Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Allshouse.
Brandon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Shades of Terra was born from a decades long desire and love of Post-Rock music. Early in my guitar playing days, mid 00’s, I found post-rock through bands like This Will Destroy You, and Explosions in the Sky. Captivated by soundscapes almost entirely built by guitars laden with lush reverbs and long decays, I was determined to one day release a Post-Rock album. Almost two decades later, that dream is finally coming true.
My musical journey started like a lot of others; picking up a guitar, getting some lessons, and as they say, the rest is history. I played in many different groups over the years and dabbled with a few different styles of music. My roots kept landing back on melody over flashy riffs, and I loved utilizing effects pedals to make all sorts of sounds. I found a home writing Post-Rock as I am not necessarily confined to traditional song structures. A melody is able to morph and grow over time, much in line with how my brain is wired. If I get a random idea on guitar, I can take that, and just build off while also not worrying about how I can tie it back in later. The genre has its defining characteristics for sure, but in some ways in can be pretty free form.
My debut release in November 2025, “A Beginning”, was quite that; a beginning to a dream and journey I had many years ago. A beginning to an era of me writing music of my own for once in my life. A beginning to something of more to come.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Most of my professional music career, despite actively playing music in groups, was being an audio mastering engineer at Steel House Mastering. This was a career of cutting my teeth on finite details and working on many different genres of music. That said, even though I had done recording and mixing work in the past, having to wear that hat for my own work while balancing the daily grind was a challenge. I often told people that one of the benefits of having a separate mastering engineer was to have that unbiased ear, a fresh outlook on the music, who could give a nonbiased opinion. This Shades of Terra project was a labor of love for myself and most of the work had to be done myself. Relying on peers in my professional industry though, I was able to obtain some outside opinions to help shape the more technical aspects of the music that may have slipped through my then tired ears. The importance of building those networks of friends and peers that can help out in times of need has been invaluable and the importance of that can not be stated enough.
Aside from engineering issues, marketing my own music was a whole ballfield I had limited knowledge in. Currently this is my biggest setback, struggling to find time to create social media content to promote, while also submitting to playlists and curators on a limited budget. I also know that building a brand takes time and dedication, something I learned when building up Steel House Mastering. Persevere, and you will prosper.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Shades of Terra is Post-Rock music, characterized by ethereal reverb drenched guitars, slowly building a melody to tell its story. Bombastic drums drive the songs, often structured around a crescendo of a wall of guitars. Speaking of bombastic drums, Gavin Glover is a key part of this project, lending his expertise and craft. Without him, Shades of Terra would sound vastly different.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Getting out to shows, finding your local and online communities, and just being a part of those groups has always proven to me to be invaluable in networking. You can have the best ideas and music, but if you aren’t getting out to build a fanbase and network, how will anyone hear?
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shades.of.terra/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCez9BBcis4K6LB8VmTJBsqg
- Other: https://shadesofterra.bandcamp.com/track/a-beginning
