Rock n’ Roll is back! Take a break from the sounds of today with BreakTime! BreakTime will take you back to the past with Great Times!
What’s up with “BreakTime?” Is there a story to the name?
Sean: The name “BreakTime” comes from my uncle. Back in 2018, he discussed band names with his friend at a local bar called The Starting Point. They jokingly arrived at “BreakTime,” to which his friend remarked: “You know…Everyone needs a good BreakTime.” My uncle maintains its being a stupid name; however, my bandmates and I disagree.
Would you tell us about your early years?
Sean: BreakTime’s early years were tumultuous. I founded it in May 2018—my junior year at High Tech High School—and enlisted a ragtag five-piece to perform classic rock covers. This happened quickly as I pitched a band I did not have to a booker seeking local talent—yikes. We did make the show; however, we bombed. The amateur lineup folded in July. I futilely ran through high school mates until 2019. With our original drummer and his college friend, lead guitarist Thommy Delaney, we recruited a rhythm guitarist and played the local scene until 2020.
The slightly better act lacked cohesion from one half’s chronic lateness and absenteeism. We did not yet earn a “real” paid gig. I fired our rhythm guitarist and replaced him with a friend of Thommy’s. His chops fared for exciting renditions as he could solo. This lineup never gigged, for our drummer quit under two weeks to a booking. We made the gig by my high school best friend’s heroic efforts. COVID struck, removing half the band and rattling confidence so that Thommy nearly quit.
We agreed in 2021 to have a college friend fill in on kit (Thanks Matt! @mattlouiedrums on IG) and brought several rhythm guitarists on throughout. We felt we could leverage the momentum for mainstay pieces. Seeing my originals compiled since 2018, Thommy and I released the debut single “Rock N’ Roll Refugee” and performed a covers-and-originals rooftop show in July 2021, enticing Douglas to join on rhythm in September. After more “exposure”, we earned a December 2021 “real” gig at Buttero in Bayonne. Peter came to drum with BreakTime in January 2022. A lineup with years of endurance to realize, BreakTime had its first full year “real” gigging and released the debut EP Great Times alongside the single “Maybe No, Maybe Yes” on Friday, December 16th.
Tell us about Great Times.
Sean: Great Times is BreakTime’s debut EP. It is an eight-song compilation of original efforts from Thommy, Douglas, and me. Since Great Times genre hops often, I call it an Ed Sullivan Show for the ears—a sonic variety show! We originally planned on releasing Great Times to follow up our January 2022 hard rock single “Mastermind” prior to Summer 2022; however, then-persistent vocal issues from me, recording troubles, and gigging prevented us from releasing a quality work until December. Many tell us the Beatle-esque jangle (heard on “Maybe No, Maybe Yes”) and Beach Boys surf undertones (heard on “Good To You”) within Great Times make it a summer smash—an original intent. More poetically, it now provides soothing summer warmth in a cold, dreary winter. Our mix and master engineer Rod Shepard (of Xanthi Music Productions in Hoboken) did fab work on the EP to make it sound as if it sprung out of the 1960s.
On the songwriting process: How do your songs come together?
Sean: My process is dynamic. I occasionally receive melodic ideas, develop the chord progression on my piano according to melodic instinct, and scrawl some lyrics together to aid pitch recall. Other times, upon hearing or reading words in a phrase, I get inspiration to construct a song prose-first, render melody from the lyrical rhythm, and fill the chords in last. What is typical for a “Sean song” is its self-contained creation. I have a strong base in music theory and, from my four years of songwriting alone, am accustomed to bringing complete material to my spuds for studio arrangement.
Thommy: My process for songwriting is a bit different from Sean’s or Doug’s. Progressions will frequently present themselves first. I then go off and work out a melody. Lyrics come last. Most of the time, songs come to me when the time feels right. When writing lead guitar parts—especially guitar solos—I always play around with the scales I have been familiar with since I began playing guitar. It sometimes takes a while to get the perfect lead; however, when I perfect them, it’s magic. With continually learning theory, I am able to write the best for my spuds.
Douglas: I’m someone who really doesn’t have a “formula” for songwriting. Sometimes I’m just strumming chords until I come up with a progression I haven’t heard a million times, sometimes I have a phrase I heard/read somewhere that I really liked in mind, and sometimes I make up a story & go from there. I really like to focus on the lyrical side & I try to express as much abstract feeling through my words. On the musical side, I love experimenting with different sounds & running with an idea even if it’s not as conventional. In fact, my favorite part of songwriting is trying to repackage the unconventional into something.. conventional.
Peter: The form starts on the kit. A chord progression follows from the rhythmic foundation. I approach the song as a story reaching out for connection. The drums provide a percussive theme to each section, whether it be a tom section or a syncopated bell pattern. My jazz education heavily informs my arrangement choices as I pick from a diversified range of genres (like reggae, Latin, funk, or Hip Hop). For my solos (of which, I prefer progressively building to a fever-pitched ending) I love to build off of different approaches such as pitch-bending on the toms and loosening the snare wires. I love drums, spud!
Spud?
Peter: In literal terms, a spud is a potato. In BreakTime terms, a spud is a friend. Instead of saying “bud,” Sean added an “s” to the beginning and turned the “b” upside down to a “p.” Lo and behold, we’re spuds now. I’m spud, you’re spud…we’re all spud!
How would you describe your sound?
Sean: Take three parts Beatles, add one part Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and add a slice of Beach Boys. Dress it up in (formerly denim vests but now…) houndstooth blazers and turtlenecks and you get BreakTime! Our melodic and song structure tendencies are heavily British while our propensities to harmonize, add auxiliary—sometimes “soul”—instruments, and produce our recordings are American. We like to call it a “modern vintage sonic celebration.”
Ok then. What’s the last song you listened to?
Sean: It’s fortuitous; but, it was our single “Maybe No, Maybe Yes” off of the debut EP Great Times!
Thommy: It was our song “Catch A Ride 425” from our debut EP Great Times. It also happens to be my favorite track from that release!
Douglas: I last listened to “Kaleidoscope Eyes” by Liz Cooper & The Stampede. It’s a dreamy, atmospheric track that Liz’s voice and guitar work float elegantly over.
Peter: I was listening to “Old Devil Moon” off the Sonny Rollins record A Night at the Village Vanguard.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Sean: Music from artists such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Wiggles (haha!) surrounded me since my infancy. One of my first memories is dancing to The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” and intently watching Paul McCartney. I did not find myself confident to play the guitar or bass when I was younger; so, I gravitated to the light-up keys of a 1999 Casio keyboard—originally purchased for my father’s use—and became infatuated with music thereafter. A songwriter now, the rush of creating something from nothing continues to motivate me as much as I feel the spiritual undercurrent from it.
Thommy: Growing up, I would always listen to bands such as The Beatles, The Monkees, Elton John, and Brian Setzer. At one point, I was one of many people to have played the games “Guitar Hero 3” and “Rock Band.” This eventually got me interested to learn the guitar. Once I learned a few Beatles songs, I fell in closer love with music and decided that I wanted it to be my career. Learning new techniques and methods to write more songs motivates me to keep creating.
Douglas: I remember being a kid & my parents always guiding me towards music as they could sense I had an interest for singing & playing along to mostly anything playing on the radio. They would sign me up for our local musicals where I developed my love for performing/singing, but I would eventually outgrow that medium. I realized that I loved more of what I was hearing at the radio at the time, and I really wanted to learn the skills needed to play in a band. When I hit high school, I stumbled my way through learning how to play the guitar & basic piano. I paired that with learning how to record & edit arrangements on GarageBand, and eventually started releasing some solo projects. That anxious, yet relieving feeling of sharing a body of work with others is what drives me to keep creating, and there’s nothing better than getting to share that feeling with other members of your own band.
Peter: Music has been in my bones since I was a toddler. My parents still remind me of times I would balance on my tippy toes over to the TV, go to MTV clips, and dance to them. Originally, Michael Jackson’s dynamic performances inspired me to pursue dance. I would learn and transcribe each move until I had it perfected from the TV screen. Then, I tried the piano and guitar; however, my real enjoyment and love came with the drums. I told my friends I wanted to be a drummer and dedicated serious time into that. As a writer and producer today, a hunger to learn and grow as both a human and musician keeps me inspired to nurture my create. For me, it is much more than just being. It is a lifestyle. I want all the fruits it bears and, more so, desire to spread the fruits to others so we collectively further our learning and growth.
Who is your dream producer?
Sean: It would have been a joy to work with Sir George Martin. May he rest in peace. I feel his classical background would augment BreakTime’s arrangements and help us achieve songwriting heights we can only aspire to at our current level. Jeff Lynne produced quality work with idols of mine like George Harrison, Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. I would thoroughly enjoy attaining knowledge by osmosis working with him.
Thommy: I too would have loved to work with George Martin; but, there are many other producers who worked with my idols, like: Roy Thomas Baker, Peter Collins, and Mike Campbell. These people would be awesome to work with.
Douglas: I would love to work with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. I feel like I could bounce 100 ideas off of him and he would turn them into 100 hits. He’s such a unique a versatile artist—especially on the production side—and someone who embraces a genre-less mentality.
Peter: Rick Rubin’s easy-going production style would mesh well with us. We enjoy being dynamic and—sometimes—freeform in the studio creative process. Personally, I’d like to work with Jay Z as well.
What’s next for you?
Sean: BreakTime has great plans for 2023. If you feel pop rock should learn some tricks from the past and like the sound of double-singles and/or EP follow-ups—possibly releasing in Summer 2023 (we’ll actually do it this time!)—BreakTime’s sonic celebration is for you.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Sean: The easiest way for fans to interact with us (we don’t bite) is through our Instagram. You can find us @breaktimelivenj on Instagram and, for that matter, any other social media.
Spotify
Instagram
Facebook
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Douglas: If you’re a booker in the areas of Northern New Jersey, Asbury Park, or NYC, book us through our email: booking@breaktimelivenj.com. Check us out at our website: www.breaktimelivenj.com.
Sean: Stream BreakTime on Spotify. BreakTime’s a Great Time!
Bio:
Do you think rock ‘n’ roll is a past generation’s relic? Think again. BreakTime champions an upbeat, optimistic pop rock songwriting style with generous vintage touches.
BreakTime formed in 2018 to inject long-loved classic rock songs’ youthful energy back into their present performance. In 2021, the objective shifted to supplementing modern pop songwriting with vintage flair. A common occurrence emerged at BreakTime’s live shows: listeners who primarily stream anything from hard rock and punk to shoegaze and country told the band they enjoyed their modern vintage sonic profile! When BreakTime is not releasing new material, the “spuds” (term of endearment) perform the odd cover show and share dockets with original acts around the NY-NJ Metro Area.
