The internal strife ripping apart Wilkes-Barre band Breaking Benjamin is the latest incarnation of the oldest story in the music business, Bret Alexander, lead singer of The Badlees and the band's longtime friend, said Tuesday.
"Bands break up," Alexander said from his recording studio. "It's really hard to keep your head on straight and make it work. It's like a marriage."
The feud pits lead singer Benjamin Burnley against guitarist Aaron Fincke and bassist Mark Klepaski over a new recording of the band's hit song "Blow Me Away." Burnley fired his two bandmates in May via email, alleging in court documents that Fincke and Klepaski made unilateral and unauthorized decisions on behalf of the band.
Communication between the three longtime friends could turn volatile where the band was concerned, said Alexander, who befriended Burnley, Klepaski and Fincke more than a decade ago. He said it's all too common for band members to start out as best friends and end up at each other's throats, he said.
"It's always sad. Unfortunately, this is a pretty familiar tale," Alexander said. "(It) starts out a bunch of guys playing in a garage, then all of a sudden there's money and people who have expectations ... sometimes your longtime buddies aren't your buddies anymore."
Breaking Benjamin - then Burnley, former drummer Jeremy Hummel and bassist John Price - recorded their initial self-titled LP at Alexander's local recording studio, Saturation Acres. Some of those recordings will appear on the forthcoming compilation, "Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin."
"I can't tell you, in the wake of recording their early stuff, how many bands I recorded that wanted to be Breaking Benjamin," he said.
For Joe Nardone Jr., co-owner of Gallery of Sound, the thousands of Breaking Benjamin albums sold over the past decade evidence their popularity in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
"Obviously they were the biggest band to ever come out of this area," Nardone said. "No one's ever been close to that, really."
Nardone noticed Breaking Benjamin found pockets of the country where they garnered more acclaim, especially areas that cultivated fervent rock fans. The group hit the road with some of the other biggest rock acts of the 2000s, such as Godsmack and Three Days Grace.
"It was just rock and roll, rock and roll; they appealed to that crowd," he said.
Fan Danielle Struble of Wallingford, Conn., said she was "shocked and devastated" when she first heard about the band's troubles.
"We were all under the impression that Ben was taking time to recover and then they would be back and making more incredible music," Struble said in an interview via Facebook, referring to Ben's admitted troubles with fatigue disorder and neurological damage due to years of alcohol abuse.
The 19-year-old asserts she will remain a fan through whatever tough times the band encounters, much like their music has been their during her travails.
Breaking Benjamin's music also resonated with longtime fan Stephanie Wenzel, of Clearwater, Fla., as she dealt with a friend's death last year.
"This band has gotten me through some hard times ... the 'Dear Agony' album was on constant repeat in my car (when my friend died)," the 26-year-old said via Facebook.
WKRZ-FM deejay "Jumpin'" Jeff Walker said he had heard rumors of the band's demise for more than a year and wasn't surprised to learn of the legal battle. Unfortunately, he said, the group's break-up would herald the end of Wilkes-Barre's biggest claims to fame.
"I think the thing that everybody will miss is having a national act that's right from our own backyard," Walker said.
KRZ deejay Amanda focused on the bright side for despondent fans: since Fincke, Klepaski and drummer Chad Szegila still perform locally with other acts, they'll still be part of the local music scene.
In recent months, Fincke has taken the stage with The Badlees for several local shows, Alexander said.
"They're all good people. I count them all as friends, current members and former members," Alexander said. "I wish them the best."
kgaydos@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2118
msisak@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2061
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/story-of-band-s-implosion-described-as-commonplace-in-music-industry-1.1183518#ixzz1h2akxKxf
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