N.Y. Breaks

N.Y. Breaks

Ithaca's N.Y. Breaks are the last of the great American bar bands as defined by Little Steven Van Zandt of the Underground Garage, coming up the hard way making a one to one connection with their LiVE audience night by night, show by show, taking whatever work they can find and making it go! Original songs are the backbone of the whole worthwhile adventure and newly rereleased material from the band's mid-1980's heyday previously only available contemporarily and distributed only promotionally and regionally at the time are a revelation confirming the local legends about both the songs and energetic and personable delivery club goers could depend on from the scrappy radio & TV, English, film & music school majors all IC student upstart R&B combo back in the day. N.Y. Breaks tied their favorite then-current band on the scene Desperadoes in the Ithaca Times 1984 Readers Poll as Best Rock Band of the year. Their legacy from those peak regionally successful under-the-radar youthful days was and is to be found in the WICB-FM Stomper of The Year from that time when “there used to be a place where there used to be a face that was mine” as co-founders Michael Culhane on lead guitar & vocals sings on his own original song in the opening line, soon to be echoed in the next verse by drummer, band manager, in-house co-producer & co-arranger, featured harmony and as heard featured here co-lead singer John Sharples, while Matt Keating chimes in on backing vocals this time, and provides the essential Hammond organ swirls, framed and prodded by the churning turning sophisticated and spontaneous bass bravado of Mike Tinus, as both captured in recording class and catapulted to both brief but wide acclaim and potential and likely future glory on the airwaves by their fellow student fans of their own accord and initiative in appreciation and affection once upon a time deep in Central New York State, for all to enjoy today in posterity in the former rarity and now reborn long-lost college radio classic song by MC with N.Y. Breaks “The Main Thing”. If you’re wondering what this N.Y. Breaks music is about, what to know and how to know it, you have to start someplace, and that’s The Main Thing! What funky riff-y heartfelt melodic singalong fun this still is, and for most of us it is also timelessly old but still highly accessible listenable and thus brand new too, so if you’re ever curious to check it out, you’ll be glad you did, and how, as we say, so please do, and do it soon. Listen up! Rock that thang! Play it now! Recently recording & releasing a brand new version of one live favorite they never got around to putting down on tape at the time “For Better Or For Worse” finds the band’s ephemeral college town jam band vibe at its most lyrical still intact and flourishing in the circular swooping and inventive bass line groovy and minimalist electric guitar and slamming indie dance rock drums with wryly wittily catchy power pop, new wave, folk rock, young punk, hard rocking and classic primal r&b veins, neo soul music and melodic dance rock. This was only the first collection of original songs generated by and for a single rock band that is penned & composed by Michael Culhane and/or Matt Keating, both individually and as a newly displayed and increasingly prolific young songwriting team. Today, as of 2020, each has established their own separate careers both as solo acts and authors each in their own right — and in their own write (if you will) — as well liked and respected, if as yet underexposed, less widely known outside Central N.Y. State or Boston once or twice upon a time and through the ensuing years around NYC and now also L.A., with Nashville always on the horizon, and generally underrated overall, skilled canny and crafty music creators recording artists and performers. Now, by enjoying and sharing the never-before-published lyrics to their earliest best loved and frequently played original songs alongside lo-fi LiVE Breakleg (i.e. vintage rare bootlegs tape restorations and remasters) versions of their rowdy affectionate and raucous rawly effective classic cover versions we can all close our eyes and see the smiling or sneering charming eager naughty and talented young lads they must have been and will always be, earning their place in the hearts and on the radios of the fun loving new music fans then locally listening at hand and finally also within (and without!) the open ears and minds that venture to listen in once and again to this day win over all of us, those who can now conjure the N.Y. Breaks sound for themselves through various music services, best of all to buy from directly and in effective support of the artist, or also to stream and legally share most everywhere and anywhere, virtually or literally on demand. Both sides of N.Y. Breaks repertoire are now represented featuring among the many songs contained in the great records all currently on offer through Culbrain Records as digital singles, EPs and albums today, with hopes of more on the way! Be sure to cue up the likes of “U Love A Scandal” “Instant Replay (Instant Replay)” and of course “The Main Thing” grab a partner or a friend, turn it on, PLAY LOUD, project those tunes and lyrics wherever you can reflect the love and hit the rock ’n’ roll soul and rhythm & blues virtual and/or local public dance floor whenever the urge hits and the spirit moves you!

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