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Break the Cycle is a hard rock band from Montreal.

Official Website: [http://www.breakthecycleband.com www.breakthecycleband.com]


Members:

Maks Knecht

Matt Riggs

Chris Bryson




---Biography

Break the Cycle’s music is a clash between alternative-rock, hard rock, and classical. With catchy riffs and harmonious vocal melodies, the band attempts to capture a mysterious mix of composition styles within several types of rock genres. With the large number of rock styles today, they pull a thread though them all, creating a powerfully melodic and emotional ride for the listener.

If you consider a band’s official inception to be the time when its full lineup comes together, then Break the Cycle was birthed in the spring of 2004. But anyone who might have seen their first shows might have found that hard to believe. And that’s simply because the music itself has much more history…

Maks Knecht and Chris Bryson became good friends in high school in their hometown of Montreal. At the end of 1999, Bryson began recording and producing Knecht’s material, and together they released a CD of his classical piano pieces. Then in the fall of 2000, they began writing and recording together. They called themselves “Nephrine”; both sang, while Maks played all instrumentation and Chris produced.

In late 2002, the duo put together their first album, which they titled “Veritas” and distributed under the band name “Testimony” – it was a compilation of songs they had written over the last couple of years. They also filmed a music video for a song called “Save Me”, which Bryson edited and directed. At the time, they had a collection of roughly 100 songs to choose from for the album, and songs that covered half a dozen different genres.

When Knecht first set foot into that small makeshift studio, he was just 15, and had only been playing and writing on guitar for a year. But driven by his classical training, even the first songs written could still be played alongside those on BTC’s self-titled debut album. Presently, Maks is backed by 12 years of classical piano training, has drummed for various rock and jazz bands, is a Broadway trained singer, and although he might be self-taught, watching him now solo on guitar will leave you with your jaw hanging.

With the ability to compose songs for more than one instrument, Knecht has been able to explore music and compose in a way that few can. Over the last 5 years, through more than 300 recorded songs, and with the guidance and direction of Chris Bryson, Maks' style and vision slowly matured, and the duo began to actualize their goals. So in early 2004, they decided to form a full band to bring Maks’ music to the stage. With Chris assuming the duties on the kit, they still had a few spots to fill.

They immediately recruited Matt Riggs who had incidentally played with Knecht before, through their high school jazz band. They also got Knecht’s brother, Maurice, to come onboard to play keyboards and provide backup vocals. The final touch happened when they invited Alex Kaluzza to play bass; they all knew each other from high school, and he had also helped the boys in the filming of their music video.

That summer, the band then spent a month converting rented industrial space into a practice studio, and then another learning the material. They then played as many shows as they could in Montreal, managing to win a Battle of the Bands, and quickly drawing attention as they established themselves on the local scene.#REDIRECT [[Break The Cycle (Band)]]