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Ready ... Break!

Members of the Chicago-area band Ready ... Break! have been through Chicago’s ska circuit for the last five years as part of The 9 Spot as well as Toxic Toast. They’re currently putting the finishing touches on a full-length album due out this fall on Window Licker Records.

The Real Chicago sat down with singer/trombone player Brian Hertel, trombone player Kevin Bowen and drummer Chris Parker to talk about music being an escape and a good way to get free beer, the drama with balancing personalities and letting loose on stage.

To us, making music is all about... free beer! It really is an escape, a release from the everyday chaos. It give you a chance to blow off some steam, jump around and act like an idiot, and people just say “Rock on!” Music is a big part of our lives, and we hope to make it a career one of these days.

Our favorite places to play in the city are... the Double Door, where we will be playing on July 5 (cheap plug), and Wise Fool’s Pub has always treated us well. That means giving us plenty of free beer. The Double Door has exceptional sound and people running that sound. There is also an energy when you play there, like you know you are playing somewhere special. We also like the cozy atmosphere at Wise Fool’s. It allows you to be really close to the crowd and get them involved. The Elbo Room is fun, too.

Our sound is... a high-energy, non-stop thrill ride, but every band says that. We are basically a rock band with heavy influence from ska, punk and hip hop. The addition of the horns and the rap vibe make us pretty unique.

If we did this for a living... we’d be broke. No, not really, but some of us would have to get singing lessons, lose weight and get more tattoos.

Our travels have taken us... places throughout the Midwest mostly. Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky. We got to play at Six Flags in Kentucky and ride all the rides for two days. That was sweet.

The key to making a band work is... beer. Outside of that, it is a lot of communication, patience and understanding the different personalities in your band. You really need to be open to everyone’s ideas and be extremely flexible with your schedule. It also helps when everyone is friends and hangs out outside of the band.

At our shows, you’ll find people... if we’re lucky! Mostly, they are drinking heavily, dancing along and having a good time. Then after the set, they tell you how they haven’t heard ska music in about 10 years. Not sure if that is always a compliment. You’ll see people dancing on the stage in a beer bottle costume or in a flasher costume and jumping off the stage with no one to catch them. Or playing lacrosse.

Playing in front of a packed house is like... nothing you’ve experienced before. A complete rush. Most of our friends say we’re completely different people when we’re on stage, and a packed crowd is the fuel that keeps that personality coming. Well, that and the beer.

Playing music is... a good way to get free beer. And to meet people. We have met so many of our good friends through being in bands and playing shows. Whether it’s our bandmates who were strangers five years ago and are now close friends or all of the people who come to our shows or bands we have played with. It truly is a release from the everyday chaos in your life and a good way to express yourself.

If we were featured on “Behind the music,” we definitely... would be like Spinal Tap. We go through trumpet players like they went through drummers! There has been a lot of drama throughout the bands we’ve been in, and even in this one, but in the end, we are normally laughing about it and move on.

When we were starting out, you could say we were... itching to do something different. When we met each other, we were all in different bands that were in similar situations and basically not going anywhere. When we originally got started, the goal was to get our name out there and play as many shows as we could. Now with Ready...Break! we are really focusing on making music that we like and blending together our influences.

Right now, we’re listening to... Deals Gone Bad’s “The Ramblers,” Rancid’s “Indestructible,” Zebrahead’s “Waste of Mind,” Gym Class Heroes, Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish and Fall Out Boy.

Local bands we’ve enjoyed playing with are... Dropped Once (playing with us on July 5 at the Double Door and July 26 at The Note), Drawing a Blank, The Goodyear Pimps, Shooting Blanks, Recipe for Disaster, Sleeping Under 47 and One Light Out.

Watching us live, you can tell we enjoy... free beer! I think we have really gotten to a comfort level with each other and enjoy putting on the show. That is way more than just playing the music. We love jumping around, telling jokes, getting the crowd involved and making sure everyone has a good time.

We’ve found the music industry can best be described as... no longer interested in ska music? It will come back. You just wait. Until then, Parker is getting his record label (Window Licker Records) up to bring Chicago ska and punk to the masses! Things are a lot different than than they used to be. It’s so much easier to get your music out to people than before like MySpace, garagebands.com, iTunes, etc.

Our best road trip involved ... sunflower seeds, “Dumb and Dumber,” beer, cheese and a hot tub. Oh, and we got to play a show! The most recent one we had out to Iowa and stayed overnight in LaCrosse, Wisc., was eventful. How many pitchers did we have?

One of our favorite lyrics (from our music) is... “I don’t know where I’ll sleep tonight, but beer in hand I’ll be alright.”

The ideal gig for us... is one where the crowd is really into it. When they are singing along and dancing to the songs, it really fuels us to put in the extra energy and make the show over the top.

Ready ... Break! has a pair of upcoming shows in Chicago:
July 5 — Double Door
July 26 — The Note

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