Breathe Carolina frontman David Schmitt ends their set with the song Shadows at the Pressroom in downtown Phoenix as part of The Friendzone Tour feat Breathe Carolina and Candyland on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)Breathe Carolina has been notorious for the party-like atmosphere that the band's tracks offered since its online debut in 2008.
That is exactly what concert guests experienced at The Pressroom in Phoenix Monday night — a party. With the band's hard-hitting electronic music featuring rock undertones, the venue was in a frenzy, dancing along with the four boys on stage that make up Breathe Carolina. “The Friend Zone Tour" hit Phoenix, and it was “only getting started.”
“Savages” kicked off the set, resulting in the crowd jumping up and down before the stage. Some have said the eponymous album is significantly different from the group's previous three albums, but the band disagrees.
“It’s honestly just an evolution, maturing with our audience and growing as musicians and songwriters, but if you listen to all of our albums, it’s pretty cohesive from one album to the next,” drummer Eric Armenta said.
DJ Dotcom performs at the Pressroom in downtown Phoenix as part of The Friendzone Tour feat Breathe Carolina and Candyland on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)With “Savages” debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart, it’s easy to see why Breathe Carolina has a devoted fan base. The band shows its appreciation for this dedication regularly, as a lot of the tracks it releases are free to the public, which is a refreshing notion, as some artists have opted to take music off networks that stream music for free.
"For every song you sell you should give a song out for free, that’s why we did that, it’s kind of like a thank you,” Tommy Cooperman, who plays guitar and does programming for the band, said.
Releasing tracks for free engages fans and keeps them interested, Armenta said.
As you watch Armenta and Cooperman, along with lead singer David Schmitt and disc jockey Luis Bonet, who also plays bass, keyboard and programs, you can’t help but vibe off of the group's high energy performance. It is hard to believe the majority of "The Friend Zone Tour" consisted of back to back shows, but the band proves every night it can cope.
Breathe Carolina guitarist Tommy Cooperman joins in the chorus while performing their hit song "Blackout" at the Pressroom in downtown Phoenix as part of The Friendzone Tour feat Breathe Carolina and Candyland on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)“You don’t realize how hard it is until you get a day off, then it hits you and you’re like, ‘Holy s---, we just played seven days in a row!'” Cooperman said.
Although much of electronic music is done with computers even on stage at shows, everyone in attendance at The Pressroom danced to the beat of Armenta’s drums just as much as they enjoyed the other musical aspects Breathe Carolina plays.
“I’m the only actual instrument on stage, just playing the drums," Armenta said. "I think it’s important, when were out on a tour playing more rock-style venues, it’s important to bring that element in."
Throughout the band's set, it seemed like the band came to the same level as the crowd. The band was dancing right along with the crowd, encouraging them to sing along. This is an aspect the band feels is important to incorporate on a nightly basis.
“You can be a singer-songwriter and play in front of a cafe, but for us, if it’s not poppin’, then it just feels weird,” Cooperman said.
The band closed out the performance with “Shadows,” which received cheers from the crowd. The music video for this track is the newest release from the band, and has a unique back story.
“The last video we put out we actually did 100 percent by ourselves," Armenta said. "That was probably the funnest video to do because it was just straight guerilla videography."
Cooperman was excited to share that the music video was illegally filmed. They looked out for the police while a videographer shot from the back of a truck.
After the crowd cheered for an encore, the band came out once more to perform its smash hit, “Blackout.” At this song's conclusion, the crowd was left breathless from the night of partying.
Candyland performs at the Pressroom in downtown Phoenix as part of The Friendzone Tour feat Breathe Carolina and Candyland on Nov. 24, 2014. (Photo by Daniel Kwon)Breathe Carolina collaborates with numerous artists, such as the opener, Candyland, in "Find Someone." As for the band's favorite collaborations, it's hard to pick just one favorite, a struggle similar to that of fans.
“From a personal stand point, doing a collab with a specific person, it would be doing one with Danny from Asking Alexandria," Armenta said. "We’ve just been best friends, and he came in, killed it, just crushed it, and then we drank some whiskey, and he left."
With a devoted fan base dancing along, and Breathe Carolina’s exceptionally hyped tracks, guests at The Pressroom won’t soon forget the energy-filled night that took place.
Correction: The caption accompanying an earlier version of this story misidentified Breathe Carolina guitarist Tommy Cooperman. It has since been corrected.
Reach the reporter at dpharias@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @_Desirayray
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