POLLUTEME/POLLUTED EZINE/The Man Behind The Music John Breglia
written by: Jacob Robison
"I don't know how you could be a producer, at least a modern producer...and not be a musician or be aware of the musicality." We were in the middle of a discussion, and John (the current bass player for Problem Child) was explaining to me the benefits that being a musician gives him as a producer. Timing, arrangement, the feel for the music...these are a few of the skills that he wouldn't have now if he wasn't a musician. But when it comes time to discuss how being a producer helps on stage, John started singing a different tune. "Call it a curse. My producer side takes over in an original project...(playing in a cover band) I can release that. I don't have to think about being a producer, an arranger, or an engineer." Asking him to pick the bigger thrill between playing and producing is another tricky subject: "playing bass is a physical thing. I get the same high long-distance swimming as I do playing. I hyperventilate, heart rate goes up, endorphines kick in, the sweat...hearing a great moment on tape or knowing that we nailed something...I get goose bumps. It's that feeling of like, you've aced your chemistry exam or something. But it's further than that, because it's art." I can see where it might be hard to pick the better thrill.
Coming from a solid music scene in Boston (home of Godsmack and Powerman 5000, among others), you can imagine John's surprise when he arrived in Music City, USA. he found the level of competition around here to be a dramatic departure from what he was used to. He estimates that eighty percent of a crowd at an average show were musicians from other bands. It wasn't unusual for a band to be out three to four nights a week supporting other bands. "They supported one another because they wanted that support in return," he explained. According to him, the typical scene would be three to four bands going out to dinner with each other and sharing booking contacts, recording tips and other information; basically, just shooting the shit with each other. Even though there is a foundation being laid for a scene in Clarksville, only time will tell if the rest will fall into place.
A small miracle happened in John's personal life five years ago; his wife Claudia gave birth to their first and only son, Gabriel. Brown-haired and brown-eyed, he is beginning to exhibit the same type of intellegience that his father possesses. Not too many kids say that thier father contributed to the culture of America; Gabriel can. For now though, John and his family are going to keep on doing what they've been doing. For John, that means working with the area bands to produce some awesome original music. Who knows, maybe one day he'll finally make it out west. Until that happens though he'll continue to be the wizard behind the curtain in Clarksville, making the musicians in the fledgling scene the ultimate winners.
