The Broken Heartbreakers
About The Broken Heartbreakers from Auckland
“The Broken Heartbreakers wish to introduce themselves to the living room of your interior life and rearrange the furniture …. It's country music for the bus down-town, spiritual music for top shelf believers, psychedelic music for those on the come down, rock and roll music for the thin hours when the only way you can tell you're real is by holding tight to the bones under your skin.”
The Broken Heartbreakers started life in 2002 when song-writer John Guy Howell teamed up with singer Rachel Bailey and the nucleus of the band was formed. The band’s repertoire of songs soon garnered a loyal following beyond the usual friends and family circuit and has seen this Auckland-based group support such international acts as Lou Barlow, Gina Villalobos and The Handsome Family.
The band have recently returned from tour dates in the South Island and Melbourne, while later in the year the band will be performing in the second series of the TVNZ produced arts show, Talk Talk.
Principal song-writer John Guy Howell has been involved in New Zealand music for many years.
His first high school group, Tin Soldiers, gained popularity in his hometown of Dunedin and released an album “Hell of a Time” in 1993. John went on to play in London-based, critically recognised group Alpha Plan. Upon his return to New Zealand in 1999, he formed instrumental group Salon Kingsadore. He produced and co-wrote the acclaimed Salon Kingsadore debut album.
The Broken Heartbreakers recently released, self-titled sophomore, album was a labour of love. In its making, the band boldly chose to turn up their collective noses at today’s digital recording methods. As a result, their album was produced using only vintage analogue technology and was recorded and mixed to tape in “real time”. Real performances by real people. No digital effects were used in the making of this record. Plate reverbs, echo chambers and butt-burning valve amplifiers informed and enriched every loving detail.
Jeff Harford from the Otago Daily Times has called the album "”an 11 track gem that ticks all the right boxes when it comes to crafting perfectly formed country and folk-pop songs”, while Graham Reid included it in his Best of Elsewhere 2007"listings saying The Broken Heartbreakers album was ”intelligent, heartfelt, aching and entrancing. Wonderful...”
The Broken Heartbreakers are John Guy Howell, Rachel Bailey, Sam Prebble, Mike Stoodley (ex-Verlaines) and on drums Myles Allpress (Heavy Jones).
http://www.myspace.com/brokenheartbreakers
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The Broken Heartbreakers have such wonderful music and beautiful voices. I love you guys :)