Readymade Breakup

READYMADE BREAKUP

Less thinking, more feeling. That's the simple philosophy behind Readymade Breakup's forthcoming record, Alive on the Vine. After several tumultuous years of constantly changing bandmates, failed brushes with the major label machine, and creative confusion, the band finally gave up and stopped trying… and finally made the rock and roll record they always had in them.

The start of 2007 saw the release of the band's debut, Isn't That What It's For?, which received critical praise for its lush pop textures and sweeping melancholy. Singer/songwriter Paul Rosevear, bassist G.E., and keyboardist Matt Jaworski recorded the album bit by bit throughout 2006 with friend and producer Arun Venkatesh. The music was quickly featured by big names like Dunkin Donuts and Turner Broadcasting, received constant radio spins on NY/NJ rock and college radio markets, as well as maintained steady internet presence on blogs and playlists throughout the year.

However after touring in support of the album throughout the year – with new guitarist Jim Fitzgerald added to the line-up and the return of drummer Spicy O'Neil – the band knew it was time to make a record that captured the soul and spirit they felt making music together live.

Armed with a laptop, a handful of microphones, and any instrument they could possibly get their hands on, the group said goodbye to their day jobs, friends, and social lives and rented a small house at the Jersey Shore. "We basically moved in together and wrote and recorded every day, 10 hours a day, for about 3 months, just spilling out whatever ideas came naturally," says Rosevear. "We're not engineers and none of us had ever done anything like this before. But we knew what felt great and that's what this whole thing was about. Forgetting everything except what feels right.”

But it wasn't all easy – without a producer involved, the tension mounted when it came to arguments over creative direction. "We fought," he continues. "I mean really fought. Usually over the smallest details – stuff you'd never even notice – but all that really showed was how much it meant to each of us. Everybody wanted to be heard." The stress of going broke, being isolated, and struggling to reach compromises was nearly as powerful as the music the band was creating.

The result is perfect imperfection: noisy guitars, haphazard engineering, one take performances, pitchy pianos, improvised lyrics, and an unbridled sense of spirit that can only come from a band trying to make music they truly believe in. And now it's out of their hands and into yours. Try to not sing along with the bluesy swagger of "Ugly," or the soulful shrieks in "Stretch Your Head." Try to shake the straight rock vibe of "One By One" or ignore the cacophonous groove of "Honey, You Might Be Right." Try to not be moved by the bare bones vocals in "I Don't Mind" or the haunting guitars in "Talking to Myself." It's impossible.

Alive on the Vine is a record that speaks so loudly to the members of Readymade Breakup that it is destined to speak loudly to anyone who hears it. As Rosevear belts in a desperate, fractured voice, "We will never quiet down," in the soulful "Quiet," you can tell the lyric isn't only true to the song – it's true of the band as well.