Break of Reality Loves Rochester

Rochester, NY is Break of Reality’s haven. We grew up there, went to school there, and started the band there. It’s home. Every time we go back, we know Rochester will come out in full force.

One of our favorite music venues to play in Rochester isn’t a music venue at all. It’s Spot Coffee, located on East Ave.

Patrick, Chris, Erin and myself all loved performing there. The vibe was chill, we were given the occasional free latte, and most Spot patrons had no idea what the heck was going on. After all, many of them were not there to hear us. They were there for a nice, quiet cup of coffee. I’m sure we ruined many a first date… But, it was actually a cool way to bring music to people; the element of surprise worked pretty well for us.

At one Spot performance, a large group of Rochester townies walked in, their bellies filled with garbage plates, (a traditional Rochester cuisine), and Jenny Light I’m sure, and possibly other things.

Patrick looks over to us and calls out Metallica’s “Creeping Death”. Chris immediately starts the opening riff, and the townies’ heads turn. They step a little closer, and one yells out, “Holy #^$*! That’s Metallica!” We hooked ‘em right there.

By the end of the night, Spot Coffee was an underground rock club filled with screams and the occasional “Freebird!” request. It was a cool scene.

We were lucky that night. A writer from Rochester City Newspaper happened to be there, and decided to interview us and write a cover story on the group. We were really lucky that night.

Read Break of Reality’s Cover Story Here

The cover story led to more performances in Rochester, at Water Street Music Hall, Montage Grill, The Bug Jar, and also created some interest among public school music teachers. Soon we were giving educational workshops at Penfield High School, The Hochstein School, The Kanack School, and other educational establishments throughout Rochester. Even our alma mater, Eastman, took notice. We were invited to give a lecture on music business, marketing, and promotion. By the time we were seniors at Eastman, we had built a nice following of friends and fans in Rochester.

TEASER:

During this time, we also began traveling and performing in New York City. During one of these trips, we discovered a form of performance / promotion that would turn Break of Reality upside down, for the better and for the worst.

Street performing.

In the streets, subways, and the parks. We took the concept of musical surprise that we discovered at Spot Coffee and moved it to the streets. Lots of crazy, cool stories with this, which we’ll delve into in blogs to come.

How to Get Signed (Almost)

One trip to NYC, we set up shop outside of the Columbus Circle mall on 59th street. We played a total of two and a half songs before we were promptly asked to leave by mall security, (Circles, A Blind Purpose, and Solid Ground, I believe). During these eight or so minutes, something big happened. A Senior VP for a major music management company happened to walk by. I’m sure he noticed the music we were playing, and probably also noticed the rather nice crowd we had built. He was stunned. He dropped his business card into one of our cello cases, and weeks later we were in his office, sipping coffee and talking shop. He wanted to sign us.

That day, we kept our composure through most of the meeting with Mr. VP. After the meeting, once outside the building, we lost it. We jumped up and down, and hugged each other like we were lost lovers. I’m sure we looked like idiots. No, we definitely looked like idiots. We didn’t care. Every musician’s dream seemed to be coming true for us. Days later, we received a contract in the mail. The whole experience was like something out of a movie.

Almost…

Mr. VP set up a showcase concert for us in Manhattan, and invited lots of his industry contacts. One small problem. Most of his contacts were involved in the classical music industry, and were not accustomed to over the head cello solos and fat drum beats. Although they all enjoyed the show, they were not sure how to represent us.

Soon after, Mr. VP started his own company, which unfortunately didn’t include cello rock. Within the timeframe of a month, we had experienced the highs and lows of the real world music industry.

Fortunately for all concerned, we did not sign that contract.

Despite this curve ball, we all agreed that NYC would be a great fit for us. After all, if eight minutes of street playing could get us a management deal, good things would definitely come our way…

“Rochester Farewell Show”

Before moving to NYC, and before graduating from Eastman, we decided to give one last performance in Rochester. Our good friends at Roberts Wesleyan College had agreed to host the event. We decided this would be Break of Reality’s “Rochester Farewell Show”, and marketed it as such. We wanted to throw a free show to thank our fans in Rochester for all of their support. Both local papers were kind enough to write about and promote the event.

I remember arriving at the venue, and looking around at the empty auditorium, which seated almost 1,000 people. We thought the venue was too large, and there would be too many empty seats. Maybe 300 people would show, maybe…

Well, we were wrong. Dead wrong.

Over 1,000 people showed up that night to hear us play, some standing in the isles and in the balcony, some holding signs that said things like “We love BOR” and “We’ll miss you.”

It was completely, and ridiculously, humbling and unbelievable. It has stayed with all of us I’m sure.

For more photos from Rochester, visit our flickr album HERE

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Next week on BOR BLOG: Graduation, Adjusting in NYC, Subway Musician 101, Real Gigs, and The “Business Plan”.

Stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

Did you attend the Rochester Farewell Show, a show at Spot Coffee, or any other Rochester show that Break of Reality performed? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

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