Breaching Vista

Breaching Vista – Nervous EP CD (Bright Side Records/Engineer Records)

This three-song EP is technically a single from Breaching Vista’s latest album, ‘Vera City’, which was released in late 2011. The band – vocalist/guitarist John Maksym, bassist/backing vocalist Mike Chhangur, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Al Malnar, and drummer Nolan Orth – have been kicking around their native Canada since 2007 and have been creating quite a stir with ‘Nervous’, which is a catchy-as-hell slice of pop-rock with a barely discernable and very radio-friendly dusting of modern pop-punk sprinkled along the edges. Two versions of ‘Nervous’ appear here – a tightened-up radio edit of the original and a pretty acoustic take. The EP is rounded out with an acoustic demo of ‘Not Our Fate’, which sounds for all the world like a radio anthem in waiting. The Impaler @impalerspeaks - Mass Movement Magazine, by Martijn, February 06, 2013

VisiONtheNet, by Tyler, May 15, 2012

Breaching Vista is the definition of “I make music to get on the radio” however, the band has very catchy material; they write extremely well and are without a doubt talented artists. Not that there’s anything wrong with that generic “radio play” mainstream music but it certainly isn’t what I’m looking for in a musician or band I can support and listen to on a regular basis. As I’ve discussed with musicians, in my articles and amongst persons within the music industry, everyone with a laptop and an Internet connection thinks they’re a musician. So with all the ease and ability to propel a musician’s career, the bland and unoriginal material that gets tossed my way too often just doesn’t make the cut. Although Breaching Vista’s new release, Vera City, is very radio friendly, it is still creative, catchy and therefore, credible.

All throughout the record; memorable choruses, impressive bass and guitars as well as catchy drums capture the attention of the listener. The riffs blend well with the drums, the easy to learn lyrics fit into the choruses perfectly, making them unforgettable. This, accompanied by the numerous gang vocals, really brings the ideal presence of a live performance to the record. The album opens up with an intro track entitled; “We Are The Way.” The song opens with light guitar work and gains momentum, with a chorus of gang vocals leading into the next song “Sleep.” This track, “Sleep” sets the precedent for the rest of the album, most of the tracks following the generic “radio play formula.” Some of the more memorable tracks on the album are amongst my favorites; ”Forgive You” and “Tonight.” The first; “Forgive You” pulls at the strings to your heart, with a constant building melody that eventually leads to chanting that is reminiscent to songs heard in the Lion King. Whereas “Tonight” opens with a simple strum on the guitar and erupts into a catchy track, filled with emotion and stuffed to the brim of the repetitive and unforgettable chorus; “it’s never too late to make your way back home again.”

Tracklist:
1. We are the Way
2. Sleep
3. Nervous
4. Forgive You
5. Give me a Reason
6. Tonight
7. Reverie
8. Run with the Punches
9. W5
10. Wrath of Nyre
11. Goodbye, So Long
12. Letters
13. Little Thoughts

Halfway through Vera City I found myself losing interest, not because of the lack of musicianship, but because of the way all the songs seemed to blend together and get lost in the folds of a structured album. The “structure,” is one that was seen throughout The Used’s latest release, Vulnerable; intro, verse, chorus, verse, breakdown, chorus, outro. Breaching Vista are a great band, but I feel like they’re heading in the wrong direction. Diversify; change the format of the songs and make the music stand out from the crowd. This group is on the verge of something great, I can’t wait to hear what they do with the next album; however Vera City is not for me. I’m giving the album a 2.5/5.

Favourite Songs:
Forgive You
Tonight
Run With The Punches

Cheers,
Tyler
- VisiONtheNet, by Tyler, May 15, 2012

Marian Boy Entertainment, by Kadie Balfour, May 06, 2012

Spring is in the air, and it’s time for some spring cleaning. For me, that means I need to do some serious playlist updating. When Marina Boy asked me to review a new album, I was gung ho. My ipod and my ears needed some new tunes. The album was VeraCity, by Kitchener, Ontario’s own Breaching Vista.


Let’s start with my first impression of the album: it’s feel-good and it’s chill-out. All the tracks on this album are perfect driving songs, especially with their excellent balance of motivational lyrics, upbeat songs, and relaxation tunes. The guitar, too, was great. I love songs where the guitar sounds like it’s singing, it adds a great layer to the music, and it accompanies the vocals perfectly. On the note of the vocals, this album can really appeal to people who enjoy singing along with their music. The vocals are strong and the lyrics are really well put together and thought through.

I only want to say good things about this album, but I have one small note: I’m not sure if this album has found an entirely original sound. This can always be argued that perhaps it’s just the genre of music with that specific style, but I felt like the album needed a touch of something more to make it fresh and innovative.


So which songs were the most awesome? Let me tell you. Track 3 of the album, Nervous, stuck out most for me, and I found the tune and lyrics really got stuck in my head. Another song was Forgive You. It had a catchy drum beat, strong lyrics, and the added strings made a strong addition to the composition. Lastly, Letters, is a song that you shouldn’t miss by this band. It’s a beautiful song, with lyrics that make you stop what you’re doing and listen.


Similar bands to Breaching Vista include Hedley and Jimmy Eat World, so if you’re a fan of Alternative Rock, you can’t miss out of this band. I know after listening to this, I need to see them live.
Check out their facebook page for more info: www.facebook.com/breachingvistamusic

- Kadie Balfour
- Marian Boy Entertainment, by Kadie Balfour, May 06, 2012

ROCKFREAKS.NET, by Petteri Pertola, June 20, 2012

For anyone in doubt that pop rock can't possibly sound good and be worthy of your attention, you need to check out "Vera City", the sophomore album by the Canadian rock band Breaching Vista. Their interpretation of the stale and tired radio-friendly pop rock genre is like a breath of fresh air precisely because it feels like the opposite of all the garbage you tend to hear on the radio: even though their expression isn't necessarily original, it is played with more energy and more convincingly than all the modern Cartel's and Hit The Lights' put together. The resulting sound is one that carries all the tell-tale signs of an 'epic' sounding release, but without the pitfalls of sounding over-ambitious or like the rocket ship has long since left the earth (read: Muse's modern material).

In short, Breaching Vista write big, hook-laden pop rock anthems while keeping their feet in the ground. In many ways, they resemble our local pop rock ensemble A Road To Damascus, just minus the occasional screams and heavy sections, and plus influence from Simple Plan's new material and Hedley as well. A song like "Nervous" has enormous chart hit potential with its infectious chorus that's built up through a quiet verse, a perfect bridge, and great clean vocals, but the same could be said about pretty much any track on "Vera City". They even throw in some Jimmy Eat World influence for good measure, such as on "Give Me A Reason" which has a distinct "Bleed American" vibe to it.

The biggest strength of Breaching Vista though is undoubtedly their vocalist's ability to transform his voice from quiet, relaxed verses into halfway explosive choruses that are filled with catchy hooks and arena potential. It's surprising that a band as small as them are able to write such big, spacious songs, capable fo filling huge concert halls, but that just speaks volumes about the talent this band possesses. If they can continue to write songs like "Sleep", "Nervous" and others on this record, you shouldn't be surprised to start hearing them on your local radio stations across North America.

7½ / 10

Download: Sleep, Nervous, Give Me A Reason
For the fans of: A Road To Damascus, Hedley, Simple Plan, Hit The Lights
Listen: Facebook - ROCKFREAKS.NET, by Petteri Pertola, June 20, 2012

CONFRONT Magazine, by Lili-Anh Le Minh, June 06, 2012

Interview by Lili-Anh Le Minh

Breaching Vista is a Canadian band from Kitchener, Ontario. Since their formation in 2007, they have spread out and are now backed by two great independent labels. In 2011, they released their full-length, “Vera City”. We weren’t able to schedule a face-to-face interview, but here are some questions John answered by email!

CONFRONT: Can I have a little band history 101?

JOHN: Breaching Vista is a pop-infused alt-rock quartet from Kitchener, Ontario. We started the band in early 2007, having met each other years before in high school and around the local music scene, and we were all at a point where we were looking for a new band to play in.

The original band line up was myself (John Maksym) as lead vocalist and guitarist, Mike Chhangur on bass and backing vocals, Al Malnar on lead guitar and backing vocals, and NikVarey on drums. This has recently changed though with Nik leaving the band on good terms in September 2011 to pursue other goals in life, and Nolan Orth officially joining as our new drummer in April 2012, after a 7 month long search.

We’ve played over 150 shows, and have 2 releases under our belts. In 2008 we independently released “Breaking The View”, a 4 song EP that helped us get the attention of Bright Side Records in Canada, and Engineer Records in the UK. Our full-length record, “Vera City” was released on both labels in 2011.

We’ve been fortunate to be part of some great festivals in Ontario and have directly supported some awesome bands including Theory of a Deadman, Jacks Mannequin, Finger Eleven, Hedley, and The Reason to name a few.

CONFRONT: What made you decide to pursue this uncertain career path?

JOHN :It wasn’t really a conscious decision at first. I don’t think we really chose this as individuals. It feels more like the career chose us. My personal experience goes way back to being 3 years old and jumping around on the couch with a red plastic guitar while my dad blasted his old Springsteen vinyl. Everyone in the band has been playing instruments since their childhood, and it’s been a natural progression to go from garage band to independent semi-pro band. And as many bands do, we aim to continue to grow and turn this into a professional career path.

CONFRONT: You’re in the new generation of bands who are immersed in the internet’s takeover of the music industry, how do you think it’s affecting the industry?

JOHN: Well the internet did 2 major things. It made anyone and everyone’s music very accessible worldwide, and it destroyed the old model of the record industry. The music industry is thriving as a whole, having so many more available outlets to get your music heard by new listeners, and connect with fans globally without the support of a major label. The record industry on the other hand, is on a major decline and will soon be non-existent because people no longer need to buy records. Digital distribution has become the new wave of music distribution, and tangible products such as CD’s have hard costs associated in manufacturing. Not only that, but if you really want to find music for free (illegally) online, you can find it. There is a lot less revenue being made in physical record sales, and labels are losing money on what used to be their gold mine.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that record companies made a ton of money off CD sales in the 90’s when CDs first started coming out, because people were buying records they already owned on vinyl or cassette just to have their favorite music in the newest listening format. This caused a huge increase in sales for quite some time, and labels cashed in on it. With all this money coming in, they started spending more on developing artists and ended up going way over budget on many different projects. As soon as illegal downloading started it killed the record companies domination of sales, and suddenly the - CONFRONT Magazine, by Lili-Anh Le Minh, June 06, 2012

/scribbles, by Mike Cullen, May 31, 2012

Profiling Kitchener, Ontario rock outfit, Breaching Vista

When I originally signed up to do a feature on Kitchener-based Breaching Vista, I was told that the band would be similar in sound to fellow Canadian pop-rockers Simple Plan and Hedley. I prepared myself for something that sounded incredibly mainstream, more pop than punk or rock, and maybe even a bit immature sounding. Instead, what I got was a thirteen song debut album that shows a lot of maturity, some great lyrics and an incredible sound. Vera City certainly does not sound like a debut album; it sounds like something else entirely. And that altering of expectations is something that carried throughout the album. To say that I’m impressed by this band and their debut release is an understatement.

The cohesiveness of sound and theme in this album gives the impression that the band has put out extensive material before, and that this is simply just the latest release. The fact that the band has been together for a little over five years, and just put out this album last spring means they’ve had time to hone their skills as musicians and songwriters. That honing of their skill has paid off in a big way.

I asked the band if the album had been predominately written from lead singer John Maksym’s experiences, or if all members were involved in the song writing process. Surprisingly, it’s a bit of both.

As the band described it, Maksym writes all of the lyrics, as well as rough musical demos, but the ideas are brought to the band and all of the member’s have the opportunity to provide input on how it should sound and where the song should go. As described by the band, “often times, only half of the lyrics are written when the music is brought to the table, and are finished after the song’s structure has been arranged”, not unlike the creative process that U2 goes through. Even though the lyrics are predominately from the experience and perspective of Maksym, it’s done in such a way that “he tries to tell a story and help paint a picture for the listener to interpret the song in whatever way it works for them”.

That is certainly the impression that I received listening to this album, and while the band members don’t seem to have the same favorite song, there’s still a sense that they’ve got a true love the album they’ve released. John Maksym and drummer Nik Varey both cite “Forgive You” as their favorite song from the album. Maksym specifically stated his love of “Forgive You” stems from his love early appreciation of rock ballads with their layered, almost orchestral instrumentation. Bassist Mike Chhangur said that “Give Me a Reason” was about the only song he didn’t like when the originally set to put the album out. After many revisions, and even a bit of procrastination, the song managed to take on a life of it’s own, transforming itself into something that he’s fallen in love with. Lead guitarist Al Malnar says that “Run With the Punches”, with its elements of classic rock is his favorite track on the album, as it’s the most challenging song to play in a live set.

Three songs from this album stood out in particular for me. “Sleep” was a the song that sounded like quintessential Canadian rock music. Despite sounding new, it actually gave me a sense of nostalgia for a lot of the Canadian alt-rock I was listening to as a teenager. “Nervous”, a ballad that I actually prefer over “Forgive You”, just managed to hit the right notes for me from the first listen (and by my iTunes song count, it’s the track I’ve listened to the most from the album). “Nervous” also contains my favorite lyric from the album, the title for this article. “Run With the Punches” was a track that called out to me as having the most potential. While I recommend the album version of the song, I do think it falls a bit short. That said, I do think it’s the song that would be a highlight in their live show; like I said, the song definitely has the - /scribbles, by Mike Cullen, May 31, 2012

Lambton Shield, by JD, May 02, 2012


Ontario’s own Breaching Vista will kick the night off on July 14th, supporting Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, and Bleeker Ridge. Rogers Bayfest always supports great up and coming talent and Breaching Vista is one of our SonicBids winners. Their new album “Vera City” is making waves and the critics are digging their straight up rock sound.

Since their inception, BV has played over 150 shows with such notable acts as Theory of a Deadman, Jack’s Mannequin, Hedley, The Sheepdogs, Matthew Good, Marianas Trench, Arkells, Finger Eleven, Our Lady Peace, The Reason, and many more.

Take a look at their music and get more information on their Facebook Page

There are still more bands to announce in the coming weeks so stay tuned to the Rogers Bayfest Facebook Page and website (www.sarniabayfest.com) for any new updates.

- Lambton Shield, by JD, May 02, 2012

Napalmed (Czech Rep)


Although sometimes the bands from the stable of Engineer Records can merge into a single whole, we must recognize Breaching Vista in their own right. Their rock exerts tension, adequate emotion and diligent melody. Such a band can't really be specified as neo or post. It is not specifically pigeonholed. Quarter of an hour elapsed and i was left wanting more. -Radek

[This is an English translation of the original review] - Napalmed (Czech Rep)

Dosenmusik (Germany)


'Breaking The View' was self-released by these Canadian newcomers in 2008 already with them pushing their own sales and now it re-released by Bright Side Records and Engineer Records into our hands.
The EP contains four alternative indie songs, two of which leave a very good impression straight away: "Desperation Move" has speed and the refrain holds an inspiring hookline that could have come from AFI or Hoobastank. The other "Tap, Tap" has several voices very reminscent of Taking Back Sunday ? and that is in no way an unpleasant thing. Breaching Vista have already won me over, although the other two songs don't quite hold this level. Nevertheless the band possesses a feel for catchy melody that comes over without them trying too hard. -Dan

[This is an English translation of the original review] - Dosenmusik (Germany)

Rock Storm (Czech Rep)


Another totally melodic band on the Engineer label is Breaching Vista - four young men from Toronto in Ontario, Canada. The CD ep is entitled 'Breaking The View' is a small taster for listeners and fans of the band, who have had a flying start as a full-length album should be out in September-October this year too. Why else a flying start? Here's why. The group only exists since the second half of 2007 and have already played on stage in front of 10,000 people! The EP has had really big radio play in both the UK and Canada. Also they've been main support to Hedley, Protest The Hero, The Reason, Social Code, Shiloh, USS, Kreesha Turner and others, now that's something to say.
Their work is in the borderlands of Indie - Alternative Rock Pop Punk with a spontaneous musical enthusiasm. On the EP there are just four tracks over 15:31 minutes. It's real melodic music and could be in the charts, but equally good for fans of this genre.

[This is an English translation of the original review] - Rock Storm (Czech Rep)

PunkMeUp.com


Breaching Vista - Breaking The View (Indépendant)

Auteur: Max W (06 janvier 2009)
En magasin le: 07 mars 2008
Cote: 9/10


Il existe une pléthore de groupes qui méritent d’être découverts et qui doivent, d’une façon ou d’une autre, pour le grand plaisir des mélomanes, sortir de l’ombre. C’est tout à fait le cas de l’excellente formation d’un de nos voisins ontariens BREACHING VISTA. Ce jeune quatuor originaire de Kitchener se démarque par sa musique enivrante et énergique ainsi que par sa capacité à trouver une équivalence dans son sens à dénicher des mélodies accrocheuses. Il offre un mélange de post-punk et de powerpop qui est dans la veine de JIMMY EAT WORLD, BRAND NEW, ANBERLIN et FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND. En effet, BREACHING VISTA possède certes le talent pour détenir un avenir prometteur.

Le groupe a pris racine en 2007 et est constitué de quatre jeunes musiciens dans la début vingtaine : John Maksym (voix et guitare rythmique), Al Malnar (guitare principale), Mike Chhangur (basse) et de Nik Varey (batterie). Leur premier EP intitulé Breaking the View paraissait en mars 2008. Reconnu pour ses prestations live, BREACHING VISTA a notamment partagé la scène avec de nombreux groupes dont HEDLEY, PROTEST THE HERO, SYDNEY et SOCIAL CODE. La formation a aussi effectué un bref passage au Québec au cours de l’année 2008. Aux dernières nouvelles, elle viendra nous revisiter sans hésitation en 2009 (probablement en hiver).

Leur premier EP doit irrémédiablement être écouté par les adeptes de bonne musique énergique. C’est un album de quatre pièces qui vient nous prendre par les trippes. Tout y est : refrains accrocheurs, mélodies, agressivité, énergie. Bref, Breaking the View est un petit chef d’œuvre pour un groupe néophyte. Les chansons ont été choisies et forgées dans la perfection et plus ont l’écoute, plus il est apprécié. En outre, Siegfried Meier, réalisateur de ce EP, a effectué un excellent travail. Les arrangements musicaux se discernent en autre dans la troisième pièce de l’album Station Ale. De plus, Maksym possède une voix chaleureuse et puissante. La musique y est à la fois mélodieuse et dynamique tandis que les backs vocals viennent ajouter à la fois harmonie et puissance aux chansons. Puis, BREACHING VISTA offre en parallèle des paroles sincères. Les quatre pièces de l’album possèdent chacunes leur petit charme et il est d’ailleurs difficile de se prononcer à savoir laquelle de celles-ci serait la mieux appréciée. Peut être bien Lifestyle Change, deuxième titre de l’album, puisque le refrain est d’une telle efficacité.

En somme, BREACHING VISTA est un band qui possède un énorme potentiel et qui l’exploite à merveille et est définitivement un groupe à surveiller au cours des prochaines années.

+: Qualité musicale
-: Trop court

Chanson préférée: Lifestyle Change

Genre musical: Pop Punk

Pour fans de: JIMMY EAT WORLD, BRAND NEW, ANBERLIN - PunkMeUp.com

Rogue Magazine Interview (Montreal, PQ)

By Alexandra Di Cori

With the release of their debut E.P. Breaking the View, Kitchener/ Waterloo Ontario’s Breaching Vista have set out to revive the often forgotten art of the captivating stage show and infectious rock anthem. Since coming together as a band in 2007, and demonstrating a level of musicianship many bands strive for after years together, Breaching Vista have managed to cultivate for themselves a strong fan base. They have shared the stage with big names acts such as Hedley, and Protest the Hero, as well as familiar names Social Code ,The Reason and a co headlining show with R & B star Kreesha Turner( the latter being a combination which would raise a few confused eye brows ). Coming out of an area where hard core- or metal core music is dominant this quartet is quickly proving that rock infused punk is far from dead.

They first made their way onto my radar while standing in line waiting to get into Club Soda for a Hedley show. Having previously shared the stage with the band in Mount Forest, Ontario to a crowd of upwards of 3500 people, lead singer John Maksym recognized the potential to make contact with a whole new fan base and made the trek down to Montreal. Armed with a Discman, headphones, a back pack of E.P’s and a few friends in tow, John made the rounds up and down the line introducing his band to concert goers.

“Labels can’t actually afford or choose not to invest in developing bands these days. This means that a band has to hit the streets to promote themselves, tour relentlessly, and spend hours upon hours of sleepless nights to build a buzz via the internet. All of these are great things because they do work, but its hard work. So when the time comes for a record label to make an offer to a band, that’s really a huge compliment. That’s the record labels way of acknowledging the hard work that the band has put in”.

Described as having “A refreshing blend of rock anthems with sing-a-longs and hooks, and compelling lyrics over rock music”all four songs on their E.P. are perfect for a night out with your friends, rocking out in your room and a sure fire addition to the soundtrack of your life. The song Tap Tap is akin to the likes of Taking Back Sunday where as Desperation move calls to mind Ill Scarlet. Lead vocalist and guitarist John is the main songwriter but is quick to point out that the band works on each song collectively, each having input it its final unique sound “Every song has its own identity, but for the most part one of us will come up with an idea and then bring it to the band” . The bands varied tastes in music is a key element in the groups musical flavor. With influences ranging from Silverchair, stained and Bush to more pop punk bands like Paramore- Each Breaching Vista member is involved in some way or another in the bands song writing and management. Pre production is worked on in a home studio and fine tuned as a group, sometimes for months before entering the recording studio, and finally having producer Siegfried Meier add the final touches. Their professionalism and musical abilities shine through in every song on the E.P. as well as in their understanding of the music industry. John acts as the group’s manager, his business background coming into play when dealing with bookings, finances and promotion “My band mates are my business partners and team of advisors. Before making any major decisions on behalf of the band, I will contact each member and discuss the current situation and collectively we’ll come to a final decision to carry out “ There is no mistaking the sheer pride this lead singer has for his fellow band mates as he points out there individual strengths and contributions. Bassist Mike Chhangur who ran his own mobile recording company engineers much of the bands pre- pro work while also acting as assistant band manager. Drummer Nik Varey’s background in marketing and advertising has also proved to be instrumental in governing band affairs and lead guitarist Al Malnar works almost effortlessly at imprinting his raw rock guitar playing and provides a strong framework for Breaching Vista’s rock-punk edge.

But what of this revival of the fundamentals of a stage show? Where does this come from and what exactly is this It factor? This could be traced back to as far as twenty one years ago, when three year old John could be found jumping on his living room couches dancing along to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. “I’ve heard stories from family members of me jumping on couches singing along to his music. 21 years later, not much has changed”. The even greater strength in Breaching Vista’s stage show comes from their comfort and willingness to please their audiences. “There are so many great independent bands that go up on stage, jump around, and can play their music flawlessly, but for me that’s just not enough. We like to connect with our audience and include them into the show. We don’t want to just have them interested in our music, but we want them to feel like they got their money’s worth for that show. Whether it be in front of 10 people or 1000 people, it’s our job as entertainers to bring it every night we play. We’re very comfortable on stage, and confident in our performance, so I think that helps us to be able to connect with our audience and let them feel as if they are a very big part of the show. In fact, they are the most important part because without an audience, there is no show.” This comfort on stage could be attributed to band members having played in various bands for the past twelve years. Drawing inspiration from Green Day’s front man Billie Joe Armstrong’s ability to mesmerize a crowd and have them hooked from his opening note, John hopes to one day achieve that superior level of showman ship one day in one of his own shows.

At a time in the music industry where many artists are forced to conform in order to avoid the rapid turnover, and the ever looming stigma of the sell- out, Breaching Vista is not willing to compromise when it comes to their band integrity, all the while understanding that it is in fact a business and certain things have to give. “We would not sign ourselves to any kind of contract that was not be fitted to our best interests. We’re not willing to compromise the integrity of our band. Growing up in the independent music scene, all you ever hear about is how ‘this band’ sold out. It got to the point where advancing your music career via label support was actually looked down upon. I’ve never personally understood why people see things this way? I think it’s caused by ignorance. Those who feel a band that lands a record deal has ‘sold out’ probably just don’t fully understand how a record deal works. This is a career choice we are pursuing and we hope to be able to play around the world. We’re not interested in working with people who have ill intentions or hidden agendas, and want to basically rip us off. It’s not easy to make it in this business, but hard work does pay off and we’re one of those bands who aren’t afraid to do it.”

With the attention paid to the business as well as musicianship by this band, it is no surprise that they come off as level headed and personable guys. They are humble in their appreciation for the shows they have played, the fans they have gained, and the long hard road which is laid out before them. They understand that they won’t be liked by everyone and not every show will be a raving success “We’ve played a few shows that have been absolutely incredible and we’re not sure if we’re even deserving of at this point. We always keep ourselves level headed, and always spend time talking to fans who want to meet us or even take a picture. We’re by no means a big band, but if someone wants us to be part of their life in some way, then of course we’ll do it. It’s a huge compliment. I think there may be a band or two in our area that aren’t very supportive of what we do, or of some of our accomplishments, but it’s expected. This is a very competitive industry, much like any other form of business.” One thing is sure Breaching Vista demonstrates a maturity and understanding which will be integral in this bands inevitable success.

Check them out www.myspace.com/breachingvista or breachingvista.com

E.P. Breaking the View is now available on iTunes, for order through HMV stores or at www.indipool.com


Tales from the Road: Breaching Vista Hits Montreal as told by john Maksym

We always seem to get ourselves into some kind of mess on the road. In July 2007 we made a trip to Montreal to support our friends, Tailor Made Fable, at a showcase which label reps were coming to check out their band. Since we are great friends with them, it was an easy decision to make the trip up. What we weren’t prepared for was our mini-bus to fall apart.The trip up was a rough ride thru a massive rain storm, and there were times we had to pull off the road and wait for the storm to pass because it just wasn’t safe to drive thru it. Once we got there the show was a success and the after party was even better. The following day we decided to head back home and we struck a problem. A piece of our frame broke off during our drive on the 401 and it eventually blew apart one of our back tires. We were forced onto the side of the road to wait for a flatbed tow truck to pull us into the city of Coberg, ON. Once we arrived we were dropped off in a parking lot, and told that another truck was going to come and swap our spare tire for us. After waiting a couple hours we decided to start to try and make our own arrangements and called every towing company in the phone book. This was around 2am, and there were no companies with available trucks to assist us. We then decided to make some sleeping arrangements for the night and the one hotel that was nearby was completely full. Long story short, Mike and I ended up sleeping on the pavement outside the bus and woke up to seagulls poking around our heads. We found a mobile truck repair company the next morning and they came in from an hour outside of town to help us change tires. After that we were back on the road.


What does Breaching Vista mean? John has the scoop!

Drummer Nik was once a CIA operative who was assigned to breach microsoft’s Vista platform. The mission was code named “Tap Tap” as he spent the majority of his time at strategically located internet cafés in train stations across the continent, tapping into the Vista program. While working undercover he would enjoy the local Station Ale to appear as though he was only waiting for his next train. To this day no one knows how his cover was blown, but Nik was forced to make a Desperation Move, and disappear off the face of the map. When resurfacing back at home, Nik made a Lifestyle Change and decided he would like to pursue his childhood dream of being a drummer. He gathered together his musician friends to start a rock band. It only seemed fitting that we name the band after the objective of his very last mission… Breaching Vista.
- Rogue Magazine, by Alexandra Di Cori

Dead Earnest, by Andy Garibaldi (Dundee, Scotland)


Anthemic emo by any other name..... - it's a strident take on the genre as rhythms gallop, the vocals sound like the singer's meaning every word of it with a heart on both sleeves, while there's this wall of bursting out like solar flares as the song veritably drives ahead down its highway with the volume on 11, the tyres burning and the knowledge that the journey is the thing, the destination merely an end to a means – and that's only the first track!! “Lifestyle Change” delivers more of the same, only this time more dramatic in terms of the verses, the vocals a bit more raw and upfront, the density a little less, only for the band's impeccable sense of dynamics and arranging to kick in on the chorus as another wall of anthemic sound unleashes its magic inside your head as the band crash down, the guitars light up and the vocals lift off like a rocket.The next two tracks are variations on the same style, one slightly slower before erupting, displaying even more dynamics but becoming even more of an anthem in the process (“Station Ale”), the other faster, choppier, more urgent but no less intense as another song lights up your life. In short, this is one you stick on the “play again” pile next to your player, somewhere near the top. - Dead Earnest, by Andy Garibaldi (Dundee, Scotland)

The Record, by Colin Hunter


Imagine, if you will, that a saucerful of alien explorers landed on Earth as part of a peaceful mission to understand human culture.

If the aliens wanted to learn about, say, ballet, we could show them a video of Baryshnikov. If they asked about golf, some footage of Tiger Woods would certainly explain a lot.

And if the little green men wanted to grasp the concept of radio-friendly alternative rock (it could happen!), it would make sense to play for them the debut CD by Breaching Vista.

It's not that the Kitchener band is the best alt-rock group out there, nor the most successful.

But their four-song EP, Breaking the View, is a veritable primer on crafting catchy, hook-laden tunes that showcase all the best elements of the genre (and, thankfully, none of the worst).

With four songs clocking in at 15 minutes, the EP is a concise how-to of the genre, like a Coles Notes for any young hipsters hoping to get airplay and chicks.

All the crucial ingredients are there: the not-too-complicated guitar riffing, the angst-ridden lyrics about lost loves and other grief (my fave line: "Oh, this room is a hostel of pain"), the slick multi-layered production and the stuck-in-your-head-for-days anthemic choruses. Though this type of music has been done before (think Billy Talent, Sum 41, Jimmy Eat World, etc), it is not often done this well.

Lead vocalist John Maksym has a gutsy, self-assured voice that lends a sense of urgency and honesty to the lyrics. The guitar sound is tweaked to perfection, giving the big riffs some in-your-face oomph while more intricate parts add texture to the background.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more effective pop-punk song than the final track on the album, Tap Tap.

In a space of less than four minutes, the song evolves with several distinct gear changes and a chorus that just begs to be sung along with.

If our hypothetical alien visitors wished to understand the concepts of "originality" or "avant-garde," we would surely have to steer them away from Breaching Vista. But when it comes to this particular brand of aggressive-yet-accessible radio-rock, Breaching Vista are exemplary representatives of their ilk.

www.therecord.com
therecord.blogs.com/withinearshot

- The Record, by Colin Hunter

The Record, by Sarah Anderson, July 2010


July 22, 2010

KITCHENER — 91.5 The Beat’s fifth annual Beat Rocks the Block returns to King Street on Saturday, July 24, featuring a predominantly rock lineup with a smattering of pop and hip hop to cater to the radio station’s varied fan base and newcomers alike.

The free, all-ages show takes over the main drag to host hot acts like Marianas Trench and Down With Webster alongside up-and-coming acts like Die Atlantic and Breaching Vista on the Beat’s Next Big Thing stage.

And Stereos, the band that blew the minds of teen and preteen fans at last year’s big block party, returns to please crowds once again.

Last year, despite rain on and off throughout the day, the concert drew more than 23,000 people.

Organizer Patrick Olsen is hoping for better weather and bigger numbers this year, especially with the prominence of some of the names he’s hand-picked to come to town.

The concert is open to all ages but has a 19+ section where alcohol is served. The party is hosted in the parking lot outside of Club Elements.

All entrances are off of King Street and the festivities will disrupt traffic for the duration of the concert — from 12:30 p.m. until about 11 p.m.

Olsen scouted out every act that will be coming to the concert, many in the club environment, and he is sure they’ll put on a great show.

It’s only the second year for the Next Big Thing stage but Olsen is confident the acts that come there will see success in the future.

Though it’s too soon to tell if he was right about last year’s hits, he said Stereos was a band that he hand-picked to come last year and they were welcomed with open, teenaged arms.

The band from Edmonton started out on the show Disband on MuchMusic, which gave it the huge following that brought so many 12- and 13-year-old girls to the block party last year. They also stayed on selling merchandise and signing autographs for four hours after they finished playing, Olsen said.

“I saw something in them, and I wanted them,” Olsen said of bringing Stereos to town last summer. Since then, the band has brought their fusion of hip hop and pop to the MuchMusic Video Awards show and they are quickly gaining stardom in Canada. They’re set to play more than 15 shows in July and August.

Another headliner, San Sebastian, and two of the bands to play the Next Big Thing stage — Dog Bus and Chasing Amee — also got their start on Disband.

The show has run two seasons and has helped several bands get signed with labels. It’s a sort of Idol for bands where young groups get put through rock-star training and at the end of the episode the judges decide whether the group has what it takes, or if it has to “disband.”

Another important aspect of the block party is that all the acts are Canadian, showcasing talent from across the country.

It is also a chance to entertain the listeners they have, and attract new ones to the Beat.

“We don’t target kids,” said Olsen, but the Beat has a large audience of younger listeners because it is the only station in the region that plays the newest, top-40-style music.

Instead, Olsen said the goal is “to put on the best shows for our listeners. It’s a full day of entertainment for anyone that shows up,” regardless of their age.

This year, rock headliners Marianas Trench are likely to attract the biggest contingent of 19+ listeners to the last show of the day.

Coming off a successful set at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, the band, which hails from Vancouver and draws its major influences from bands like Queen, Green Day and the Beach Boys, is gaining momentum on the Canadian music scene.

Classic rock buffs who love Queen will find the influence of the legendary band most evident in the three-part title track from the band’s newest album, Masterpiece Theatre.

Rock fans in the region should also check out San Sebastian and The Reason, who bring their edgy rock to the main stage.

The variety of genres between the acts and the atmosphere of an outdoor concert make the Beat Rocks the Block a unique experience in downtown Kitchener that contrasts nicely with the jazz and blues festivals, which tends to cater to a slightly older audience.

Olsen added that all the acts are family friendly, with no swearing or vulgar lyrics, so families shouldn’t hesitate to come out to enjoy the music.

“We just want everybody to come out and have a good time,” he said.

For details and the complete lineup visit www.915thebeat.com.

saanderson@therecord.com
- The Record, by Sarah Anderson, July 2010

ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, September 16-22, 2010


THE KOI MUSIC FESTIVAL
While its existence is argued over by many, there is a prominent music scene that’s living in the back yard of the tri–city area and Guelph. And if you are one of those who sit on the fence, then prepare yourself for a festival on Saturday, September 18 that will push the boundaries and smack that skeptical look off of your face. Arc Clothing and Civilian Printing have taken their knack for showcasing incredible talent to hundred–plus people audiences and have now forged KOI – The Kitchener Ontario Independent Music Festival. Billed as the first in a likely annual series, 11 (count ‘em, 11) venues and over 140 bands will participate in the one–day epic that will cause sensory overload. “Curt and I own a downtown business and hear outdated remarks about downtown Kitchener and what it has to offer,” explains Cory Crossman, one of the brains behind the festival, “We are putting KOI together to bring people downtown Kitchener to see the shops, restaurants, businesses and culture that only a downtown can offer. At the same time as showcasing the downtown core as always, we are looking to build, grow and promote the local music scene. Growing up playing in the KW music scene, there weren’t really many options, if any, for a band to play. We want to give people a safe place to play and hear new music.” As easy a concept as it may sound, hours, days, and months have gone into planning a festival of this scale – and it’s not one that only includes live bands. “Prepare to be blown away when coming to KOI; this festival is like nothing this area has ever seen!” Crossman promises adding, “When ticket holders arrive they will turn their ticket in for a wrist band, which will allow them entrance into all of the all–age/licensed venues. Once wristbanded you will pop around from venue to venue, checking out great bands. Between sets from bands you can stop by the merch village which will close King St. down for the day, check out a downtown store or grab a bite to eat from one of the many amazing restaurants that make up downtown Kitchener. Be ready for a full day of activity!” koimusicfestival.com

BREACHING VISTA
An indie band that has set the bar for do–it–yourself promotions and getting recognized. It’s hard to dispute that Breaching Vista is one of the hardest working local bands in the region. Their debut EP Breaking The View was snapped up quickly by eager fans and critics, earning their way onto mainstream bills including the Barrie Music Festival, the Spring Music Festival, and the Beat Rocks The Block. Counting Green Day, Bush and Silverchair among their heaviest influences, Breaching Vista breaks the mold on the pop punk rock genre. The boys have seen their share of top notch stages including performing alongside Hedley, Marianas Trench, and Down With Webster, and are now set to be back in the recording studio to finish up the anticipated full length Vera City, due out in 2011. “Since day one we’ve always told ourselves that it doesn’t matter how many people we play in front of, our job is to entertain. We started out playing to audiences of 10 people, but have climbed to perform in front of 10, 000–plus spectators on some occasions. “We approach every show in the same manner, and work hard to actively engage the audience in our performance whether it’s clapping, moving around, singing along, or by simply influencing a reaction with short stories between songs,” they say. And now you can catch them when they perform at the KOI Music Festival. Myspace.com/breachingvista
- ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, September 16-22, 2010

ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, March 10-16, 2011


Indie Seen Does CMW


by Carrie Humphries
March 10 - 16, 2011
SEEN @ CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK
Canadian Music Week returns to Toronto March 9 – 13th. Featuring everything from conferences to live shows and awards, the week celebrates over 800 bands across 55 venues in Toronto’s downtown core. Each year, the tri-cities and Guelph are represented by some of the region’s finest indie talent and this coming week is no exception. Read on to find out the who’s who of artists who’ll be showing off at one of the country’s most highly recognized indie summits.

BREACHING VISTA
From: Kitchener
Performing: March 9 - Sirius Satellite CMW Opening Party
Says the band: “CMW is Canada's most elite festival and draws a large amount of international exposure. Since this band started, we have applied to CMW every year hoping to be accepted for the chance to showcase our brand of rock music on the world stage. Not only is it a great performance opportunity, but it is a massive networking base to meet other artists, industry and media professionals.”


- ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, March 10-16, 2011

Windsorite.ca, by Lauren Hedges, May 18, 2011


...Another out of town group, this time from Kitchener, Breaching Vista was up next, playing in support of their recently released full length “Vera City”. Again, these guys are tight players and clearly used to being on stage, and I could easily imagine their light rock sound on the radio. A modern day boy band, is what I would have to call them. And that’s not necessarily a band thing; I loved The Backstreet Boys growing up.

(click heading/link to read full festival article online) - Windsorite.ca, by Lauren Hedges, May 18, 2011

Keys and Chords (Belgium), by Philip Verhaege, July 13, 2011


Deze band komt uit het Canadese Kichener, ON en heeft met het thuislabel Bright Side Records en Engineer Records uit het V.K, degelijke distributeurs gevonden. Breaching Vista werd opgericht in 2007 door John Maksym (vocals, gitaar), Mike Changur (bas, backing vocals), Al Malnar (lead gitaar) en Nicholas Varey op drums. Een jaar later lanceerde dit kwartet het debuut EP ‘Breaking The View’. De impact bij het rock-solid publiek sloeg in als een bom en dus werd het hoogtijd voor een allereerste full-length release. In een korte tijdspanne heeft de groep reeds heel wat awards in zijn prijzenkast en opende ze concerten voor heel wat notabele Canadese superbands. De korte instrumentale openingstrack van anderhalve minuut gaat naadloos over in ‘We Are The Way Sleep’. De ideeën achter deze muziek liggen zowaar bij de poprockbands, die de jaren tachtig enigszins kenmerkte en biedt een schitterend alternatief voor Altrock. ’Forgive You’ handelt over een onvolwassen relatie en dat tekent enigszins deze jeugdige band. ’Give Me A Reason’ heeft zelfs een swingende punkinslag. ‘Tonight’ daarentegen, is poprock met een knipoog naar de hitlijsten. Strak slagwerk wordt perfect verweven met glinsterende gitaren en leuke vocalen met een akoestische inslag. Met dit jeugdig enthousiasme haalt Breaching Vista zelfs een hoog energetische attitude.

These guys are killers in alternative rock and sounds, amazing !

Philip Verhaege (3)


*Rough English Translation…

This band comes from the Canadian Kichener, ON and is the home label Brightside Records Engineer Records from the UK, find decent distributors. Breaching Vista was founded in 2007 by John Maksym (vocals, guitar), Mike Changur (bass, backing vocals), Al Malnar (lead guitar) and Nicholas Varey on drums. A year later launched the quartet's debut EP "Breaking The View. The impact of the rock-solid public hit like a bomb, and so it was time for a first full-length release. In a short time, the group has many awards in his trophy cabinet and has opened concerts for many notable Canadian super bands. The short instrumental opening track of a half minutes integrates seamlessly into "The Way We Are Sleep '. The ideas behind this music are actually in the pop rock band, which featured some of the eighties and offers a great alternative to Altrock. "Forgive You" is about an immature relationship and that it draws somewhat youthful band. "Give Me A Reason" has even swinging a punk slant. "Tonight," however, is pop-rock with a nod to the charts. Tight percussion are perfectly interwoven with shimmering guitars and nice vocals with an acoustic slant. This brings youthful enthusiasm Breaching Vista, even a high-energy attitude.

These guys are killers in alternative rock and sounds, amazing !

Philip Verhaege (3)
- Keys and Chords (Belgium), by Philip Verhaege, July 13, 2011

Fire Alive Extreme Webzine (Italy), by Francesco, July 2011


Pop-punk, alternative, emo-rock, Breaching Vista from Ontario, Canada are over any sticker…check this interview out!!!

1) Hi guys, how are you? It’s really great to communicate with a band in Ontario, is it a wonderful land like they say?

Hi Francesco. We're very excited to be interviewed by Fire Alive zine! Thank you for contacting us.

Ontario is a beautiful province, with a thriving music scene. We are located just outside of Toronto, which has the largest music market in all of Canada. We definitely recommend anyone to visit Ontario, and catch some live music while you're here. There are also many great tourist attractions and natural landscapes around the province and country that would prove worthy of a visit to Canada.

2) Did you have the opportunity to play on stage outside Canada?
We have not yet played outside of Canada, but we dream of one day touring internationally. We would love to play overseas in Europe & the UK. We would also like to tour down into the USA, and might have that opportunity sometime within the next year.
3) How is in you opinion the connection between Canadian rock/alternative scene with the American one?
The Canadian rock/alternative scene is much smaller than the American scene, due to the difference in population between the two countries. Canadian music fans are very loyal and supportive of their bands though. This helps Canadian bands develop and attract the attention of new fans from the US and around the world.
4 ) What do you think about the Canadian rock bands nowadays and in the past?
The new emerging bands in Canada right now seem to be in the indie-rock genre such as City and Colour, and Tokyo Police Club, where 10 years ago there was a very big pop-punk scene with Simple Plan and Sum41, and in the 90's there was the alternative-rock/grunge movement that launched bands like Our Lady Peace.
We grew up listening to the bands of the 90's alt-rock and pop-punk era's, so you will be able to hear how their influence translates into our music. The one thing you will find with Breaching Vista, is that we will never play or write music to fit into a current trend. We write music that feels good to us, that we enjoy listening to. So we're a band from nowadays, influenced by the bands of the past.
5 ) Which are your musical influence?
Our musical influences range from 90's British grunge band Bush, to California pop-punk-rockers Green Day, to Australia's alternative rock trio Silverchair, Canada's own Our Lady Peace, and Nirvana and the Foo Fighters who have both been staples in alternative rock's rise and sustain over the last 20 years.
6) Do you feel inside one specific musical current?
We always answer this by saying that we are a rock band, but rock has such a broad spectrum. Our music is a mix of sub genre's including alternative-rock, pop-rock, and pop-punk. Most of what we play could be heard on the radio, and when you look at the bands that we are influenced by, they've all had multiple radio singles themselves.
7) How is it going with your new album “Vera city”?
Vera City has been released for about 2 months now, and so far we've received a lot of great feedback from listeners and fans. There has also been some good feedback from a few media outlets, but it always takes longer for the mass media to catch onto an independent release. We're hoping that by the end of the year we'll have a solid buzz going across Canada, and maybe even in some other parts of the world as well. The launch of this record is only getting started though, so there's a long road ahead and we have no plans on slowing down.
8) Do you know our country? have you ever been here before?
Of course we know about Italy! Your country is solely responsible for some of the greatest food in the world! Not to mention it's shaped like a boot.
None of us have ever been to Italy before, but it is one of the first European countries that we would love to visit someday. We have heard that there is a good music scene over there, and we know that Italy has a lot of history, culture, and is well known for its beauty, art, and fashion. It would be very nice to visit cities like Rome and Venice someday.
Our drummer's family has some Italian heritage, and he's very good at cooking pasta dishes and other great food.
9) Maybe one day you will play in Italy, do you want to say anything ahead you come here?
We would love to play in Italy someday! And we do believe that we will. Check out our music online, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at these links...
www.facebook.com/breachingvistamusic
www.twitter.com/breachingvista
www.youtube.com/breachingvistaTV
Our music can be found on iTunes or our CD's can be ordered through Engineer Records (www.engineerrecords.com).
If you would like to see us play in Italy, we will need you to help us get there! You can help out by purchasing our new record "Vera City", and if we get enough support then Bright Side Records & Engineer Records will have to send us there! And we promise it will ROCK!
Support independent music as much as possible. If you like a band, go out to their shows and buy their music. Being an independent musician is not an easy lifestyle, but when fans connect with the music that you've created, it's the most rewarding feeling in the world. It's hard work, so we appreciate every little bit of support that we get, and we love making new fans!
Cheers,
John, Mike, Al, and Nik
Breaching Vista

- Fire Alive Extreme Webzine (Italy), by Francesco, July 2011

Black Hat Media, March 2011


CMW - Opening Night Party at the Mod Club

On March 9th, 2011 the official opening night party for Canadian Music Week began at the Mod Club. It was difficult to determine if that party began March 9th - or the weekend before - with all the dust and garbage around the club before the party even started. A quick sweep of the main floor and to the rear of the main stage should have been in order.

Sirius Satellite Radio sponsored this party featuring Breaching Vista, Desperate Union, Frankie Whyte and The Dead Idols, with Finger Eleven headlining. It would have made sense based on the performances to juggle the order slightly leading up to Finger Eleven's performance.

Let me begin the performance review by saying that if Frankie Whyte and The Dead Idols had of opened this party most people would have taken their advice to KEEP WALKING (the only single listed on their Myspace page). Forgive me for thinking that Canadian Music week is an opportunity to showcase 'original' music. If not, at least make it Canadian content your covering.

When Desperate Union first took to the stage they were desperately trying to unite their lead vocalist with his mic. Once they SURRENDERed to the powers that be the rest if their performance was smooth LIKE WATER without a BITTER END.

Breaching Vista actually opened this Sirius Satellite showcase. Breaching Vista could wake anyone out of a dead SLEEP without having to pull a DESPERATION MOVE.

Finger Eleven was obviously the PARALYZER, the ONE THING, that kept people from TALKING TO THE WALLS leading up to their performance. The audience with their survival mentality of WHAT DOESN`T KILL ME makes me stronger felt they were LIVING IN A DREAM as Finger Eleven drove through an intensive set list. A lot of other audiences would have started trickling out of club before the band did a final encore. Not so with the STONE SOULs that made up the Finger Eleven fans at the Mod Club on this particular Wednesday evening.

Sirius-ly though it would have been `mod`, as in fashionably up-to-date, to have had a clean venue to enjoy Canadian Music Week's opening night performances.

BLACK HAT MEDIA
- Black Hat Media, March 2011

ROCKthusiast, March 2011


Canadian Music Fest got underway March 9th with an official opening party at the stylish Mod Club, presented by Sirius Satellite Radio. CMF is part of the industry schmoozapalooza known as Canadian Music Week, and makes college basketball’s “March Madness” look like a pickup game at a run-down playground. 800+ artists are playing 55 venues throughout the City of Toronto over 5 sleepless nights. I’d much rather catch up on my sleep than waste any more time than I have to with a preamble, so with that in mind, on to my review of Day 1 of my Excellent CMF Adventure!

A Toronto-based four-piece called Breaching Vista kicked of the night’s festivities, and I must say, they were the most professional-looking opening band I think I’ve ever seen. From talking with them quickly before the show, they were very cognisant of the opportunity being afforded them by being part of a Live Nation promoted event. I’ll be posting that interview, along with many others I’ll be conducting during the festival, over the next few days. Most importantly, they rocked pretty hard. Maybe that’s because their songs are inspired by the ’90s grunge I grew up on. Or maybe it’s because you can tell right away that they care about the music they’re playing. Whatever the case, look out for their new album Vera City dropping in May. And as I tweeted, anyone that can work in a cover of the theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is alright in my book!

- ROCKthusiast, March 2011

Lithium Magazine, By Vanessa Markov, June 14, 2011


“Being on stage and playing our music is what we love doing. Not everyone will love it, but we know that some do. There's a rewarding feeling when connecting with fans, and it means the world to us to have someone appreciate what we've created…However large or small the impact may be, that is amazing! In the grand scheme of things, it’s the handshakes, high fives, smiles, laughs and good times that mean the most. It’s all just rock n’ roll at the end of the day. This is why we love doing what we do.” – John Maksym, vocalist and guitarist.

I have to start this review by saying that I like this band, not necessarily for their music, but for their attitude. There are some real nasty, undeserving SOBs out there in the music world and, while I totally get that grace is a hard virtue to master, this four-piece pop rock outfit from Kitchener can teach everyone a thing or two about being cool with who you are, what you do, and how lucky you are to be doing what you want to do, regardless of what the cynics have to say. This alone makes their Hedley-meets-Simple Plan sound all the more tolerable to me.

Following an extremely well received debut EP and four years in the making, Breaching Vista’s first full length album, Vera City, has finally been released. It opens up with “We Are the Way”, a minute and a half instrumental that flows seamlessly into the next track entitled “Sleep”. The third track, “Nervous”, begins after a fraction of a second of silence as if still part of “Sleep”, Jesus-of-Suburbia-style. I can picture “Nervous” being the title track to a teen drama, which can be good or bad depending on whether you’re the teen living vicariously through impractical yet deeply relatable content, or old enough to have moved on from the incessant melodramatics of inexperienced love. This and the following track, “Forgive You”, together represent your typical immature relationship (not only in spirit but in length), moving quickly and indecisively through the apprehension, euphoria, and disappointment we are all so familiar with.

In fact, this whole album is pretty much made for teens (and preteens too I guess, I can’t really tell the difference anymore anyway), who are luckily within the most lucrative consumer demographic in the industry. From the perspective of my fourteen year old self, who paid more attention to her emotional reaction to the faces and ideas behind music than the actual music itself – the very means by which nineties boy bands stayed afloat on radio airwaves – Vera City works. Better yet, given what most modern boy bands like Breaching Vista are releasing, the music on Vera City is not at all hacked to death with effects and the dreaded robotic tones of auto-tune. For the latter alone, I am grateful. They keep it simple, throwing in a touch of punk here and a touch of acoustic there, and Billy The Kid makes a guest appearance on “Letters”, her airy vocals sweetly complimenting the already sentimental tone of the song.

Parents will be glad to know Breaching Vista’s looks and lyrics are clean as a whistle and, according to Facebook research, some moms might even dig a tune or two themselves. I mean, even the poppiest rock bands out there have one song or member that would scare anyone over 40, but not these guys. Trust me, I looked everywhere. Clean. As. A. Whistle. It’s the kind of album that effectively introduces young girls to rock music without tainting their view of life anymore than Degrassi or Gossip Girl already does.

- Lithium Magazine, By Vanessa Markov, June 14, 2011

Black Hat Media, April 2011


Breaching Vista's Vera City is one of those albums you can get REVERIE-ally caught up in. It is easy to imagine the music as an outline for a manic rock'n'ro'mantic tragedy to be produced for the theater or the big screen.

It would play out something like this:

Introductions to the main characters are made through the instrumental tune WE ARE THE WAY.

Soon the focus would zoom in on our main heart throb. Our rock'n'roll hero would be beseeching everyone to "just let me get some SLEEP. A little's all I need." The hectic touring schedule was beginning to take a physical toll.

The crazy shedule was also causing some tension is his relationship with his girlfriend as he tries to balance her with life on the road. "I'll take it back and go one step further. Two steps back I don't wanna get NERVOUS." Our hero always has mixed emotions about dis/continuing their relationship. He desperately wants to tell her I FORGIVE YOU but has doubts about his own duplicity in how things are on again, off again.

Even though he's not quite sure what the questions are, our hero is constantly searching for answers. "GIVE ME A REASON to believe. Enlisting for a future. You're fighting for a greater cause." Despite everything, he knows that "It's never too late to make your way back home again" ... TONIGHT or any other night for that matter.

REVERIE takes us back to the beginning. His younger days when everything was fresh and exciting. "I'm ready for anything that's coming my way. It's not a lie I would leave here today."

Despite our hero's tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend the other band members are determined to RUN WITH THE PUNCHES. They will do whatever it takes to be a success. "We're gonna rise to the occasion."

Then, the girlfriend walks in on our hero with an over-zealous fan. She starts into an aggressive W5 interview mode immediately. Our hero turns on the fan after his girlfriend has stormed out "You're oh so typical. So get outta this town on a night like this when I promise not to tear you apart."

Fame has finally taken hold of their relationship in WRATH OF NYRE. "This is my gift. This is her curse." Realization is setting in for both of them. It's finally over. She never quite believed his explanation for the over-zealous fan and procedes to get a little over zealous with one of his friends. He ends it with a "GOODBYE, SO LONG. It's too late, I'm gone."

To avoid the drama, LETTERS and repeated phone calls our rock hero decides to go on one final mission of self discovery. He decides its time to fight for more than love or money. He decides to fight for freedom.

Unfortunately, our hero doesn't make it off the battle field alive. An angel appears on stage - "She's come to take you away. All these LITTLE THOUGHTS that haunt us all ... now"

Needless to say, Breaching Vista has nothing to be NERVOUS about as they begin their CD release tour.

Black Hat Media
- Black Hat Media, April 2011

ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, April 14-20, 2011


Breaching Vista


by Carrie Humphries
April 14 - 20, 2011

Breaching Vista isn’t your average band. They may have started out as many do –a quartet of friends from Kitchener who enjoyed playing music. But by taking their talent, drive and passion full throttle, the band has seen massive success in the five years they’ve been playing. Now, with a slew of impressive gigs, fantastic album sales and a record label to add to their resume, Breaching Vista (comprised of John Maksym, Nik Varey, Al Manar, and Mike Chhangur) are back at home ready to overhaul the Wax for the CD Release of Vera City.

In 2008, Breaching Vista opted, as many independent bands do, to release a four track EP to ensure the music was getting into the hands of their fans. The tracks from Desperation Move to Tap Tap became instant fan favourites, reaching their market between love from the community and by their community’s media.

When up and coming record label, Bright Side Records, caught wind of the pop-punk driven album, a deal was a cut and Breaking the View was re-released – going on to sell more than 3000 units in Ontario alone. Breaching Vista was, as they say, well on their way.

“We actually didn’t think that it was going to have that much life in it,” confesses John Maksym (lead vox/guitar) about releasing the debut EP, “I think it won some fans over because of the hooky songs and the quality of the recording.”

Whatever the secret recipe was, the band has been riding high on its tide ever since. Accomplishments such as performing alongside Hedley and sharing the bill with bands like Marianas Trench have forced the guys into the mainstream. “Last year (we performed) Beat Rock the Block – our single being played on the radio really helped,” John explains. “You wait, and things start coming together and taking off.”

John goes on to tell me that production on Vera City actually started in the summer of 2009. The band’s initial intention had been to ‘reuse’ Breaking the View’s 4 tracks to complete a full-length album. But with the momentum it saw early on, Breaching Vista knew that the audience would be seeking a fresh new set of songs given the four year hiatus between releases. “It’s a continuation (of Breaking the View) but it’s an expansion of our sound,” John says. “We recorded a church choir right in a church off campus. We had a cellist and a violinist as well. Kenny (Bridges, of Moneen) also recorded piano for it from his own home studio.”

John explains that fans can also look forward to diversity in the music. In addition to the familiar pop-rock that promises to keep you moving on the dance floor, Breaching Vista have branched out to including acoustic driven tracks ‘Nervous’ and ‘Letters’. “They showcase a softer side of the band, but we are not short on having our signature sound,” he says. “’Letters’ is a song that we are particularly proud of which pays to tribute to families who have loved ones serving in the armed forces and features a vocal duet with Canadian Folk-Rocker, Billy The Kid.” The live footage music video for ‘Nervous’ can be found on the band’s youtube site.

He also remarks that the 4 tracks that comprised that original recording can sometimes be daunting to perform live over and over again. “There have been a few of those points where you get tired of playing some songs,” he says adding that “the nice part about having a new record is a fresh new set. Tap Tap keeps winning people over, so we will sometimes put that in. We put the old stuff on hold, give everyone the new songs, and then revisit them.”

The excitement for the CD Release is certainly mounting. The band only plans to release 200 physical copies of the record at the show and realize that given View’s fantastic sales, that selling out of the album is definitely a possibility. “I think there’s a good chance of it,” John tells me. “There’s been enough anticipation built up around it. Things took a little longer than we’d hoped, but if we took any short cuts along the way we wouldn’t have what we wanted for Vera City.”

John goes on to say that they’re only now starting to really utilize all of what is possible with social networking and are finally figuring out twitter. “Personally, I don’t think it’s been that vital yet. Facebook and twitter are a little more personal for bands (versus myspace).”

Instead, they equate their success by the support of what he refers to as a ‘huge music scene in Kitchener’. He agrees that it’s harder to play in Toronto but that it’s their high-energy live show that keeps the fans connected to the band. “Our entertainment value to our show is a full package,” John says adding that the goals for this band are to step out on the national stage. “We just want to get out and make a big impression. We need to get the band further established in Canada.”

So before they go on to tour the country and take the summer’s best loved festivals by storm, be sure to get to downtown Kitchener to see the band live for their CD release. “We’re ecstatic,” John says of the band’s excitement for the release. “This is going to be one heck of a night. There’s going to be a big 90’s Rock After Party. We hope to play a big show and sell some records.”



BREACHING VISTA
Vera City: CD Release Party
Thursday, April 21 2011
The Wax (Kitchener)
breachingvista.com
- ECHO Weekly, by Carrie Humphries, April 14-20, 2011

We Got This Covered, by Christian Law, May 20, 2011


Quick Stats

Year: 2011
Artist: Breaching Vista
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop
Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
Length: 49 minutes

The Good:
This is a treasure trove of catchy, unoffensive radio rock, and a great debut for a young band.

The Bad:
The lyrics can be cliche and the generic radio rock grows tiring after repeated listenings.

The Verdict:
Given time to mature and branch into different styles, Breaching Vista could very well be the next band to be blasting out of your speakers during a summer drive.


Rating
Production 80%
Lyrics 70%
Replayability 85%
Total Score 80%

REVIEW:

As much as I love discovering new music to listen to, there is simply too much to keep up with. For every young band releasing their first album, there are thousands more practicing in their garage and gearing up for the big leagues. Despite this, I like to pride myself on finding at least a very small handful of bands that I love to follow through their careers. But as I said before, I’m nowhere near perfect and sometimes I let a band slip through the cracks. This is where I found Breaching Vista, and I’ve already promised myself to never lose sight of them again.
Hailing from Kitchener, Ontario, Breaching Vista are relatively young, although they’ve already played shows with an impressive list of headliners, including Finger Eleven and Marianas Trench. At times, it’s easy to see why they would play with these groups, as pretty much every song on Vera City is geared towards the radio rock crowd. This album is an example that proves true the old adage of radio music: “It’s popular for a reason.”

Right from the two opening songs, the energy is palpable, as We Are The Way leads beautifully into Sleep, the first single off of the album. Every element of the perfect pop rock song is present here, whether it’s John Maksym‘s breathy vocal delivery or the melodies played between Maksym and Al Malnar.

Although Sleep introduces listeners to the heavier side of Vera City, Nervous and Forgive You are the slower complements that play out as stronger than other pop acts. Both sink their teeth into your brain and get stuck in there for days, and if that’s not a sign of pop perfection then I don’t know what is. I found myself singing, “Take it back and go one step further/Two steps back, I don’t wanna get nervous,” without even knowing it.

Give Me A Reason ups the tempo and brings in gang vocals to great effect, and the guitar solo raging through the last minute will definitely get blood pumping. Opening with some drowsy string plucking, Tonight blazes through another catchy chorus before swinging into a nifty bridge, fuzzy guitars and all. Six tracks in and I’m still hooked, which is a feat many bands haven’t been able to pull off lately.

However, by the time Reverie, lucky number seven, was finished, the middle of the road approach that Breaching Vista took to recording Vera City bled through. Reverie sounds just a bit too similar to what we’ve heard so far, making it the first disposable track on the album. Luckily, Run With The Punches and W5 cram my words down my throat. Both songs bring back the energy with contagious “whoa oh’s!” and some heavier riffing that both serve to prevent the onset of monotony. Throughout both, Maksym shows that his pipes can hold up the beefier tracks just as well as they can carry the ballads, and Nik Varey lets us know he can do more than just simple beats on his kit.

Coming up on the end of Vera City, two five minute songs compete for attention, and the first of the pair, Wrath Of Nyre, easily wins. Opening with a swelling riff that carries the rest of the track, the energy ebbs and flows naturally, crashing between restrained verses and unleashed choruses, creating one of the best songs on the album. Goodbye, So Long doesn’t fare as well, as it falls back into bland radio rock territory, with the generic break up lyrics holding down an otherwise adequate track.

Reaching the last two tracks, Letters brings back the ballad form and has Breaching Vista performing the hell out of it. This is where much of their promise lies, as they take established formulas and follow them to the point where they are recognizable, while putting their own unique spin in their songs. Featuring a beautiful duet, Letters builds to a heartbreaking climax, which makes Little Thoughts that much more welcome. Closing out the album with buckets of adrenaline, the final track springs through its run time, ending on a very strong note.

With that being said, the radio rock style they perform so well begins to wear after a few listens. Although Vera City is a good album, it plants itself firmly in the middle of the road. Breaching Vista are excellent as a radio rock band, but if they plan to set themselves apart from the rest, they’ll have to differentiate themselves from the pack.

However, for a debut album from a band looking to propel themselves into radio stations, Vera City is the strongest start anyone could hope for. The songs are catchy and well done, hinting at the talent that these guys have. Given time to mature and branch into different styles, Breaching Vista could very well be the next band to be blasting out of your speakers during a summer drive.
- We Got This Covered, by Christian Law, May 20, 2011

Top Hat Magazine, by Hannah Neild, July 1, 2011


This album is very promising!

It’s got everything you could want from a band of this genre: great vocals, backing vocals and lyrics that you can understand and relate to.

The album starts on a slower tempo than I usually prefer, but despite this, early tracks ‘Sleep’ and ‘Tonight’ are highlights.


'Forgive you' sets aside from the rest of the album, with slow relaxing lyrics, and a powerful choral backing, allowing for a rest before he pace picks up with the songs ‘Run With The Punches’ and ‘W5’.

‘Goodbye, So Long’ brings with it a bit of much needed angst which kicks the record up a notch, however, the instrumental at the end which leads in to ‘Letters’, an acoustic guitar fuelled ballad, brings it back down and eases the album back to it’s original easy going rhythm.

To give you an idea of the kind of band they are, Breaching Vista would fit right in to a Slam Dunk festival line-up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they pop up on there in the coming years.

Similar to Francesqa – if you’re in to that sort of stuff, you’ll love these. If you’re in to heavier, faster music, you might not.

Tracks to download: 'W5' and 'Goodbye, So Long'.

HANNAH NEILD

4/5 Top hats!

- Top Hat Magazine, by Hannah Neild, July 1, 2011

ExploreMusic.com, by Adam Morrison, June 1, 2011


Radio-ready rock that I like more than I like most of what’s on the dial. This is my favourite track from the Kitchener band’s Vera City album, which came out on May 3rd.

Sounds like the next… I’m not quite sure who.

- ExploreMusic.com, by Adam Morrison, June 1, 2011

Melodic Net (Jönköping, Sweden), by Henrik Holmgren, August 2011


Breaching Vista is virtually unknown to the general public but hopefully not for long. Their debut album is a strong display of competent modern rock in the veins of Default, Boyce Avenue, Dashboard Confessional and similar bands.



This albums starts off with the intro We Are the Way that blends into Sleep and from that moment I am hooked. Sleep is a great song and the last thing I want to do when I hear it is to go to sleep. There is a nice variation to the songs on here, just compare Sleep and Forgive You, which by the way is another great song. They are totally different but that is the main strength to this band and album. A couple of more songs that stand out are Letters and W5. Not that the rest of the songs are not great, they are just less outstanding and a bit more ordinary.



If you are looking for a good band that is not ruined by mainstream radio, look over here. I really need to tell you that this is one of those under the radar albums that you should not miss. If you do it will be your loss. A very safe buy if you are into modern rock.

3.5 Stars - Melodic Net (Jönköping, Sweden), by Henrik Holmgren, August 2011

Venture Mag (UK), by Rob Stanley, August 16, 2011


Breaching Vista is an alt-rock four piece band hailing from Kitchner, Ontario. Their second release, and debut full length, ‘Vera City’ is filled with rocking sounds that any pop-rock fan will love. Breaching Vista is signed to the Indie label Bright Side Records from Canada as well as British label Engineer Records. They have played alongside acts such as Jack’s Mannequin, Mariana’s Trench, and Finger Eleven, and also played on the closing day of the Canada Day Celebration. They’ve played three years in a row, with crowds of over 10,000 people. After playing a few festivals, including “Rock the Mill 2010” and the “Barrie New Music Festival 2011” (in which Breaching Vista won an award for ‘Best New Alternative Rock’) as well as an opening party for Sirius Satellite radio, the boys headed into the studio to record the album ‘Vera City.’

The opener to the album, “We Are the Way” is an instrumental minute-thirty track back with the chanting of the name of the song lightly sung over a soaring drum and guitar soundtrack. Following the intro song is “Sleep”, which is a single off of the album. This song is the first showcase of John Maksym’s voice, where one can hear his powerful low end, and his songwriting ability. The chorus “Just let me get some sleep/ a little’s all I need/ to fall into a dream/ Oh let me get some, sleep!” is a wonderfully catchy verse, and you can feel the emotion in Maksym’s voice.

“Nervous”, the third track, opens with an acoustic guitar and drum beat backing the lyrics “Let’s take it back and go one step further/ two steps back and I don’t wanna get nervous.” The song builds up to the chorus and falls, only to be built up again, which matches the “two steps forward, one step back” theme. “Forgive You” is a track that stood out on the album to me, with the sounds of a cello and violin as well as a splendid choir, which provides an epic sound. This song also features Alan Malnar’s fantastic guitar playing with a grand solo.

“Give Me a Reason” is a bit more punk in nature, with another solo, this time much more overdriven and strong. A quick song, (2:48 as opposed to the majority of the album’s 13 songs being 4 minutes or more.) “Give Me a Reason” is a nice break from the acoustic-pop driven songs before it. “Tonight” shows off the rhythm section beautifully with a rocking bassline from Mike Chhangur, who also provides backing vocals.

“Reverie” provides a break from the fast paced pop-punk songs preceding it. “Reverie” slows down with almost whispered vocals back by a snare filled drumline provided by drummer Nicholas Varey, and also features piano from Kenny Bridges. “Run With the Punches” is an inspiring song, with a powerful guitar riff throughout, and lyrical themes to get back rising to the occasion, and using your full potential. “W5” jumps in with a palm muted distorted guitar, and then falls in with Maksym’s hearty voice singing “you prey on the young and innocent/ come on man grow up, they’re only kids/ do they toy with your conscious?” Which is some damn good wordplay if I say so myself. Later the song features and organ, and a roaring solo before a final chorus.

The longest song on the album, which clocks in at 5:24, is “The Wrath of Nyre.” This song uses one leading riff throughout the song, with Maksym’s coarse voice layered over it and the slow rhythm notes. It doesn’t get boring with such a length however, and it features climactic build ups until falling back to the main riff before fading out. “Goodbye, So Long” stands out with a bit more attitude, with a gang vocal section where the words “Just wait, let me think, it’s not what you think.” The song closes with an orchestral sound, before transitioning to an acoustic “Letters.” “Letters” features Billy the Kid, a folk singer out of Vancouver, British Columbia. She provides a fantastic and relaxing sound alongside the acoustic track. “Little Thoughts” closes the 13-track album ‘Vera City’ with pop-rock at its finest. The drums and punches of the guitars mesh together perfectly, and is my favorite song on the album.

Comprised of John Maksym (guitar/vocals), Mike Chhangur (bass/backing vocals), Al Malnar (guitar) and Nicholas Varey (drums), Breaching Vista is on their way to greatness. You can find their album on iTunes, as well as like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Overall Rating: 9/10
- Venture Mag (UK), by Rob Stanley, August 16, 2011

The Portal Magazine, by Teri Wagner, September 2011


Well, Breaching Vista, what can I say? They happen to be four blokes from Ontario who can write a seamless song, to be certain. The entire 13 track album, Vera City is a quick and dirty lesson on how to start and finish something without really losing your way. Interesting changes and a seriously boss rhythm section added some zap for me. It is a decidedly emo pop aesthetic but tight, dulcet guitars, double-kick and occasional African-folk inspired back-up seem to make good neighbours. Who knew?

That being said, certain sections brought me back to fellow Ontario natives, Moneen, and it might do the same for you, if you’re into that sort of thing. Breaching Vista leaks, nay, oozes the stuff that horn-rimmed glasses are made of as they work raspy, radio-hip vocals into the forefront of some occasionally impressive and curious guitaring. Yep. It’s a verb, stay with me. Though they bust out the serious guitar sparingly ….once it arrives, I think you’ll be pleased. The songs supply some genuinely creative and unique lines and I most definitely wanted to hear them expanded upon with lengthier solos and just flat-out showboating.

So far as individual song content is concerned, I have to say that “Run With The Punches” is a rockin’ little number that’s easily my favourite because it makes me want to run out and play Street Fighter at a stand-up arcade machine. No joke. I felt a little metal peeking out of a few of the guitar lines, and due to obvious rock out related reasons, I liked it. On the flip side (flip side?) “Nervous” fills the quirky, romantic quota nicely. The ridiculously catchy chorus makes it a stand out as one of the most memorable; this was playing my car when we kissed for the first time, kind of tracks. Again, if you’re into that whole kissing in cars thing.

Solid arrangements and smooth progressions were definitely the highlight of the catalogue for me. I am going to take a stand here, however, and just demand more vocal harmonies and general, experimental tomfoolery. All four of the lads sing and I really enjoyed the back-up where it showed up most (Give me a reason, off the top of my head). I’d say that Breaching Vista certainly attempts to jump as many fences as they can while still staying tucked nicely within the pocket of some hipster’s vest. I have been known to admire a willingness to mix it up, and these fellas give it their best shot.
- The Portal Magazine, by Teri Wagner, September 2011

CBC, September 8, 2011


Two months ago, Breaching Vista submitted their rendition of “Run to You” in hopes of becoming finalists on Cover Me Canada. Meanwhile, in the mystical land of CMC Headquarters, we viewed thousands of videos – including the one uploaded by Breaching Vista. We loved it. “These guys are gonna go somewhere!” we exclaimed, in showbiz-y voices like they do in the movies.

The truth is that we loved a lot of bands, but could only pick 8 finalists. Breaching Vista will not appear on the show, but CBC saw so much promise in them that they were invited to perform at a VIP Gemini party last night. And they blew the roof off!

Check out their Cover Me Canada submission below, and if you want to know a lil more about the guys, peep their Facebook page.
- CBC, September 8, 2011

My Global Mind Webzine (Australia), by ZeeZee, October 8, 2011


It’s funny you can listen to certain bands for the first time and wonder why you haven’t heard of them before. Sometimes it can be because you instantly fall in love with a certain band and can’t possibly believe you had missed them up until that point, but then there’s the other version, when you hear a band that are clearly so radio ready and chart compatible that it seems ridiculous not to have known about them. Well, that’s how I started to feel around half way through this debut album from Ontario modern rock group BREACHING VISTA.

I must admit that it’s a little bit ‘nicer’ and lighter feeling than a lot of the modern rock groups going around these days, but in a world where DEFAULT, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, SWITCHFOOT and DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL can constantly attack the charts, surely there’s room for BREACHING VISTA. Yes, I think they are almost good enough to be spoken about in the same sentences as any other modern radio rock band, and the fact they take a slight bit of the hardness out gives them something that should help them stand out from the pack.

I counted at least four tracks SLEEP, GIVE ME A REASON, REVERIE and GOODBYE, SO LONG that could easily sit on FM radio and realistically there’s probably another couple too. The overall running vibe of the album is catchiness, something BREACHING VISTA have proven to have plenty of, and though there’s nothing much here that could be classed as adventurous, what they do, they do very, very well.
Fans of MATCHBOX TWENTY, TRAIN, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL and maybe even DEEP BLUE SOMETHING should certainly check out VERA CITY. Sure, it may be a little too nice-ish for some people, but if you like innocent catchy radio rock then look no further; this album will do you just fine.

Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 8/10
- My Global Mind Webzine (Australia), by ZeeZee, October 8, 2011

A Journal of Musical Things – AlanCross.ca, by Gilles LeBlanc, November 9, 2011


Breaching Vista: “Letters” (feat. Billy the Kid)

Album: Vera City

Alan wrote recently about how there’s a healthy market for “solid, radio-friendly modern rock.” Kitchener, Ontario’s Breaching Vista fit this bill nicely from a Canadian perspective. Their album Vera City has been out since March, but they’re offering ‘Letters’ as a free download all this month in honour of Remembrance Day.

Sounds like: More Canadian artists should be doing stuff like this, as our country has an inspiring war participation history. Kleenex worthy rock, with guest backing vocals from Billy Pettinger, a.k.a. Canada’s own Billy the Kid. - A Journal of Musical Things – AlanCross.ca, by Gilles LeBlanc, November 9, 2011

Soul Matters Mag, by Cherryl Thompson, January 2012


Though based out of Kitchener, Ontario, Breaching Vista's talent is much bigger than their geographic location. Their music is unmistakably rock but it’s punchy with a lot of edge. Tracks like “Nervous,” “Sleep” and “Give Me a Reason” are heavy guitar driven high energy songs that would work perfectly on any film soundtrack. This band’s sound is epic, there’s just no other way to describe it. They go big on everything and while that can sometimes overpower the listener, you’ll find Vera City reaches some level of balance. It probably helps that the songs run short so you don’t have enough time to get bored. They do slow it down a few times; on “Reverie” and “Letters” so it’s not all heavy. “Little Thoughts,” the album’s closing track is so high energy you can’t help but love these guys. Admittedly, they are not reinventing the wheel on Vera City, but what they are doing is sticking true to a genre that most people screw up. For those who pick up the CD, the insert is beautifully done and tries to tell the story of Vera City, it also includes the lyrics to the album’s songs. 3.5/5
- Soul Matters Mag, by Cherryl Thompson, January 2012

MusicLegends.ca, by Jason Saulnier, February 13, 2012


John Maksym Interview

Jason Saulnier interviews John Maksym Guitarist and Lead Vocalist for Canadian Rockers Breaching Vista. February 13, 2012

1. How is Breaching Vista doing these days?

We’re doing really well right now. There’s been a lot of excitement in the past year, and especially recently – having just played our biggest venue/show to date. Last week we opened for Theory of a Deadman at Centre in the Square in Kitchener, which is one of the best acoustically designed theatres in North America, if not the world.
And we had a really good 2011, playing a ton of great shows & festivals, launching Vera City, and just checking off a lot of little things from the band bucket list. We seem to have carried that moment right into 2012, with the help of a great New Years Eve bash that we played with The Reason.


2. Can you tell me about the process behind the recording of the latest Breaching Vista album Vera City?

Well we started pre-production in mid-late 2009, and then spent pretty much all of 2010 working on the record from start-to-finish.
We decided to go back to Beach Road Studios, where we recorded our 2008 EP, because we haven’t found a studio that we feel more comfortable in. It’s a large facility out in the country, with an abundance of gear to play with and no distractions. There’s a cottage on site for bands to live in, fittingly named, “The Band House”. So we started off spending 14 days straight at Beach Road, with our Producer and good friend, Siegfried Meier.

We like working with Siegfried because he’s old school, and very good at his craft. Some of the cool pieces of gear that we used at Beach Road include a 2” reel-to-reel tape machine. So we did a mix between traditional analog recording, and Pro Tools. On any given guitar track we had 3 different amps running, with 3 different cabinets, and 4 mics on each cab. For one take we had 12 tracks recording simultaneously. And Sig is not a cut-and-paste kind of guy. He values capturing the performance.

Once the bulk of the recording was done, we enlisted some real session players for strings, including world renowned Cellist, Kevin Fox (Celine Dion, Chantal Kreviazuk). Kenny Bridges (of Moneen), played some piano for us and Billy the Kid (from Vancouver) squeezed in a recording session during her busy tour schedule to do a duet vocal part on our song “Letters”.

And finally, I had this vision of having a multicultural gospel choir doing a vocal melody on our song “Forgive You”. I spent a few months finding the perfect choir for the job, another few months convincing them to sing for us, and about a month or so booking a date to record them. The only available date to get their 8 best singers was Sig’s birthday, so we set up a mobile studio right in their church to take advantage of the natural acoustics. They sang beautiful harmonies effortlessly and sent chills down my spine. It was the final touch the record needed.
Siegfried did the mixing, and we sent it off to Troy Glessner at Spectre Studio, just outside Seattle, for mastering.


3. Where do you find the inspirations to write music?

My inspiration for writing comes from everyday life. Things that I encounter day-to-day. One morning I was sitting at my desk at work, and was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. Wasn’t long after that a melody with the line “just let me get some sleep” popped into my head. I ended up writing a song called “Sleep” from that.
I’ve written songs after watching movies, I’ve written about relationships, friends, past experiences in bands, after watching troubling events in the news on TV. Some are positive, some are negative, but it’s my outlet for what comes to me.

I know of songwriters who can just sit down and write a song, because that’s what they do. For me, it needs to be more than that. There’s this feeling I get when inspiration strikes, like a sudden adrenaline rush. And at that moment, I know that I don’t have much time to capture my thoughts and feelings, so I grab whatever is closest to me whether it’s my guitar, a pen and paper, or simply just voice recording an idea on my iPhone. Not every idea turns into a song, but that’s usually how it starts for me. And it has to be real for me. I can’t force inspiration.


4. How is the Rock scene in Ontario these days?

I think the Rock scene in Ontario has been sustaining itself. The underground scene seems to be driven between both metal influenced music, and the newer rhythmic rock that you can dance to. But there’s a little bit for everyone.

Big tours are still coming through Ontario, and tickets are still selling. Some of the big names rolling through right now would be Simple Plan with Marianas Trench, Hedley, and Theory of a Deadman just wrapped up their tour recently. This spring/summer will be Nickelback with Bush, Our Lady Peace, Billy Talent, and Bryan Adams, to name a few.

Not to say that they are all the same style of rock band, but they all live in the rock world. And it’s been pretty normal to see bands like Stone Temple Pilots, KISS, and Three Days Grace headlining major summer festivals in Ontario the past few years.


5. What are your current endorsements?

We haven’t actually looked into any endorsements just yet. We’ve heard that our band is on the radar with some companies, but I don’t think endorsements are handed out as easily as they once were. We know that they’ll come around when the time is right for both parties.


6. What’s your vision on the Internet as a tool to promote and market Music?

It’s like a double-edge sword. The Internet has made music accessible for fans all over the world. It’s never been easier than it is today to be sharing your music and gaining fans in other countries around the globe. Independent bands and musicians are paving their own way through the industry, and sites like YouTube are catapulting some to overnight success.

But the Internet is only as good as the people using it. Even if you somehow come up with a million dollar idea and create a viral video, there’s a good chance you were already working your ass off to get there. The thing with the Internet being so accessible is that there’s never been so much competition out there. You need to constantly be on top of your game, keeping your existing fans interested, and working hard to attract new fans to your band. And with a little bit of luck, the fans might step in and start doing some of the work for you. Word of mouth travels far. As do Facebook status’ and Twitter updates.


7. With all the bands coming out today. Do you keep updated with what comes out online at all?

I’ve always got an ear to the ground to keep up with what’s new. And it’s important to network with other artists and build friendships. The best thing you can do is to find bands similar to your genre, and play together in each other’s hometown. From there you start building some common fans and the more exposure you can get, the faster your name will travel around.

Sometimes it’s tough to keep up with the new social media sites though. Seems like every week someone has some kind of profile based music streaming website showing up promising to be the best one yet. We definitely screen each one that comes to our attention, but we don’t sign up on every site. It would be too many to maintain. The ones that seem to be the most relative today are Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.


08. What would be some of your influences?

I’m the front man and main songwriter of our band so I’m a front man/songwriter kind of guy. My personal influences would be Billie Joe Armstrong/Green Day, Bruce Springsteen, Gavin Rossdale/Bush, Raine Maida/Our Lady Peace, Stephan Jenkins/Third Eye Blind, Dave Grohl/Foo Fighters, Adam Lazzara/Taking Back Sunday, Jesse Lacey/Brand New, Johnny Rzeznik/Goo Goo Dolls, and Kurt Cobain/Nirvana.

My dad got me started on Springsteen when I was 3 years old, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I love the way he tells stories with his songs. Makes me feel like I’m right there watching the story unfold, and I feel connected to it. Green Day is by far my favorite band though. Nothing compares to the live show that those guys put on night after night. Billie Joe is in a league of his own for showmanship. He grew up a punky brat, but developed into a classy rock n roll icon.

The rest of the guys would probably agree with most of my picks, but I’m sure they’d also throw in Silverchair, Pearl Jam, Blink 182 and Styx.


09. Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician?

I don’t think there’s anything really interesting in a day in my life as a musician. But since you asked, let’s just say this is a day on tour.

Wake up – probably in my bunk on our beat up looking 1990 International tour/school bus likely to be parked at Wal-Mart in whatever city or town we’re in
Brush teeth – standing outside of the bus using a water bottle to rinse
Eat breakfast – egg mcmuffin at the McDonalds inside Wal-Mart with a black coffee
Browse – even though we wake up at Wal-Mart just about every day on tour I always need to do a lap around the store and usually buy a bag of ice for our beer cooler
Return to bus – wake up whatever band member did not rise from the grave
GPS/Drive – plug in address for next venue and start driving, eat Tostitos and/or Golden Grams as snack
Pit Stop – usually need to fuel up, use the washroom, buy lunch, etc.
Venue/Load in – arrive at next venue, find loading door and haul gear to the stage
Sound Check – sound check
Dinner – after sound check go out and find nearby pizza place, subway, or some kind of cheap food that is preferably not deep fried
Show – play awesome rock n roll concert, sell merch, meet new fans, let fans sign the inside of our bus roof
Load out – pack gear and merch back into the bus
Clean up – if venue has dressing room with shower, take a shower. If not, maybe find a YMCA, truck stop, or friendly person to let us come shower at their place
Drive/Park – find the local Walmart parking lot or one along the way to the next venue and park for the night Brush teeth – gotta keep the oral hygiene up, and I can’t sleep if my mouth doesn’t feel fresh
Sleep – climb back into my bunk and get the best sleep of my life! Our bunks are VERY comfortable. Custom made, of course.


10. Will there be any North American Tour following the release of Vera City?

We did about a month of touring last spring in support of Vera City, and spent the summer/fall playing various festivals.

This year the game plan is similar. We’re not going to jump on the road until spring time when festival season comes around. The festival shows are a blast in the summer, and we seem to fit really well on them, so that’s our main focus coming up. We’re also going to keep our options open for touring opportunities as a supporting band. Last year we went about it on our own, and this year we’d like to be a supporting act. Only time will tell what comes our way, but we’ve gotten off to a great start in 2012 so far!
- MusicLegends.ca, by Jason Saulnier, February 13, 2012

Shameless Youth, March 2012


The Canadian-born band Breaking Vista’s new release Vera City, is the band’s first full album and is full of guitar mixes, ‘Reverie’ packs as much emotion as possible into four minutes, while ‘Goodbye, So Long’ gives a voice to those long, lonely nights every music fan has experienced. The relentless wash of ‘Little Thoughts,’ the album’s bruising closer and ‘Sleep,’ Vera City’s standout track, leave no doubt as to the band’s aesthetic.‘Nervous’ features a mix of acoustic and electric guitars and ‘Forgive You’ is sure to be a common tune on the radio. Vera City is out now on iTunes and other music providers! - Shameless Youth, March 2012

AntiMusic.com, March 02, 2012


Today Breaching Vista frontman John Maksym tells us about the song "Nervous" from their latest album "Vera City". Here is the story:

Nervous is about my own personal struggle to find and regain my confidence after a rather disheartening experience in a previous band. Line up changes within that band took me right out of my comfort zone but I went along with it for the sake of keeping the original line up together and as an effort to keep our friendship in tact. After some touring and then some time off, we regrouped to head into the studio. Our bassist-turned-lead-singer had gotten together with our guitarist to write all of the new material. I was completely left out of the writing process, which again was something I had always been a part of. The last straw was being told that I wasn't needed in the studio either. I lost my interest in the bands future and walked out. It was tough to walk away from something that I was so passionate about, and something I had invested so much of my life towards, but the part that hurt the most was having my best friends completely cut off my involvement.

So while the song may seem to come across as a confused relationship, it's really just me confronting the memories that tore down my confidence and reminding myself that while I lost some motivation, drive, and time in my pursuit of a music career, I'm now in a position where I can pick up where I left off. Nervous focuses on one of those cynically rearranged takes on the catchphrase "Two steps forward, One step back." My version is a cautious "One step forward, Two steps back" because I'm nervous about whether or not I can do this on my own. The song was originally written as a solo acoustic song back in 2006 when I finally decided to pull up my socks and start playing live again after half of a year of sitting around being bummed out. My Breaching Vista band mates really liked the song, and we spent about 2-3 years trying out various full band arrangements before settling on the Vera City album version.

- AntiMusic.com, March 02, 2012

Room Thirteen, by Michelle Moore, March 12, 2012


Some people may already be familiar with the name Breaching Vista through the release of their debut EP. However, it is the release of their album Vera City that will likely pull in the crowds.

For those individuals that have never come across Canadian based rock outfit Breaching Vista before this album is the perfect introduction to the unique blend of toe-tapping, head bopping, poppy music infused with a punchy, hard-rock edge that this four-piece is able to accomplish. The thirteen track album opens with an instant rush of energetic melodies via We Are The Way, quickly demonstrating the talent that lies ahead. The release quickly moves forward with Sleep, a melodious number that one can't help but be impressed by. It really pulls on the ears and by the second chorus has you singing along with the lyrics as best you can, especially the "let me get some sleep" hook.

Alongside the punchy upbeat tracks, Breaching Vista is able to show they are more than capable of throwing out a few slower numbers that are just as impressive, sometimes even more so. Nervous combines acoustic and electric elements to make an epic sound and something that will send a tingle down your spine, while Reverie plays a little more on the emotions to fully put its energy across.

Together with the energy and enthusiasm that erupts by the bucket load, there are some elements such as the chanting and backing choir-like vocals of Forgive You, the united backing vocals of Run With The Punches and the female vocal contribution of Letters that make these songs even more stand out and really make a listener want to delve head first into the world of Breaching Vista.

Having already made quite an impact in Canada, Breaching Vista is set to take UK shores by storm with this album of radio friendly poppy rock. With fists punching the air and lyrics being belted out louder than you thought possible, there is no doubt any crowd these guys play to is going to be astounded by the performance. If a CD can make such an impression, there is no doubt a live performance will go down a storm.


Track listing
01 - We Are The Way
02 - Sleep
03 - Nervous
04 - Forgive You
05 - Give Me A Reason
06 - Tonight
07 - Reverie
08 - Run With The Punches
09 - W5
10 - Wrath Of Nyre
11 - Goodbye, So Long
12 - Letters
13 - Little Thoughts
- Room Thirteen, by Michelle Moore, March 12, 2012

TMAK World, by Steve Mallinson, March 21, 2012


March 21 2012 - We are very excited that Slacker Canadian Music Week (CMW) 2012 is coming to Toronto from March 21st to the 25th. CMW is a music festival, conference, exhibition, and even a film festival all rolled into one. It is also billed as “Canada’s Largest Music Festival” and aims to bring exposure to Canadian music of all genres and in general to support the Canadian music industry. Over 900 artists from 40 countries in 60 venues converge for 5 nights in Toronto and this puts us on the map in terms of large artistic and creative gatherings. Having just come back from the fabled South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, we are very pleased that Toronto will host CMW and we are certain that CMW will grow in both number of attendees and stature in the music industry (much like Toronto’s International Film Festival has).
We weeded through all the bands bios found here and narrowed it down to the ones that were of interest to us musically. From there we quickly listened to a sample of their songs found on the same page and were left with a handful of bands that we were interested in finding out more about. We approached those bands and offered them to appear on our Emerging Artist Spotlight feature. Our first three CMW spotlights featured TimeGiant from Toronto, Grain from Edmonton, and Matt Groopie and The Bandits. We now set our focus on yet another band named Breaching Vista. All bands are asked similar questions to each other so we can get to know them better. The description on their CMW page reads:

January 2007 saw the launch of Kitchener, Ontario’s Alt-Rock quartet Breaching Vista. Since their inception, BV has found themselves sharing the bill with such notable acts as Our Lady Peace, Theory of a Deadman, Jack’s Mannequin, The Sheepdogs, Hedley, Matthew Good, Marianas Trench, Arkells, Finger Eleven, Protest The Hero, Down With Webster, The Reason, and many more. The release of 2008’s ‘Breaking The View’ EP, paired with their rock-solid-crowd-pleasing live performance, helped them land the closing ceremonies of the Canada Day Celebration in Waterloo, ON, for 3 consecutive years (2008, 2009, and 2010) to an audience of 10 thousand plus (10 000+) spectators each year. Their music garnered media attention with print, online, and both college and major radio stations, which helped lead to signings with Canadian indie label Bright Side Records, and UK indie label Engineer Records.

Here is what the band had to say to us:

Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument does everyone rock?

John – lead vocals & guitar
Mike – bass & backing vocals
Al – lead guitar & backing vocals
Nik - drums

We found you as we were searching through the mountain of artists being featured at the 2012 Canada Music Week. How important is CMW for bands fighting to get noticed and the exposure you can gain from it?

John: CMW is Canada's most elite festival and draws a large amount of international exposure. Since this band started, we have applied to CMW every year for the chance to showcase our brand of rock music on the world stage, and we are very fortunate to be in our 2nd year performing at the festival. Not only is it a great performance opportunity, but it is a massive networking base to meet other artists, industry and media professionals.


Not sure if you read the recent interview with Dave Grohl on Billboard, but the interview title was “Why Rock Will Never Die & Why 2011 Was His Best Year Ever”. So tell us your thoughts – Why do you believe rock will never die?

John: I have read it, and Dave is bang on! I’ve been telling the guys in my band since we started that the industry goes in cycles, and we’re closing out the throwback to the 80’s right now. All of the rhythmic pop music stuff sounds the same, and people will eventually get sick of it. The 90’s were a huge movement in rock music, as were the 70’s (not that I was around, but I’ve heard many great things). It’s coming around to that time where people are getting tired of hearing this fake version of music – Dave’s “computer music”. Rock music is real music, just as he talks about. And one of the things that we really pride ourselves on, more than writing and recording, is performing live. We love to connect with our audience, create moments, and feed off of the energy of audience and the music. I don’t think we could do that if it was all digital effects. People go to concerts to experience those moments, to connect with their favourite bands and songs, and because they appreciate real talent. They want to see an artist playing an instrument with passion.

The bands that have longevity in the music industry are rock bands. Foo Fighters, Green Day, U2, Springsteen, The Rolling Stones… Everyone has to experience something bad to fully appreciate what is good, and the good music is out there. Right now you just need to look for it. But once you find it, you won’t realize it at first, but you’ll be starting up the new movement of discovering great music.

Why will 2012 be your best year ever?

John: We already started off great playing a New Years Eve bash with our friends in, The Reason. We quickly followed that show up by supporting Slow Motion Victory (of Much Music Discovered) and then Theory of a Deadman, on hometown shows.

With the momentum kicking off in full throttle, we've been starting to hear from festivals and getting some great offers coming in for tour dates this spring and summer. We'll definitely be playing some of our biggest shows to date this year, and our fan base has been consistently growing. Unfortunately I can't spill the beans on what festivals just yet, but we're hoping to make some announcements soon!
I guess it'll be our best year ever because we'll be doing more of what we love to do, play music and entertain people.


Imagine each of you were the guitarist/drummer/bassist/vocalist in another band. Would that band be: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath or Nickelback and why?

Mike: Pink Floyd only because Comfortably Numb is quite honestly the best song in the world and that is a scientific fact.

John: I'd probably go with Led Zeppelin. Legends of rock n' roll. Stairway to Heaven is often considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time... Need I say more?

What is the future of the music industry? With the concept of the album and physical CD’s facing extinction, how will we be consuming music in 10 years? Are the economics feasible for emerging artists?

Mike: The music industry is quite honestly doomed. In the next 10 years there will be virtually no major record labels. Artists will move too recording at home, and distributing online, and music will have to be free. New artists will have to depend solely on their live shows to produce any sort of income, and maybe some really good music placements. To be successful in this business you'll have to learn to adapt and be versatile.

How long has the band been around, and how did you guys get started?

John: We started the band in January 2007, so it’s been just over 5 years now. The band came together as a natural transition of musicians looking for other musicians to play some music with. Al and Nik played together in a band, and were looking for a singer to fill in for a bar gig. We knew each other from high school, so they asked if I wanted to come play a couple sets worth of 90’s alt-rock and pop-punk stuff. I welcomed the opportunity as I had been out of a band for over a year at that point.

The show was a huge success and many of their friends asked me if I was the new singer of their band. I humbly said no, that it was only a one-time thing, but we ended up taking an offer for a follow up show. That night was abruptly ended when a fight broke between their bass player, and an audience member – while we were in the middle of a song. We got kicked out, and I told the guys if they wanted to keep playing then we needed a new bassist.

We got to talking, and Al, Nik and I decided we wanted to try writing songs and start a new band, so I offered to call my friend Mike to join as a bassist. Mike had played with me in my previous band, and we had remained good friends after disbanding.

Mike rejected my first offer to bring him in, as he wanted to play drums. After a week went by and a few bass-less jam sessions, I reached out to Mike for a 2nd time knowing that he’s the guy I wanted to complete the line-up. The 2nd call took little-to-no convincing and Mike signed up within minutes.

Once the lineup was complete, we decided on the band name and immediately got started on writing and transforming my basement into a makeshift studio to record demos.



Where can people get your music/CD, is it being sold anywhere?

Mike: Our album is available on iTunes (Of Course!), But if you want to own a physical copy you can get it at anyone of our shows, or you can order it online here

At the end of 2011 we did our picks for top 10 albums of 2011. What albums did we miss on our list, or how would your top 10 list differ from ours?

Mike: I really enjoyed Foster the people's "Torches". I personally hated the band until I heard the album, and then it just clicked and I understand them.

I also have a secret obsession with Yellowcard, and their new album "When You're Thru Thinking, Say Yes" is personally one of my favorite albums of 2011, and hand's down my favorite Yellowcard album.

Any closing remarks for our readers?

Mike: Support independent music. You don't have to buy music to support an artist, but making an effort to go to more shows really makes a difference.

John: Drop us a line on Facebook and Twitter. We love hearing from new people. Just look for BREACHING VISTA!

Thanks so much to Mike and John from Breaching Vista for taking the time out to talk to us. We hope that you can see them live. They are playing Toronto’s Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen St. West on Thursday March 22nd at 2 a.m. for Canada Music Week. The band’s website is here and in the meantime check out their video below from YouTube.
- TMAK World, by Steve Mallinson, March 21, 2012

May The Rock Be With You, by Troy Culpan, March 24, 2012


OK so I’m interested right off the bat with the intro to this album, a great guitar sound and leaves me intrigued as to if this is what I can expect for the remainder of the album. It flows straight into a song called ‘Sleep’ which has a great musical hook and great structure to this song that did far from put me to sleep, now being unfamiliar with the band, this could easily have been the lead single (PS: It was). I say this only one song in and if they all sound like this you’ll soon get sick of me saying what should be a single. So I’ll refrain from that. Deal?

These guys have a great formulaic sound, perfect radio friendly driven rock. In essence you find yourself tapping along to it without even knowing. Take the song ‘Nervous’ it’s got a hook that could bring in a great white, there’s a great build up in this one and is a perfectly written catchy rock tune. Song after song impresses me, how do more people not know about this band? I guess that’s why they came to us, hopefully we can help, as this is a great band that more than a few of our readers would enjoy. What shocks me is that the album has been out for almost a year now. It’s just wrong that I am only finding it now.

Oh hello ‘Tonight’ you are my new favourite on the album, it once again follows that perfect rock formula that works and keeps working and I still have seven songs to go! I haven’t found one song yet that I haven’t enjoyed or felt didn’t fit, that’s rare on an album these days. I could listen to this many more times than once. As it continues ‘Goodbye, So Long’ is the perfect way to round out the album with an outro similar to that of the opener and just caps off an enjoyable album. But wait. Encore? Two more songs. Nice. ‘Letters’ is more of an acoustic driven track and there’s nothing wrong at all with that. What have we got to close the show? ‘Little Thoughts’ it is… You guessed it. I like it. I can’t help it sorry, all the songs are great, I’m just over excited as it’s so cool to find new music that excites me.

How do I sum up the bands sound to you? I hear shades of many of today’s bands in here and too many to name, but instead I’ll say that Breaching Vista have taken the best parts of all of them and created this Frankenstein type sound that now only sounds like one band. Breaching Vista. These guys from Canada have delivered and I’m not talking about pizzas. This is one kick ass album and I’m stoked to now know who Breaching Vista are. Hopefully you will be too…

Check out our Best Thing You’ve Never Heard feature on Breaching Vista

Essential Information
From: Kitchener, ON, Canada
For fans of: Radio friendly rock!
Release date: 2011
Record label: Bright Side Records (Canada) Engineer Records (UK)
Producer: Siegfried Meier
Website: www.breachingvista.com

Tracklist:
1. We are the Way
2. Sleep
3. Nervous
4. Forgive You
5. Give me a Reason
6. Tonight
7. Reverie
8. Run with the Punches
9. W5
10. Wrath of Nyre
11. Goodbye, So Long
12. Letters
13. Little Thoughts
- May The Rock Be With You, by Troy Culpan, March 24, 2012

nxew (north by east west), by Travis Hatcher, March 25, 2012


When I was approached with the opportunity to review Breaching Vista's Vera City I wasn't sure what to expect. I was told it was "straight up radio rock here - a real commercial appeal that draws comparisons to Simple Plan and Hedley." I don't disagree with this statement and I'd also add New Found Glory and Alien Ant Farm to the list of bands which are brought to mind.

While making comparisons to other bands is often easy to do and often fitting, Breaching Vista can stand on their own and have an impressive list of accomplishments for a band you may have not yet been exposed to (unless you're in the Kitchener, Ontario area or have seen them elsewhere). Vera City offers what fans of this sub-sect of the rock genre are looking for: music different enough to have appeal; but familiar enough for them to be comfortable with the presentation. The album is well produced and doesn't become too "experimental" in the music. The addition of strings to fill out the end of songs like "Goodbye, So Long" are a nice touch and smartly not overdone.

If you're a fan of straight ahead rock a la Hedly and Nickelback, what Breaching Vista has to offer might be just right for you.

Check Out - Letters
- nxew (north by east west), by Travis Hatcher, March 25, 2012

TMAK World, by Steve Mallinson, March 23, 2012


Our second last stop was the Bovine Sex Club to catch Breaching Vista. We profiled this band earlier as part of our Emerging Artist Spotlight and were glad to see them live. The alt-rockers from Kitchener played a tight set with great energy for 2am. The front man John Maksym was very dynamic and the band even played a solid Come Down by Bush.The band is on Twitter and Facebook - TMAK World, by Steve Mallinson, March 23, 2012

May The Rock Be With You, by Troy Culpan, March 24, 2012


Breaching Vista got in touch with us and we loved what we heard straight away, check them out!

Let’s start with the basics first – for those that aren’t aware of the band, what brought the band together and what is the inspiration behind the band name?

John: The band came together as a natural transition of musicians looking for other musicians to play some music with. Al and Nik played together in a band, and were looking for a singer to fill in for a bar gig. We knew each other from high school, so they asked if I wanted to come play a couple of sets worth of 90’s alt-rock and pop-punk stuff. I welcomed the opportunity as I had been out of a band for over a year at that point.

The show was a huge success and many of their friends asked me if I was the new singer of their band. I humbly said no, that it was only a one-time thing, but we ended up taking an offer for a follow up show. That night was abruptly ended when a fight broke between their bass player and an audience member – while we were in the middle of a song. We got kicked out, and I told the guys if they wanted to keep playing then we needed a new bassist.

We got to talking and Al, Nik and I decided we wanted to try writing songs and start a new band, so I offered to call my friend Mike to join as a bassist. Mike had played with me in my previous band, and we had remained good friends after disbanding. Mike rejected my first offer to bring him in, as he wanted to play drums. After a week went by and a few bass-less jam sessions, I reached out to Mike for a second time knowing that he was the guy I wanted to complete the line-up. The second call took little-to-no convincing and Mike signed up within minutes.

We tossed around some ideas for a band name, and we knew we wanted something unique and fresh sounding. It had to be powerful and climactic. I had been throwing in the word ‘breaking’ cause we were a new band breaking out. Nik cleverly used his thesaurus and found the synonym ‘breaching’ which sounded a lot cooler. He also lived across from a street called ‘vista’ and had wanted to somehow use the word in the name from the very beginning. So he sent over “BREACHING VISTA” in an instant message and was so stoked at what he came up with that we all just went with it.

We then realized that ‘vista’ was a synonym for ‘view’ and our name ended up translating to “Breaking the View”, which represented exactly what we were looking for. We wanted to break the current view of the independent music scene and be a band that stood out from the pack. Breaching Vista was the perfect name for us.


Can you introduce each member of your band and give us a rock ‘n’ roll fact or myth about each of them?

John – Lead vocals & guitar. John’s first show was in front of his entire elementary school and his band made every kid cry from JK to grade 3 with the loud instruments and use of a strobe light.

Mike – Bass & backing vocalist. Mike is a multi-instrumentalist. Years ago he played drums in a grunge band and he often sits down with Nik to work on writing the drum parts. He also controls our stage lighting during shows with a foot pedal.

Al – Lead guitar & backing vocals. Al is a silent member of classic rock revival band, Steel Panther. He also plays campfire guitar at epic pig roast parties in his backyard.

Nik – Drummer. Nik does not own a drum kit. (fact)


You have twenty seconds in an elevator to give your best sales pitch to someone to get them to listen to your new album ‘Vera City’, what do you tell them?

John & Mike: What do you get when you take 4 musicians dudes, add 2 guitars, 1 bass, a 5 piece drum kit, stir in a pinch of alternative-pop-rock melodies, simmer with a blend of sweet cello, violin, and piano lines, and lightly season with a gospel choir (that’ll send a tingle down your spine), mixed all together in a large studio and served with a colourful booklet in a jewel case? Our Vera City record. Here’s a copy, check it out!


Listening to ‘Vera City’, it’s so well recorded and produced, what was the process behind putting it together and how long was it in the making?

John: Well we started pre-production in mid-late 2009 and then spent pretty much all of 2010 working on the record from start-to-finish. We decided to go back to Beach Road Studios where we recorded our 2008 EP because we haven’t found a studio that we feel more comfortable in. It’s a large facility out in the country with an abundance of gear to play with and no distractions. There’s a cottage on site for bands to live in fittingly named, “The Band House”. So we started off spending 14 days straight at Beach Road with our Producer and good friend Siegfried Meier.

We like working with Siegfried because he’s old school and very good at his craft. Some of the cool pieces of gear that we used at Beach Road include a 2” reel-to-reel tape machine. So we did a mix between traditional analog recording and Pro Tools. On any given guitar track we had 3 different amps running with 3 different cabinets and 4 mics on each cab. For one take we had 12 tracks recording simultaneously. And Sig is not a cut-and-paste kind of guy. He values capturing the performance.

Once the bulk of the recording was done we enlisted some real session players for strings including world renowned Cellist Kevin Fox (Celine Dion, Chantal Kreviazuk). Kenny Bridges (of Moneen) played some piano for us and Billy the Kid (from Vancouver) squeezed in a recording session during her busy tour schedule to do a duet vocal part on our song “Letters”. And finally, I had this vision of having a multicultural gospel choir doing a vocal melody on our song “Forgive You”. I spent a few months finding the perfect choir for the job, another few months convincing them to sing for us, and about a month or so booking a date to record them. The only available date to get their 8 best singers was Sig’s birthday, so we set up a mobile studio right in their church to take advantage of the natural acoustics. They sang beautiful harmonies effortlessly and sent chills down my spine. It was the final touch the record needed. Siegfried did the mixing, and we sent it off to Troy Glessner at Spectre Studio, just outside Seattle for mastering.


In terms of your song writing, what do you consider to be the most important ingredients that make up a Breaching Vista song?

John:I generally bring a bare bones demo song to the table, usually acoustic guitar and scattered lyrics, and the most important ingredient would be how our band can collaborate and equally offer creative ideas and bring a new perspective to the song. Each member of the band is musically talented and gets involved in every aspect of completing the song. The song isn’t considered finished until each one of us feels completely satisfied with it.


Both lyrically and musically, what or who inspires/influences your music the most?

John: I get inspired from life experiences. Whether it’s living through a personal experience, watching others from a 3rd party perspective, or just being exposed to media like movies, listening to music, or watching the news. And sometimes I just like to write stories. I think the greatest songwriters can paint pictures with their songs and are able to tell great stories. I strive to be able to do the same thing and I try to incorporate a positive and sometimes motivational message.There isn’t really a way of pin pointing where my inspiration comes from. It just hits me like an adrenalin rush and I need to try and capture the moment as quickly as possible, by grabbing a guitar, writing down lyric ideas, or singing into my iPhone. Often times I get inspired by talent. If I hear a great song, or a great lyric or lyric melody, it inspires me to push myself to write stronger songs. I try to think outside the box and come up with clever ideas that I haven’t previously tried. I never try to recycle old ideas.


A couple of songs stood out for me on the album, being ‘Sleep’ and ‘Nervous’ which just happen to be the singles, but the song ‘Tonight’ was another that caught my attention, is there a story behind this one specifically?

John: Tonight is a fictional story. I remember Al playing the guitar riff way back when the band had first started in 2007 and the first thing that struck me when I heard it was that this was going to be a story about a troubled teen who desperately needs help and guidance. All they need to do is find a way to swallow their pride and make their way back home to a warm and loving family life. After I had the general idea, a melody came to me and all I had to do was find words to express the message I wanted to share. The end result is a song that I hope people can connect to if they are feeling down and need to be reminded that even when things are going bad, there is always a way to turn them around and find the light at the end of the tunnel.


Touring wise, you’ve opened for bands such as Our Lady Peace, Jack’s Mannequin, Finger Eleven and most recently Theory of a Deadman, how does an opportunity like this help the band?

Mike: These shows are great for exposure. They allow us to gain new fans who wouldn’t normally have given us a chance or the time of day to listen to our music. It also opens up alot of doors for future shows. Promoters like knowing that you’re a band that has played in front of real audiences and not just your family.


From these tours were you able to pick up any tips from these bands that you now use in your own stage performances?

Mike: The biggest lesson that we’ve learned from these bands is to engage your audience on a very personal level, on and off the stage. We don’t take any of our fans for granted, and we respond and engage anyone who comes up to us or writes us. They are the only way we can continue to do what we do, and we appreciate their love and support.


So for those that haven’t yet seen you perform before, what can people expect from one of your live shows?

Mike: People should expect to experience moments at our show. We don’t just go up on stage and play our music. We try to make each and every show a unique experience. People should expect to leave our show with sore throats and sore hands.


Watching your cover of Bryan Adams’ ‘Run To You’ which was performed for a comp you somehow didn’t win, but would you consider, if you don’t already including this song in your live set moving forward after the reception it received?

Mike: We absolutely do incorporate “Run to you” in our live set. This song has a special place in our hearts. Not only because we are huge fans of Bryan Adams, but because this is the only cover that we have stripped down and rebuilt into a song that Breaching Vista would have written.


Lastly, here’s a chance to gaze into your crystal ball. By the end of 2012, Breaching Vista will have:

Mike & John:
1. A new vehicle. We currently have an ugly full sized 1990 international school bus that doesn’t like to start… EVER!
2. A new record in the works, that will be a complete game changer… In 2013
3. A fresh look, new merch, and have played a boat load more tour dates than in years past.


Essential Information
From: Kitchener, ON, Canada
Sounds like: Radio friendly Rock and Roll
Band members: John Maksym – Lead Vocals/Guitar, Mike Chhangur – Bass/Backing Vocals, Al Malnar – Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals, Nik Varey – Drums/Backing Vocals
Latest Release: Vera City (2011)
- May The Rock Be With You, by Troy Culpan, March 24, 2012

Quick Stats

Year: 2011
Artist: Breaching Vista
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop
Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
Length: 49 minutes

The Good:
This is a treasure trove of catchy, unoffensive radio rock, and a great debut for a young band.

The Bad:
The lyrics can be cliche and the generic radio rock grows tiring after repeated listenings.

The Verdict:
Given time to mature and branch into different styles, Breaching Vista could very well be the next band to be blasting out of your speakers during a summer drive.


Rating
Production 80%
Lyrics 70%
Replayability 85%
Total Score 80%

REVIEW:

As much as I love discovering new music to listen to, there is simply too much to keep up with. For every young band releasing their first album, there are thousands more practicing in their garage and gearing up for the big leagues. Despite this, I like to pride myself on finding at least a very small handful of bands that I love to follow through their careers. But as I said before, I’m nowhere near perfect and sometimes I let a band slip through the cracks. This is where I found Breaching Vista, and I’ve already promised myself to never lose sight of them again.
Hailing from Kitchener, Ontario, Breaching Vista are relatively young, although they’ve already played shows with an impressive list of headliners, including Finger Eleven and Marianas Trench. At times, it’s easy to see why they would play with these groups, as pretty much every song on Vera City is geared towards the radio rock crowd. This album is an example that proves true the old adage of radio music: “It’s popular for a reason.”

Right from the two opening songs, the energy is palpable, as We Are The Way leads beautifully into Sleep, the first single off of the album. Every element of the perfect pop rock song is present here, whether it’s John Maksym‘s breathy vocal delivery or the melodies played between Maksym and Al Malnar.

Although Sleep introduces listeners to the heavier side of Vera City, Nervous and Forgive You are the slower complements that play out as stronger than other pop acts. Both sink their teeth into your brain and get stuck in there for days, and if that’s not a sign of pop perfection then I don’t know what is. I found myself singing, “Take it back and go one step further/Two steps back, I don’t wanna get nervous,” without even knowing it.

Give Me A Reason ups the tempo and brings in gang vocals to great effect, and the guitar solo raging through the last minute will definitely get blood pumping. Opening with some drowsy string plucking, Tonight blazes through another catchy chorus before swinging into a nifty bridge, fuzzy guitars and all. Six tracks in and I’m still hooked, which is a feat many bands haven’t been able to pull off lately.

However, by the time Reverie, lucky number seven, was finished, the middle of the road approach that Breaching Vista took to recording Vera City bled through. Reverie sounds just a bit too similar to what we’ve heard so far, making it the first disposable track on the album. Luckily, Run With The Punches and W5 cram my words down my throat. Both songs bring back the energy with contagious “whoa oh’s!” and some heavier riffing that both serve to prevent the onset of monotony. Throughout both, Maksym shows that his pipes can hold up the beefier tracks just as well as they can carry the ballads, and Nik Varey lets us know he can do more than just simple beats on his kit.

Coming up on the end of Vera City, two five minute songs compete for attention, and the first of the pair, Wrath Of Nyre, easily wins. Opening with a swelling riff that carries the rest of the track, the energy ebbs and flows naturally, crashing between restrained verses and unleashed choruses, creating one of the best songs on the album. Goodbye, So Long doesn’t fare as well, as it falls back into bland radio rock territory, with the generic break up lyrics holding down an otherwise adequate track.

Reaching the last two tracks, Letters brings back the ballad form and has Breaching Vista performing the hell out of it. This is where much of their promise lies, as they take established formulas and follow them to the point where they are recognizable, while putting their own unique spin in their songs. Featuring a beautiful duet, Letters builds to a heartbreaking climax, which makes Little Thoughts that much more welcome. Closing out the album with buckets of adrenaline, the final track springs through its run time, ending on a very strong note.

With that being said, the radio rock style they perform so well begins to wear after a few listens. Although Vera City is a good album, it plants itself firmly in the middle of the road. Breaching Vista are excellent as a radio rock band, but if they plan to set themselves apart from the rest, they’ll have to differentiate themselves from the pack.

However, for a debut album from a band looking to propel themselves into radio stations, Vera City is the strongest start anyone could hope for. The songs are catchy and well done, hinting at the talent that these guys have. Given time to mature and branch into different styles, Breaching Vista could very well be the next band to be blasting out of your speakers during a summer drive.
- We Got This Covered, by Christian Law, May 20, 2011

THE KOI MUSIC FESTIVAL
While its existence is argued over by many, there is a prominent music scene that’s living in the back yard of the tri–city area and Guelph. And if you are one of those who sit on the fence, then prepare yourself for a festival on Saturday, September 18 that will push the boundaries and smack that skeptical look off of your face. Arc Clothing and Civilian Printing have taken their knack for showcasing incredible talent to hundred–plus people audiences and have now forged KOI – The Kitchener Ontario Independent Music Festival. Billed as the first in a likely annual series, 11 (count ‘em, 11) venues and over 140 bands will participate in the one–day epic that will cause sensory overload. “Curt and I own a downtown business and hear outdated remarks about downtown Kitchener and what it has to offer,” explains Cory Crossman, one of the brains behind the festival, “We are putting KOI together to bring people downtown Kitchener to see the shops, restaurants, businesses and culture that only a downtown can offer. At the same time as showcasing the downtown core as always, we are looking to build, grow and promote the local music scene. Growing up playing in the KW music scene, there weren’t really many options, if any, for a band to play. We want to give people a safe place to play and hear new music.” As easy a concept as it may sound, hours, days, and months have gone into planning a festival of this scale – and it’s not one that only includes live bands. “Prepare to be blown away when coming to KOI; this festival is like nothing this area has ever seen!” Crossman promises adding, “When ticket holders arrive they will turn their ticket in for a wrist band, which will allow them entrance into all of the all–age/licensed venues. Once wristbanded you will pop around from venue to venue, checking out great bands. Between sets from bands you can stop by the merch village which will close King St. down for the day, check out a downtown store or grab a bite to eat from one of the many amazing restaurants that make up downtown Kitchener. Be ready for a full day of activity!” koimusicfestival.com

BREACHING VISTA
An indie band that has set the bar for do–it–yourself promotions and getting recognized. It’s hard to dispute that Breaching Vista is one of the hardest working local bands in the region. Their debut EP Breaking The View was snapped up quickly by eager fans and critics, earning their way onto mainstream bills including the Barrie Music Festival, the Spring Music Festival, and the Beat Rocks The Block. Counting Green Day, Bush and Silverchair among their heaviest influences, Breaching Vista breaks the mold on the pop punk rock genre. The boys have seen their share of top notch stages including performing alongside Hedley, Marianas Trench, and Down With Webster, and are now set to be back in the recording studio to finish up the anticipated full length Vera City, due out in 2011. “Since day one we’ve always told ourselves that it doesn’t matter how many people we play in front of, our job is to entertain. We started out playing to audiences of 10 people, but have climbed to perform in front of 10, 000–plus spectators on some occasions. “We approach every show in the same manner, and work hard to actively engage the audience in our performance whether it’s clapping, moving around, singing along, or by simply influencing a reaction with short stories between songs,” they say. And now you can catch them when they perform at the KOI Music Festival. Myspace.com/breachingvista
- by Carrie Humphries, Echo Weekly, September 16-22, 2010

Anthemic emo by any other name..... - it's a strident take on the genre as rhythms gallop, the vocals sound like the singer's meaning every word of it with a heart on both sleeves, while there's this wall of bursting out like solar flares as the song veritably drives ahead down its highway with the volume on 11, the tyres burning and the knowledge that the journey is the thing, the destination merely an end to a means – and that's only the first track!! “Lifestyle Change” delivers more of the same, only this time more dramatic in terms of the verses, the vocals a bit more raw and upfront, the density a little less, only for the band's impeccable sense of dynamics and arranging to kick in on the chorus as another wall of anthemic sound unleashes its magic inside your head as the band crash down, the guitars light up and the vocals lift off like a rocket.The next two tracks are variations on the same style, one slightly slower before erupting, displaying even more dynamics but becoming even more of an anthem in the process (“Station Ale”), the other faster, choppier, more urgent but no less intense as another song lights up your life. In short, this is one you stick on the “play again” pile next to your player, somewhere near the top. - Andy Garibaldi @ Dead Earnest (Dundee, Scotland)

Anthemic emo by any other name..... - it's a strident take on the genre as rhythms gallop, the vocals sound like the singer's meaning every word of it with a heart on both sleeves, while there's this wall of bursting out like solar flares as the song veritably drives ahead down its highway with the volume on 11, the tyres burning and the knowledge that the journey is the thing, the destination merely an end to a means – and that's only the first track!! “Lifestyle Change” delivers more of the same, only this time more dramatic in terms of the verses, the vocals a bit more raw and upfront, the density a little less, only for the band's impeccable sense of dynamics and arranging to kick in on the chorus as another wall of anthemic sound unleashes its magic inside your head as the band crash down, the guitars light up and the vocals lift off like a rocket.The next two tracks are variations on the same style, one slightly slower before erupting, displaying even more dynamics but becoming even more of an anthem in the process (“Station Ale”), the other faster, choppier, more urgent but no less intense as another song lights up your life. In short, this is one you stick on the “play again” pile next to your player, somewhere near the top. - Andy Garibaldi @ Dead Earnest (Dundee, Scotland)