Breathing Blue: Names Aren't Everything

A band will often times spend hours, days, even weeks coming up with the perfect name for their band. Many times they’ll even come up with a name before making music.  Even more so, they want to make sure it has a hard-hitting meaning.

Hailing from Ocean County, the members of Breathing Blue went the opposite direction. Using a name that came on the fly, Breathing Blue has made a name based on their music. 

Dolla Bil Facciponte: Let’s talk right away about what’s new with you guys. You’re working on the release of your first full-length album. How’s that all going?

Matt Basilotto: It’s going good. We recorded at The Pilot Studio with our friend Dave Ryan. We finished recording in February and we’re all really happy with it.  We’re looking at a late spring/early summer release.

Chris Dechert: It’s all new songs that no one has ever heard. These songs were written strictly for the record and they haven’t been played out, so it’s all fresh and new.

DB:  Do you have a title?

CD: Yeah, it’s called “Inner Animal.”

DB: Is this album different from your previous work?

CD: It’s a whole different ballgame.

Rob Bost: We found our new sound. Our first EP was like we were trying to find our sound. Now with the full length, we know what we want to be which is hard-hitting rock and roll.

DB: Your fans have gotten used to the sound you had when, as you said, you were trying to find your sound. Do you think they’ll accept the new album just as much?

MB: We kind of weaned them into it. We released a couple of singles so they kind of knew what to expect. We kind of frankensteined a couple of songs. We took some dead songs and brought them to the new album.

CD: A lot of the songs had hints of our new rock and roll, southern rock style. All in all, the thing of us is we’ll always have the same sound. Our singer is very different and we’re pretty particular about our tones and way we have everything sound.

DB: So now let’s talk about your past a bit. What brought you guys together to form Breathing Blue?

MB: Breathing Blue started about three years ago.

CD: Yeah, we were all in other bands, some together some separately.  Our drummer was in another band and Matt, Rob and I were in a band together where I was the singer. We broke up and Matt and Rob started a new band with J.T our current singer. They called me out of the blue and said, “Hey man, why don’t you come jam and play bass?” I thought it’d be cool so I went over for our first practice, and the rest is history.

DB: Well where did the name come from?

CD: We were going to play our first show and the promoter kept hounding us because he needed a name to put on the bill.  We didn’t care about a name or even try to think of one. Then for whatever reason, Rob turns around in the car and says “first band name off the top of your head.” I said Breathing Blue and we just carried on with it.

DB: Aside from the upcoming album, you’ll also be playing Bamboozle this year for the third straight year. What’s that like?

MB: It’s cool. Especially since it’s in Asbury this year, it’s probably going to be the coolest Bamboozle yet.

CD: Plus we’re all big Foo Fighters and Incubus fans, so it’s unreal for us to be playing with them in our home area.  We’re pretty excited for that and a bunch of other shows we have lined up. We have a couple of small tours coming up. We’re really just trying to hit the road and play outside of Jersey.  Although, we do have a big show coming up at the Starland Ballroom with Eve 6 that we’re getting ready for.

DB: Are you doing any of your new stuff at the Starland show?

CD: Since the record has been done, all we do is play new stuff. Whatever our set time is – oh we have 30 minutes, we can do the first four tracks. 

DB: You guys are pretty young and have done a lot for your age. Is that a weird feeling?

MB: I think sometimes we forget, but when you put it like that it makes us stop and think, “oh damn.”

CD: It’s like if you’re a football player and you win all these trophies. After that you think, “oh I want to get into this college” or “I want to get into the NFL.” So all the other stuff is cool, but when you think about it and look at all your trophies, you think “damn” and you’re always just striving to do better and progress. We have our glory moments, but the next day we’re right back to work.

RB: It goes so fast. It’s an insane feeling. You forget about it while you’re up there, especially big shows like Grammercy Theatre. It feels like we’re up there for two seconds then it’s over.

DB: What kind of struggles have you guys gone through?

CD: Being in a band. If anyone ever thinks it’s a great idea to start a band and get a trailer and go on tour, don’t do it.

DB: Then why do you do it?

CD: We’re in too deep at this point. It’s all we know how to do.

MB: Aside from that, it’s just rough. We’ll get in several fights a day. If you could imagine a struggle between two people and then on top of that you need money and then you have a deadline for something and then you have a struggle for trying to promote stuff. Everything just adds up and it’s a struggle. Sometimes I don’t even want to tell people I’m in a band because they’ll look at me like a con-headed-ninny-mugget. Nobody knows there’s more to it than playing music.

RB: Everyone thinks it’s just fun, which it is, but it’s still a job. It’s one of the toughest jobs there is.

DB: Have you found it hard to balance the band and your personal lives?

CD: Absolutely.

MB: I think we’re getting used to it because we’ve been doing it so long, but it’s still really hard.

RB: It’s brought some problems especially with girlfriends and things like that. There were some situations where it’s torn us apart and changed us. Now it’s all back to the way it was and we have our sixth member, it was all for the better. If that didn’t happen then this stuff now probably wouldn’t have, either.

DB: You guys clearly put a lot of work into what you do and people respect it. Especially with this interview, you guys were on board right away.

RB: It gets tough because people hear we’re in a band and think, “oh there’s a million others just like you.” It doesn’t get me down because the more people tell me that the harder it makes me want to work. It’s a little discouraging but then I’ll be like “well I just played to 1500 people last night.”

MB: Sometimes I’ll laugh with them and just think “I hate you,” but it doesn’t get us down too much.

DB: Which goes to show you guys are doing this for the love rather than the glory and money.

CD: When we go on a weekend tour or do any shows, it’s like, how do you think we get six or seven hours away? We didn’t make money at the last gig. It’s about whose got money to put in the van or for a hotel. That all comes out of our pocket and it’s so worth it to me because there’s no greater feeling than that.

RB: All bands go through it when they start, you know, going on tour and trying to build a following.

DB: Some bands are fortunate to be financially back, but most aren’t, and I think the ones that aren’t get the most respect because people see bands doing it themselves.

RB: That’s the goal. Hopefully people give us more of a push because we do do it ourselves. We want to build a big family of friends and fans that’ll stick with us forever.

CD: We don’t want to have one big hit and have that be the end of it. I’d love to play to 5,000 people a night. That’d be great, but I’d be perfectly content if we went on tour and there were 60 to 100 people there if every single one of them came to the show because they love our music.

DB: In the worst-case scenario that it doesn’t work out, do you guys have a back-up plan?

CD: (Rob and I have both said) if you have a back-up plan, then maybe you don’t care that much about your plan A.

DB: Finally, if you’re only remembered for one thing, what do you want it to be?

CD: That we’re all around badass.  Cool dudes, cool music. I mean, think of Led Zeppelin. If you had one word to describe them, what would it be, you know?

DB: You guys do what you want to do and it works for you. You’ve found your sound and know where you want to go which is the biggest part of the battle.  You definitely look like you have fun on stage and I’ve had a great time here. Do you have any final words?

Collectively: Rock and roll!

BoundAlive Sends a Positive Message with "Relive"

Formed with the intention of making music that relates to listeners on an intense emotional level, BoundAlive’s hard rock and metal style connects with several different audiences. You can clearly feel their 80’s thrash metal and 90’s grunge influences in all of their songs.

Staying true to their original style, BoundAlive has released their latest single, “Relive.” Like most BoundAlive songs, this song has a positive message. It’s about not reliving the same mistakes but embracing them and learning that there is hope and a choice every time.

BoundAlive said that it started out as an acoustic addictive riff and lyrics immediately followed. The first line, “This means war,” talks about the war that takes place within everyone and the battles we face with trying to make the right decisions for ourselves and loved ones.

BoundAlive may be heavy rockers, but they’re not different than anyone else. The message they try to get across is that they understand pain, heartache and the amount of control we, as individuals, have and learn that we can truly can truly shape our own destiny and rewrite our own fate.There will be times in the song where it’ll sound dark and sick but once you really hear what they have to say, you will realize the amount of power, passion and persuasion that they deliver to you.

BoundAlive is currently in the process of writing for their next album with the hope of bringing the same positive message to every song on it.

Just Kait: Not Your Average Girl

Many people may never know the name of Kait DiBenedetto. However, this 19-year-old music prodigy has gained a large following as “Just Kait.” She has gained success and fame some only imagine, especially given her young age.

Kait has dedicated her life to music. Even with the amount of success she's found, she has remained true to who she's always been. She's followed her heart and made her dreams a reality.

Dolla Bil Facciponte: Have you always had an interest in making music?

Kait DiBenedetto: Definitely. When I was little, I would pretend baseball bats were guitars so I think I've always had a love for it.

DB: What was your inspiration for getting into music?

KD: My dad was a big part of it. When I was growing up, he was in bands so I'd go to his practices. I think I always just wanted to follow in his footsteps. Besides that, listening to a lot of old school pop-punk/pop rock bands made me want to play.

DB: Who were some of your favorite bands growing up?

KD: New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, basically everything that was around those days.

DB: Those are bands that have found major success in music. You've also found some success as well. How does it feel to be featured on MTV and have your music constantly used on their programming?

KD: I'm super proud and fortunate for all of that. I never thought a company as big as MTV would ever even notice my music, especially considering they don't play much music anymore but, like, its cool. Weird, but awesome.

DB: I'm sure it's also had a big part in helping boost your career.

KD: Absolutely. People who wouldn't normally listen to my music have heard of it one way or another and that's cool. Regardless of if they actually like it or not, at least they are hearing it.

DB: Have you found any difficulties in balancing life?

KD: Not really. I think the only difficult thing for me was trying to finish high school while going on a two month tour. I definitely wanted to finish school so I did a lot of school work on the bus. I also didn't want to miss prom so I made sure I flew home right after the tour ended so I could make it. I even made my mom go to the school and get the paperwork.

DB: Is there any difference between "Just Kait" the musician and "Kait DiBenedetto" the person?

KD: Not really. Who I am in real life is exactly how I am on stage. Some of the songs I write and perform as Just Kait are a little more pop then some of the stuff I actually listen to, but that's not anything that shocking. A lot of people are like that. In early interviews with Just Kait there were definitely moments where I was told to act or restrict myself in a certain way just because I've always been pretty straight forward and sometimes people or places weren't ready for that, but besides that, there's no difference.

DB: Well it certainly seems like you're able to completely be yourself. I'm sure that also helps you connect with your fans a lot better.

KD: Exactly. I got sick of people telling me what to say and what not to say. Like you said, fans understand the real me and that's something they respect. They obviously aren't going to want to look up to an artist who's fake or dishonest. They can relate to a lot of the things I say and do because of that.

DB: Is it a weird feeling to still be growing up and being looked up to?

KD: Oh yeah. It's crazy sometimes to think that people that are older then me actually look up to me. Especially because like I told you earlier, I'm always myself around them and they are more like friends to me than anything. It definitely makes me feel good though.

DB: You perform as "Just Kait," but you're often accompanied by a band. Do you prefer to perform solo or with the band?

KD: With a band for sure. Honestly, before I started "Just Kait," I wanted the whole project to be more of a band and much less a solo project but things didn't pan out that way. I've always loved live shows with big guitars and drums.

DB: You've been working on a new EP. How's that been going?

KD: Awesome! I'm so proud of the entire thing. It really means a lot to me and I'm excited to release it in the summer!

DB: What's this album going to be like compared to your previous work?

KD: Its totally different. It shows a completely different side of me. Obviously, I pour my heart and soul into all the music I write, but these are more serious songs and you can just feel the emotion in every word and riff. Some of the subjects are a lot more [relative] in one way or another.

DB: Everyday new musicians try to make it, but more fail than succeed. In the unfortunate scenario that things don't pan out for you, do you have a pack up plan?

KD: Honestly, no. That sounds terrible but I don't. I put all my time and money into this. Money I had saved for college went to my music career and I honestly don't regret it. I went all in with this. I do have interests in other things that I'd like to do like a clothing line or something along those lines, but music is my thing.

DB: I have to say, I've done quite a few interviews and it's not very often somebody shows that type of determination and certainty.

KD: Well to me its not just music. I'm not doing it to impress anyone, I do it because I love it and its what keeps me sane. If I don't put 1,000 percent into it, I feel like I'm letting myself down.

DB: Finally, Kait, if you're only remembered for one thing, what do you wish that to be?

KD: I want to be remembered for lyrics and music that touched people. Whether that's taken in a corny way or a super serious way, I don't care. Its really cliche' but if I got one person through a bad day or saved anyone’s life in anyway, that's perfect for me.

DB: Kait for as young as you are, you've accomplished so much that people most people couldn't imagine and you're only getting started. You're positive attitude makes you a great role model and you're musical skills are incredible. Thank you so much for talking to me tonight and I wish you the best of luck.

KD: Thank you so much. It mean's so much to me and you're welcome.

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