When I was a younger man, fresh into college with eyes on the stars, I decided to start a band. I have been playing in one group or another since I was thirteen and as I made the transition to young adulthood I found myself group-less.
I've known Ryan since that very first group in 1999 and he's easily the best drum set artist 'round these parts. He's also one of my closest friends and I love him like family.
I met Geoff when I was 18 and he was still in high school. His skills were (and are) so far ahead of his age that he always appeared to be from another planet. Highly analytical and reserved, a quiet monster who plays his instrument with incredible passion.
Robert and I met through friends at a near serendipitous time. We sat down at a party in a back room and played our guitars the old fashioned way: with a new friend, in the moment and just for fun. His sense of humor and unique way of approaching his instrument made him an easy shoe-in for lead guitarist in this new band. Robert coined the term "The Breaktone" in the lyrics of one of his songs about a past love. It's the sound you hear on the phone when the person on the other line hangs up. Click...click. A moment of almost silence, seasoned by the context.
What a great group, what talent and ambition. But we were missing a piece, someone had to be quite a unique shape to fit in and bond us all together. The truth is I had known him for a year and never knew he played the bass.
Peter Ver Brugge and I were co-workers in 2006-7 at an environmental canvassing office. We worked there with his future(now) wife, Bevin whom I had known since high school. We got along fine but were never terribly close. I was scouring the town for a bassist who would fit our style, influences and attitude. One of the bassists I was approaching said, "I'm way too busy right now, but don't you work with Peter Ver Brugge? He's so solid on a bass." My mind was blown. How could this quiet and easy going young man with a matter of fact demeanor ever let his hair down and rock out? Right under my nose, he was.
Peter is the glue that holds us together. One of the reviews of our music said that he "found hidden crevasses" in our sound to express himself. An adhesive. Pete is a goofy guy who loves to laugh but he is also highly responsible and professional. He dons a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico. He has always pushed us to be smarter in the way we present ourselves and our art. Ultimately we became a business because of his drive and effort. He designed and built our website. Together we won Best Pop CD 2010 at the New Mexico Music Awards and toured to South by Southwest music festival as well as parts of Colorado and Wyoming. His bass lines have moved hips and turned heads for a half-decade.
I can't thank him enough for what he has brought to my life.
After a long period of searching Pete has found a way to put his degree to work and prosper. He has accepted a position with the Crosby Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He will be leaving the band this month. Congratulations are in order. This is a joyous event.
Without the glue that holds us together, there is no The Breaktone. I can't move myself to continue this project with a replacement. It also makes no sense to keep the name and continue on just the four of us. This has been the most rewarding artistic adventure in my life to this point and I want to thank all of the people who have come together to help us grow and thrive over the years. Thank you to our fans, our friends who play music in Albuquerque, our families, our engineers mixers and masterers, the venues that hired us and members of the press that covered us. Thank you to the men who made this amazing music.
Please keep on listening to this work we've done. May it bring you even a piece of the light it has brought us in making it.
Julian
