DESCRIPTION:
Break of Reality is a band that's a little difficult to categorize. Two of the founding members, percussionist Ivan Trevino and cellist Patrick Laird both met while studying classical music at the Eastman School of Music. But it was another musical passion they shared which led to forming the group.

In high school, Patrick had studied classical cello, but also frequented rock shows and tried to incorporate the likes of Metallica and Tool into his cello repertoire, alongside Bach. Ivan had similarly divergent tastes when it came to percussion, splitting his time between his classical training and a punk rock band.

As they like to tell the story, Patrick was passing around rock charts he had arranged during orchestra rehearsal at Eastman and found some other cellists who were interested in playing them. A gig at the coffee house down the street from Eastman in 2004 led to Ivan joining the four cellists in the group to add a little more volume to their already explosive sound.

As they found the audiences growing in their home base of Rochester, NY, the band started to expand their reach by touring in larger cities. Over the next ten years, they recorded three self-produced studio albums and boosted their following with popular music videos, including a rendition of the Game of Thrones theme song [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRAb9cwHnA], which has views in the millions.

As they prepare to release their fourth album, Ten, named for the ten years they have now been performing as Break of Reality, they celebrated the milestone with a return to the place where it all began. Except this time, they weren't performing down the street from Eastman in a coffee house for a handful of friends, they were on the stage of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, with about 1,200 in the audience.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Patrick and Ivan, who perform these days along with cellists Laura Metcalf and Adrian Daurov. But beyond the ties to Eastman, it's a testament to their success that they are still playing together a decade later, and that they can fill a grand concert hall normally reserved for a philharmonic orchestra, for a show that includes music normally heard at rock shows. For the audience's part, they didn't seem to be phased by the unusual juxtaposition. If the enthusiastic reception was any indication of the group's popularity, they'll be welcome back for the next milestone, or possibly sooner.

For more on Break of Reality, visit their website: http://breakofreality.com