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B​old Journey Interview- July 2025:

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-We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Allen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I feel all my best ideas come to me while I am hiking in nature or jogging on a trail. Connecting to the outdoors is one of the best things you can do to fuel creativity and cultivate positive mental health. These activities let me reflect on whatever issues or dilemmas I am facing, and what my next actions should be moving forward. Many times it is easier to generate creative ideas after you have taken the first steps of the task at hand. Momentum can be a big factor in creativity. Often, the hardest part of any project is getting started, and one will find their creative juices start flowing after pushing through the initial effort. As a musician, I think it is important to appreciate other art forms such as literature and movies, as they are a deep wellspring of inspiration for me. Reading fiction is one of the absolute best ways to keep the creative senses sharp, as it lets your imagination wander as you mentally construct the images of the story. Lastly, listening to many different kinds of music, from all eras, is paramount for creativity. You never know when something from the past will inspire your creativity in the present!

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-Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I have been a lifelong musician and work full-time as a performing, touring, and recording drummer based in Nashville, TN. I was also the primary drum teacher at Orange County Music Academy in Anaheim, CA for over 10 years, teaching 50-60 students each week. I have been fortunate to perform and tour with a diverse list of amazing musicians and artists, some of who include members from the bands Train, Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, Panic At The Disco, OneRepublic, Sugar Ray, The Wallflowers and others. I worked heavily in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas music scenes before relocating to Nashville in 2023. Since moving to Tennessee, I have been very fortunate to tour with many different groups, ranging from up-and coming artists, hit songwriters, and legendary country rapper SMO. I fell in love with the drums at age 7 and never looked back. I specialize in playing country, rock, and pop music, and also am highly skilled at running various backing track playback systems. When I’m not touring or in the recording studio, I enjoy preforming in downtown Nashville’s vibrant scene of music venues. I love to take my music to people at venues and stages of all sizes. Nothing is more satisfying to me than seeing smiles on people’s faces from my drumming, and watching them get swept up in my groove!

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-Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Most important is passion for what you do. Working in the entertainment industry can be challenging to navigate, and one must really love what they’re doing to keep moving forward after a door closes in your face. This is true of any line of work, and we have all experienced this. However, passion is the engine that fuels us to keep chasing our dreams and goals, whatever they may be! Another important quality is the willingness to be a life-long learner. No matter how long we have done something, whether it’s one’s career, art form, or hobbies, there is always room to grow and improve. We must be open to learning new skills and ideas, and see this as a life long process. For someone who is younger, or earlier on in their journey as a musician, I would absolutely recommend working with a teacher. A good teacher can spark the desire to continually be learning, and striving for improvement, for years to come. The last trait that comes to mind is flexibility. The music industry changes so fast that we must be willing to adapt to its changes. The type of music and gigs I currently play is different from where I started years ago, but I see that as a great thing, and this growth has been extremely rewarding. An example of being flexible in my own career path was the decision to relocate to Nashville from my home state of California, as it’s the town the music industry has largely moved to. I was willing to take the risk of moving across the country, and the benefits and work opportunities I’ve since found have been amazing! It’s important to stay flexible while keeping focused on how to achieve goals while always keeping the bigger picture in sight.

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-We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

Personally, I’ve chosen the path of committing to one’s strengths, and focusing on developing them as best as possible. We all want to be well rounded people, in business and in life, but I think it’s most valuable to find the skills we are best at and amplify them to the highest level we can. Over time, this can lead to a greater expertise and a competitive advantage in one’s field of work, if we put in the effort to refine and expand upon our natural talents. For me that has been my lifelong work of cultivating a deep level of proficiency in rhythm, drumming, and music. I discovered this talent at a young age and, since then, I’ve never stopped working on growing my abilities as a drummer. This choice of staying true to my goals and talents in music has lead me to some pretty amazing places and experiences, and I don’t think I would have gotten here by pursing music as a part time job. Looking back, it seems important that I went all in, and wholly committed to my goal of being a full time musician. I was so passionate about playing music I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I think focusing on specialization within your niche, whatever that may be, can create a strong professional reputation within your field of work and lead to many great opportunities!

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Nashville Voyager Interview- February 2025

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-Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Allen

Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been a lifelong drummer and started at young age. My first glimpse of a drum set was at my uncle’s house, who also played the drums growing up. I immediately fell in love with the power and excitement of the instrument, and haven’t looked back since! I grew up in Orange County CA, and lived there until moving to Nashville at the start of 2023. Southern California has a great music scene, and allowed me to work full time as a musician since age 18. Some of my career highlights, while living in CA, include working as the primary drum instructor for Orange County Music Academy for over 10 years, touring the country with billboard charting artist Stephen Wesley, and working as the music director for the Millennium Allstars, which is a musical collective comprised of members from the bands Train, Goo Goo Dolls, Smash Mouth, Panic at the Disco, Weezer, One Direction, Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray, and others. We even had Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers preform with us as a special guest at a very memorable Las Vegas show! Also, I’ve been fortunate to play music across large portions of Europe with The Fallen Stars, and have preformed on many cruise ships traveling around Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. Some of my favorite Los Angeles venues I would frequently preform at are The Viper Room, The Whisky a Go-Go, The Rainbow, and The Cowboy Palace Saloon, as well as Las Vegas venues such as Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, and hotels like Caesar’s Palace, Treasure Island, Monte Carlo and others.

I am now proud to call Nashville home the last two years, and am constantly blown away by the amazing music scene here. Some of my favorite moments since moving to Nashville include touring with country rap artist SMO, preforming at the Bluebird cafe with legendary songwriter Marv Green, opening up for Dan + Shay with Robert Abernathy and extensively traveling the south and midwest with the Isaac Cole band.

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-Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Working as a freelance/independent musician is definitely a challenging road and doesn’t offer the security of a regular schedule, or guarantee of work opportunities. Balancing one’s passion for music while navigating through setbacks, overcoming self doubt, or dealing with financial stress due to the unpredictable nature of this business are things every musician deals with. That being said, I love what I do because I love to provide music to entertain people, and put smiles on faces!

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-Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I have played drums for artists around the globe in many different styles, but specialize in playing country, pop, and rock music. Being that I’ve played drums for over 25 years, I can play songs virtually note for note when asked to learn material. That’s the bar I shoot for when an artists trusts me to lay down the beat behind their music. I can chalk that skill up to the years I spent writing sheet by hand for my students of the songs they were learning. One of the best compliments my friends in the Millennium Allstars payed me was saying I play the music just like the original hit recordings. I play all the key parts and cues my band members count on, and because of this, we don’t need to schedule rehearsals before the gigs. They trust I can fly in, do a quick soundcheck, then play drums, and run the show as the music director! Considering they wrote some of the biggest hits of the 90’s and 2000’s, that was definitely inspiring to hear! I am also well versed in running backing track systems, and frequently preform that job for my clients as well. Ultimately, what sets me apart is my enthusiasm for music, attention to detail, being a team player, and my groove. 

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-Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?

If someone is interested in music or how to play an instrument my biggest advice would be, study with a teacher! You will undoubtedly progress at a faster rate working with someone who can break down, and help you understand the concepts behind a piece of music. Find the bands or artists who speaks to you, and let it send you on a journey of musical discovery and inspiration. Practice daily. Create music to share with others, and to make people happy!

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OC MUSIC SHOWCASE INTERVIEW WITH WARREN MURREL- August 26th, 2020:

 

-With the current rise of COVID cases, it seems like “normal life” is a phrase you will not likely use anytime soon, or ever again. For a minute there seemed to be a chance that live music, in small doses, would begin to happen again, but as the rise in cases has increased, we are seeing the second round of statewide shutdowns. The light at the end of the tunnel is once again a mirage, and the return to live entertainment is pushed into the unforeseeable future. With so many hungry artists and musicians looking to get back out on the road we are optimistic that this might lead to a creative upsurge for the local and national music scene. We hope everyone continues to stay safe and can’t wait for the resurgence of live music. In the meantime, we will continue to check in with some of OC’s top artists and bands.

Without a doubt one of the most essential members in a band is the drummer, whether you’re in the studio or a live situation he or she dictates the foundation and groove of a given track. Not only does this role require dedication, talent and consistent rehearsal, it requires a drummer to be able to adapt and understand music at its core. This is exactly why Brandon Allen has been providing the thunderous backbeats for many bands throughout his career. Not only is he a talented drummer, he is also very proficient in percussion & orchestral techniques, teaching, and reading & writing music. With skills like these, combine with a very diverse musical background, there is no wonder why he is a go-to live and session drummer for so many Orange County and Southern California bands. I was able to catch up with Brandon to see how he’s been getting through quarantine, see what his favorite recording kit is, and chat about legendary studio session drummers. Let’s give the drummer some…

OC Update: Brandon Allen

Instrument(s): Drums/ Percussion 

Associated Acts: Daniel Bonte & The Bona Fide, Stephen Wesley, Cali Grown Gang, Orange County Music Academy 

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How have you been staying busy during quarantine? What have you been listening to, any new music recommendations?

-The downtime of quarantine has allowed me to fine tune my home studio set up and delve deeper into recording and audio engineering.  Recently, I finished tracking a 6 song EP for singer/songwriter Doug Schmude.  This is the 3rd record I have worked on with him and am excited to share the results when completed.  Also, I have been working on several singles for country artist Daniel Bonte & The Bona Fide, which are scheduled for a fall release. Considering I haven’t had to constantly be learning set lists for cover gigs, it has been a breath of fresh air to listen to music purely for enjoyment’s sake. I’ve actually been going back to bands/artists that inspired me to play music in the first place. I’ve had Van Halen II on repeat a lot, as well as Thin Lizzy’s killer “Live and Dangerous” record. Right before the quarantine started, I recorded several live, in-studio, YouTube videos with a reggae singer from Jamaica. That music always puts me in a good mood and has been a go-to over summer. I absolutely love Spotify’s Reggae Classics play list. Check it out and press shuffle, it’ll put a smile across your face.

 

How have you adapted to the gig-less lifestyle of the past 5 months?

-Luckily, I’m still able to maintain my teaching schedule with Orange County Music Academy, as we have switched to virtual lessons using Zoom. I truly love teaching and consider it blessing to be able to rely on that, as live concerts and gigs aren’t an option right now. I teach around 30 lessons each week, and nothing makes me happier than seeing a young student fall in love with music and grow their talents!  Also, I took my piano out of storage and set it back up. It has been a blast getting back to that instrument. You have the whole orchestra at your fingertips!  I’ve started to dabble into music production using Ableton Live and have incorporated some of that platform into my teaching program. Otherwise, I’ve been catching up on my movie watching, and get a lot of inspiration from that. I’m obsessed with vintage monster movies and anything horror related. 

 

What was one of your musical highlights from 2019? 

-Last summer I did a coast to coast tour with artist Stephen Wesley. It was a blast meeting new people nationwide and playing in new cities and venues.  Lots of great memories we made during that run.  Also, playing Subaru Country Freedom Fest with Daniel Bonte last October. I always relish preforming on big festival stages, and that was a special gig for the band. If anyone is interested in seeing a bit of that show, I’ve uploaded several videos of drum-cam footage on my YouTube channel.

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As a drummer who is involved with lots of different projects and artists, what do you enjoy most about getting to play different styles and genres?

 -Growing up, my parents constantly had different types of music playing in our house. Because of this, it has always felt natural to play different styles. Also, I credit the various teachers I’ve studied with, and my school’s music program for expanding my horizons at a young age. I played in jazz band, drumline, orchestra, and was taught the importance of reading and writing music. This is a skill I use virtually everyday to quickly learn songs, regardless of their genre. I truly enjoy all styles of music, and I love to mash-up elements of different genres into something new and unique. I feel my willingness to jump into any musical situation has served me well in keeping me inspired, and my schedule busy!

 

Who are some of your favorite studio session drummers?

 -Two key drummers for me who in many ways invented the role of being a studio musician are Jim Gordon and Jim Keltner. They played on some of my all-time favorite songs, and always managed to retain their respective signature groove and feel without sounding mechanical. I see those players as the link to a lot of the more recognized studio musicians of the 80’s and 90’s. Also, I really admire the careers of people like Kenny Aronoff and Steve Jordan. The list of high profile artists they have kept the beat for will make your jaw drop…just give them a search on Wikipedia!  In terms of the music coming out of Nashville these days, I really admire Rich Redmond who has played drums on 27 #1 hits. He has modernized the role of drums in country music and plays with so much conviction and power, but, first and foremost, always serves the song. In that genre and scene, his influence is everywhere.  

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If you could have played the drums on one album, which would it be and why?

-Thats a tough question to answer as I have been a record collector my whole life, and have so many favorites, but I’ll go with “Who’s Next,” by The Who.  ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ ‘Baba O’Riley,’ ‘Behind Blue Eyes,’ ‘Bargain,’ ‘Going Mobile’…these are some of the greatest rock songs ever written!  I’ve always thought Townshend is a very underrated lyricist, and his use of the ARP synth still sounds so fresh and cutting edge. The drum break on ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ leading into Daltrey’s ear splitting scream before the final chorus never fails to take me straight to rock’n’roll heaven!

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What is your current preference of kit for recording drums?

 -I’ve had a lifelong love of Ludwig drums and play them exclusively live, however the sonic requirements of the studio can be very different than the stage.  Most of the tracking at my studio is done on a Yamaha Recording Custom set, which tunes up like a breeze, and the mics absolutely love. I have a solid assortment of snares, and will choose between a metal or wood drum depending on what’s needed. More often than not, I’ll reach for my Ludwig Black Beauty. It’s like a musical Swiss army knife, in that I can pull a lot of different tonal options from that drum. I love Paiste cymbals and use a mixture of their Giant Beat and Twenty series in the studio.  

 

When things go back to normal, what will be the main focus for you and your music?

-Most people tend to know me throughout SoCal as a live drummer because of the active gigging schedule I’ve been fortunate to maintain throughout the years. Connecting with an audience and sweeping them up in my groove is a very powerful experience, and it has been a challenge to have that aspect of my life put on hold. However, when the dust settles, and it’s safe to do so, I plan on being one of the first back out in the gigging scene!