Breaking Laces
Breaking Laces is a three-piece acoustic rock band out of Brooklyn NY with a sound that has stylistic debts to such artists as Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol, They Might Be Giants and the Lemonheads.

When the three musicians who comprise Breaking Laces got together to start the band, they had an acoustic guitar, a drum set, a bass and two very good voices. From there they went on to build a band and sound that has continually defied its origin and appearance.

"The idea was to take simple acoustic pop songs and make them bigger than life." says lead vocalist and guitarist Willem Hartong . "We've toyed with the addition of members to the band, but we have such a great chemistry as a trio. So the challenge was to make the kind of music we were hearing as a three piece."

The band added live sampling and keyboards to the mix and found that three bodies and six hands were enough to get it done in a fashion not seen by many live acts today.

"I love it when we set up and can sense the preconceived notion of the crowd." says Willem. "It's as if they are saying, 'Great, another singer/songwriter band out to touch my sensitive side.' And then we turn it loose and the expressions and postures slowly change. But I think what people eventually latch onto is that we aren't just a one trick pony out to bombard them with sound. Of course we do that, but we do it behind really good original music performed with passion and vigor. It's like the coming of the underdog, and the underdog means business".

Perennial road rats who've wowed audiences in as many concert halls as they have in biker bars, Breaking Laces has logged more miles than most of their contemporaries. During the band's first two years, drummer Seth Masarsky estimates the boys played more than 500 gigs. In addition, the 2007 winners of Starbucks MusicMakers Competition have already successfully toured the United Kingdom (not once, but twice).

"We've played everywhere and anywhere, making fans one by one", said drummer Seth Masarsky. "We have a certain charm about us, certain fearlessness to us. We established ourselves as a solid live act, but we also showed people that we have versatility, dynamically and musically. We're the kind of band that can go from the most knock-your-socks-off, crazy hard song to the most relaxed, calm, beautiful, emotional song at the drop of a hat."

Breaking Laces first album was the 2003 release of Sohcahtoa, which Hartong recorded on his own with some assistance from a producer. The reception to the material was overwhelmingly positive, garnering heavy spins on XMU, XM Satellite Radio's college channel. Rolling Stone noted that "[Breaking Laces] provide more substance than any toss-off singer-songwriter," while Paste declared: "Exactly what Indie Rock needs now." A few months later, Masarsky was asked to join Hartong, whom he'd met while the both of them were studying in Boston. Eventually, bassist Rob Chojnacki, who played with Masarsky in long-running New York rock band Darby Jones, would find his way into Breaking Laces.

"I went to see Seth and Willem play," recalls Chojnacki, "and I can remember seeing Willem on the floor, grinding his acoustic guitar into his distortion pedals, kicking his legs in the air, and I just had to be in this band."

After some extensive touring, the band released Lemonade in 2005, and followed that release up with more touring and their 2006 EP, Astronomy Is My Life But I Love You. After Astronomy, the band was once again back out there, on the road, earning fans the hard way. And from stop to stop, city to city, gig to gig, Breaking Laces would always hear the same stupefying question.

"People are always asking us why we aren't the biggest band going," says Masarsky. "Our only 'mistake', I guess, was we didn't push the records as much as we pushed the live show. The albums were always just an adjunct to the tour, something we brought with us to sell at our shows," Until now.

In the summer of 2009, Breaking Laces took the next step in the band's evolution by hitting the studio to begin work on their forthcoming album "When You Find Out". Eyed for release in early 2010, the band recorded with producer Ed Tuton (who has worked with artists as diverse as Carly Simon, Eagle Eye Cherry, Maxwell and T-Pain) helming the effort.

The guys feel that the new album is the culmination of the band's musical journey over the last five years and is the proverbial bridge between the band's live success and its melodic, commercial songwriting appeal.

Breaking Laces is headed to the stars. And if need be, they'll walk there. "Some things have gotten easier, some things continue to be hard." says Hartong. "But what I've always liked is the confidence and positive attitude of this band. It's why we called our second album Lemonade. It's what we always tend to come out with no matter what the circumstance or what fruit you throw at us. Even if you give us mangos, we'll make lemonade. And, trust me, it'll taste good."