Mel Chrome- guitar, vocals
Mark Parker - bass, vocals
Jay Mazeffect - drums, vocals
Influences
The Ramones, The Replacements, Cheap Trick, Descendents, Booker T & The M.G.s, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, Hard-Ons, Elvis Presley, Cousin Brucie, Dramarama, KISS, Van Halen, Husker Du, The Funk Brothers, Guided By Voices, Soul Asylum (The Twin Tone/A&M era), Black Flag, The Dils, The Fiendz, Tom Waits, Misfits, Queen, Dictators, Iggy & The Stooges, Joan Jett, Private Iron, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Motown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Reigning Sound, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Kirsty Maccoll, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Dead Boys, New York Dolls, Big Star, Weirdos, Zeros, Iron Maiden, Spinal Tap...
Sounds Like
Mike Nesmith of The Monkees playing with Husker Du.
The Break Evens "Win If You Can...Lose If You Must...But Always Break Even!" CD is now available!!! Soon to be available for digital download!!!
From Punkornothing.com:
The Break Evens-S/T
"From the shadow of Mazeffect, there emerges a new punk band with just as much respect for all things catchy and melodious: The Break Evens. Yet whilst Mazeffect was a great, rocking little punk band, The Break Evens noticeably step things up a notch here with their debut self titled EP. The songs are short and sharp, simplistic whilst never feeling lacking, and abundant with guitar based melodies; they have essentially hit the rock 'n' roll nail on the head. The Break Evens may be labeled under the umbrella term of "pop-punk", but really it's more than that. If this was about in the '80s, we would no doubt be calling this "college rock". Each song leaps from your stereo with a certain Husker Du/ Mudhoney element to it, yet there's no denying the band's biggest influence: The Replacements. There have been surprisingly few Replacements influenced bands since their demise; everyone seems to at the very least appreciate their music but in almost none can the influence be found directly in the music. Which is why it is a very novel influence for The Break Evens to have. And they don't abuse it either: they take those simple elements that made The Replacements so good, and use it to their advantage. The Break Evens utilize that pure rock 'n' roll sound, cranking up the guitars, but never forgetting the song, that The Replacements were so expert at in their 'Sorry Ma'/ 'Let It Be' days. Having said that, the pop-punk elements here are more than evident, and if you're a fan of the modern, underground pop-punk sound, you won't help but love this. If not: you're in the wrong genre, bucko!
The Break Evens burn through seven tracks here of pure fun and rock 'n' excess, whilst retaining a musical credibility (i.e. actually being able to play their guitar well)- two things which don't usually go together in the punk genre. The album opens with the best of the lot in 'I Think I'd Die': pop punk at its finest, awash with melody and bite, it has the mother of all choruses ("I think I'd die if I had to spend my life with you". I can think of no better way to start this record. Other highlights include the catchy as fuck 'Highland Street' and the rock 'n' roll infection that is 'Analog Girl', that sounds like it has come straight out of the '50s. What's more, their lyrical basis may be rooted in the pop-punk genre (girls/ alienation) but it really is noticeable how much better The Break Evens' song-writing is than the majority of this genre. They retain the idea of realism/ simplicity but steer clear of the usual clichés surrounding the genre. There is also a hidden track at the end, which is a bit of an anomaly. It's straight up pop-punk, sounding like a lost Queers track- I'm not sure what they were going for here, but it bounces along well enough I guess. The actual album itself though can do no wrong. So, to sum up: buy this now or die trying."
From Jersey Beat:
The Break Evens rock hard! Production is lean, mean, and minimal, which helps to make the songs more durable and likable. What also stands out are the lyrics- beautifully realized stories put to record. With an epically keen eye to detail, and a wide ranging catalogue of musical influences, The Break Evens’ adds plenty of color with songs like “I Think I’d Die,” “Ready to Run,” or “Analog Girl.” Detailed characters and substantial scenarios in about three minutes time.
Formed in the wake of Mazeffect, The Break Evens are, Jay Mazeffect (formerly on guitar in Mazeffect),on drums, and vocals, Mel (former bassist for Mazeffect), on lead guitar, and Mark Parker on bass and vocals. They released this 8 song EP while they’re in the process of putting together their new album. Besides the seven originals they include a sharp rendition of the Ramones’ “Babysitter” that works well with he rest of the EP. The Break Evens’ music is spot-on when it comes to melodic punk. They show more imagination and inspiration, with an awareness of changing times, and the music comes in time-warped from the 70’s.
Hopefully The Break Evens will be road testing these and the rest of their new album. They’ve been playing at Buddies In Sayreville, which is great place to see them and a lot of other cool, original bands.- Phil Rainone
From A Local Musical Icon:
The Break Evens – Clearly a band brought up from the cinders of a group of local musicians who killed a drummer. The Break Evens are out to prove they understand the meaning of being first in line. They are a mix of post modern punk and damaged stereo test records. The females enjoy their trousers and the males in the crowd wish they were part of the scene. They are everything you have heard about and more. - Mike Grau
We used to be in other bands. We're now in this one. We like it better, anyways.
You can buy our new CD "Win If You Can...Lose If You Must...But Always Break Even!" at INTERPUNK
Our newest 10 song CD, recorded in glorious 16-Track analog:
Oh man -- why you gotta go and set a gig when my bandmates are playing over at the Starland with Magnet! I swear keep me ( SUN ) posted and I will make the next one.
you guys are totally kicking off a series of awesome nights at the court. full of fancy and slaw are there the night after you and we're there the night after that. too bad there's no cool like 3 night in a row discount at the parking deck across the street.
Listen to bands like: Hub City Stompers, Millsted, Disaster Us, Fake Gimms, The Death of Me, RazorBlade HandGrenade, NJ Bloodline, Ruined Machines, Set On Display, Italic, Uncle Al, As Luck Would have it, The NonExistent Year, Nine Days To Drop, Floyd Murray, The Minor Lift, Daly’s Gone Wrong!!!!
