Heavy rock n' roll band BRAKE LOOSE offers quite the punch in terms of their sound, energy and the like of it all really. Since forming just last year in 2018, the band has been catching attention. Releasing just a couple of singles as it were, there is no slowing down for these guys not at all. The band goes on to further discussion to talk a whole lot more about what they got in-store.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
A few years ago, myself (Alex) and Jack emigrated from Venezuela like a lot of Venezuelans have in recent years. We both met back in Caracas in 2010 through a mutual friend that I raced motocross with. Jack was playing in various underground bands at the time. Coincidentally, eight years later we both found ourselves in Dublin. And, so the seed of Brake Loose was planted!
We started jamming some blues in his house near East Wall for few months in early 2018. Then it kind of became a weekend routine. On one occasion, Jack asked me how I came up with all the random words and phrases I let out while jamming, so, I showed him my notebook of poems. He was really impressed with the content of the songs and poems that I had written. I was equally as impressed with his guitar skills after years of not playing. So, at that moment we decided to start a rock band.
Later that year, I met Robbie in “Fibber Magees” a well known RocknRoll bar in Dublin. I knew the first day I met him that he was the man we were looking for - a true rocknrolla and a natural lead guitarist. Thankfully Rob was looking to start a new project at them time, so, two became three and the three of us with our deep-rooted love of heavy rock formed the band.
The next few months we started rehearsing, jamming, creating songs, playing some covers, trying different drummers and in September Douglas joined in as a bassist. I met Dougie in BIMM college, as he had also moved to Dublin from the UK and was looking to join a band. Dougie brought in a Brazilian drummer he knew, Alessandro Siqueria, and the band was properly structured. Though we parted ways with Alessandro this August 2019, we have incorporated another killer drummer yet to be announced.
We played our first gig in “SinE”, a live music venue near Abbey Street in late November and our first gig in “Fibber Magees” last December supporting “The Jailbirds”. From that point It’s been an electrifying, crazy, mad and beautiful few months for ourselves with back-to-back gigs all over town, supporting ASLAN and the pinnacle for us so far - our first release this August “Midnight Train”.
We want to keep the Rock&Roll pulse beating throughout Dublin and afar over the coming months.
Band members:
Frontman – Alex Murillo
Born in Caracas, Venezuela. One of the three co-founders of the band.
He is the Frontman/vocalist and singer/songwriter of the band.
Alex Murillo is the wordsmith of Brake Loose. A vocalist, songwriter and poet, he always blurs the line between what is real life and what is art. As an ex pro-motocross racer, he is used to pushing the boundaries and living on the edge. His energetic performances captivate with his moves and spoken word, and he really encapsulates the essence of Rock & Roll. He is the soul of the band.
His biggest influences include: Chris Cornell, Jim Morrison, Ville Valo, Scott Weiland, Layne Staley, Eddie Vedder, Steven Tyler, Brandon Boyd, Peter Steele, Billy Idol, Mick Pyro, Johnny Cash, Mike Patton.
If you catch him listening to anything it will probably be from the following list: The Doors, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, Motley Crue, Kaleo, The Temperance Movement, Rival Sons, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, John Mayer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Republic of Loose, The Black Keys.
Loves: Gigging, motocross, motorcycles, surfing, mountaineering, reading, writing & beer.
Lead Guitarist - Rob Higgins
Born in Dublin, Ireland. One of the three co-founders of the band.
He is the lead guitarist and songwriter of the band.
Rob Higgins is by far the most experienced musician in the band. He has toured abroad and has played hundreds of gigs in Dublin with other bands in the last 4 years. His improvised solos make people faces melt with passion and mystery. He is a very passionate guitar player and his essence is pure RocknRoll. He is the spirit of Brake Loose and to see him live is definitely a captivating experience.
His biggest influences include: Angus Young, Slash, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jack White.
If you catch him listening to anything it will probably be from the following list: Guns & Roses, AC/DC, The Doors, Led Zeppelin.
Loves: Sg’s guitars, gigging & beer.
Rhythm Guitarist - Jack Livinalli
Born in Caracas, Venezuela. One of the three co-founders of the band.
He is the rhythm guitarist and songwriter of the band.
Jack is the riff master of Brake Loose. He has an insane ability to create and structure songs from scratch. Midnight Train was basically composed by him as well as other upcoming songs. His riffs represent the badass nature of Brake Loose and he is the critical mind of the band.
His biggest influences include: Tony Iommi, Jimmy Hendrix, Kim Thayil, Brent Hinds, Bill Steer, Gary Rossington, Randy Rhoads.
If you catch him listening to anything it will probably be from the following list: Black Sabbath, Kvelertak, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, The Ramones, The Black Keys, Iron Maiden, Soundgarden, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mastodon, Enslaved, Wintersun, Carcass, The Meters, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Loves: Skateboarding, surfing, gigging, gigs and travelling.
Bassist – Douglas “Dougie” Stewart
Born in Taunton, United Kingdom. Lived in France and Spain.
He is the bassist and instrumentalist of the band.
Dougie is the crazy and wicked bassist. Definitely mad, but he is a passionate musician in love with psychedelic rock.
His biggest influences include: Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Jimmy Hendrix, Noel Redding, Rory Gallagher, John Frusciante, Eric Clapton, Lindsay Buckingham, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Peter tosh, Gregory Isaacs.
If you catch him listening to anything it will probably be from the following list: Pink floyd, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Loves: Skiing, skating, surfing, juggling, gigging, beer and South American culture.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
As a band, Brake Loose is a bit of a mixed bag and while nationalities define our place of birth, we view ourselves as citizens of the world – individuals who have loved, lived and experienced a lot of different cultures, countries and continents before settling and forming our band in Dublin, Ireland.
Each of us brings different tastes, ideas, experiences, emotions and stories to the band. And, each of these things form the fabric of Brake Loose's identity, meaning and reason which is awareness.
Awareness of all that life has to offer. So, over pints when the name Brake Loose was said, it really just fit as it encapsulates our reason perfectly.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are based in Dublin, Ireland. And that is a huge question haha. Dublin is a city full of music venues, pubs, recording/rehearsal studios and literally every day of the year there is a gig, every day there are musicians busking on the streets and throughout the year there are dozens of festivals, especially during the summer, all around the country. Dublin is burning with music. There is an incredible live music scene here, helped by Dublin’s pub culture.
In terms of music, genres are quite diverse, there are so many different bands across all genres, which is good as it enriches the music scene. Right now we feel the music scene in Dublin is as strong as it’s ever been. Bands are getting signed and there’s more and more Irish bands getting national and international coverage.
In terms of Rock, there is a huge community of amazing original acts. The Rock/Metal scene in Ireland is absolutely sick and it’s growing stronger than ever.
Bands like Aesect, Words That Burn, Jailbirds are definitely worth checking them out as they have recently played Bloodstock Open Air this year and other big metal/rock festivals around Europe.
4. How would you describe your style?
We are very forward, in everything we do. That is RocknRoll for us. We tell others we play RocknRoll. We could describe our style or sound as dirty, mischievous and fearless. We incorporate spoken word in our performances, that mixed with our sound makes us unique.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We released our first single “Midnight Train” last Friday the 23rd of August and it's been amazing how everyone has react to it. Honestly we did not expect it. It’s been exciting, intense and emotional but all the messages and feedback we have been sent have made us realize that we are on the right path and doing what we should be doing! We encourage others to listen, just listen.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes, we have our second single “Through The West” coming out really soon. Actually, this song is quite different from “Midnight Train”. As this song is about facing your deepest fears, exposing yourself to them; It could be any fear, fear of death, fear of time. Accepting it, fear itself has no power, and any fear shrinks and vanishes. Then, you are free.
We absolutely love the lyrical content of “Through The West” and its short stories, as they are set in this idealistic or mystic scenario in which a mysterious or unknown solitary motorcycle rider, rides and rides through the desert, towards the west on an endless desert road, facing snakes and the dangers of the road, but most of all, facing his own inner fears and troubled mind.
In the bridge or interlude of the song, the rider quotes Alexander The Great (a quote which Alexander used on his men before facing battle) by screaming out loud “Conquer your fears and I’ll promise you will conquer death”. We choose the west because it is like a beacon of light at the end of a tunnel, metaphorically speaking. The west is the best. The west is a concept that empowers mystery and adds more beauty to the journey of the rider.
And also, we have a very tasty Rammstein like song due to its main guitar riff called “Dublin games” coming up soon.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’ve played a lot of gigs this 2019 in Dublin. A standout for us was supporting Irish Rock legends Aslan. Before the year is out, we will be playing a few more gigs in Dublin, Galway and Cork. And, for next year we have exciting plans to venture to the UK, Berlin as well as other European cities for gigs and festivals. This year we’ve spent a lot of time gigging and in the studio rehearsing, writing and recording. Something we very much enjoy and plan on keeping up!
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
As a band, we have a list of goals that we want to fulfill. So, we definitely have a lot of big dreams and ideas to keep us excited and inspired as we head into the future.
We’ve hit a big milestone with our first release and our next step will be bringing our music further afield (UK and Europe) and playing it live to more people, to bigger crowds. That's why one of our main goals are hitting up festivals. We really get our biggest thrill when performing live and feeding off the crowd’s energy. We will continue to write and release more of our music and blur the line between what is real life and what is art.9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can find “Midnight Train” on most streaming services – Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon and more. But we are also very active on our social channels, so, be sure to check us out @brakelooseofficial on Instagram and Facebook. You will be able to buy all of our merch very soon through our bandcamp webpage as well as our Facebook page as soon as we finished a deal with a company that loved our music and offered the service.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Firstly, we would like any listener to feel excited and energized, as, Rock & Roll is very much alive and thriving. However, on a deeper level, we hope that our music resonates with our listeners and makes them think, be present and aware of life’s preciousness and its intensity. We say intensity due to the fact that this is a Heavy Rock band.
Through our music we encourage others to live a life without fear, with no fear. Live a life knowing that there is no tomorrow, that what really matters is today. A life of uncertainty, of excitement, of embracing life's thin red line, its roughness, madness and fragility, that is our message. After all, music has the power to bring you on a journey of self-discovery and growth.
A journey in which some can discover their true potential as human beings. And as I like to say in this century, in this time in late civilization, in the here on now. If our listeners take away any of the above from our music, we would be doing what we set out to do!
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