Bad Breaks “Won’t Come Home”

Bad Breaks is the solo project of drummer Chuck Kerr, a fixture on the San Antonio music scene. Kerr took up the drums at the age of 3, following in his dad’s footsteps. A music lover from an early age, Kerr grew up studying jazz and also listening to his favorite pop, rock, and indie records — all of which have a direct influence on Bad Breaks’ eclectic sound.

As an in-demand drummer, Kerr has racked up an impressive number of credits and an impressive number of credits and collaborators (including Strokes/Regina Spektor producer Gordon Raphael), but Bad Breaks is the first project that is entirely Kerr’s “baby.” Kerr writes and arranges all Bad Breaks material on piano, eventually creating complete demos that he then brings to the band.

Bad Breaks features 11 genre-straddling originals ranging from spiky new wave (“Seppuku,” “Chapter and Verse”), rhythmic meditations (“Won’t Come Home,” “Only Distance”), soulful rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of Austin rockers Spoon (“Get it Right,” “Victoria”), and even moody late-’70s yacht rock (“The Way Things Are”). But all of it is linked by Kerr’s uncanny rhythmic feel and an ear for pop hooks.

Kerr’s collaborators in Bad Breaks are among San Antonio’s top talent, often pulling double duty in some of the city’s best bands: Alex Wash on keys (Black Magic and the Full Exposé), Ryan Teter on bass and trombone (Mission Complete!), and Jackson Floyd on guitar (Ronald Ray Gun).

Kerr is also endorsed by C&C Custom Drums, joining a roster of drummers from bands such as Spoon, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, The National, Beach House, Beck, Modest Mouse, and others.

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