From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Break out of the house to see Break on Through

Band Interview, July 3 Show at The Talent Farm

By Adaeze Ajoku
College Academy at BC

July 2 2009

Break on Through is a fairly new band with hopes of restoring the punk stylings of '90s bands. They are Mike Calabria, vocals and guitar (21); John LaRosa, guitar (21); Chris Knight, bass (19); and Ricky Baldridge, drums (17).

Teenlink: So you all went to Piper High; did you form the band then or afterward?
Mike: Me and John have been playing in a couple local bands, and we’ve been friends since we were little. We formed the band in 2006 in the fall.

Teenlink: Did you get play time on the Piper radio station (88.5 WKPX)?
Ricky: I was station manager and loud rock director. I played just a few times, and Mikey’s girlfriend was station manager before.

Teenlink: On your MySpace page, it says that you were "sick of bands that portrayed a rough edge but lacked in melody and harmony." What makes you different?
Mike: A lot of people who wanted to play street punk and hardcore had just started breaking through in Florida. We liked the '90s music. We wanted to bring that back. We wanted to take a different approach. We wanted to incorporate singing and harmony in our band while still bringing that in-your-face action.

Teenlink: How did you get Break on Through off the ground and make a name for yourselves?
Mike: We were playing in our garage for a couple of weeks. We were going to be just a garage band to have some fun and express our feelings and stay out of trouble. We liked what we were doing and we figured ... we can always start playing local shows. For Chris and Ricky, it was their first band.

Teenlink: Why the name Break on Through? What does it mean?
Mike: Me and the drummer, the old drummer, were in a thrift store and we saw a shirt and it had a crazy football player and it said Break on Through on it, and so we just went with it. It wasn’t that we liked it, but it just stuck with us.

Teenlink: Do you ever experience performance anxiety?
Chris: When I first started playing, I was kinda nervous.
Ricky: The first show was a little bit nerve-racking, but it wasn’t so much after that.

Teenlink: What is your typical practice session like?
Mike: We practice in my room. We practice probably once or twice a week for two to three hours. We play and write a lot of new songs and stuff.

Teenlink: What would you say was your favorite venue to play at?
Mike: New York, The Serving Plaza, Film War, with No Effects, Killinger Ford and the Flat Liners, which are all Fat Records bands. That had to be the best experience we ever had to date. The show was really good, the sound was just great, and the turnout was awesome. All these feelings we get when we get really good shows keeps us going as a band.

Teenlink: So you've just put out a new CD called Pulling Teeth. Can you tell me a bit about the music in it?
Mike: It portrays the style we’ve wanted to play for a while. I wrote a lot of songs, as in lyrics-wise. A couple years ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. A couple songs like Pulling Teeth and Make a Change talk about the hard times I had to go through before getting decent medicine in myself. Reality Check is the song about having pride in yourself and pride in what you do.

Teenlink: What advice would you give teens aspiring to become musicians?
John: I would say to do it definitely because you love music, not for the money.
Chris: It’s a really hard business.
Ricky: If I was looking for the money, I would have quit in two months.

Teenlink: Who gets the most girls?
Mike: People say guitar players and especially singers get a lot of women. I have a friend, his name is Austin, and he gets ... None of us have gotten any girls. No, we never have. If you know any women, send them to us.

Check out Break on Through at The Talent Farm July 3 at 6:30 p.m. for their CD release party and tour kickoff. You can buy their CD Pulling Teeth at interpunk.com.