Breakin Hundred

Have you ever been in love? Well if the answer is no ladies you've never seen Breakin' Hundred. Eric Maestre the lead vocalist is captivating to say the least. Breakin' Hundred is an original band that is about to break through the mainstream. This band is amazing. They play with such feeling and emotion it's hard not to get caught up in the moment.

Listening to Eric sing “She walks away/she starts to fade/she's so afraid/to come my way/won't you just let me know,” entrances you into a world of melancholy. You are left feeling used, hurt and confused all at once. When Eric sings his voice exudes so much passion, creating an intimate relationship with the crowd. His body moves in time to the rhythm. As the night goes on the songs get deeper and deeper penetrating your soul so you are left feeling vulnerable. Eric is extremely talented, and literally holds the audience at his whim.

Just when you feel you can't get any lower Mark Corso (drums), Judd Jaworowski (bassist), and Mike “Philly” (guitar) kick it into 5 th grear. These guys vibe off each other so perfectly, creating an unbelievable performance. When they played the song “Let It Be” the crowd went nuts. This song is fast, loud and packed with adrenaline. The crowd instantly transformed into a bunch of raging rockers.

Then Breakin' Hundred managed to continuously raise the energy level through the roof with the songs “Follow Me,” and “Breakdown.” The versatile style these guys [have] is a testament to their talent. And just when you thought it was safe, they take you back to the darkside.

The lyrics are poetic and real and hit home hard, and it's clear these guys have experienced a life not sugar coated and polished, but one that has been tarnished with disappointments. Through each song you follow their journey upon an emotional rollercoaster that will constantly have you on the edge of your seat.

If you think you can handle having your heart ripped out and then shoved back at you then come down to The Nutty Irishman on Tuesday's Wings N' Strings and listen to Breakin' Hundred. - Dana Ensalata - Good Times Magazine

Talking to the members of Breakin' Hundred, you'd never think that the live music business was in a slump, or that playing original music on Long Island was subjecting yourself to a fate akin to a case of chronic shingles. In the world of Breakin' Hundred, it's all good.

As the band heads into the studio to record its third CD, their faithful fan population continues to grow and make their presence felt at club shows. Things hit an all-time high recently when the quartet won the Santom Search band competition. The four-month battle featured more than 60 bands, but Breakin' Hundred walked away with the grand prize at the finals at The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale on November 16. Not bad for an act that has only been whole for a single year.

Guitarist/songwriter Mike (Philly) Lao and singer Eric Maestre began what would become Breakin' Hundred as an acoustic duo. The full lineup features Philly and Eric with Judd Jaworowski on bass/backing voice and Mark Corso behind the drums.

Faced with explaining the band's sound, Philly struggled to describe what is perhaps indescribable.

“It's very radio friendly, and it covers every genre. We have songs ranging from punk to alternative. We're basically an alternative band, but we branch out to every influence. It's very diverse.”

Asked if playing music that drew influences from so many genres made building a fan base difficult, Mark Corso explained how the band's experience proved this not to be the case.

“Not at all. It definitely helps us. We played in the city at a comedy club, Don't Tell Mama. At first four comedians went on, and then us. We were very nervous about what kind of reaction we were going to get, but it was beyond belief how they reacted to us.”

“We didn't have many of our fans there,” Maestre continues. “So to play in front of total strangers and get bigger applause than the comedians and Broadway singers was just unbelievable.”

The Breakin' Hundred singer spoke about the difference between how club audiences respond to original music in New York City as opposed to their own backyard in Long Island .

“I think on Long Island it's a bit harder to get respect as an original band. Most places will expect you to play covers just to appeal to everybody, and we really try very strongly to get by without playing covers. We already have such a decent following of people asking to hear our originals, so why should we play other people's music when we don't need to be? So I think in the city, they are a little more receptive with original music.”

“People in the city,” Philly follows, “are more independent and willing to listen to something new. They're more outgoing and liberal. Here they're more conservative, and if they hear something that they don't know, they're more likely to shut you out.”

The band's current record, A Jar of Change , is available at their shows, but Breakin' Hundred is in the studio working on their next project, which is slated for a spring '05 release. For the boys of Breakin' Hundred, this is expected to the their break-out disc.

“We've recorded two albums so far, but our best stuff is what we're recording right now. It's weird because we won this battle of the bands playing all songs that are unrecorded. And these are the songs that are going to go on the next album. We've grown so much from the first demo. The songwriting, the playing, everything has grown.”

As Breakin' Hundred's lone songwriter, Philly is faced with carrying the band's message. The writer spoke about what he intends for the listener to take away from his lyrics.

“It's about life. I don't want to sound cheesy, but that's all there is to it. You can relate to it. The lyrics are never too specific; you can see it any way you want to. So when you listen, you can relate to it no matter what you're going through. But we try not to be too generic, because how many times can you say ‘I love you' in a song.”

“I never write songs specifically for anything. If I can't stop myself from singing it, I know it's going to be a hit. I know that when I'm playing it, that it's going to be hard for people not to sing along. It's going to be stuck in their heads. I build from the chorus. I never write verses. I start with the chorus.”

Though the songs are open to interpretation, the focus and goals of the band are not. The members of Breakin' Hundred want it all, and for these four musicians, success is a matter of “when” and not “if.”

“What we're trying to do right now is concentrate on the music,” says Eric Maestre. “To get this third CD, which is by far the best thing that Philly's written, out there and get signed.”

“If you come to one of our shows,” Philly offers, “You're going to see some high school kids on one side, you'll see corporate office people on another, and you'll see an older crowd of people in their forties listening to us. Everybody basically appreciates it, and that's the main goal of the band - to reach out to everybody. We want to take this all the way, as far as we can. We're not going to stop until we're one of the best bands out there. We feel very strongly about that, and we're all on the same page. It's either this or nothing.” - Dan Brown - Good Times Magazine