BREAKING THE MOLD

Fred Mascherino hates Weezer. But his band, Breaking Pangaea, is often compared to the popular group.\nThough musically the bands may sound similar in some aspects, the comparison might have more to do with Mascherino's plastic-rimmed glasses, which look similar to those of Rivers Cuomo, Weezer's front-man. Despite his distaste, Mascherino says he takes the comparison as a compliment.\n"I know we have a strong Weezer fan base," Mascherino says. "But I don't really like them lyrically. I like more serious lyrics, but I understand… a lot music I like I wouldn't stand by (lyrically), like Van Halen."\nMascherino, 27, and proud owner of nine Van Halen T-shirts, graduated from Temple University with a degree in jazz performance before he and drummer Will Noon started the band in the fall of 2000. \nWanting to put more time into their newly formed band, whose name stems from the theory of the great land mass divide, Noon and Mascherino needed a bassist who would be able to contribute to a larger commitment. After trying out several bassists, they found their match. His name is Clint Stelfox.\nStelfox used to work on the stock exchange prior to joining the band. \nNow all three members have pushed their personal and professional lives aside to tour.\nBut their commitment to music does not go without struggle. Stelfox is currently unemployed. Mascherino, recently married, now has to spend weekends at home giving guitar lessons to earn extra cash. And Noon, has put off his economics degree by taking a semester off.\nBetween brief stints home to visit family and rest, the Philadelphia-based band has logged thousands of miles in their van, traveling across the continental U.S. in support of their first full-length album Cannon to a Whisper. Though the official release date for the LP is not until Dec. 11, the band has spent most of the fall touring. So far they've played in 38 states and plan to pick up three more on this leg of the tour. \nThis Saturday, they'll add Indiana to their list when they play with Cooking Camaria at the Octopus Palace in Bloomington.\nPlaying small venues across the country means long hours in the van, which Fred says often results in a series of events.\nThough Mascherino enjoys playing the smaller venues, he says what often happens at new places is that owners don't know what to do, and end up having to keep all of the door money so they can stay afloat.\nIn general, Noon says he thinks the current status of music is going pretty well. \n"It's digging up the underground," Noon says. "If you love this music, you should be able to hear it, the claim of 'selling out' these days has somewhat diminished, which is good because I don't think it's selling out if lots of people like your music, it's only when you change yourself or your sound."\nEach member brings something different to the bands' sound, helping to carve their emo-based rock into something that Noon likes to call "easily digestible rock."\n"I first started getting into music around '91, when Nirvana was just starting, so I really try to model my drumming after Dave Grohl and Jon Bonham," Noon says. "But we all have different musical tastes. Clint is a big fan of Fugazi, while Fred is really into Sunny Day Real Estate and Jeff Buckley."\nThe band's sound reflects their influences -- strong Fugazi-like bass lines coming from Stelfox, mixed with Noon's pounding and Mascherino's ability to, as he puts it, "smooth over everything." \n"If you listen to jazz, you hear some of the chords and the picking I use stems from it," Mascherino says. "I think it's true that sometimes you have to work backwards to get ahead. Or like Billie Joe of Green Day once told me, 'If you want to play good pop punk, listen to the Beatles.'"\nBut the magic that now exists within Breaking Pangaea almost didn't happen. \nSpeaking via the Internet with one of Mascherino's former band mates, Bill Loughin, Noon learned that Mascherino's former band had disbarred and Mascherino was looking for something new. Psyched over learning this news and eager to begin a new band, Noon got offline. In a state of excitement over this opportunity, he shut off his computer -- forgetting to write down the phone number of Loughin.\nRealizing his blunder, Noon admits to kicking things over around his room. But lucky for Noon, he was able to get a hold of Mascherino, and eventually the three were able to hook up as a three-piece.\n"When Will didn't call back, we thought he was just another flake," Mascherino says. "But finally we were able to jam, and I saw how musically smart Will was. I've played with better drummers in my life, but none have had the strong sense of the music Will has."\nPre-show rituals for the band are not uncommon. Mascherino can usually be found off somewhere doing stretches and drinking tea to aid his throat for the forthcoming wails. Stelfox and Noon opt for the less therapeutic practice of throwing a ball against a wall.\n"The name of the game changes depending on the venue," Mascherino says. "If we're playing the Thunderdome, it becomes Thunderdome Ball, and the like."\nBut, contrary to the pre-show activity, the post-show life doesn't involve cohorts of groupies and booze most often associated with the rock star lifestyle.\n"Usually Will passes out in the bed in the back of our van right after our show," Mascherino says. "Right after a show we usually don't listen to any music because our ears are still ringing from playing our set. But we know when Will is asleep, it's safe to play stuff that Clint and I like, like Jeff Buckley."\nMascherino says the reason to be on the road as much as they are is to continue to grow a larger fan base and hopefully within a year or two be supporting a major band, or even headlining.\n"I just hope that in a year from now-or even next summer that I'll be making the band my only job," he says.\nNoon hopes to get as many people as possible to enjoy their music.\n"We try to keep our music easily digestible… and just write good rock music"