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I think to understand where it started, you have to understand Patrick’s background.
When I was in high school, I didn’t have an orchestra in high school, so I studied
cello outside of school. So he would study cello by day and then he was friends with
a bunch of metal heads. And he would go to rock concerts. I was really captured by the
energy that these bands had on stage. I really like the fact that they went up there and
they didn’t have music stands and there was so much communication. And it was loud,
you know, it really kind of amps you up a bit. In high school I was in a punk band and
I was also studying classical percussion. That kind of dichotomy was really natural
for the both of us. So he heard that I was one of the other few rockers at Eastman and
asked if I would play in a cello rock band. And I thought that sounded cool. Break of
Reality’s first show was at Java’s café for about six people. I think we just invited
some friends to come hear us play. And we had a really great time so we decided to start
booking gigs around Rochester. We found that each time we played, there were a few more
people that had come out to hear us. Having Eastman allow Break of Reality to headline
a concert in Eastman Theatre, Kodak Hall, the big hall, it’s just unbelievable. I
mean, I think it has always been a dream for us to be able to come back and play that concert.
I always tell young musicians that they should play music that they love to play. For our
band, it just so happens that we love rock music a ton. And then we are also well schooled
in the classical genre so we are able to kind of bring those two sounds in a really authentic
kind of way. Our mission as a band is to keep instrumental music relevant and alive. We
do try to have music that is well rounded and that maybe even that a non-classical listener
can identify with. I think that is important. There is not a ton of bands that make it even
to ten years so is obviously something for us that we are very happy about and proud
of. And I think our sound has evolved a lot over the last ten years. We have become better
songwriters and composers, better performers; we are not just a rock band anymore. It is
just a surreal, kind of special concert for us. I don’t think we will ever forget that
concert. Just seeing a lot of our old teachers there, a lot of the young Eastman students,
who you know, who were there to support us. It was just really, really special.