Breaking Laces

Breaking Laces is a three-piece alternative acoustic rock band from Brooklyn, NY that has the rare ability to sound completely original but at the same time recognizable. Their approach combines stellar songwriting and organic musicianship with electronics and a guitar sound that pushes the envelope of “acoustic” to create a sound that is fresh, accessible and at times, mind-blowing.

Intrigued? You should be.

Because of their versatility and influences, it can be hard to place the band’s music in a certain category, as evidenced by the various comparisons they’ve received over the years: Death Cab for Cutie meets Martin Sexton, Weezer meets Cat Stevens, even Squeeze meets Radiohead.

Lead singer and guitarist Billy Hartong envisions Breaking Laces as being on a quest to find that happy musical medium between Soul Coughing and the Lemonheads. “There are a lot of bands that we say we’re like, and we’re compared to a lot of bands,” he explains, “but the thing about our music is that it’s as much about a feel as it is the actual sound. We’ve heard that we have the same ‘vibe’ as Nirvana, and our instrumentation is pretty close to the Violent Femmes, so that’s a fair one, but they’re kind of punk-pop, and we’re more pop than we are punk. Though we are punk in the sense that we just don’t give a flying frittata; we go out and play music the way we would want to hear it. We are extremely serious about having a good time.”

Breaking Laces began with a grass roots vision and big time goals, and after years of feverishly touring the states and beyond, they built a loyal following. They were declared the 2006 Best Band in NYC by Indie Sounds NY, scored the honor of being the XM Radio Artist in Residence for June 2007, and flat out won the 2007 National Starbuck's Music Makers Competition. Ironically, after almost five years together, they’re being touted as one of the nation’s most promising new acts!

The music of Breaking Laces has evolved over the years, much like the band itself. Their debut full-length, 2003’s Sohcahtoa, was essentially a Hartong solo album, but “my desire was really to put a band around it,” he says. “I didn’t want to be a solo artist; I like the give and take of being in a band.” In short order, Hartong united with drummer Seth Masarsky and bassist / keyboardist Rob Chojnacki, who had themselves been longtime musical partners. A true and instant bond between the trio was formed and became immediately evident on the band’s next album, Lemonade (2005), only growing stronger on the subsequent EP, Astronomy Is My Life, But I Love You (2007).

Studio performances are only a small part of the Breaking Laces experience, however. In concert, they’re a force to be reckoned with, with a dynamic mastery of sound which enables them to move from a whisper to a scream without batting an eye and allows them to capture the attention of any crowd, no matter how large or small. Every gig they play is treated like a journey, which is exactly what it becomes for both those on stage and in the audience, with the band stopping at nothing to ensure that everyone in the room is completely rocked.

“I really like being in this band,” says Hartong, “because we don’t try to be something we’re not. We really enjoy what we do both on stage and in the studio, and the crowds and fans are reacting to our music and to that emotion.”

Years ago, when Breaking Laces was first getting started, the Massachusetts-based publication Northeast Performer wrote of them, “Success is not going to be easy for this band, but if and when it happens, it’s going to be big.” Yet the band has already made tremendous strides in a short time, and from Hartong’s perspective, the prospect of far more lies just over the horizon.

“When people come up and ask me what Breaking Laces are like, I just say, ‘Hey, we’re good…but whether or not you’re going to like us, that’s up to you.’ But I do think we’re the kind of band where the more you get to know us, the more you’re going to like us.”

Festivals/Awards:
2007 Winners of the Starbucks Music Makers Competition
June 2007 XMU Artist in Residence June 2007
XMU Live! top 5 most played, 2 visits (2004, 2007)
Named Best Band in NYC 2006 (IndieSoundsNY)
Astronomy EP on many top ten lists for 2006
CMJ Radio National Top 200 for both Sohcahtoa and Lemonade LP's

CMJ Festival 2003/2005/2006/2007

UK Tour 2008, 2005
SXSW 2008
NEMO 2006/2007
NXNE 2004/2006
SXSW Showcase

Midpoint Music Fest 2007
Summerfest Milwaukee 2007
Fleshpot Festival 2005/2006
Dewey Beach Festival 2005/2006

Stats:
Total CDs sold in excess of 25,000
Sold Digital Downloads in excess of 80,000
Email list over 14,000
Active Street Team of 200
450+ shows in 3 years
Over 44,000 plays on Myspace and 2600+ friends...no bots either!
Super Sexy Guys