“I’ve never been more excited to be in a band as I am right now,” says Jonathan Pretus, lead singer and guitarist for New Orleans based band, The Breton Sound. His excitement is easy to understand, considering that 2013 has been such a breakout year for his band.
They are, however, a group that began in earnest with Jonathan Pretus and longtime friend and collaborator, Stephen Turner (lead guitar). It was this fruitful early period that produced an ambitious E.P., Eudaemonia, one which covered a wide range of influences, combining Pretus’s Beatlesesque pop sensibility with Turner’s Rush-infused guitar work. Over the course of the next year, the two would perform and tour in support of Eudaemonia aided by a cast of friends filling in on bass and drums. During that time, they brought in Jonathan’s brother Brian, a veteran of the New Orleans punk DIY scene on bass & backing vocals.
While musically they have varied influences, from Weezer to Van Halen, The Descendants to Dredg, Oasis to Foo Fighters, The Breton Sound’s sound has grown into a focused brand of rock that is just as impressive musically as it is restrained. Nowhere is this more apparent than on their blistering E.P., MAPS. This set finds The Breton Sound reunited with producer Tom Drummond of Better than Ezra, who also produced Eudaemonia. Recorded at Fudge Studios in New Orleans with Drummond at the helm, The Breton Sound created their strongest set yet, songs that are definitive, the sound of a band that knows exactly who they are.
In the fall of 2013, The Breton Sound also welcomed ex-Fatter Than Albert and Dead Legends drummer and touring veteran John Bourgeois to the band, an addition that has elevated their performances and writing to new heights. On the heels of the acclaimed MAPS E.P. as well as appearances at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the Voodoo Music Experience, and new music coming soon, The Breton Sound is a group poised to do great things in 2014.
And, that, is exciting indeed.
They are, however, a group that began in earnest with Jonathan Pretus and longtime friend and collaborator, Stephen Turner (lead guitar). It was this fruitful early period that produced an ambitious E.P., Eudaemonia, one which covered a wide range of influences, combining Pretus’s Beatlesesque pop sensibility with Turner’s Rush-infused guitar work. Over the course of the next year, the two would perform and tour in support of Eudaemonia aided by a cast of friends filling in on bass and drums. During that time, they brought in Jonathan’s brother Brian, a veteran of the New Orleans punk DIY scene on bass & backing vocals.
While musically they have varied influences, from Weezer to Van Halen, The Descendants to Dredg, Oasis to Foo Fighters, The Breton Sound’s sound has grown into a focused brand of rock that is just as impressive musically as it is restrained. Nowhere is this more apparent than on their blistering E.P., MAPS. This set finds The Breton Sound reunited with producer Tom Drummond of Better than Ezra, who also produced Eudaemonia. Recorded at Fudge Studios in New Orleans with Drummond at the helm, The Breton Sound created their strongest set yet, songs that are definitive, the sound of a band that knows exactly who they are.
In the fall of 2013, The Breton Sound also welcomed ex-Fatter Than Albert and Dead Legends drummer and touring veteran John Bourgeois to the band, an addition that has elevated their performances and writing to new heights. On the heels of the acclaimed MAPS E.P. as well as appearances at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the Voodoo Music Experience, and new music coming soon, The Breton Sound is a group poised to do great things in 2014.
And, that, is exciting indeed.
