A lot of the stories I write are sparked by something that catches my attention and this week’s entry is no exception. On a whim I clicked on the website of an Augusta-based bluegrass band called Breakin’ Strings because an old friend, Steve Peterson, from my days as an art teacher in Pittsfield, was once a member. Clicking on a couple of links to songs, I was struck by the lead singer’s passion, fervor and power and knew that I had to see if that gentleman — Cliff Gelina — was willing to chat with me. … Fortunately, he said, “Hey there, we would love that!” and gave me a number to call. I reached the multi-instrumentalist on his cell phone when he was in East Pittston a couple of weeks ago.

Q: What really grabbed me upon the first listen was your voice — it’s very distinctive and it gets your attention quick, that’s for sure … but I guess that’s the whole point of it. I also believe that you’re coming back again after a break?
Gelina: I started this group many years ago and there was a 10-year hiatus. Shortly after that a few of the original members were free so a couple of years ago we got back together, and after a few shows we decided to take a trip to Nashville.

Q: How did that trip come about?
Gelina: Well, we had a friend of mine, he’s a producer in Nashville and he also works at Blackbird Studio, he invited us down there to cut an album live down there in Nashville at Blackbird. Well, we raised some money, did some stuff and made things happen. … We had a weekend to record an album which normally would be a month’s time worth of work; but we cranked it out, did the majority of it live and did a few overdubs on it, and by the end of the weekend we had an album. When we got back we did all the post-edits and released the album called “Hangovers & Heartaches” in September 2022, and around Christmas, a few days ago, I would guess, would be the best way to put it, we just released our next single which is called “Stones.”

Q: Oh, yeah, that’s one of the ones I heard on your website — that’s a good song.
Gelina: Thanks so much, man. So throughout that time frame, from Nashville to now, I got a new band. Things kind of happened with the other guys: one went on a personal, spiritual journey to Peru and the other guys had some big life events kind of take up some space; so as some bands do, we adjusted and reshifted a little bit.

Q: For example?
Gelina: One of the bass players, my sister, who replaced one of the bass players years ago, is back in the band which is great because we’ve got some killer harmonies. … We come from a strong musical family: my father’s in the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s a three-generational thing of music, really. So it’s cool to have Amanda back in the band.

Q: Who are some of the other members?
Gelina: We have Cody Howe on guitar and vocals — he’s an insane guitar prodigy and is going to be a name that’s well known in bluegrass music for sure in the years to come — he’s amazing. And we have Sam Acus who is our mandolin player and does vocals. He’s out of Vermont, he’s super talented, and he’s only 16 years old. He’s another kid who’s going to be really well known in the years to come in the music scene, especially around New England. Then there’s Steven Peterson on banjo and vocals. He rejoined us last year, as well … he’s a great guy. So the band now is different than it was a couple of years ago, but we’ve got some new music out and we have some more music that’s going to be released in the months to come. Oh, and we probably will have a music video for “Stones,” as well.

Q: Is another album in the future for Breakin’ Strings?
Gelina: Yeah, we’re working on a new one right now and some of the singles will be on that album which is going to be called “Home Grown.”

Q: An appropriate title, for sure.
Gelina: Yeah, and we’re going to be recording this next one up here in Maine. … We’re trying to really steer toward that home-base vibe and feeling, you know? It was really cool to go to Nashville and record down there — it was an awesome experience — and we have the opportunity to go back but right now we’re going to do all the main recording right up here in our home state, and then we’ll send it to Nashville to get it mixed down and produced after we do the basic recording up here.

Q: I’ve got to ask, does songwriting come easy for you or do you have to really work at it?
Gelina: Songwriting is one of my favorite things to do, I’ve always said if I’m not known as an artist or a vocalist or an instrumentalist, I’d much rather be known for the songs that I write. On our first album, all the songs there were original except for one and this next album —”Home Grown” — all of them are going to be originals. Some of my favorite songs that I’ve written, they just hit me out of left field … it’s just a beautiful way to try to tell somebody how you feel.

Q: And music that comes from the heart goes right there to the person who hears it.
Gelina: Absolutely!

Q: Just out of curiosity, do you have any shows coming up?
Gelina: Well, we have a full-band show up at Sugarloaf in the Widowmaker on Friday, Feb. 16.

Q: Have you played there before?
Gelina: Me and Cody played there as a duo last month and we’re playing there as a full band this Friday (Jan. 15), as well. So it’s a great venue, a great spot with great food and drinks. It has a good stage, it’s a good place to go and relax, and always a good time.

Q: Is there anything, Cliff that you’d like me to pass on to the folks reading this article?
Gelina: I want people to experience bluegrass in a different way and I feel like listening to Breakin’ Strings or any of this new modern grass is something that people should really do. So come to a show and check us out, and I will say this much: they are almost guaranteed to actually see us break some strings on stage because I believe we’ve manifested a curse with this name … and we actually have jewelry in our merch: necklaces that are made with the broken strings we break at our shows!

 

Lucky Clark, a 2018 “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award winner, has spent more than 50 years writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@myfairpoint.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Early Beatles tribute band Studio Two back for 2 shows in January

Next »

ON MUSIC: Jontavious Willis says blues is about sharing the experience