AKA: “Tree”

Age: 28

Height: 6’ 7”

Places Lived: Wisconsin, Syracuse, Rochester, but mostly Northern New Jersey. Now living in Hoboken, NJ.

Favorite BoR Song: Probably “Lateralus”.

Why? Tool has always been one of my favorite bands, and this song is just epic.

Musical Influences: I can’t say I have any specific musical influences that take precedence. However, the music that never seems to leave my playlist consists of Metallica, Tool, RATM, Coheed, and Unearth alongside Brahms Symphonies and Beethoven string quartets.

Favorite Cuisine: Any cuisine that allows me to eat a lot of food. I’m seriously not that specific and love just about everything (except mushrooms and olives). Definitely Mexican food when I’m in Texas.

Best Part of Being in BoR: I love how we’re always doing something different. I’m not someone who likes to settle in to a routine, so being able to do new and exciting things all the time is a great thing for me.

Worst Part of Being in BoR: Breaking our instruments all the time.

Activities Outside BoR: Snowboarding, traveling, bartending. I went skydiving once. It was sweet.

What’s in Your Stereo Right Now? Karnivool. The greatest band ever.

BIO

A native of New Jersey, Patrick Laird graduated in 2007 from the Eastman School of Music, having achieved the prestigious Performer’s Certificate as a pupil of Steven Doane. A recipient of the Howard Hanson and Frank scholarships, Patrick served as principal cellist of the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra. Former teachers include Clive Greensmith of the Tokyo String Quartet, Amir Eldan (Oberlin Conservatory), and Qiang Tu (New York Philharmonic). Additionally, Patrick has worked with a number of noted cello pedagogues including Orlando Cole, Richard Aaron, Joel Krosnick, Jerry Grossman, and George Sopkin.

From an early age, Patrick found great interest in the fusion of rock and classical genres. Using his artistic skills and developing compositional talents, he formed Break of Reality in 2003 as an outlet for his non-traditional musical interests while continuing to train classically at Eastman. His deep love of chamber music, coupled with an avocation for progressive rock structure, led to development of Break of Reality as a unique musical ensemble based around the wide dynamic range and emotional impact of the cello, driven by advanced, well developed percussive complements.

As an avid composer and arranger, Patrick has been the principal songwriter for Break of Reality since its inception, having scored music for three albums of original material, as well as arrangements for the band’s “Covers” album. In 2012, he traveled to Peru to begin writing his first major musical composition, a Concerto for 3 Cellos, Percussion & Orchestra. The premiere of this work took place on March 24th, 2013 with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to his artistic interests, Patrick is also a music educator and cello instructor. He is passionate about the importance of music education in primary and secondary schools. Break of Reality devotes a large part of their touring schedule toward working with school districts throughout the United States in sustaining and strengthening their music programs. He believes strongly in the unrestricted dissemination of new forms of music and is a staunch supporter of Internet Radio and the audiences that they reach.