Breathe Carolina will co-headline a show with The Ready Set in downtown Gainesville tonight. Hailing all the way from Denver, the band already has three full-length albums under its belt, but its meteoric rise came just this past year. The single “Blackout,” released on June 14, was certified gold early last month and has spent 20 weeks on The Billboard Hot 100 chart peaking at No. 32.
Breathe Carolina started in 2007 when good friends Kyle Even and David Schmitt formed the band after performing in other musical groups and began recording some songs for fun. Many fans know the story about how the band recorded a few songs on GarageBand, posted them on MySpace and got millions of hits, but few know just how distinct the band is.
Breathe Carolina is not trying to fit into just one genre; rather, they are just writing songs to have fun, experimenting with their music and coming up with new sounds to keep things fresh. The band tries to make music that people can relate to as a part of their lives. In an interview, Even said the music his band makes is like an entire movie collection because its music covers all sorts of genres from horror, to comedy, to drama and even chick flicks. He says the wide variety of art is not just in the lyrics but the music as well.
After having two albums under its belt and the strong hope to keep on growing, the band wanted to take a shot at radio. Their newest album, “Hell Is What You Make It,” was recorded last year starting with their hit single, “Blackout.” Much to Even and Schmitt’s satisfaction, the single was their ticket into the mainstream. Even said he was glad “Blackout” ended up being a song that the label wanted to push, especially because the band had a blast writing it and only a few days with producer Ian Kirkpatrick to do so.
With their wild success becoming reality, Breathe Carolina signed with Columbia Records in December 2011. Signing with Columbia Records was a big deal for Breathe Carolina because the record label has signed famed artists such as Adele, J. Cole and MGMT.
The band said being among the likes of these artists is a humbling experience. It thinks of itself as the “baby band” of the group and is stoked that people like what they do.
Still, after making it big and becoming a household name, the band stays modest. Even stated he and Schmitt have known each other for nine years, and he will try to stay 21 at heart forever and just have fun.
Tonight’s show will be the biggest show that Breathe Carolina has played in Gainesville; they have only performed at smaller venues before. The band said touring the nation is such a fun and exciting experience for them, and this tour, the Blackout Forever Tour, will continue until the end of April.
It was also recently announced that Breathe Carolina will be playing in the 2012 Vans Warped Tour starting on June 16. One of the local promoters of this event, Glory Days, also expects this to be a huge event, especially with Gainesville’s Warped Tour crowd.
Another big promoter, local radio station KISS 105.3, plays songs by Breathe Carolina and The Ready Set frequently. Local sensation Of Valleys recently had a five-day streak on “Power Plays,” the radio station’s nightly call-in poll.
