I had a chance to chat with Willem Hartong, the
lead singer behind my newest musical interest, Breaking
Laces. After receiving their CD, I was instantly
hooked, so I just had to learn more about this Brooklyn-based
band. Read on to learn more about the joys of being
"unsigned", flip-flopping band members and
the freedom that comes with leaving your hometown.
Give us some background. Where do you guys come
from? How did you form?
I live in Brooklyn and Seth and Rob come from Northern
New Jersey. I met them through a band I knew
and asked if they wanted to help me gig in and around
the city. Guitarist Steven Bright, who moved
here from L.A., just recently joined the mix after
hearing the tunes on the Internet.
The live band at the moment didn't play on the album
out now. The record started as a solo
project with the hopes that I could get a band cooking
behind it once it was done. I did the record
with a mixture of musicians, both friends and people
I met along the way.
Something
great happened when I got your CD. I didn't
request it, as I do many of the CDs we receive. Yours
really stood out to me and it instantly grew to have
permanency in slot 2 of my CD player. Do a lot
of people have that reaction to the music?
We hear stories like that every day. Not in
terribly large numbers at the moment but enough to
know that we've made something really good. The
more important question is what's in slot 1 and why
haven't you bumped us up?
Oh, those numbers have nothing to do with ratings!
What makes this album special from the musical work
you've completed in the past?
Save perhaps the first album I did with my high
school band In The Attic, this was the first
record I've done in a while that was really strong
front to back. I don't know if that makes it
special but it certainly feels that way. Meeting
all these really great musicians along the way and
seeing them genuinely into the project was also a
tremendous lift. Cellist Dave Eggar, who joined
us late in the process to provide some flavor, turned
a few of the songs on their back and showed us an
underbelly which was so pleasing to the ear that it
required an immediate beer from the fridge.
You've tasted music in both the Boston scene
and the New York City scene. What do you like
and dislike about each?
That's a loaded question. Let's see. Boston
has a lot of room but it reveals itself as very insular.
You have to pick a camp to be in and I wanted to be
in all of them. Not to say I couldn't make up
my mind as far as what sort of music I wanted to make,
but in Beantown the borders are clear and it's hard
to spread yourself across them. You either play
an archaic version of rock and roll and throw up all
over yourself or buy an expensive guitar and join
the folk scene. At the same time, there were
bands that really inspired me out that way. The Pixies
came from there after all but that was when the Rat
was kicking and I arrived after it closed. I
met enough good people up in Boston to have a lot
of love for it but soon it became clear I had to leave
or die a slow death.
New York has so much going on that people don't
have time to get too inside themselves. If you're
good it's recognized and in some ways rewarded a lot
quicker than it would be in Boston. Either way
it's a struggle but it's safe to say that I'm happier
down here.
The
album is so unique, from its beats, to the lyrics
in the songs. Did you use a lot of studio sound effects
in it?
The album has it's fair share of studio magic but
not anymore than the average album. The beats
were something I wanted from the get-go, and when
I heard Chris' earlier stuff I knew that we had a
good chance to do well together. Plus we weren't
working with a drummer most of the time so it was
nice to have a beat behind what we were laying down.
We planned to put live drums on almost all the
tracks but in the end the sequenced beats sounded
too good on some of the songs so in a lot of cases
we just let them be. As far as effects go, Pro
Tools opens up a lot to two guys in an apartment but
there's just so much you can do before you start sounding
like a computer.
What about writing the songs? Was there
a specific theme you wanted to convey?
My goal as a songwriter is to write good songs,
or die trying. I suppose there are themes throughout
the album but they usually spring up in the aftermath.
"Going Away" is my personal favorite
song on the album. What are the songs origins?
I guess the song is about leaving home. I
grew up in an affluent community and I had to get
out of there because it tends to allow you to think
life is easy when it isn't. At the same time,
I liked my childhood so to speak and it was sort of
a sad parting.
You have a song called "Geek in Love"
where did that one come from?
Not to be overtly cheeky but my girlfriend thinks
I'm a geek and I'm in love with her.
Are the majority of your songs based on personal
experiences or feelings in general?
Both. Depends on the song. If I had
to stick to things like history I probably wouldn't
get very far. The songs don't write themselves,
believe me I've tried that and it doesn't work. So
it's not so much as remembering as it is about playing
with whatever comes your way. I try to think
only when I'm done playing. The rest is patience
and persistence coupled with infinite trial and error.
Then you have a song and a feeling. Usually
hope mixed with excitement. Then you look at
it again and you realize it stinks and you get sad.
The day after that you realize it's pretty good
and you decide to record it.
Your sound is so unique! Was it innate to the
band or did you strive to throw in funky sound effects
and fun, hard rock riffs?
The thing about being "unsigned" if you
will is you don't have to fit into anyone else's criteria
or categories. Then again you don't have too
much of a support network or recording budget or a
job for that matter so it's a double edged sword.
If you don't take advantage of your freedom
while you have the chance, though, then what good
is it? In the end we had a lot of fun just the
two of us and I guess that's coming through the speakers.
And as far as caution was concerned, we had
thrown that to the wind well before we started.
What's
currently happening with the band and what can we
expect in the near future?
Seth, Rob and Steve and I have been gigging out
the last three months and working on getting our live
show as good as it can be. There was a bit of
backtracking but not too much. The blueprints
are there so it's just a matter of interior design
at the moment. Then we'll be thinking of putting
on some additions and buying up new property. Hopefully
we'll have a nice seven bedroom estate on Block Island
before the year's out. That is, if we can afford
it.
How has touring gone so far? Tell us about
your favorite tour experience.
The real touring has yet to start but it will happen
soon enough. Lots of out of town weekends and
NYC shows recently. I suppose I like going into
a place where very few people know us and then giving
everything we have and finding more than a handful
of believers on the other end. We had a gig
above a Pizzeria Uno in Philadelphia with a band called
Mixbreed that felt that way.
How have your fans responded to the new album?
My friends really like it. I hope they aren't
just being nice to me. Teeter-- are you bullshiting
me?
Do you guys see yourselves taking the route of
applying to the masses or do you want to keep the
audience small with smaller tour venues?
It's up to the masses I guess. I'm not very
interested in directing how people are going to respond
to what we are doing as much as I am in giving as
many people a chance to respond at all.
As a whole, who are some of your musical influences?
Nirvana, Pinback, Death Cab for Cutie, The Indigo
Girls, Sunny Day Real Estate, They Might be Giants,
The Lemonheads, Cat Stevens, Soul Coughing, Radiohead,
Pearl Jam, Liz Phair and Kozmic Blues.
How has the Internet helped your success?
So far, so good. The Internet is certainly
a great tool but one I've come to know has its limitations.
The internet is accessible to all far and wide
which is mind boggling but eventually you have to
appear in person or it won't last.
I have to ask this and it doesn't apply to you.
But I sense a lot of bitterness among fans
once the singer they like gets famous. What
do you think about that?
Fuck 'em. It's time to get paid. They
can all come to my pool party and enjoy the open bar
if they don't like it.
It’s
awesome how honest you are about that. It’s a touchy
subject. So, off topic, tell us some unique quirks
about each band member. Make it goooood and
juicy.
Rob has a big penis. Really big. Seth
once told me that his currency is Vagina when I asked
him to play a gig that wouldn't pay very well. I'm
still working on getting him some as I don't have
one myself. Steve built his own car from scratch
and it got completely stripped in L.A. He came
back to the parking lot and it was up on cinderblocks.
I haven't known him long enough to consider
the long-term impact but it might be interesting so
stay tuned.
Oh my gosh! You guys are very tight! And the
last question, of course, is when are you coming to
New Jersey to perform for me?
Soon. Unbelievably soon.
Well, let me know when that gig is because I
can’t wait to see you guys live! Willem, it's been
a total pleasure. Keep us posted on your future
successes, and best of luck!
Likewise, Kristen. The questions were really
good and I hope my answers lived up to the challenge.
Thanks for the support!
