BOONE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – JD Halstead and Bryan Mills made quite the impression on their friends, family, and communities as they began writing, playing, and recording music and formed the band, “Breezeway”.
“We first met at church and shared GarageBand projects with each other. I thought I was good at producing until he showed me songs he had made, which made me strive to get better,” said Halstead.
Their friendship grew in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending time together by playing music and sharing musical recording skills with one another while their classes were cancelled.
Mills began his musical journey around the age of four and recalled receiving a “First Act” drum set as a Christmas present that year. Shortly thereafter, he began playing simple church hymns on the piano, guided by his grandfather. He eventually learned to play the bass and guitar, which he most frequently uses today.
“I’ve grown up in a family of musicians. My dad, uncles, and grandfather all play music, so I believe it was in my genes,” said Mills, “Growing up around music and instruments, it was only a matter of time before I picked something up.”
Holding his faith as one of his highest priorities in his life, Mills said, “I value my relationship with God more than anything. It’s who I am as a person. Being at church 4-5 times a week for different things, while going to school, finding time for a relationship, and writing and recording Breezeways full length LP gets very mentally tasking. But ask anyone, church is my main priority. I’m there before I’m anywhere else.”
When asked about his background, Halstead said, “My papaw plays acoustic guitar and sings at church and used to be in country bands years ago. My mom and dad were in the marching band during their high school years, too.”
While music had played a role in the lives of several of his closest family members, Halstead attributes his introduction to music to his grandfather, Danny Pettit. “My papaw had encouraged me to play guitar for years, but I never had the interest until I learned to apply it to songs I was making, myself,” Halstead said.
At the young age of ten, he found he could recreate popular songs using the Apple IOS GarageBand music production app. After many trials and errors, he eventually learned the process.
Halstead began playing ukulele, inspired by musician Tyler Joseph, saying, “I learned the basics of writing a chord progression, and eventually picked up acoustic guitar, piano, bass, and electric guitar. I’m almost completely self-taught, along with help from my papaw and bass lessons with my neighbor, Marlon Thomas.”
Working together to create their first original song, Halstead said, “Having our first song officially published has really been exciting. It has seemed to go down well with those who have heard it so far, and we are excited to see where it might go.” Elaborating on the complexity of the process he said, “We are releasing a full album, hopefully by the end of summer. The project has been very difficult, but it should be coming soon.”
Mills recalls the struggle to complete some of the work after several major setbacks in the process. “The biggest negative for me is writers block and drive to finish the songs. We get so excited to release it that we have such a hard time finishing and getting them to a place where we’re happy with them.”
Halstead said while Covid provided time for them to produce music, it also prolonged the process because each of them had to quarantine on multiple occasions, stalling the process for weeks at a time.
Breezeway has released two singles so far, “Two Day Vacation” and “You Don’t Say”, which they describe as “country-pop/hip-hop oriented”, the first released under Halstead’s name and the second released as the first joint Breezeway song. Their future songs are focused towards a more traditional, country-related genre and a full-length album is in production. The duo teased an upcoming original song titled, “For You,” which will likely be on the upcoming album.
Halstead looks to attend Berklee College of Music for a degree in music production. Influenced by the many success stories of musicians going to Nashville, Tennessee, he hopes his talents eventually lead to a music producer/mixing engineering career in that area. “It would be a rather expensive hobby to have, so I’m hoping it can become a full-time job,” he said. “Wherever I end up, I will hopefully have a degree in music production for reasons of skill development, and just as equally, credibility.”
Mills plans to attend Marshall University to study Criminal Justice and eventually become a criminal investigator. While he isn’t focused on creating a seven-digit income from music, it is a large part of his career ambitions. “I want to be able to make a living by writing, recording, and playing my own music. I don’t strive to be a millionaire; I just want to be able to make enough money to live and be happy,” said Mills.
You can follow Breezeway’s music on all music streaming services, Facebook, and YouTube.