Allen Brooks - Bass Guitar/Vocals

Kansas City’s multifaceted musician, Allen Brooks, is thrilled to announce the release of his latest single, “Dreams Of Make Believe.” This new track is a harmonious blend of traditional country vibes and rock undertones, clocking in at just under three minutes. With a career that has seen him share the stage with a diverse range of artists, from Bishop Steel to George Lynch and Roxx Gang to Mojo Gurus, Brooks brings a wealth of experience to this new musical offering.

“Dreams Of Make Believe” is more than just a song; it’s a culmination of years of musical exploration. He comments on the track by saying:

I wrote this song a few years back and it’s really exciting to see it finally recorded and in the final stages of the mix down process. It’s a traditional country song coming in at just under 3 minutes in length and I am
hoping people really like it.

The single is now available for streaming and download on all major online music platforms. For more information, exclusive content, and updates, visit Allen Brooks’ official website at www.allenbrooks.net.

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Allen Brooks, born Bert Allen Brooks, is a seasoned musician hailing from Grandview, Missouri. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1980 to 1984, Brooks embarked on a musical odyssey that took him across the United States, performing with an array of bands that span multiple genres. His musical resume includes stints with ‘Fiancé,’ ‘Bishop Steel,’ ‘Roxx Gang,’ ‘Mojo Gurus,’ and many more. Over the years, Brooks has forged invaluable friendships while sharing stages with iconic artists such as Dr. Hook, The Kentucky Headhunters, Steppenwolf, and Foreigner, among others.

In addition to his musical endeavors, Brooks is a man of many talents. He received an Agile Guitars Endorsement in 2005 and graduated from the New York Film Academy in 2010. His creative skills extend to the realm of video production, where he crafted the music video for Dwight Yoakam’s song ‘Waterfall’ in 2012.

But Brooks’ compassion extends beyond the stage and studio. From 2014 to 2019, he operated House Of Hound, an animal rescue that later evolved into a full-fledged animal shelter. With the help of a dedicated team, they saved over 1,000 dogs in rural Missouri. Brooks also earned his diploma as an Assistant Veterinarian from Ashworth College in 2015.

After facing a health scare in 2019, Brooks took a hiatus from his animal care work to focus on his well-being. He successfully managed to reverse and control his liver disease through a disciplined approach to diet and lifestyle.

Today, Allen Brooks is back, focusing on what he does best: creating music that speaks to the soul. His latest single, “Dreams Of Make Believe,” is a testament to his enduring passion for music and his ability to blend genres in a way that resonates with a broad audience. - Folk N Rock

Allen Brooks presents: “Dreams Of Make Believe”.

September 2023 - Allen Brooks is a recording artist and songwriter who has developed a unique sound, based on his passion for timeless roots music, Americana, and even rock. Today, he is making headlines with a fantastic new release. His brand-new single is titled “Dreams Of Make Believe”, and it features a very direct arrangement, capturing the charm of country music with the energy of rock.

For “Dreams Of Make Believe,” Allen enlisted a global ensemble of musicians, each contributing their unique talents. Tim Patterson’s vocals from Florida, along with musicians from Argentina, the USA, the UK, Germany, Indonesia, Latvia, Italy, and more, came together under Allen’s vision. With Allen as the producer and Michael DiVestea as the engineer, this international collaboration showcases the unifying power of music across borders.

The track has an upbeat arrangement, where the drums and acoustic guitar lead the rhythm, as the pedal steel guitar provides some nostalgic and beautiful sounds to spice up the texture of the mix. The instrument’s soulful, sliding melodies are a familiar, dreamy tone that’s a staple of this genre for a reason. There is nothing quite like it to add texture and vibe!

The vocals are very notable and highlight a penchant for earnest storytelling. With the song, Allen taps into the universal human experiences of hope, longing, love, and resilience, writing lyrics that anybody can empathize with. Tim did a great job at singing it with passion and precision.

His ability to harmonize and create layers is also impressive, as it makes the singing stand out. The song shows that Allen is as a very versatile music maker, who never gets stuck into one single color or mood.

On the contrary, his style is very kaleidoscopic and he channels his creativity through his music, connecting with the audience in a very distinctive and dynamic way. If you are into artists such as Roy Clark, Slaid Cleaves, David Allen Coe, Tom Petty, Tom Waits, and Johnny Cash, definitely give Allen’s music a go. This track serves as a testament to preserving the rich traditions of country music, while helping the genre find a new audience.

Check out more of Allen Brooks’ music and listen to “Dreams Of Make Believe”. This release is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and many of your favorite digital music services on the web. - Band Camp Diaries

It’s been about a year since the last interview we did with you. Can you give us an update on what you’ve been up to since we last spoke.: Hello, it’s really good to speak with you again and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to do a second interview with your magazine. 2023 has turned out to be a pretty good year so far! I’ve been releasing my entire catalog of songs dating back to the mid 80’s. Mostly demo stuff but people that have heard the different tracks seem to like them for the most part. A little of this and a little of that. Some of those tracks are just ideas I put down on tape. I’ve been working with my licensing company on getting a few of my older projects updated and that’s when I realized some of my tracks were not available at online music platforms like iTunes and Spotify. So a lot of work has been done this year getting all of the different projects that I have worked with over the years online and available to the general public. I’ve also recently been working with a vocalist out of Florida named Tim Patterson on a brand new Country song called ‘Dreams Of Make Believe’. It will probably be released around the time this interview goes live. I am still performing with Psychodelic Caravan, doing shows back and forth in Iowa and Missouri. I would really like to get an agent that can book that project in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois. All the States that surround us here in Missouri.

After visiting your website and hearing your new song, it appears you are going to start doing full on country music? Well, I actually wrote this song many years ago when I lived in Florida and have always wanted to record it but never had the opportunity to do so until recently. I already perform a few country songs with my cover band Psychodelic Caravan, I have just never officially released anything like this before. Years ago I recorded a handful of Johnny Cash songs just for fun but never officially released them. My Aunt Dorothy really likes them.(wink/smile). So it may seem like this is a huge change for me but really I have always played many styles of music over the years including, blues, rock, metal, electronic, industrial and yes, even country.

On many of your recordings you are playing all the instruments. How many instruments can you play? Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano, synth and a basic drums but the bass guitar is my main instrument now. I played drums with a thrash band in Orlando for a about 6 months called Brainspill but just until they could find a full-time drummer. I was also going to audition as the drummer for a goth band called The Unknown out of NY. I learned all of their songs and was all ready but The Rolling Stones Tribute Show opportunity presented itself and I decided to move in that direction. I’ve played keyboards onstage with many bands doing stuff like Mr. Crowley by Ozzy but I am just good enough on piano to perform a few well practiced songs live. I did write every song for the ‘A Circle Of Faith’ project on the piano though. A great songwriting tool it is!

When did you quit playing lead guitar and make the bass your permanent primary instrument? Tendonitis hit me first when I was touring as Keith Richards with the Rolling Stones Tribute Show called Satisfaction between 2002 and 2004. We were doing five and six nights a week with three months out and then two weeks off constantly for almost three years when I was with the band. They are still going strong as far as I know. I remember playing in front of thousands of people at Sturgis with tears running down my face from the pain I was going through. Then the tendonitis over time turned into Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) which pretty much shut me down. I was going to professional message therapists in the cities we were playing just to get me though a night or two which allowed me to play at full function even though it was still causing me a ton of grief. It took the band a while to replace me but eventually they found a guy that could perform on that level. I tried to play lead guitar in a cover band a few years later in 2012 but realized my lead guitar playing days were over. Maybe to record a song here and there but not full time. Too much pain! So I thought my music career was behind me. I went on to start a dog rescue which turned into an animal shelter where with the help of many great people, we saved over 1000 dogs in rural Missouri. In 2018 Jett Blakk then asked me to play bass at a local amphitheater and a show at the Token Lounge outside of Detroit which made me realize I could still play the bass full on with little to no pain.

You have performed live with a lot of bands over the years. What are the names of all the different bands you have actually performed or recorded with throughout your career?: Fiancé, Bishop Steel, Bladerunner, Roxx Gang, Mojo Gurus, Hagas, Walter, George Lynch, Bernie Williams – NY Yankees, The Blessed Virgin Larry, Satisfaction – International Rolling Stones Tribute Show, Armure de Ruisseaux, Brick Top Social Club, Big Louie, Jett Blakk, A Circle Of Faith and Psychodelic Caravan.

Allen’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOolMDn61XQ8x_xkKuqVmQw

Tell us more about your current side project called Psychodelic Caravan.: We are a three piece power trio playing mostly classic rock but we have a handful of songs that cross every timeline and genre. Even though our drummer Doug Thompson and I sing lead on a handful of songs every night, Brion Holcomb is our main lead vocalist. Brion is also our lead guitarist. I do not think there is much he can’t play or sing. His technique on the guitar is epic and his vocal range is off the charts. Doug is our drummer and he also sings lead on around five songs every night and also helps out a lot with background harmonies. Doug lives in Iowa and we meet up at the shows in which ever State we are booked in. We have been rocking together for 6 years now and we can play any event booked for us from small clubs to giant festivals. We all wear tie dye clothing from head to toe and use our light show to help create a true Psychodelic Experience. (wink/ smile). The coolest thing about this band is we are all best friends. If we do have an internal conflict, it always gets worked out by trying to understand how the others feel abut the particular problem/topic of that day, but it’s very rare that we have any issues. A Band Of Brothers We Truly Are!!!

So is it true that you use to work for L.A. Guns?: No I didn’t actually work for them but more like I worked with them in a very small capacity. I use to work for a handful of music magazines and tabloids in Missouri and Florida giving me the opportunity to interview and rub elbows with a lot of different international artists. Since L.A. Guns was a fave band of mine, I would ensure they were on the covers of the mags that I worked with and would always try and get them not only the covers but 2 page centerfold spreads with pics and interviews for their different tours. So I worked more with their publicist and management but I got to hang with them when ever they came through town. I remember the first tour here was at Memorial Hall and then the second tour they did here in Kansas City was downtown at Kemper Arena. I also did the same for them when I was in Florida. I would see Phil and Tracii here and there and they were always very kind but I actually hung out with Kelly and Steve at the various venues and backstage, same in Florida as well. They are all super cool guys! I think I still have a few copies of the very first MusicMaker Issue so I will send you over a cover shot.

Your last interview primarily focused on the years you were in Roxx Gang/Mojo Gurus. Did Stacey Blades every contact you or respond to the interview?: Yes about eight months after the interview was published I got an email from Stacey. It was in my junk mail… He seemed pretty pissed off to say the least. He Greta Thunberg’d me ‘HOW DARE YOU’! (lmao). He called me some names and threatened me with legal action. I wrote him back immediately and told him that he knew every word I said was the truth and that if he brought lawyers into this that it would only confirm everything I said about him. I told him I did not hate him but quite the opposite but all I know is that before I called him, I was in the band and after I called him I was not in the band any longer. I am very self aware and realize no one really gives two shits about me or what I have to say but It’s MY story and I felt it needed to be told. Stacey actually broke my heart with his response though. It would have been so very epic if Stacey would have simply wrote me and asked if I was okay and how I’ve been all these past many years. He could have said that he read my interview and we needed to talk. I was giving him the chance to fix everything with me, which I also did before that last interview as well by emailing him multiple times. But instead it was a very unfriendly email… So sad… I never heard anything after his initial response. I will say that he made a smart decision not to fuck with me because I was completely ready for that too. But I don’t really want to fight.

I actually still gots love for Stacey and I miss him. Fucking asshole! lol. Everything I said in the last interview was the truth and I do realize it was pretty harsh, but there is a flip side to all of that…. I still gots big love for all the guys from Roxx Gang/Mojo Gurus and I do miss them each terribly. Jeff, Tommy, Stacey, Kevin, Brett and Dan… You must understand that I always thought of Kevin in very high regard and still do. I looked up to him you know? I mean he is fucking Kevin Steele! Anyhoo, Kevin and Brett were victims in this whole ugly thing and I regret the fact that I never even got to apologize to them after the dust settled. All of that shit still haunts me to this day. Jeff Vitolo and our stage manager Dan Campbell really helped me survive during those Roxx Gang/Mojo Guru years and I will never forget how good they both treated me… But now It is what it is…. I truly wish things were different and even though I have tried to reach out, I guess what happened will never be resolved, forgiven or put behind us. What is one to do except to keep on keeping on.

You’ve been in the music business in one capacity or another for most of your adult life. You mention one in this interview, do you have any other regrets?: Well, any person that tells you they do not have any regrets in this life is a fucking liar. So yes, I have my share of regrets. None of which I am going to tell you though. (laughing). Life is hard and can be so very difficult but the good times always make up for the bad even when the good times are few and far between. Life is worth living and I challenge each of you to always move forward in a positive direction living the best life you can live.

Whats your future plans in 2023/2024?: Well,I would like to keep writing and recording music of all genres. I would also really like to perform more live shows throughout the year. My cover band plays about forty to fifty shows a year but I want to play more like 150 to 200 shows a year. Let’s do this thang! I am excited about my new song release and I am anxious to see what kind of reaction it gets from the general public. I have never released a country song before, so this has been something completely different which I must say is refreshing!

Any last thoughts: I got a second chance in life after beating my liver disease and even though I am 61 now, I am still rocking hard and striving to live the best life I can live! Hold On To What You Believe In And Your Dreams Will Always Come True! Sending big love out to all of the awesome friends that I have made along my musical journey! I’m really looking forward to the future and all the incredible possibilities. Peace out my rawk dawgz!!! – Allen Brooks (09/25/2023)

We would like to thank Allen Brooks for doing this interview today. His main website is at www.allenbrooks.net. Check him out. Give him a shout out and let him know you saw this interview. - VENTS MAGAZINE

Allen Brooks is an American music artist. With a great deal of experience, including his first original band called Bishop Steel, several years working as the bassist for Glam Metal band Roxx Gang and touring with a Rolling Stones Tribute Show called Satisfaction, Brooks releases the kind of music that only a seasoned veteran could. Today we are excited to share our thoughts on Allen Brooks’ single, “I’m Killing You”!

“I'm Killing You” is an unplugged version of a song Brooks originally wrote with TBVL. I found the lyricism to be quite interesting, taking a less straightforward and more creative approach than I initially expected; this pairs well with a catchy and memorable vocal melody. This is a well-rounded song that I found extremely easy to enjoy. Unsurprisingly, this song has gone over extremely well at Brooks’ live gigs ever since he added it to his setlist.

I think that listening to “I’m Killing You” will make you want to catch Allen Brooks at a live gig and listen to more of his music. You can keep up with Allen Brooks and learn more about his music through his website. - Which Coast

When did you join Roxx Gang Allen?: I was contracted in 1996 as the new official bassist for Roxx Gang and I still have the contracts to prove it….. I felt like it was an amazing opportunity, and I was very excited to be in the band. I was actually a huge fan of the band from seeing their videos “Scratch My Back’ and ‘No Easy Way Out’ on MTV. Kevin always had what is called the ‘It’ factor. His aura was huge! He did what few have done and that can’t be taken away from him. He was an incredibly awesome front man and a local legend where he comes from in Florida… Unfortunately, by the time that I joined the band in 1996, Kevin was pretty burned out on the whole Roxx Gang sound / image thing and after I had performed only a few shows with the band, Kevin decided to change direction and start a whole new secondary music project. So, the Roxx Gang band members from the 1996 line-up started playing traditional blues covers while also writing original songs in what Kevin had named Mojo Gurus. From that point on we started working under both names of Roxx Gang (hard rock) and Mojo Gurus (traditional blues).

So you’re one of the founding member of Mojo Gurus?: Yes, Even though it says different info on the internet, the actual founding Mojo Gurus band members were Kevin Steele – Vocals, Jeff Vitolo – Lead Guitar, Allen Brooks – Bass Guitar, Tommy Weder – Drums and Stacey Blades – Lead Guitar.

I thought I was joining (The) Roxx Gang that broke guitars onstage and destroyed hotel rooms after the shows..wink/smile… But I found myself sitting on a bar stool while wearing a 5-gallon cowboy hat… WTF… Mojo Gurus were ultra-cool and all but not exactly what I signed on for… Kevin wanted a change though. First Kevin and Brett kept pushing me to move to the Tampa area from Orlando, but I was given zero financial help to make the move and get settled and then shortly after my move, I was asked to cut my long hair off fore I had long hair when I joined the band. I remember that we all met at Kevin’s house before my first big Roxx Gang show at The State Theater in St. Pete and Kevin freaked out because I was decked out in rubber pants and a really cool white tux with tails (no shirt).. I looked killer….. But…. He made me change into a pair of his old bell bottom jeans and a vest with flowers on it. WTF…. We later shot a pro video that was never released, and I remember Kevin told me that day that I was fat…lol… You can look back at pics from then and see for yourself. I wasn’t fat, I just was not a human skeleton. We still did do some big signing events at Guitar Shows in Orlando and Tampa as Roxx Gang but pretty much did all of our shows in 1997 and on forward as Mojo Gurus.

Is it true you only made $100 in three years?: Yes, unfortunately because of really bad management and a bad overall game plan, neither project ever made any money what so ever. In my three years as bassist for Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus, (1996, 1997 and 1998) the official band members were paid $100 each one time after a sold out show in Clearwater, Florida at Gasoline Alley. That’s it! Let me repeat that…. Each Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus band member made $100 one time in 3 years… There was always that carrot to chase for us as band members, believing there was some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Of course there wasn’t. I finally quit chasing carrots and started making money on the side playing in local cover bands like ‘Smoke & Run’. I was told Kevin hated that I was doing other gigs on the side but in my defense, I still had to fucking eat and pay my bills…

Do you know why the band lost their record deal with Virgin?: From what I was told by insiders, the biggest real issue was that original Roxx Gang guitarist, Eric Carrell, who wrote the songs on the first album that got them signed and put into the history books was killed in a car accident shortly after the first album was recorded. They tried to move forward but without Eric to write new songs for album #2, Virgin dropped the band from the label. They were later picked up by Perris Records where they remained while I was in the bands……

Why did you quit Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus?: Being in a band is like being in a relationship in many ways and sometimes things are said that can’t be taken back as what led to me leaving the band. Back in 1998, I called Stacey one day to get some shit off my shoulders about the bands and he must have handed the phone over to Brett (Kevin’s brother and Roxx Gang/Mojo Gurus manager) because all of the sudden Brett told me clearly that if I really felt that way I should quit. So I did quit, citing ‘Creative Differences and Lack Of Financial Fulfillment’. All I really know is that before I called Stacey I was in the band and after I called Stacey I was not in the band any longer. I do admit to saying some very hurtful things about Kevin and Brett. All of which in my opinion were true but was still not meant for their ears. It was a private fucking phone call. Stacey Fucked Me Hard! No Lube! Just A Good Dry Fucking!

So…. It was over and there was nothing that I could do but keep on moving on.

I have tried hard to forgive Stacey for what he did to me but it has been very difficult. If he was really my friend, he would have listened to me and told me to chill out. Yes, I should have never called him and quickly realized I should have never considered him to be one of my best friends. Bad on me! And to think I had just finished recording all of my bass and vocal parts for the first Mojo Gurus CD. I’m guessing Kevin removed me from the CD, the artwork and the credits. I never looked into it and I’ve never publicly spoken of my time in Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus but now that I am almost 60 years old, I realize this is part of my legacy and I deserve to be recognized for the years I spent in Roxx Gang and also as a founding member of Mojo Gurus.. A video popped up on my feed recently of Stacey on Ryan Roxie’s podcast called ‘In The Trenches’ which is what kind of got all this started up for me. After watching the podcast I contacted Stacey more than once and offered him the chance to clear things up with me one way or the other, fore we have never spoke after that fateful phone call back in 1998… But he never responded to my emails… In my opinion Stacey is obviously a weak and pathetic excuse for a man. No substance! Zero integrity! (I was even told that back in the day, LA Guns were going to audition me as bassist and Stacey shot it down. Don’t know how true that is, but that is what I was told).

What about the other band members?: Jeff Vitolo (guitar) and Tommy Weder (drums) are exceptional human beings and I have huge love for them both. Surviving during those days was tough and if it was not for Jeff Vitolo and Dan Campbell (Savatage / Roxx Gang stage manager), I would not have made it….. Thank you Jeff! Thank you Dan! I’ll never forget how good you both treated me!!!! God bless you both!

Did you get along with Kevin?: We got along but in my opinion Kevin was not a very nice person back then and as I watched everyone bend over backwards to kiss his ass, I just couldn’t do it. He had a huge chip on his shoulder and was usually a real asshole! I really tried to be his friend in the beginning but he would have no part of it so I treated it as a working relationship and that was that. I remember being backstage at one of the Livestock festivals in Tampa and I got to hang out with Jeff Taylor who was the original guitarist for Roxx Gang. Jeff Taylor treated me better that one night than Kevin Steel did in the entire 3 years that I was in his band. Sad….

An audio interview with Kevin came up on my feed at YouTube a while back, so I gave it a listen. It was a great interview until he started slamming Stephen Pearcy of Ratt for still wearing the leather pants and still doing the old Ratt songs, when in actuality If Kevin would have just kept performing as Roxx Gang, he and the band would still be very relevant today. The thing is this, I always looked up to Kevin and he could have been not only been my best friend but also my mentor if he had only chosen to do so. He could have built me up by encouraging and teaching me instead of tearing me down with constant smart ass comments and low grade insults.

Any last thoughts to close this interview?: Even with everything I have said here today, I must admit in all honesty, it was really good to hear Kevin’s voice in that youtube interview… I’ve always hated that this all happened back in the day and I still sometimes wake up in the middle of the night shaking my head wondering what the fuck happened…..

I really don’t hold any grudges against Kevin or Brett in any way shape or form. I really do mostly blame myself for making that call but also hold Stacey responsible for my early departure from both bands (Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus)…..

But anyhoo… It wasn’t all terrible…. There were some good times too… Like opening for Ratt at Janis Landing in St. Petersburg, playing the Hemp Fest in Tampa and meeting all of the fans at our signing events… Most of what I’ve said here can be backed up by other members and the youtube video Roxx Gang/Mojo Gurus (96-97-98). It is what it is! I can’t completely explain three years of my life in a basic one page internet interview like this but I will say in closing that I still very much consider myself to have been a team player and an asset to both bands, while always doing my very best! I really do cherish my time spent as an official Roxx Gang / Mojo Gurus band member and greatly miss many of the incredible people I met along the way……. – Allen Brooks

We would like to thank Allen for doing this interview. Click here to visit his personal website: (www.allenbrooks.net) - REDX Magazine - By: Mark Clark - August 22nd, 2022

Today I am reviewing Allen Brooks “I’m Killing You” Unplugged.

When the song started I got a heavy Natural Born Killers soundtrack vibe. This song would fit absolutely perfectly on that soundtrack. The sound, the content, the voice, and the vocals are all eerie and absolutely stellar when it comes to dark-themed music. The guitar is a nice mellow laid-back loopish sound that doesn’t seem to change tempo too much, and for me, I love that. I am a hip-hop guy so anything that could have a nice drum added to it is wonderful when it comes to rap and this is one of those songs I can see someone down the road trying to sample.
“Run a need up in my arm and tell me if it feels the same, the beast in me tells me what to do” This song has super dark and devilish lyrics, I could hear Marilyn Manson singing this song as it has that slow Manson style that he is often known to do. The thing I like the most about this song isn’t the instruments or anything like that, but the writer really did an excellent job on this song. I’m assuming Allern Brooks wrote the song as well and it is a hit. Allen told me that this is a re-release and there is another version that’s not unplugged, Id love to hear that version as well. When it comes to dark-themed music, being able to reach the listener and make them believe what you are saying is the key to making your song good. this song when I hear it I don’t feel sorry for the singer, I don’t feel like he doesn’t want to be the beast, but I feel like he is proud of it and he is bragging about how badass he is even tho he knows it’s a suicide mission to be one with the beast. “You’re KILLING ME, BUT I’M KILLING YOU” haha, I love this song.
It’s going on my playlist for sure. I would love to make a song with this guy! What a treat! - CASH ROLL RECORDZ - James Gage