Portraits of Breaking Laces in New York City on January 21, 2010 New York (Credit Jen Maler/Retna)

Portraits of Breaking Laces in New York City on January 21, 2010 New York (Credit Jen Maler/Retna)

Willem Hartong, singer, guitarist and songwriter for the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, Breaking Laces, cannot give a straight definition of what constitutes indie music, but alongside bassist Rob Chojnacki and drummer Seth Masarsky, he can show everyone at the Rockwood Music Hall this Thursday what the band is all about.

Tomorrow’s show will begin Breaking Laces’ CD release tour for their new album “When You Find Out.” From this specific album the boys have been favoring tracks such as “What We Need”, “We Can Be Great”, and “When You Find Out”.

Hartong described how Breaking Laces began about five years ago when he recorded a solo album and then took the initiative to call Chojnacki and Masarsky to see if they were up for the challenge to begin producing their own tunes.

However, Breaking Laces’ soundtracks cannot be contained in one genre. Hartong labeled the trio as independent. He said their music is a mixture of acoustic, pop, and rock.

In a nutshell, he described their music as, “Simple acoustic pop rock that is multi-layered with poetic blind ambition.”

Credit Jen Maler/Retna)

Credit Jen Maler/Retna)

When You Find Out differs from the band’s earlier albums such as Sohcahtoa and Operation Income because it’s fuller and more thought out.

“What’s cool about it is that we didn’t run out of time,” Hartong said. “Running out of time is frustrating.”

The boys continued to discuss how many musical influences and role models they have in the music industry. A few names that were mentioned were Radiohead, Built to Spill, The Lemonheads, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, and Weezer.

“I think we’re in position to take a big leap that we both need and deserve,” Hartong stated. Breaking Laces is looking to have bigger shows with bigger audiences. Hartong is taking a step up since singing in a choir when he was in 8th grade.

After the first tour date in NY, Breaking Laces will be playing at All Asia in Boston on Friday. The band prefers to go on extended tours with other bands, similar to one they previously pursued in the UK, but Breaking Laces will continue to play 19 more shows throughout America for their current tour.

Hartong said, “We’re really good on the road. I can’t wait to get out there and start playing every day.” Other than overcoming the obstacles of finding filling, healthy, and satisfying snacks from convenience stores and fighting over who gets their own hotel room, the boys of Breaking Laces are looking forward to their upcoming shows.

“My favorite gig is the next one,” Hartong declared as he showed his enthusiasm for the band’s future tour dates.

For more information on Breaking Laces and their CD release tour for When You Find Out, visit their homepage at breakinglaces.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Author

Laura McGovern is a Blast staff writer and blogger

One Response

Leave a Reply