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Breathe Carolina PLUGS INTO WARPED TOUR
By John Benson
What a difference a decade has made for David Schmitt.
It was just more than 10 years ago that a young Schmitt ventured out to the Warped Tour as a fan. Now his electronic rock act is the toast of the annual summer rite of passage featuring dozens of bands barnstorming America.
“The first Warped Tour I went to was 2001,” said Schmitt, calling from California. “I went to see Rancid and H2O. I was 14 or 15, and it was awesome. I waited in the H20 sign line. It was so surreal being there and seeing that, and now being able to play it. It’s just crazy to me, so crazy.”
Breathe Carolina — Schmitt (vocals, guitar) and Kyle Even (vocals) — returns to the area for the Warped Tour’s Wednesday show at Blossom Music Center and a Thursday date at First Niagara Pavilion. It’s been quite a ride for the Cobra Starship-sounding duo, which began in 2007 when the Colorado-based musicians and roommates found themselves without a band.
Eventually the twosome started noodling around with an electronic rock and dance-y sound. That caught the ear of an indie label, which released their debut, “It’s Classy, Not Classic.” After an incessant touring schedule, the band signed to a bigger indie label and released sophomore effort “Hello Fascination.” That project debuted at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and created a buzz.
For the act’s latest effort, “Hell Is What You Make It,” Breathe Carolina joined forces with producer Ian Kirkpatrick (Neon Trees and Plain White T’s). Last summer, the new CD’s lead single, “Blackout,” reached No. 18 on the Top 40 chart and was certified gold. That success found the group jumping labels once again, only this time it inked a deal with Columbia Records.
While the Breathe Carolina story is somewhat clich d, what makes it mind-boggling is all of this success came from an act that had no interest in electronic music.
“I remember the first song I had no clue how to produce electronic music,” Schmitt said. “I wasn’t even really trying to. I just sat down on my friend’s computer and just like played around on the keyboards. I didn’t even play keyboards at that point, so I just transferred what I know about guitar to piano. I said, ‘This sounds pretty dance-y. I want to see if I can make it more dance-y.’”
Breathe Carolina’s music is dance-oriented indeed. Highlights from the latest effort include the pulsating “Last Night (Vegas),” the dance floor-friendly “Sweat It Out” and the hedonistic “Waiting.”
Up next for the act is the tough task of duplicating its success with yet another new CD, which Schmitt, sounding like a streetwise rapper, said “bumps hard, is super fun and full of life.” A release date for the new album hasn’t been announced.
Still, the one-hit wonder shadow looms heavy over Breathe Carolina. No one knows this more than Schmitt, who constantly hears potentially dangerous self-aggrandizing fodder from fans.
“People are like, ‘How does it feel, you guys have made it?’” Schmitt said. “We’re like, ‘We haven’t made anything.’ We have so much further to go and so much more to do. We’re nowhere near where we want to be.”