After releasing their new video recently (check it out below), Bridges Ablaze have gone full Headline Act on us and answered all of our nosey questions…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are both originally from Texas. Brien is from Kerrville, TX and Ruben is from El Paso, TX. We both ended up in Austin, TX, and this is where we first crossed paths.
How did you meet?
We both crossed paths at the Guitar Center on Anderson Lane in 2014. Brien was shredding and overheard Ruben shredding. We had a miniature shred-off between the aisles for a moment, and then Brien walked around the corner to find Ruben. Brien and Ruben were in mutual awe of each other’s skills, and quickly exchanged numbers.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We formed in 2019, and have been a band ever since. When we hung out after having some older bands break up, we both decided to form our own project together after having been friends for years prior. After Brien serenaded Ruben with a cover of “The Kill” by 30 Seconds To Mars on a piano, both decided to record a cover of “The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars.
Before you get sick of being asked… Where does the band name come from?
The band name “Bridges Ablaze” comes from both of our pasts. The name alludes to all of the pain and suffering both endured on the path to becoming a professional musician, and how many people who portrayed themselves as friends along the journey ultimately weren’t. It is also meant to show the world that the past, despite being in flames, can light the way to the future, and that every obstacle can be overcome with determination and persistence.
What are your influences?
We are inspired by many artists of many genres, including Bullet For My Valentine, Escape The Fate, Falling In Reverse, Killswitch Engage, Dragonforce, Light The Torch, Architects, VOLA, I Prevail, Atreyu, Polyphia, Plini, Chon, Intervals, Fit For A King, ERRA, Periphery, Northlane, Tesseract, Times Of Grace, Any Given Day, Slipknot, The Color Morale, Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost, Like Moths To Flames, Pantera, Metallica, Machine Head, Testament, Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Queen, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Incubus, Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, Celine Dion, Daft Punk, Mac Miller, Hans Zimmer, etc.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We don’t have musical boundaries. We simply make whatever music we want to based on what we are feeling at the time. We have numerous influences spanning many genres, and so our songs are quite varied. Because of the fact we don’t allow ourselves to be chained by subgenres, we feel this is what makes us most unique. We both sing and play guitar solos also, and very few bands have an arrangement like this.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
The themes of each song revolve around the feelings and experiences we were personally going through are the time of writing the lyrics. Given the fleeting and changing nature of emotions, our themes will likely always change with what we feel and experience. Therefore, every song’s theme is truly unique. This doesn’t mean we won’t write sequel songs at certain points, but if we do, it’ll be incredibly organic.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
What’s your live show like?
We have yet to play a live show, surprisingly, but in past bands, every show was always energetic, loud, and very high energy. We will deliver just the same in Bridges Ablaze.
How many shows have you played?
We have yet to play a show, but eventually we hope to be touring at least a couple times a year.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We’ve seen sex toys being used on percussion instruments, pregnant people in mosh pits, and people jumping off of 2nd story indoor balconies and into the crowd/mosh pit below.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Live, we will use Ibanez, Schecter, and PRS guitars. As far as kits go, it just depends on which drummer is playing with us at that time.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are heavily promoting our singles and music videos on all platforms, and across many PR and radio outlets.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We will be recording and releasing more songs and music videos. We are set to record two new singles in September, and to record a music video in October. We are also releasing singles/videos every 3 months like clockwork. We are also assembling our live rig in preparation for live shows.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be ing and which band would you choose to open for you?
There are many bands we’d love to open for! It would be amazing to Periphery, ERRA, Polyphia, Avenged Sevenfold, Fit For A King, Metallica, Pantera, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Ozzy Osbourne, Escape The Fate, Falling In Reverse, Papa Roach, Currents, etc. We greatly ire these artists for their songs and their abilities. To open for us, we’d love to have some of our friends! Astrixion, Altermind, and others.
A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Astrixion is honestly a band everyone should check out! They’re our friends here in Austin, and have been so ive of us. They also happen to have fire music!
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If you want to check out more new music, then fire up our Headline Act playlists on Spotify and YouTube!
Bridges Ablaze: official | facebook | instagram | spotify | youtube
