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Picture Me Broken

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Hometown	Redwood City, CA
Genres	Heavy Rock, Rock
Band Members	Layla "Brooklyn" Allman: Lead Vocals/ Synth Nick ... » more
Achievements	» more
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:
# Years Experience Performing Live:	4
Market Draw:	Home Market: 101-150
Performing Rights Society:	ASCAP

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About the Artist

Formed when the members were in 7th grade, Picture Me Broken (formerly known as Lane Four) Have played: Warped Tour dates, Projekt Revolution side stage, Pac Sun Tour Winners, Most major venues in Ca. The Roxy, The Whisky, Slims, The Filmore and more
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Music

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Achievements

Video Grand Prize Winner February 2009

Hard Rock Videos Winner, August 2012

Hard Rock Videos Winner, May 2012

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Press Coverage

Picture Me Broken, "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)" EP by by Paul Schultz
Melodic screamo, at first blush, would seem to be a contradiction in terms. Some might even shorten that descriptor to emo. So, when emerging Northern California band Picture Me Broken drops their debut EP, Dearest (I'm So Sorry), with that preemptive classification, I'm thinking there will be a token attempt to sing in tune before the self-immolation begins. Imagine my surprise, then, when this quartet of teenagers from Redwood City offers up a tantalizing mix of styles light on the suicidal tendencies. I should have known when the album cover wasn't pitch black that there would be something different about this band. These sixteen-year-olds began their music career as Lane Four in 7th grade -- seventh! -- as a cover band nailing classic rock tunes from Heart to Led Zeppelin to Guns N’ Roses. As they started writing all-original material they changed their name to the more poetically sinister Picture Me Broken and their music veered toward hard rock and popcore. They entered contests, and began to score regular gigs and get exposure on the radio. Accolades escalated with a 2009 MTV Video Music Award as “Best Breakout Bay Area Artist,” performed on the San Francisco stop of the 2009 Vans Warped Tour and opened for Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution. Comprised of lead vocalist and synth player Layla Brooklyn Allman, lead guitarist Nick Loiacono, bassist Austin Dunn and drummer Connor Lung, the kids found themselves being inspired by female fronted bands in the genre such as Paramore and Flyleaf, as well as post hardcore and screamo outfits like Before Their Eyes, Silverstein and, especially, blessthefall. If the last name of the frontwoman sounds familiar, that would be because she is the daughter of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame resident Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band. But that name, and all the doors it opens, is the only connection with her famous father, as the divergent musical style she has developed surely attests. The killer title track punishes the listener with a speedy guitar riff before settling into a hooky hard rock palette. It proffers a tale of loving a dangerous guy ("His morals aren’t so well defined") and maintains the groove until the end of the second verse when the repeated line "I can’t find the words to say this/I’m running out of patience" gets a show-stopping howl on the last word. So, that's what they're talking about... melody then screams! On the chorus, Layla's vibrato trill sounds like Gwen Stefani. The synth-laced breakdown is a prelude to disconcerting switches from delicate dual harmony to screaming on alternating lines. This opener is helmed by Bay Area based producer Aaron Hellman, with the remaining tracks produced by Andrew Murdock (Avenged Sevenfold). Perhaps, because of this, "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)" is a delectable tease that is never quite consummated by the rest of the record. "Breaking the Fall" is a rocker with a male/female trade of screaming, while "If I Never Wake Again" is a straight-up piano ballad with vague screaming beneath the darker lyrical lines that slowly builds its instrumental layer and gets its repeated guttural musing in toward the end. Stylistically, "Echoes of an Empire" lends itself to metal influences, while "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Live Forever" have a punk beat, though the latter comes across less harsh. The songwriting has that endearing imperfection of youngsters still learning their craft, but I do not mean to imply it is juvenile. Layla provides all the lyrics and its got the requisite angsty visuals while not quite adding up to a coherent emotional whole. The blonde bomber has the vocal attitude to pull off the material and the group is more polished than anyone has a right to expect from such youth. In the end, I guess it really is melodic screamo, though this reviewer is thankful to be spared any soul-shredding screams. If Picture Me Broken continues to explore the genre diversity they have initiated on Dearest (I'm So Sorry), you can picture me intrigued. Copyright © 1997-2010 Burlee LLC. All rights reserved

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Stage Specs

Technical Requirements

We have our own backline of course..

3 vocal mics
Bass can go XLR direct into PA
Mic'd guitar amp (we have if necessary)
Drum mic's
Synth direct into PA

Give us a stage and we'll rock it.

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Picture Me Broken

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