Interview – Breathe Carolina

January 26th, 2010 by Sophie

Ruled By Rock had the chance to interview Denver’s Breathe Carolina on their first UK headline tour!

Words: Sophie Egboh & Richard Heaven

Your 2nd album hello fascination was released last year through Fearless records, how has the response been so far?

Kyle Even: It’s been really good

David Schmitt: Yeah it’s been awesome

Kyle: It already has passed our first record with sales which is I think is always what any musician strives towards. Doing something different but also seeing if you can match what you’ve done before. It’s been good man! Kids have been singing the tracks!

What was it like working with noticeable producers Mike Green (Paramore, The Higher, Set Your Goals) and Matt Squire (Taking Back Sunday, 3OH!3, Panic At The Disco)?

David: It was really cool just cause like we did our first album by ourselves you know, so like the second one was cool just having other ideas kicked down into the mix you know what I mean? It was a lot of fun.

Are there any tracks on the album that you particularly love?

David: I think all of them, I think we tried to make this CD have more different angles to it. So I think that the tracks that are kind of different to what we usually do stick out to me because it’s something that we’ve never kind of really tried to do before, but we tried it. They always stick out to me. I think just the diversity, the different songs stick out to me the most.

Why was the move from Rise Records to Fearless made?

Kyle: With Rise we just signed a one record deal, so once we put out ‘It’s Classy, Not Classic’ our contract was up with them so we could do whatever we wanted. Our manager was just like “We’ll see what happens.” If we wanted, we could have gone back to Rise to do a bunch of stuff but Fearless gave us an offer and we were down to work with them. It’s worked out great.

How do you think your music fits within the current scene?  With bands like 3OH!3 causing waves, do you worry that audiences may feel saturated by the electronic, screamo, rap genre similar to the emo explosion?

Kyle: Maybe after a while people would feel that way but I think we try to evolve ourselves constantly and we’ve always been trying to do that. I think just in terms of the music, how it was created, I think that was kind of a big thing to want to evolve. I’m talking from a perspective, sitting, watching David physically write the guitar, doing the singing, and I think that’s what kind of made this second album so special, just the experience with it. I dunno, I think it’s different for me but we’re constantly trying to evolve, step it up, push every other band that’s trying to do this genre of music which is also pushing them to do something different. We’re trying not to follow trends!

You’ve been promoted on websites such as Buzznet, Punktastic, and ourselves, how important is online promotion nowadays compared to more traditional methods?

David: I think online is really what any person can have you know what I mean? Not everyone can go to a show, not everyone can do that but anybody, anywhere you live can have access, in a way, to the internet. The only way people over here knows who we are is through the internet because this is our first time here so obviously that is a big count. Kids came down because they watched some live videos and some interviews, listened to our songs. It’s defiantly a huge thing.

Kyle: It’s crazy thinking about how people found out about us. That’s weird to think about.

David: We didn’t even really know we had any fans here but our first two shows have been awesome so far. It’s been really cool.

How has the band affected your normal day to day social lives?

David: We both see our families a lot. When we get off a tour, I know for probably everybody who tours, you just like chill for a while, watch movies and just relax because everything’s so on the go when you’re on tour. Then you’re home for a while and a couple of weeks just before you leave things will start to pick up as far as getting thing ready.

Kyle: It’s weird how when you start touring your life kind of feels. To somebody who just works a normal job it’s probably more of a vacation but to us being home is vacation. We get to go to all these cities… It’s crazy thinking we’re in the UK now but there’s still this sense of home. We’re with each other.

RBR: Do you get to see around the cities you play in?

Kyle: Oh yeah! We try to, I mean today we had a friend take us to see Big Ben…

David: Yeah that was really cool.

Kyle: Buckingham Palace. That was kinder all the time we had until we had to come back and get all the stuff ready for the show! It’s a beautiful city here. Architecture like this just does not exist in the states. I think you feel the history here. Maybe on the East Coast you’ll see some old buildings but nothing compared to this and how well preserved it is.

Are there any essential items that you bring with you on tour?

Kyle: Cell phone, keys, wallet. Socks and underwear!

David: Something I’ve learnt from tour is to stop bringing so many clothes. I’ll bring like a couple of shirts and a couple of pants but that’s it! Because on the first few tours I’d be packing like everything I had! Then I’d loose half of it.

Kyle: We always seem to obtain clothes. Like from other bands, we’ll swap merch so we’d have a shirt from every band on we’re on the tour with and maybe we’d buy a shirt along the line somewhere or buy a new pair of shoes. We get through shoes so fast! It blows my mind how we do.

RBR: Why’s that?

Kyle: I have NO idea. (laughs) I really don’t!

David: My feet smell really bad apparently! (laughs)

Kyle: We kind of just fall asleep in them.

David: Then playing shows and stuff I always get so sweaty. (laughs)

Kyle: (laughs)

David: Not a good combination.

What would your dream collaboration be?

Kyle: I know what David’s would be. Wheezy.

David: Lil Wayne. I’d go crazy.

Kyle: I think just his process, I said this before, just to sit and watch his process of how he does a track, how he’s playing it out there, writing a song. I’ve always been curious as to how a hip hop artist does that.

RBR: Is hip hop a big influence for you?

Kyle: Yeah we both have listened to hip hop for many years.

RBR: What sort of artists?

Kyle: Started out being just a bunch of radio stuff. Which kinder got me into more underground. David introduced me to the world of Wheezy, the newer stuff and RnB.

David: Yeah I was really listening to a lot of 2pac a lot when I was younger. That was the first rapper that really caught my attention. And then after that I kinder get into Dr Dre and stuff like that and kept it more mainstream for a while. Then a bunch of other friends would listen to more underground so they got me into that.

Top 5 bands for people reading?

Kyle: If you have not listened to Jimmy Eat World, you need to listen to them.

David: Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line.

Kyle: If you haven’t heard to Death Cab For Cutie’s ‘Plans’ album, I love that record.

David: If I had to pick a newer band I would say A Day To Remember.

The band’s current album ‘Hello Fascination’ is out now.
Check out our review of the album HERE.

www.myspace.com/breathecarolina

Tags: Breathe Carolina, Hello Fascination
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