BREATHE CAROLINA by Karen Hain for HEARmag.com
When we walked into the basement-like MXTP in Grand Rapids on 11/11, my friend’s glasses fogged up immediately. The air was thick with sweat, so much so that it would have seemed more likely to be surrounded by large, hairy, old men than the teenagers that actually kept us company. The kids were packed in as close to the stage as possible, arm-to-arm, waiting for former MTV PUSH artist Breathe Carolina. They all had the same wide-eyed look on their faces.
As soon as the duo, Kyle Even and David Schmitt, approached with their backing band, I understood why. The guys exactly mimicked the crowd’s enthusiasm. As the show went on, it was hard to tell whether Breathe Carolina fed off of the audience or vice versa. The craziness started with crowd-surfers during the very first song, “Wooly,” and didn’t stop for even a second the entire set. That’s what it really takes to reel people in and keep dedicated fans happy, and Breathe Carolina knows it. At one point, Schmitt asked who had seen Breathe Carolina play before, and absolutely EVERYONE screamed.
“Hell Is What You Make It” is the band’s latest album, released in July. If you’ve never listened to them, they incorporate a ton of different styles into their music and go from one to another pretty quickly. Pop and screamo can be heard in the vocals. The sound is electronic, dance, pop, hardcore, even a little rap, all at the same time. It keeps things exciting!
I saw Breathe Carolina at the Van’s Warped Tour two summers in a row and remembered them playing and singing a lot better that I had expected. Such a huge element of their music is electronic, so I wasn’t sure if it would seem like I was just listening to a recording or if they would just sound bad live. I was surprised at how good they were, but this show was way better because the venue was so much smaller and there wasn’t much holding fans back from the stage. At least a dozen people were able to get onstage and link arms with Schmitt, and he kept literally grabbing fans’ faces and singing right in their ears, in the kind of way that would really be creepy if it was anyone aside from your favorite band.
Listen to Breathe Carolina’s two Christmas songs, “Mile-High Christmas” and “Snowed In,” or check out their latest album. www.breathecarolina.net
