX: I’d love to just start a new band, but I haven’t even had time to do that.

BA: Yeah, life has gotten really crazy busy and stuff… like you said, a crazy time to start a band because we really had time to network and plan and find our sound and start to develop, harness the internet, develop the brand, acquire the live equipment, you know?

RRX: Mhm. But it looks like from what I’m seeing, it’s just the two of you guys (Brien Allen & Ruben Zamora) as far as the band itself, or has that changed at all?

BA: It’s definitely kind of changing at this point. We’ve been working with some guys and we’re starting that evaluation of who’s really gonna be with us in the long term? We at least want a couple guys, like drummers/drum tech, at least a powerhouse duo on every instrument. That’s kind of where we are right now. We just did a photo shoot with the guys and we’re starting to really look like a band. But at this point, me and Ruben do the majority of the writing with our producer. Maybe going forward, if one of the guys has a really cool idea, we’ll throw it in there but I mean… for the most part, it’s still really me and Ruben because we’re the singers. We do all the vocals and most of the riffing.

RRX: Your music’s great though, you’ve got a really big sound, which is something that I noticed right off the bat. So obviously, when you’re putting the music out, it’s more than just you guys.

BA: Indeed, yeah, it is a pretty huge sound, when me, Ruben plus and our producer work together, that’s just kind of how it comes out.

RRX: Excellent. You’re based out of Austin now, right?

BA: Yeah, we got guys kind of all over, well, ranging from San Antonio up to North Austin and Leander.

RRX: Austin seems to be the place these days. It’s the new mecca for music. I mean it’s probably better than Nashville at this point.

BA: Yeah, it is insane. I mean… Colorblind, Fire From The Gods, Catch Your Breath, The Sword… all these are huge man.

RRX: Hans Gruber and The Diehards, what could be any better?

BA: Right!

RRX: You guys have only been around for a short time and just I checked out your social media. You guys hit over 40 million streams on TikTok on just one song (Heartbroken Angel).

BA: Yeah, yeah, that was kind of a weird little thing that happened out of nowhere. One day I checked our streams and one of our distribution accounts… I saw that number and I was like… you’re sh***ing me. What is this?

RRX: Your other numbers are good too but damn, 40 million. And to do that, as a relatively newer band. that’s just amazing. Congratulations!

BA: Thank you. Yeah, it was a weird perfect storm of networking, distribution company stuff, them communicating with TikTok, getting on a TikTok Rock playlist and then just a bunch of people sharing it for 6 months.

RRX: So that’s the secret. I’ve never been able to pull that sh** off. Getting 1000 views on one of our music videos was a big deal.

BA: I mean… every view really matters, especially if it’s people that care.

RRX: That is true. Well, it looks like you’re getting a real fan base together.

BA: We wanted to do that before we embarked on any serious live missions, while we perfected our sound, practiced for 9 to12 months and then we could have a fan base. All the equipment’s there, so we could, just hop out of isolation and hit the road.

RRX: Anything else that would be fun to tell us about your music?

BA: It can get so deep, I mean… so deep, for example… “Heartbroken Angel…” fun fact, the original seed of that song goes back to 2012 or 2013.
I met Ruben in 2014 at a Guitar Center in Austin. He was just moving in from El Paso, so, you know? First place, he was gonna, go was the Guitar Center.
I just happened to be there that day and I was like… who is that shredding?
So I obviously had to do a shred battle, right?

RRX: Of course.

BA: And he was beating me and I’m like, well… I have to get his number. My experience with that is like 1 in 10 will follow up.
But he did and it was worth it. He’s just so great. The next thing he showed me was Heartbroken Angel actually.

RRX: Oh wow.

BA: Yeah, from an old band in a different form and we re-recorded it in 2021. Then we took it to our producer and then he like… control, alt, deleted half of it. Then we just rewrote parts and kept some old parts and now it is what it is. It’s funny because that was the song that brought me and Ruben together and it’s really what solidified my interest in him. It wasn’t only his shredding but it was also him showing me that song, I was like, good God, this is the sound I’ve wanted and that’s a fun fact about that song.

RRX: 40 million people can’t be wrong!

BA: Right? It’s crazy because the part that ended up going viral was the part we co-wrote together, it was part of the new section.But if not for the old version, we wouldn’t have even formed.

RRX: That’s amazing, it was in the cards for you guys. What do you have coming up?

BA: Maybe for 2025… we’re probably just gonna focus on more Texas and surrounding states for touring… like shorter runs, but 2026, I think we’ll hopefully have a new EP out by then and we’ll try to coincide lots of other things with that, including a tour or maybe a festival or whatever we can get our hands on.

RRX: I could see big things coming to you guys, man. The sound’s there, the music is there. There’s definitely an audience for it. I think bigger and brighter days are upon you.

BA: Fingers crossed, we hope so. Never in 1000 years did we think we’d be fronting a band together, but it just happened and it’s exciting. Going forward too, I think our music’s obviously going to be evolving. Our sound’s already very dynamic. We wanted to start out the gates where we were kind of dipping our toes in a few things, so people knew what to expect, the unexpected. Who knows what’s to come? But it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

RRX: You’re definitely on my radar now. Was there anything else that you wanted to say? Messages of hope or peace?

BA: One thing that’s really been on our minds lately is don’t let anybody tell you what to think, feel, or even be, right? You’re allowed to feel what you feel and it doesn’t always have to be a good thing. In our experience, the only way to get the true forgiveness or acceptance or positivity is to go through the full cycle of feelings. Whatever it is you’re going through, you’re not alone and you’re allowed to feel that whatever it is you think.It’s a valid thought, otherwise… existence would prohibit it from even being thinkable. Beyond that, to hell with whatever people expect you to be, be who you want to be because you only live once. Don’t ever let people cram you into a box. Be yourself and you will find your people.

RRX: Awesome. Couldn’t have said that better man!

For More information on Bridges Ablaze CLICK HERE!