Breakaway Live at The Viking - July, 2006

Lever's Blues welcomes Breakaway to our midst with their newest cd
Live At The Viking. This Long Island, New York band will appeal to the
traditional electric blues crowd as well as the die hard blues
rockers.

Breakaway is:
Lou Carrollo - Guitar and Vocals
Howie Haber - Guitar and Vocals
Evan Davis - Harp and Vocals
Dustin Hickey - Bass
A. Michael Canon - Drums and Vocals

The cd opens with a nice slow tempo number called Everybody's
Talkin' that is pure blues and rhythm. Wonderful guitar riffs float
over the solid rhythm section. The next tune is a shuffle rhythm
called Crescent Street Blues, and gives us a taste of the great
harpwork to follow. They pick up the tempo a bit for Down The Line.
This song is pure blues rock and continues their trend of playing only
what fits at a given time instead of overdoing it with flash. The
solos are awesome and made me remember some great Jimmy Page solos.
The band is joined by Patty Haber on background vocals for Get Out And
Love Somebody. A slow number featuring excellent guitar riffs. The
band members are introduced in track 5. Track 6 is Look Around, a mid
tempo number with a beat that gets your feet tapping and some very
good harp playing by Evan Davis. Track 7 is The Bottle: A rockin
number with shades of Hendrix evident. The cd comes to a close with
Gambling Man On A Killing Floor, the only song which is not an
original composition. A nice shuffle in true blues fashion.

New York has been keeping a secret. These guys can really play!

Levers Blues 2006

BREAKAWAY at Carol's Place
With blues bands more in vogue than ever, thanks to men like Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan, new outfits have been cropping  up everywhere. The good ones are truly hard to find, with all there is to see, and should be sought after. One good place to catch some of the better local blues-rock bands around is Carol's Place in Island Park. At Carol's, I was recently able to catch a couple of sets by one of the best blues bands in the area lately, Breakaway. The group a four-piece outfit comprised mostly of veterans of the small south shore blues-rock circuit, proved to be experienced as well as sensitive to the blues style. They were both satisfying and musically interesting. Two lead guitarists, both with years of experience under there belts, know how to apply their rock n' roll spirit to the blues setting. They were extremely effective at motivating the audience emotionally as well as spiritually. I haven't seen many people shout at many blues shows, so this was a welcome exception. It's something not readily done these days.
Kicking out the jams are the two guitar players Howie Haber and Lou Carrollo. Carrollo is also lead vocalist of the group, although he receives constant help from all. 
Dan Orza and Artie Weir round out the tight rhythm section on bass and drums, respectively, and, lest I forget, guest harpist Evan Davis is an interesting chap who might not have projected in the way a blues harpist typically would, but did an admiral job nonetheless. Guitarists Haber and Carrollo traded off hot licks throughout, Haber being the clean, precise player and Carrollo playing it downright bad-assed and dirty.  The fact that they are so completely opposite in playing styles lends itself to the band's successful performance.
The Breakaway repertoire includes a few covers, one being Robert Cray's "Phone Booth," as well as "Come On Up Part 1," among other blues standards. Originals such as "Take Me Home" and "Lovers Of The Past" illustrated an exceptional songwriting ability within the blues context and exemplified Breakaway as a promising band in this genre. Overall, I would have to say that they are one of the more creative bands in their field, and it is a field that can be somewhat limiting. So now, as more and more people get hip to the blues, and as the bands sprout up all around us, take some time to hear one of the best of them all, Breakaway.
The Island Ear - October 19, 1987
                                 Marc Robin