[show_avatar email=jess@iwenttoashow.com align=left avatar_size=62] Our final I Went To A Showcase preview post features Sean from The Breaks, the up and coming garage pop band who has been igniting the St. Louis music scene over the past year with their fiery live shows and genuine, gracious attitude. Sean answered our five questions with gusto – we hope it’s the nudge you need to come see all the bands tomorrow night. Enjoy!

Do you have a day job? If so, tell us all about it.

I am a freelance filmworker. I mostly work on television/web commercials, but every once in a while I get pulled on to a feature film. Every single shoot brings completely new challenges and staff. Most of the time my position is essentially the assistant to the production supervisor, which can range from tasks as critical as sourcing specific gear at the last minute to organizing and perfectly executing coffee runs. I occasionally get to work in the art department (painting/building/buying props, or set dressing) which is a way way more enjoyable position; not just because there’s no coffee runs.

Earlier this year, I worked a computer company’s web commercial at Mizzou. The camera crew and I went into the journalism building for an interview. While there, a rumor got started that MU alum Brad Pitt was on campus. The word spread incredibly fast. We walked outside to find a mob of hundreds screaming/waiting to catch a glimpse of Mr. Pitt. Our director decided to throw his hood up and put on some dark shades to become some sort of decoy Brad. Then we started hearing grown men shout things like “That ain’t Brad Pitt, this is f**kin’ bulls**t!!,” “You guys are losers!,” “LAME!” and a full range of fairly aggressive insults. Still, even while we were trying to drive off, people were climbing onto the SUV and peering inside to see if the star was indeed on campus (here’s the link to the news story: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2011/02/17/wild-brad-chase-tweets-spark-campus-wide-brad-pitt-search/).

Name a memorable moment from your band’s history.

The most memorable moment from a live show has to be from our Halloween show with Electric Six. We decided to cover Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” from the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack.  I’m not sure why a garage rock band would choose to cover a new jack swing/pop/hip-hop song with a singer whose is range is a good two octaves higher than ours, but, nonetheless, we went for it.

With all of the excitement and chaos of Halloween, by the time we started playing, everyone in the band was quite a few drinks deep; even more so was the nearly packed Firebird. Most of the way through the cover, we were still having a blast, but I remember thinking things like, “If the final practice of this song was a 10, this is probably a 6.” I was sort of waiting for a negative response, or, even better, complete silence and stares of confusion from a crowd full of vampires, dinosaurs, and Abe Lincolns. However, after the end of the song, we got a gigantic applause. Even now, we occasionally get a compliment for taking the Bobby Brown challenge.

Locally speaking, who has influenced your music?

Honestly, just going to fun local shows with bands like The Blind Eyes, Rum Drum Ramblers, Kentucky Knife Fight, and more have motivated me to start and continue writing and performing fun music.

What’s your favorite place to eat/drink/socialize in St. Louis?

I would love to eat and drink at Frazer’s more often, but since I’m a block from Grand, I always seem to default to Pho Grand, and then stumble between Mangia and Upstairs Lounge before dragging myself home. I was a big fan of 50 cent Stag sundays with punk rock and classic soul at Atomic Cowboy, but I’m suspicious that they don’t buy enough Stag on purpose so that you are stuck paying too much for PBR when they run out. Shame on them.

In your opinion, what’s the best thing fans can do to support local music?

Go to shows. Tell your friends to come with you. Tell your friends to listen to local bands that you love. Tell everyone when/where you are going to shows on Facebook and Twitter. I feel like most people are just one tiny nudge from going to shows; STRIVE TO BE THAT NUDGE! Plus, more people=more dance partners=more chorus line legs=longer conga line. And definitely tell your out of town friends/family about local bands; what if you became the reason for The Breaks being a huge success in Anamoose, North Dakota?

Check out The Breaks debut EP, Odd Man Out, on their bandcamp site.