ALLBROOK STATION – A CONVERSATION WITH BURKE & DJ FRANK
By Ralph Beauchamp
Burke Louis and DJ Frank Zoo are two members of the riff-driven pop/rock ensemble Allbrook Station. Allbrook Station is a new band based out of Salt Lake City that will be making major waves in the current music scene. In addition to Burke (Vocals/Guitar) and DJ Frank (Turntables), the group is comprised of Jessie Gomez (Bass), Nate Smeding (Drums) and Randy Slaugh (Producer/Guitar). The band’s sound is an exotic mixture of rock, pop, hip hop blended with several other musical genres. Their music is boisterous and anthemic while remaining sincere and genuine. Allbrook Station is definitely a band to watch.
Allbrook Station just released two new dynamic singles that will surely raise eyebrows. Their latest, “Crown” is a total banger filled with pulverizing vocals, destroying arrangements and a crushing vibe. “Crown” is supersized and ready to erupt. “Sharpshooter” is intensely emotive. The song features edgy lyrics and has a dramatic cadence. “Sharpshooter” is all about broken relationships and tragic heartbreaks. Louis’ vocals are stirring and the track’s introspective groove hits hard. Their previous material is just as strong. “Chimercial” and “Bad Dream” also showcases Allbrook Station‘s divine diversity. All of their singles are singular gems filled with palettes of fearless textures.
Burke and DJ Frank were kind enough to sit with AMP for this cool conversation.
AMP: Can you give our readers a brief history of the band?
BURKE: I got into music as a solo act. Basically, a singer/songwriter. Truth be told, I got lonely. I grew up listening to rock bands like Metallica, Foo Fighters and Linkin Park. The band aesthetic is something I always admired. As I began taking my my music more seriously and began performing live, I then realized I wanted a band.
So, the person I was writing songs with was Jessie (Gomez). I was having trouble locking down a bass player and Jessie said “give me six months and I’ll play bass.” And he aced it. There are people who just know to succeed and Jessie is one of them. We started to go into the studio and our producer, Randy, joined the band. We stole Nate, our drummer, from a couple of other bands. The last piece of the puzzle was DJ Frank.
DJ FRANK: This has been an incredible journey. My brother, Jessie, is the person who roped me in. He’s incredibly talented even though I always give him a hard time. I’m so excited to contribute my passion to Allbrook Station. It just a fun fest on stage. It’s been rad right from the beginning.
AMP: How would you describe your sound?
DJ FRANK: It’s funny but I’m probably the least qualified person to answer this question since I come from a hip hop background. My voyage into rock has been very limited even tough it has been expanded over the past few years. That why I love to answer this one.
Definitely rock but with pop accents. We are a unique collection of individuals in that the fact we all like different types of music. Coming into Allbrook Station, I could hear elements of hip hop, funk, soul and of course rock. I felt that even as a hip hop fan, I could gravitate towards this music. What I like is the fact that we blur the lines of all these genres in order to create this new groove. At the end of the day, our songs just sound like fun and anthemic because we make our music larger than life.
AMP: What’s your creative process like?
BURKE: Jessie and I are the primary songwriters. I’m the hook and chorus guy. I think the chorus makes or breaks a song. When it comes to writing, I’m always thinking of the band on stage. I always wonder when we playing live, where is the chorus going to take that crowd. I want that chorus to infuse passion into that audience in order to pull them in. I’m always thinking about the fan’s reactions.
That’s not to say, I write to the taste of others. I write for the art of the music but I still think about what’s going on in the hearts and minds of that captive audience. I want them to totally connect to our songs. They have to be able to dive into our sound. I want them to commit to the story.
AMP: Can you give us a little insight into one of your new singles, “Sharpshooter”?
BURKE: We have only four singles out but “Sharpshooter” seems the one that is most polarizing. I’ve had people either hate it or immediately love it. The other songs got tons of favorable reviews online. It seems this song brings out some raw emotions. The problem with young artists like ourselves is they try to appease everybody. That’s not what Allbrook Station is trying to do. I know everyone is not going to love every song and that is just fine. “Sharpshooter” has gotten plenty of “I love this” feedback.
DJ FRANK: “Sharpshooter”‘s messaging is an important part of the whole picture. If you are in a toxic situation similar to what “Sharpshooter” is all about, it will resonate with you because the the song is so embedded in pain and frustration. There’s so much emotion packed into the lyrics. When we play “Sharpshooter” live we always get that “I’m glad I’m not in that state of mind anymore” response. The song just exposes some people’s open wounds..
AMP: Your debut album releases in 2026. Do you feel your fans will be surprised by some of the new material?
BURKE: I think the appearance by some of the members of the L.A. Philharmonic will be a surprise. We had a 32 piece orchestra back the band up. What new band does that? The way I look at it is we have only one debut album. I want us to go “balls to the wall”. We have to give it our everything!
AMP: How would you describe the band’s internal energy?
DJ FRANK: Good question! Every time someone new get associated with the band, they feel like they have known the band for years. Collectively, we are a family and best friends. We are always conversing about music, films and any other subject that interests us and we make everyone around us feel welcome just by being ourselves.
Our camaraderie has just been amazing. We are mature enough to understand there is more to life beyond music. We thrive learning about ourselves and other people. Each member of the band is slightly different. Burke is the most charismatic He’ll talk to anyone. Jessie is quick and witty. Nate is like the big brother. Randy is the wild card but in a good way. He’s like a chess player, always thinking ten moves ahead.
BURKE: And Frank is like the comic relief. His demeanor is perfectly seasoned. Frank is determined to lift everybody up. All of these qualities are what shapes Allbrook Station. It molds us into a solid unit. My biggest fear was having a band and me doing all the work but with this band, all of the responsibilities are evenly divided.
AMP: Is there a song you wish you wrote?
BURKE: Any K-Pop song like PSY’s “Gangnam Style”! In all seriousness, “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, “In The End” by Linkin Park, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons and “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. They are all inspirational to me.
It reminds me of this songwriting game me and Jessie play. If either of us writes a song, we try to step out of Allbrook Station and listen back as if we were fans. We try to objectively listen to the track like we just heard it on the radio and begin critiquing. It’s really hard to do but we feel it’s necessary. We really want to know if the song is right for us.
We try to be totally honest about how we feel. Jessie is extremely blunt and straightforward. It hurts when he trashes something I wrote but I need that. I need to hear the truth otherwise this exercise is completely futile. On the other hand, when I write one that blows him away, I know we have something special.
AMP: If you could collab with any current artist, who would it be and why?
DJ FRANK: I’ve answered this before and I still have to say Dave Grohl which is strange coming from a hip hop enthusiast. We all know of his accolades and accomplishments but it’s his raw approach to music that draws me in. I believe Grohl’s approach is similar to the way Allbrook Station focuses on music. In addition, he’s a fabulous songwriter.
Burke: There is two situations I would love to find the band in. Imagine Dragons did a collab with like five rappers. I would love to do that. The other scenario features Eminem or Kendrick teaming up with Miley Cyrus or Adele on an Allbrook track. The marketing hook would be phenomenal.
AMP: Did you guys just pull a Freaky Friday?
DJ FRANK: Maybe.
AMP: Are there any plans for an extended tour?
BURKE: There are plans for an “initial” tour. We haven’t been on the road as of yet. The entire band has performed live before with other projects. We are actively looking for the perfect tour spots for us that would maximize our exposure. We believe we are ready to take this on the road. For two years, we were in the studio writing and recoding the best material we could. The last six months we’ve been putting together our live show.
I’m obsessed with watching other bands’ live videos – so I can incorporate what would work best for us. I believe Allbrook Station is going to create an awesome live show buzz. Expect tours, festivals and anything else that will showcase our music to the world.
AMP: What’s next for Allbrook Station?
DJ FRANK: Our new single, “Crown”, was just released and we are extremely excited about that.
BURKE: “Crown” is probably our most commercial release. In 2020, I called Jessie and told him I had this lyric stuck in my head. All it was was “I got a crown and it’s not big enough”. That’s all I had. From there the entire song was sparked.
2026 is going to a huge year for the band. We are driving towards the finish line and nothing is going to stop us from reaching our goal. The world should definitely be on alert.
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