Big Plans

The thing I love about Instagram is that there are so many great bands out there just waiting for me to discover & I’m glad I found these guys. Let me introduce you to The Break Plans..

Q: So tell me how the band got together….something about a Craigslist ad?

A: Lol! Yea that’s exactly right! Colton was looking for a band after years of trying to be a solo artist and Mikey was looking for a singer. So one day I (Mikey) decided to check out Craigslist to see if anyone was out there looking to collaborate, especially a singer and I stumbled upon Colton’s full page advertisement. Usually Craigslist is a dead end for musicians in our genre but surprisingly he was into a lot of bands that I liked including Coldplay, The Killers, The Beatles. We ended up meeting at a neutral location like it was a first date and the rest is history. Also just to add, not too long after that both Colton and I met Dan, our incredibly talented drummer on Instagram. So we’d like to thank the internet for being invented. LOL.

Q: Your musical style is kind of pop with an alternative edge to it…who inspires you as musicians?

A: We’re sort of all over the place with our inspirations honest. I think the one thing we can definitely agree on is that we love pop music and catchy hooks. It’s actually funny because growing up I was heavily influenced by my father’s love for music and The Beach Boys. Oddly enough, Colton was influenced by his parents love for The Beatles, which were both rock bands but with their own take on making pop music. As I got older, I really got into pop punk music and not going to lie but even enjoyed the guilty pleasures like boy band music. I think I really found my inspiration though when The Killers put out Hot Fuss, which is an incredible album. The balance of indie-new wave and anthemic rock that The Killers put into that album was everything I could ever want in music. Also, I can’t forget to mention Coldplay and Avicii were also huge inspirations for us too, especially Colton. I think Colton wishes he could come back in another life as a famous Swedish DJ.

Q: Hailing from NJ, what are some of of the local venues that you’ve played in that are some of your favorite?

A: We actually have played in different bands before we were The Break Plans, and fortunately enough to have had the chance to play in tons of venues in Jersey. Pre The Break Plans, The Stone Pony was always a favorite venue of mine because the sound in that place really made you feel like you were larger than life! Unfortunately when our band was just getting started with playing live shows, the pandemic shut everything down so we actually only played a few select shows in Jersey. We played our first show last January at The Saint in Asbury Park and it was unreal how amazing that show was. So many people came out to see a brand new band play its first show that we will always treasure it! Moving forward we have always said that The House of Independents is our main focus and goal. We think that venue is within reach for us soon and hope we can make it happen!

Q: What has the band been doing during shutdowns & quarantines to keep fans up to date & hearing your latest music? Live streams?

A: We started the pandemic era with doing lots of Instagram Lives and quarantine videos and released some new music in-between there. We also ran some contests to name our song “city lights” as well as merch contests. We also did a bunch of podcast interviews, which was super awesome to keep our fans in the loop. Overall, though we have been working on new music and trying to get up and ready for Spring and Summer.

Singles released in 2020: Let Go; City Lights; Crossroads

Q: The band released 3 singles in 2020.,. Let Go, City Lights and Crossroads… all of these songs sound like they belong in a tv show or film trailer…they must have that familiarity that makes me want to keep listening to them over and over. How long did it take to record? Are you working on a full length album?

A: Well, thank you so much for saying that! We hear that often that our songs have a “coming of age” sound or could be heard in a movie! At first, I didn’t know if that was a good thing but after really hearing further feedback about it, I was blown away by how much people like the music. Ultimately, the songs do not take long to be recorded. We basically hit the studio and track our instruments. Dan takes about 20 minutes to drum out his parts (literally – it’s crazy how good he is) we work on some sound design and then Colton, who’s flawless in the studio, lays down his vocals. The songwriting and prep does take some time and can be exhausting and tedious. I’m a perfectionist and can’t put my stamp of approval on anything until a I feel it’s ready. It drives Colton crazy sometime but I think he has also learned that we need to raise the bar every time we write new music.

Q: What did you guys do over the holidays? Best gift you received, best gift given?

A: I smoked smoked a lot of meat! If you saw my Instagram stories, I gave a play by play of my smoking process! I actually got a new car finally! So that was a nice present. I had been driving around in my wife’s old SUV and finally after the exhaust went and I started sounding like an old motorcycle, it was time to move on! Colton bought himself a new computer, which was much deserved! I also bought Colton a pair of white skinny jeans so maybe he’ll wear them someday! I didn’t ask Dan what he got for Christmas. It he’s always a good guy so he probably got everything he wanted from Santa!

Q: You are going on a national tour & you have to choose an opening act. Who it be and why?

A: Well I would say The Killers or Coldplay but then again I don’t think anyone would stick around to watch us after as the headliner! Honestly, we haven’t toured before as The Break Plans so just touring and being an opener would be an honor in its own! But we would love to tour with bands like Lovelytheband or Smallpools maybe even The Bleachers…ohhhh Neon Trees would be an amazing band to tour with. I know we’re shooting for the stars with wishing to play with these bands but heh, who knows, maybe someday.

Q: Where can fans find your merch & music?

A: So our biggest home base is Instagram. So if you’re looking to interact with us or find the latest news head directly over there at thebreakplans. But the one place where you can find merch and music is by clicking on our link tree site which takes you to every streaming platform we are on and our merch store. https://linktr.ee/thebreakplans

Thanks guys for the great interview! If you’re band has new music that you want to put out or get on my IG story, send me a DM through IG on music_stylist or if you would like an interview as well.

Until next time, I’m Your Music Stylist. ✌🏼