On-campus record label Cane Records celebrated their second album release of the semester on Saturday night at the Rat.
A far cry from Cane Records’ first album release, which featured R&B crooner Les, Saturday’s release party celebrated the debut album of Brink of Something Beautiful, a band that describes themselves as, “hardcore and metal with some punk and jazz influence.”
Although the heavy metal genre appeals to a limited audience, Cane Records saw great potential in Brink, who was signed to the label last spring.
“It’s almost like you’re in a trance listening to them, even if you don’t like metal or screamo,” said Bailey Usdin, president of Cane Records. “The way they’re passionate about their music comes through in their performance and everyone can relate to them.”
Brink started recording their album, titled Doctrine of Ethos, in August 2006. Unlike other artists working with Cane Records, Brink recorded and produced the entire album on their own.
“We had free reign over recording,” said the band’s vocalist Tony Martinez, a senior pre-med major at the University of Miami the. “It was great because we had a lot of creative freedom.”
Even though the band was given freedom in recording, the process still proved to be grueling. According to Martinez, each song had to be recorded three or four times until they got the sound they wanted.
Now that the album is finally complete, Cane Records will assist Brink in releasing, marketing and promoting it.
Saturday’s release party was the first step for Brink in the promo process. After an opening performance featuring acoustic artist Elaine Maltezos, the winner of Cane Records’ 2007-08 audition, Brink of Something Beautiful took over the stage.
“We measure our success on stage in how much we sweat,” said Dana Salminen, the band’s bassist.
In an intense and definitely sweaty performance, Brink showcased 11 songs from their album. From the first track to the very last, the band’s energy level never faltered. One song even incorporated an electric cello in a choir breakdown.
“They throw in elements you don’t expect,” said Jen Mozenter, album parts and production coordinator for Cane Records. “They are developing their own style, which is part of the reason why they have such a large fan base.”
After performing mostly around the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale area, Brink of Something Beautiful is planning to tour on the East Coast this summer. Currently, they are trying to win a spot at Warped Tour on BattleOfTheBands.com.
“They have a great future ahead of them,” Usdin said. “Their live performance is amazing and their fan base will continue to grow.”
Kendall Sale may be contacted at k.sale@umiami.edu.