Categories
Awesome-sauce Rocking The Dead Milkmen Uncategorized World Domination collaboration cool projects videos

STUDIO DOCUMENTARY: January 17 & 18: The Dead Milkmen + Hot Breakfast! = Shaking Through

Behind Joe's head! That's no moon... that's a space stati... Wait. It's actually a giant boob. (Photo by Kyle Cassidy.)
Look! Behind Joe’s head! That’s no moon… that’s a space stati–   wait. No, it’s actually a giant boob. (Photo by Kyle Cassidy.)

A few weeks ago, our pal Rodney emailed me and asked me to put some vocals down on a new song of theirs called “Prisoner’s Cinema.” He said that The Dead Milkmen were going to be recording this song as a part of Weathervane Music’s  Shaking Through documentary series. These “Shaking Through” documentaries are really fascinating to watch, because you see amazingly talented musicians, engineers and producers working together to record a song at Weathervane’s gorgeous Miner Street Recording Studios. The whole thing just unfolds in front of you, and it’s just inspiring to see how other people work.

Rodney sent me a ruff of the track and told me where my vocals should go, but he didn’t write out any actual parts for me. I asked him if he had something specific in mind for me to sing or did he want me to come up with something, so he said (I paraphrase), “Make it yours! Have fun with it! We want this section to be something totally different than the rest of the song, hence female vocals. It’s kinda Irish-y in feel. Go for it!”

So I wrote this chorus-breakdown thing (using his lyrics and their chord changes) with a sorta Irish-sounding melody, and then arranged some lush double-tracked block harmonies, which pretty much nails the whole “something totally different than the rest of the song” requirement. (I love writing and recording layers of harmonies more than you could possibly know, so it was fun. Choir geek and all.)

I sent them a proof-of-concept quick-and-dirty thing just to make sure I was headed in the right direction and Rodney dug it. I recorded another cleaned-up version and all four guys unanimously loved it, so, woot!

I honestly thought that was the end of it. Like, I initially assumed that I was going to make studio-quality .wavs here at Knappshack Studios and email them to the guys to have them plunk into their ProTools session at Weathervane… I just naturally assumed I wouldn’t be part of the video, because nobody’s interested in me particularly… they want The Milkmen, and that’s totally reasonable. But Rodney assured me that they wanted me along for the videoshoot and to record it live, so YAY!

In the beginning, there wasn’t really anything for Matt to do, but once the guys rehearsed the song more, they agreed it made sense to have an acoustic guitar filling things out a bit… so yay, the gang’s all here!

So… we’re headed into the studio with The Dead Milkmen this weekend. I’m really, really excited! The Dead Milkmen are musical heroes of mine, and it’s crazy to think that almost 30 years after I first listened to their music I’m going to be collaborating with them in one of the best studios in Philadelphia as part of a documentary series about musical creativity and collaboration. PINCH ME!

I’m not going to explain the whole Weathervane and Shaking Through ethos here… you can visit their websites and get the story yourselves. (And if you’re looking for a wonderful charity to support, Weathervane is VERY worthy of your dollars.) But in a nutshell, “Shaking Through is a non-profit, community-produced documentary series about the vision and process of recording music.” (That’s a quote from the Shaking Through website.) So at the end of this weekend, we’ll have a new song recorded and mixed, and the whole process will be captured on video as well. There will also be enough footage collected so the Shaking Through people can put together a lush documentary about how the song was recorded. There’ll be interviews, chats with band members, footage of everyone actually playing and cutting tracks, and thoughts from the engineers, producers, and executive producers, too. But what’s EVEN COOLER is that while the cameras are rolling this weekend, you can actually watch the live stream! So anytime this weekend you can click a link and peek in and see how we’re doing in the studio. It’s not a performance– we’ll be working– but you’ll get to be a fly on the wall.

There will also be a chat window, so if you want to say hello, if you have questions for anyone in the studio (band members, engineers, producers, pizza guy, etc.) just type your question in! You can also chat with other people watching, too. It’s a very interactive, collaborative experience. You are absolutely encouraged to interact via the chat window while you’re watching, so please do!

For the musicians in the audience, a still-even-cooler-cooler-cooler byproduct of this Shaking Through session (in addition to the documentary and the finished song) will be the individual tracks of the songs for you to grab! So if anyone is interested in remixing or rearranging the song, they can take the parts we recorded, dump them into your favorite audio-manipulation-tool, and make a new song out of our ingredients. The Shaking Through website has a place for you to upload your new mixes so we can all hear them and collaborate further. It’s such an exciting time to be a musician.

Bottom line: Weathervane is remarkable, and Shaking Through is really something special. Weathervane’s people are thought leaders in the music industry, and we are absolutely honored that we get to be in a room with these folks and learn from them. We’re so grateful to The Dead Milkmen for their generosity in letting us be a part of this recording and experience. We can learn from this. “We can make famous friends, or we can make our friends famous.”

Musicians, there are so many opportunities for growth, sharing, and interacting out there, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Music isn’t a competition. It’s a connection. Let’s do this.

Love,

Ji11 & the Suburban Legend
(aka Jill & Matt)

DEETS:

WHO: The Dead Milkmen, with Hot Breakfast! tagging along and helping a bit
WHAT: Recording a new Milkmen song, “Prisoner’s Cinema,” as part of Weathervane Music Collective’s Shaking Through documentary series. You’ll get to watch the recording and mixing live, and also interact with everyone via the chat window once you fire up YouTube
WHERE: We’ll be in Philly. You’ll be watching it streaming live via YouTube via these links: Saturday’s Link. Sunday’s Link.
WHEN: Saturday, January 17, from 11am – 8pm, and more studio goodness on Sunday, January 18 from 10:30 – 6pm.
TICKETS: There are no tickets! You just fire up your browser (or your phone’s YouTube app) and watch!
FACEBOOK EVENT: Here ya go. (Note: We’re not mentioned on the Facebook invite. It’s The Dead Milkmen’s song, not ours. We are merely guests.)

Learn more about Shaking Through: http://weathervanemusic.org/shakingthrough
Become a member of the Weathervane Music Non-Profit: http://weathervanemusic.org/membership


 

UPDATE!

Hey all!
We’ve been given permission to post the schedule for how the weekend is going to play out, who is recording what and when, etc. This schedule is only a guideline and may very well change a bit on the fly. Ya gotta be flexible in the studio, ya know. 🙂

For studio nerds: Here’s a link to the TRACK LISTING SPREADSHEET so you can see what instruments are on what tracks. Follow along at home! This will be used both days.

DAY 1: SATURDAY JANUARY 17.

YOUTUBE LINK FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH TODAY’S LIVESTREAM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQdhxhchg0c

11:00am: CREW CALL / BAND CALL
Video Crew, band members, Executive Producers, recording crew will all arrive at the studio.

11:15 – 11:45: Pre-Session Meeting
Brian, Gabe, Jason and Karen, Matt Schimelfenig will talk about the schedule for the weekend. Light Fare – bagels, coffee, juice, etc.

11:45 – 1:45: Set-up
The band will set up their instruments and Engineer Matt Schimelfenig will set up all drums, bass, scratch guitar, keyboard and scratch vocal mic’s and set levels in preparation for recording the basic track.

1:45 – 2:30: Record Basic Track
The band will record the “basic track” of the song (scratch track). At this stage we prioritize getting a solid drum and bass take of the song, although sometimes the other scratch tracks will also contain “keeper” elements, as well.

2:30 – 3:30: Record Joe’s Guitars
Set-up Joe’s guitar amps in the live room. Re-record Joe’s scratch guitar, along with any additional electric guitar tracks by Joe. (We may switch Joe and Rodney’s times.)

3:30 – 4:00: Rodney’s keys
Set-up Rodney’s keyboards in the live room. Record a “double track” of Rodney’s basic keyboard take. Depending on how well the basic is performed, this track will either replace or serve as a double of the basic keyboard. (Note: We may switch Joe and Rodney’s times.)

4:00 – 5:00: LUNCH
TBD. All crew, production staff, band and Executive Producers will break to EAT.

Sunset @ 5:02 PM

5:00 – 5:45: Record Matt’s Guitars
Set up and record Matt Casarino’s (from Hot Breakfast!) acoustic guitar onto the the final basic track.

5:45 – 6:45: Jill’s Vocals
Record Jill Knapp’s (from Hot Breakfast!) vocals, harmonies, etc.

6:45 – 7:30: Bells + any odd overdubs
Record bells, percussion, oddball samples or effects. This will complete the recording of any instrumental parts for the song.

7:30 – 8:30 Rodney’s Vocals
Record Rodney’s final vocals. We’ll replace Rodney’s scratch vocal from earlier in the day. Rodney will run through the song 3 to 5 times, from which we will compile a final vocal track. This will complete the final tracking for the recording.

8:30pm: FINISH DAY ONE.


DAY TWO: SUNDAY JANUARY 18, 2015.

YOUTUBE LINK FOR PEOPLE TO WATCH TODAY’S LIVESTREAM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvgKHFItRIs

10:00am – 2:00pm: Interview
The video crew will interview the members of the band downstairs in the “black box”. (Note: at this time of year, the Black Box room is *cold*. Dress warmly!!!) This will likely include interviews with one person at a time, though there might be some sections of the interview that will include everyone in the band. The interview supplies the story / basic dialog arc for the episode which are edited together with the footage from Day 1.

12:00am – 2:30pm: “Quiet” Mixing
Engineer Matt Schimelfenig will begin mixing the song from Day 1. Because the Black Box room is beneath the studio’s control room, the general volume for mixing earlier in the day will be on the quiet side, so as to not disturb the interview that is happening below.

2:00pm: Hot Breakfast! arrives

2:30pm – 4:30pm: “Loud” Mixing
With the interviews completed downstairs, Matt will now work with any of the louder elements of mixing, which may include “re-amping” (ie. sending recorded elements from the day before through guitar amplifiers in the live room), or simply listening to the mix at louder volumes in order to put the finishing touches on the mix for presentation at the listening party.

4:30pm – 6:00pm: Wrap Party
All artists, video crew, production crew and Executive producers are invited to hear the final recording. We’re also inviting artists, crew and donors from previous and upcoming sessions this month to meet and celebrate the completion of another Shaking Through recording.

Categories
Uncategorized World Premiere free download spreading the love

Our gift to you… a free download of our new song “Going Your Way.”

You know, we could all use a little reminder now and then that we’re not alone. It’s a dark time of year (in fact, we’re just an hour away from the winter solstice as I type this!) and it’s easy to feel kinda isolated and lost among the hustle and bustle of the season.

But we have a new song called “Going Your Way,” which tries to remind the listener that they’re not alone; that someone’s always got their back. It’s really sweet. When Matt played it for me the first time, I admit that I cried… it hit me right in the feels.

And you know what else gets us in the feels? YOU. Meaning, we get really overwhelmed with gratitude when we see you all at our shows, giving us love and enthusiastic fist pumps, and singing along with us. It’s really something to feel such love coming back at us. We promise that we never, ever take you for granted, and we promise always to work our hardest for you. We never forget that every person in the audience gave up their hard-earned money, free time, and the tractor beam of their comfy couches to come spend time with us. There are a million other wonderful, worthwhile ways that you could have spent your time, yet you chose to come out and let us make music for you. It’s an honor. I know this all sounds grandiose, but it’s sincere… there are lots of happening. For all of this, we wanted to thank you. But how? By giving you what we know how to give best: music.

So, between now and January 4th 2015, we’re making our brand new song “Going Your Way” available to you as a free download. After that date, you can stream it for free at Soundcloud or on Reverbnation, and if you want to buy it, you’ll have to wait until the release of the new album in the early spring of 2015.

This song, just like every other song on our forthcoming album, was produced by Ritchie Rubini. This particular track is a warm, non-dorky song about kindness, featuring 19 layers of backing vocal tracks, all arranged and performed by Jill. And like every other Hot Breakfast tune, there is absolutely no auto-tune, no Melodyne, no pitch correction, nada. What you hear is what we played/sang. We’re humans, after all… so we wanna sound like humans. Gloriously imperfect, as they say.

Anyway, here’s the song. We really hope you like it. And thank you again for another great year. We do this for you, and we really, really are so grateful for the opportunity. Thank you. Really. Thank you.

Here’s to a warm, happy, (dorky!) and healthy 2015.

With love and thanks,

Jill & Matt

LYRICS:
Going Your Way (Matt Casarino)
(c) 2014 Suburban Legends Music

Now and then you’re the jester in the lion’s den
Held and chained, kept alive to keep them entertained
Even if they grant you pardon
They keep a piece of you behind
But when they close you down
You will find I’m open all the time

I will stand below you when you fall
I will get behind you when you stall
Oooh – And when it’s time to walk away
I’m going your way

Now and then you realize you missed the ball again
It’s just your fate to get the invitation one day late
Then they tell you you should smile
Like that will turn your clouds to gold
I have some words to tell ’em
Better yet, let’s leave ’em in the cold

I’m not gonna tell you what to do
I’m happy to be miserable with you
Oooh – that’s what I call a good day
I’m going your way

Sometimes you fight sometimes you flee
Try as you might you’re stuck with me

But if you never had a bad day
You’d never know how good it feels
When everything goes right
When all your open wounds have healed

I will stand below you when you fall
I will get behind you when you stall

Oooh You know it’s gonna be okay
I’m going your way
I’m going your way


WHO DID WHAT:
Jill Knapp: Lead vocals, background vocals, aux. percussion
Matt Casarino: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, classical guitar
Ritchie Rubini: Drums
Ray Gagliardino: Bass
Csilla Lakatos: Cello
Recorded at Studio 825
Mastered by Eamon Loftus

Categories
Awesome-sauce Uncategorized World Domination World Premiere

CANCELED: December 27, 7pm, World Cafe Live PHILADELPHIA. Another singer/songwriter showcase! Woot!

WE ARE NOT PLAYING TONIGHT AT THIS SHOW– WE HAVE THE PLAGUE. THE OTHER ARTISTS ARE STILL PERFORMING!

It might seem like we’re playing a lot of singer/songwriter showcases lately, but that’s only because we’ve got two in a row on the ol’ calendar. We’re pretty excited about them!

Singer/songwriter showcases get a bad rap. All too often they’re led by shoegazey, self-important 23 year olds who play slow three-chord chunkers with lyrics about breakups. We could see why you’d think that’s a total snoozefest. But singer/songwriter showcases aren’t snoozefests when HOT BREAKFAST! is on the bill! No siree!

NEWSFLASH: Singer/songwriters don’t have to be snoozey.

This might be a photo of other singer songwriter showcase audiences...  BUT NOT OURS.
This might be a photo of other singer songwriter showcase audiences… BUT NOT OURS.

We’re looking forward to playing different songs at this Philly singer/songwriter show than we played at The Queen. We have so many neat songs that we don’t get to play often (the “deep cuts!”), so we’re gonna milk this for all it’s worth!

The format of this evening is exactly opposite that of the showcase at The Queen. Here, each artist gets a 40-minute set. Boom. No round-robin stuff, no small sets… it’s pretty traditional. Don’t get us wrong– we love the format of The Queen’s showcase; it really keeps the night moving. But this format in Philly definitely has its upsides, too: you can really get some good momentum in your set and take the audience on a ride over 40 minutes!

We will be playing different songs in Philly than we are playing in Wilmington, so if you come to both shows (which we’d love!), you won’t be getting many dupes. We’ll also probably play more upbeat, deep cuts in Philly, since World Cafe Live in Philly is less of a listening-room atmosphere. We’ll have to make ourselves heard… though I don’t think anyone has ever had a problem hearing us. 🙂

IMPORTANT: When you come to the show, please, please be sure to tell the venue that you’re there to see us. You need to mention the band by name, otherwise we don’t get paid. It’s one of those things… and we appreciate you helping us out! </holycrap important font>

Okeedoke– without any further schpiel, here are the…

…DEETS:

What: The HYPE Philly presents a Singer Songwriter Showcase!
Who: Hot Breakfast!, of course! Also on the bill are Jill Jacobs, Melissa Clampffer, Dana K Fiero, Emily Mineo, and Maggie Lefczik. It’s an all-female-fronted night!
When: Saturday, December 27. SHOW STARTS at 7PM! Our set starts around 10:00pm give or take.
Where: World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, 3025 Walnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104.
Tickets: $10! Cheap! And you can get them right here at the World Cafe Philly website.
Food & Drink: They have it! Pretty fancy and delicious stuff, too. Make sure you get a reservation for a table… a ticket doesn’t guarantee you a table!
Parking: Tons of street parking is available, and there are also garages nearby. Consult your friend Google Maps.
Facebook Event: Here you go!

We hope to see you there! We won’t let you snooze!

Your pal in dork rock,

Ji11

Categories
Uncategorized World Domination blog collaboration music industry news

BLOG: Super-secret thing…

Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve used this as a blog. But hey! Carpe diem and stuff!

So, I have a confession.
It always made me crazy when artists would coyly say “Oooh, we’re involved in this super-secret project, but we toootally can’t talk about it.”

I always rolled my eyes a little at those updates. “Oh REALLY? You really can’t talk about it? Riiiiight. Way to build false buzz and intrigue just to get some clicks and Likes.”

Welp, guess what? We are now THAT BAND. We are *actually involved* in a super-secret project that, seriously, no lie, no false anything, we’re genuinely not allowed to talk about. There are lawyers and stuff involved (in a good way)! All I can tell you is that it involves my musical heroes The Dead Milkmen, and I’m so excited that I just can’t hide it and I’m about to lose control and I think it’s pretty darn spiffy. 16-year-old me is DYING and running around the house screaming, and 43 year old me is also DYING and running around the house screaming. 🙂 Seriously, I am beyond honored and unspeakably excited about this project, and I cannot wait until I’m allowed to share it with you all.

These are the gentlemen from The Dead Milkmen. They're not talking about it either.
They’re not talking about it either.

So, to all those artists I rolled my eyes at, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry that I doubted you. I now get it. There are some things you’re really not allowed to talk about. And yeah, they really are exciting. 🙂

xoxo,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Uncategorized

GIG: Singer/Songwriter Showcase, World Cafe Live at the Queen, Dec 19, 7:00pm (early!)

Gable Music Ventures runs a monthly showcase which invites singer/songwriters to play their tunes to a quieter crowd. This event used to be called “THE SIX,” and then they changed it to the much less apocalyptic-sounding “Gable Music Singer Songwriter Showcase.” It’s a much more soothing name, isn’t it? “THE SIX” sounds like the poster should have exploding oil tankers and turkey vultures and mushroom clouds and hazmat suits and heirloom seeds and stuff, doesn’t it?

ANYWAY.

GableSSS

Matt played this event back in October 2013, and we asked Gable if they’d be willing to let Hot Breakfast take the stage. They seemed hesitant, and we completely understand why… the Singer Songwriter Showcase is a quieter event, and doesn’t really lend itself to stage dives or “Mr. Roboto.” (Jill used to run a songwriter coffeehouse back in 2003-2005 called Knappuccino’s, so she knows how hard it is to find the right kind of musician to play the event.) We promised the Gables that if given the chance, we would keep things sincere…besides, it’s not very often we get to play our introspective stuff, as opposed to songs about pants), so it’ll be a treat for us.

Welp, it finally happened… Gable must have run out of people to ask, because guess who’s playing the Singer Songwriter Showcase in December? US, BABY.

We actually have a lot of sincere, non-dorky songs but rarely get a chance to play them… so we’re really looking forward to picking six songs and presenting them to you. If you have any requests, leave them in the comments below. We’re having a pretty hard time deciding, especially because we have so many new songs to choose from too!

The format is pretty neat. There are six artists, and they each get two 15-minute sets. This prevents 1/6 of the audience from walking out after their favorite band is done playing, and we certainly appreciate that. 🙂 Six artists playing a total of 30 minutes each equals a long night, so the show starts at 7pm. Be there on time, kids– they run a tight ship!

OK, enough jibberjabber… here are the details.

DEETS:

What: The Gable Singer Songwriter Showcase: Shaddap and listen to the music… this isn’t the night to yap.
Who: Hot Breakfast!, of course! Also on the bill are C. Lynne Smith, D. Corridori, Kenny Ferrier (if you came to see Angela Sheik at Melodies Cafe in October, you’ve heard him before!), Kevin McCove (we love him!), and Sarah Koon.
When: Friday, December 19. SHOW STARTS at 7PM!
Where: World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N Market St, Wilmington DE.
Tickets: $10! Cheap! And you can get them right here at the WCL@Q website. (We don’t have any for sale.)
Food & Drink: They have it! Pretty fancy and delicious stuff, too. Make sure you get a reservation for a table… a ticket doesn’t guarantee you a table!
Parking: There’s a parking garage right next door at between King and Market. So handy!
Facebook Event: Here you go!

We hope to see you there!

Your pal in dork rock,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: Wilmo Rock Circus: Saturday Nov 29th, 5pm! HOLY CRAP!

Who’s got four thumbs and will be ROCKING YOUR FREAKIN’ FACES OFF at the Wilmo Rock Circus 2014? Only Delaware’s PREMIER acoustic dork-rock power duo, that’s who! Yep, we’re back for a second time, and this time around we’ve been upgraded from the high-chair stage to the kids table, which is right where we belong. 🙂

The circus has come back to town!
The circus has come back to town!

Tickets are on sale now folks, and there’s no better place to enjoy a 20-course ALL ROCK BUFFET than the Wilmo Rock Circus. It’s all the rock you can eat for $20, and we’ll be playing on teh upstairs stage at 7:40 SHARP. This pop-up concert runs like a well-oiled machine, and we are starting at 7:40 on the dot and ending at 8:10 on the dot… and if we’re not done playing at 8:10, they’re gonna unplug us, because that’s how this works, baby.

The best part? This is an all ages show, which means it’s an all awesome show. Get yer tickets! Get ’em while they’re hot! We also have discounted tickets available, so if you’d like to save $5 (that means it’ll only be $15 instead of $20), email us with the number of tickets you want, and we’ll leave them for you at the box office.

The Wilmo Rock Circus is now in its 4th year, and this festival just reinforces Wilmington’s status as a great and supportive indie-music town. All bands (up & coming bands and bigger regional bands like Lovebettie) get 30-minute sets, so in just a few hours you can get a sampling of the east coast’s rockin’est offerings; and with two stages pumping at once, you always have a choice around who you go hear. SWEET!

 

If you’re a Facebook-type person, you might wanna take a moment to:

 

We’ll see you there!

Love and dork rock,

Ji11 and The Suburban Legend

Categories
Awesome-sauce Benefit Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: Friday Oct 10, 8:00pm, Extreme Pizza, Wilmington DE

October is Benefit Concert season for us! It does a soul good to donate time, talent, and energy to good causes.

Last weekend we had the honor of singing and playing in City Theater Company’s amazing fund-raising Beatles Tribute at The Queen. The place was packed, and playing over 40 Beatles tunes with 17 singers, a horn section, a string quartet, and a sitar player was absolutely mind-blowing for us.

Tonight and tomorrow we’re playing our usual Philly Primary Stages gig, but this month’s proceeds benefit its parent organization, The Philadelphia Dramatists Center (The PDC).

And this weekend, we have the honor of playing a benefit show for a very important organization: MECA Music Heals. From their website: “MECA Music Heals was founded by Peggy Carroll-Henry and Kevin Henry to unite musicians together to empower abused children in their quest for healing and justice.” If you don’t know the Henrys, they’re the power-couple also known as Minerva, who are known throughout the land for their emotionally-driven rock. And best of all, they’ll be on the bill with us and Tyler McClure this Friday night at Extreme Pizza.

MECA

We’re going to keep the night short and sweet, with each band getting a 30-ish minute set, and we should be wrapped by 10PM. If you, like us, are planning on seeing Corey Osby’s James Brown tribute at The Queen, have no fear, as he’ll be taking the stage around 10pm, so you shouldn’t miss very much of his show at all. It’ll be one hell of a night! And who says there’s nothing going on in Wilmington?

DEETS:
WHO: Tyler McClure, HOT BREAKFAST! and Minerva (in that order, yo)
WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014, 8:00 – 10:00pm
WHERE: Extreme Pizza: 201 N. Market Street, Wilmington DE
WHY: To benefit MECA Music Cares
TICKETS/COVER: Free admission, but some portion of your food bill will benefit MECA. If you’d like to make an extra donation while you’re there, it would be appreciated!
FOOD: The place is called Extreme Pizza. Do we have to spell everything out for you? Come on people.
PARKING: The usual; they have street parking which will be free after 6pm, and there’s always the trusty Queen lot on 5th between King and Market.
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/events/1703063783252435/

Hope to see you there!

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Awesome-sauce Uncategorized theater

GIG: Philly Primary Stages: Oct 7 & 8, 7:30pm, Philadelphia

It’s time to sing “Happy Birthday!” (but only half of it so you don’t have to pay royalties) to Philly’s Primary Stages which turns 10 years old this month. Look at our little Primary Stages, growing up so fast! Soon it’ll be in 5th grade, trying to steal Dad’s Playboy magazines, playing video games, climbing trees, and eating boogers, like all 10 year olds do.

I stole this from Google Images. I have no idea what it means, but it somehow seemed surreal/appropriate.
I stole this from Google Images. I have no idea what it means, but it somehow seemed surreal/appropriate.

Philadelphia is known for having a great underground theater scene, and one of the driving forces is Philly’s Primary Stages. PPS is a “down and dirty script-in-hand staged reading series of new 10 minute plays” where playwrights get to see their new works up on their feet, and actors and directors get a fun, short project to jump into.  Audience members are bribed with beer, wine, sodee pop, bottled water, assorted chips, dips, vienna sausages and puddin’ packs (of which Jill is a fan).

Philadelphia Dramatists Center; purveyors of fine Philadelphia theater since... well... a while ago.
Philadelphia Dramatists Center; purveyors of fine Philadelphia theater since… well… a while ago.
The format of these events is that the PDC gives area playwrights a theme or topic, and then they write a 10-minute play based on that theme. Then we all get together to watch them! Because this is the 10th anniversary of the Primary Stages, they’ve chosen the theme of “X,” and playwrights can interpret and apply “X” to their new play in whatever way they like (X-rays, XXX-rated, ex-boyfriends, ex-girlfriends, etc.!). If you’re feelin’ theatery, you could come both nights and see a dozen morsels of fresh, original theater. We can’t promise we won’t repeat any songs, however… 🙂

This month’s shows are happening on Tuesday October 7th & Wednesday October 8th. .  We play a 30-35 minute set beginning at 7:30pm, and then a 15-ish minute set at intermission. We also play the outro music for each play– songs that are hand-picked by the directors.  (The directors love to test us, so we’ve been asked to do everything from rap, Led Zep, play Sousa marches on kazoos, and even play TV theme songs. We never know what we’re gonna be asked to do for the out-tro music, but we have a blast retrofitting these songs for our dork-rock-duo instrumentation.) 

DEETS:

WHERE:  The Meetinghouse Theater inside the Community Education Center: 3500 Lancaster Ave. (sorta by 30th St Station) Philadelphia, PA 19104-4916
WHEN: Tuesday October 7th & Wednesday October 8th. Doors open at 7:15ish, HB! plays at 7:30 sharp, the plays start at 8pm. Different plays both nights!
CASH: Because this is their fundraiser, this round is $10 each.
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/events/658386820941317/

For a measly ten bucks ($10!), you get a night of terrific theater, snackies, beverages, and music.  What better way to spend a mid-week, autumnal evening, AMIRITE?

See you then!

Your pals,

Suburban Legend and Ji11
(a.k.a. Matt and Jill)

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Uncategorized

EAST COAST TOUR with ANGELA SHEIK!

That's not Photoshop. This is how Angela Sheik travels.
This is not Photoshop. This is how Angela Sheik goes to the store.

 

Greetings, all you wonderful Cool Little Brothers and Sisters!

You’ve probably noticed by now that Hot Breakfast! doesn’t have a lot of shows lined up for the fall. This realization undoubtedly led you to exclaim “hey! Hot Breakfast! doesn’t have a lot of shows lined up in the fall!” Unfortunately, this created an awkward moment for you, as you were in the middle of a quiet activity at the time, like checking out a library book or performing a bris. We’re sorry about that.

 

"What can I say? I like songs about pants."
“What can I say? I like songs about pants.”

 

Anyway, you deserve an answer. We’ve got lots of shows coming up – but not exactly as Hot Breakfast! Instead, we have the honor of backing our insanely talented friend Angela Sheik on select shows as she tours in support of her lush, haunting, all-around stunning new album Home Before Dark. Jill is singing backup and playing percussion and Matt is playing electric guitar on these shows.

If you’re familiar with Angela Sheik, well, then you know. If not, we’re not sure how to begin telling you about her, except to say to hear her music and watch her perform live is to become an instant fan. Angela is an incredibly skilled and creative looper – in fact, she was the Boss USA Loop Station Champion in 2011, and went on to represent America in the World competition. Loopers build their songs before your very eyes and ears, adding more and more layers until a single person can sound like a symphony. Here, take a look at the performance that won her the crown (her song begins around 1:20):

 

 

Looping, which requires multitudes of focus and concentration, is always impressive and mesmerizing to watch. There’s something hypnotic and damn near transcendent about witnessing someone create multiple layers of sound right in front of you. But it’s the amazing amount of creativity she puts into her music that really melts our brains – the vocals-as-percussion, the offbeat instruments, the flute lick that becomes a symphony, the theremin (holy moley, the theremin!)…everything. Plus, she’s got a gorgeous and versatile voice, she writes wonderful lyrics and melodies, and she’s delightful to watch onstage.

We like her, is what we’re saying. And we are thrilled to be in her band during these shows.

 

That's us, rocking out at World Cafe Live at the Queen on September 13th.
Here we are performing one of Angela’s new songs: “Jill Blows Her Nose in Bb Major.”

 

Angela’s band, which accompanies her on several non-looped songs, is loaded with goodness – it’s such a treat to hang out with these people, much less make music with them. In addition to Matt on guitar and Jill on vocals & percussion, we’ve got Derek Christopher on the bass, Rich Degnars and Ritchie Rubini (our good friend and producer of our upcoming album) on drums, Sharon Sable on vocals, Alfred James Goodrich on cello, and Christina von Duyke and Sarah Smith on violin.

We are on our knees, groveling at your feet, emoting like Sarah Bernhardt, begging you – begging – to catch at least one of these shows.

 

WE ARE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE EMOTING PART.
WE ARE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE EMOTING PART.

Here’s the schedule:

  • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20: Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street, NY, NY 10002 (21 & older)
  • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25: IOTA Club & Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA (all ages)
  • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25: Melodies Cafe, 2 E. Langaster Ave, Ardmore, PA (all ages)

The links in the above list will direct you to information about venues and tickets.

These are all gonna be great shows, but we’re especially looking forward to that October show. Not only will we be back at one of our favorite venues – we last played at Melodies a couple days before Christmas with Jewmongous – but we’ll be breaking out the acoustic and performing a few songs as Hot Breakfast! as well!

So in conclusion – we love Angela, and we love making music with her, and we’d love to see you at any or all of these shows. And we know you’re gonna love it too. That’s a whole lotta love, Brothers and Sisters.

A whole lotta love,
The Suburban Legend (Matt) and Ji11

You read this whole thing? Sweet! Here’s some dessert for you.

This is the just-released video for “Bring it On,” the first single off Home Before Dark. If the guitar-playing clown looks familiar, that because he’s the same guitar-playing clown who wrote this post1.

 

 

1 If you look carefully, you’ll spot roughly half of the entire Philly/Delaware music scene in the melee as well. I’ll give you a hint about the bass player.

Categories
Awesome-sauce Uncategorized

GIG: COMEDY! MUSIC! COMEDY MUSIC! Friday August 1 8PM at The Kennett Flash

image

It’s time for our annual funny songs show! Yaaaaay!! Were back at The Kennett Flash again, and it wouldn’t be a comedy music for without our beloved Todd Chappelle on the bill with us. As an added bonus, we’ve invited our good friend (and, City Theater favorite) Melissa Bernard to work her stand-up and improv skillz. Wheeeee!

Come! Come!  The show will be not entirely squeaky clean, you’ve been warned… But I’m pretty sure you can handle it. You watch HBO.

The venue doors open at 7:15 and the show starts at 8 PM. Tickets are cheaper online, so swing over to kennettflash.org and get them while they’re hot!

Don’t forget to BYOB!!

This show will be different than our show at The Queen on 7/26… We’ve worked out the set lists and only two songs overlap. BONUS: We’re giving anyone who can prove they attended both shows an exclusive reward which will never be offered again. Exciting stuff!

We’ll see you soon!

Your owl (I meant to type “pal” but my tablet autocorrected it to “owl,” which I’m totally keeping),

Ji11

Categories
Uncategorized spreading the love videos

Spreading the love: Two bands need extras for their video shoots!

Zombies and Pierrots and mimes: OH MYIt’s video-makin’ season for some of Wilmington’s most innovative artists. They need extras, so here’s your chance to be involved! These aren’t our videos– we’re just going to be extras, and you can be too. We don’t have any additional info other than what we’re posting here, so if you’re interested, please follow up directly with the artist, not us. 🙂

Saturday, July 26th, Noelle Picara is shooting a video for her song Alone With All of You at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, from 12 (noon) to 7:00pm. you don’t have to be there all day, so stop in when you can. If you can only come for a portion, come between 4pm and 7pm, because that’s when they need the most extras. Come dressed as you normally look– no zombies or anything this time. 🙂 (Wow, that timing is super-convenient! You can get a bite to eat and then come see our show at World Cafe Live a short walk away!) Here’s info on that video shoot: http://www.facebook.com/events/333886626769108/ You don’t need a Facebook account to view that link. For more info, respond via Facebook, or contact Noelle via her website or social media.

Tuesday, July 29th at 11:00am, Angela Sheik is filming a portion of her video which features a slow-motion fight between Pierrot-style clowns and mimes. There will be costumes and makeup involved, so an RSVP would be appreciated. Angela’s words: “I am working with a team to shoot a music video during the day on Tuesday, 7/29. The concept is a little out there – basically it is a slow motion fight between Pierrot style clowns (and eventually some French mimes). I’ll add some pics to this email so you know what I’m talking about. I am in the process of looking for volunteer actors (especially those with any clown/mime or circus skills), as well as a makeup assistant and camera crew help. We’re hoping to shoot that Tuesday starting late morning. I will happily provide pizza and drinks. The video will be shot by Jay Walker, one of the guys who helped create the beautiful floating instrument album cover. I know he will make it dreamy and wonderful (not toooo creepy).” Here’s the Facebook invite. For more information and to RSVP, contact Angela via her website.

See you there!

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: Saturday July 26 8PM: World Cafe Live, Wilmington with Megan Jean and the KFB

 

You get to gawk at five sets of good lookin’ legs for $10. CAN’T GO WRONG.

We received a call a few weeks ago from the fine folks at World Cafe Live at the Queen, asking if we wanted to share a bill with two touring acts: the solo Alex Culbreth (performing without his band “The Dead Country Stars“), and the thunderous Megan Jean and the KFB. After some digging, we said “Heck yeah!”

Megan Jean and the KFB (KFB = “Klay Family Band”) is an acoustic duo with Megan’s thunderous and theatrical lead vocals and her husband providing an eclectic soundscape to support her. They write passionate, powerful songs, and you should expect to have your hair blown back by these guys.

Sounds like we have a lot in common… an acoustic duo with a big-voiced/theatrical female lead singer, with some epic songs for ya. Granted, we’re more on the dork-rock side of the house, but I think we can all agree that our songs are passionate. Of course we’re not a husband-and-wife duo, but we might as well be considering the time we spend together and how plugged into each other we are. (Awwww yeaaaah.)

We hope you’ll join us!

Your pal,

Ji11

DEETS:

What: Three bands for $10. Can’t go wrong, really.
Who: Alex Culbreth (8pm), HOT BREAKFAST! (9pm) and Megan Jean and the KFB (10pm).
When: Saturday, July 26, 8:00pm-11:00pm; maybe even later if you ask nicely.
Where: World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N Market St, Wilmington DE.
Tickets: Right here at the WCL@Q website.
Food & Drink: They have it! Pretty fancy and delicious stuff, too. Make sure you get a reservation for a table… a ticket doesn’t guarantee you a table!
Parking: There’s a parking garage right next door at between King and Market. So handy!
Facebook Event: Here you go!

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Rocking Uncategorized World Domination

GIG: Friday July 11, 7pm: Portland OR with The Industrial Jazz Group

It was on a high school band trip in 1986 when a high school junior named Andrew Durkin found out Jill Knapp could sorta carry a tune. A musical partnership was born that year and never stopped.

Andrew and Jill were in a zillion bands together in high school, college, and beyond… in NJ, in Los Angeles, and even in Portland. No matter how far apart they lived from each other, they still found ways to collaborate across the miles.

In 2000, Andrew created a small jazz combo who eventually called themselves The Industrial Jazz Group. When they needed a singer, Andrew called on Jill despite them living several states away. Over the next few years The Industrial Jazz Group grew in size from a quintet to a septet, to a nonet (9 pieces) to a dectet (10 pieces), and eventually all the way to a a 17-piece monstrosity. They toured extensively around the US and Europe, and their music even served as as bumper music for various NPR segments and shows. Critics almost universally loved them (except for one stabby New York Times review, but hey, even bad press is good press, right?) Neat!

What, you never saw a jazz singer dressed as a bee before? (Hague Jazz Festival 2007)
What, you never saw a jazz singer dressed as a bee before? (Hague Jazz Festival 2007)

In 2007 The Industrial Jazz Group played at The Hague Jazz Festival in The Netherlands, as well as at the world-famous Bimhuis in Amsterdam. From the Amsterdam show, the band got a magnificent live recording which ultimately became their 2008 release “LEEF” (which loosely translates to “Live” in Dutch).

Andrew took a hiatus from The Industrial Jazz Group so he could focus on writing a book (which comes out this November!), and coincidentally during that time, Hot Breakfast! gained lots of momentum… so Jill never stopped performing. It’s very different to front a big band dressed as a bee than it is to be one-half of an acoustic dork-rock power duo… but it’s an absolute joy either way.

These days, the center of Jill’s musical universe is undoubtedly Hot Breakfast!, but it sure feels nice to play with The Industrial Jazz Group when the rare opportunity arises… it’s like seeing old, dear friends and picking up where you left off as if no time has passed at all.

ANYWAY. All of that history is to tell you that this Friday is a dream come true for Jill: A joint gig of the two bands that are the great loves of her life. It’s happening in one of her favorite cities: Portland, Oregon, which has been the new home of The IJG since about 2006.

The show is taking place in a multi-purpose coffeehouse space in Portland called Tabor Space. The place has events ranging from yoga to children’s music classes to touring rock bands and fancy coffee tastings. It’s so very Portland. What’s not to love?

If you’re a regular reader of this website, there’s a good chance you’re located on the east coast… so we really don’t expect you to show up to this show. But if you know anyone in Oregon who is looking for a somewhat family-friendly musical experience this weekend, send them our way.

DEETS:
WHO: Hot Breakfast and The Industrial Jazz Group!
WHERE: Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, Oregon 97215
WHEN: Friday, July 11, 2014. Doors open at 7:00. Hot Breakfast plays at 7:30sharp; IJG plays at 8:30. We have to be out of the building by 10pm, so it’ll be an early night.
COVER: $10-$15, sliding scale.
FOOD: I don’t think there’s food, but there will likely be coffee. It is Portland, after all.
FACEBOOK EVENT: Here ya go! http://www.facebook.com/events/867466406600726/

This is gonna be one hell of a show. We can’t wait.

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: June 13 8pm: Los Festingos’ CD Release Party at Kennett Flash, Kennett Square, PA

It was Halloween 2013 when a band named Los Festingos took the stage at Lickety Split in Philadelphia and played a song professing their love of Total Wine, and then another about how girls from NJ are questionable. Being a chick from Jersey myself (this is Jill writing, by the way), I fell in love. Hard. Not only were these guys funny, but they were great players, and had a bunch of sincere songs, too. They were kind and classy enough to stick around to hear our set, and whaddaya know, they dug us too… And the romance began.

Months later they asked us to share a bill with them at The Grape Room in Manayunk, and their set was fantastic. They were The Grape Room’s house band for that month, so they really had the chance to dig deep into their catalog and play some tunes that normally don’t get performed live. We loved what we heard: really great, interesting music with topics ranging from bright and playful to a downright epic song cycle in several movements. They’d make both Tenacious D and Yes equally proud. But best of all: They made us happy. 🙂

That same night they asked us to open for them at their CD release party at The Kennett Flash, and we agreed right there on the spot. The name of their new album is “Aquaculture Is Not A Game,” and what we’ve heard from it will rock your socks off. These guys are dork-rockers of the highest caliber, and we’re thrilled to be sharing a bill with them. (We’re also just happy that these young guys think we old farts are still cool or something…?)

The Flash is quickly becoming a regular venue for us… we’ve played there a bunch of times already this year, and now we’ve got two more shows this summer (this Festingos show, and another Comedy Music show on August 1st– see our calendar for details). Playing there is always a treat because the place is set up for listening. We feel like we can be dorky, but we also feel comfortable playing some of our sincere stuff too. We dig it.

[I need to mention that I’m on a plane right now and we are bouncing around SO MUCH it’s making me really nervous. I understand and trust physics more than anything, and I logically grok that the plane wants to stay in the air thanks to science, and the only way it’s going down is it the plane actually breaks, or if we get bitchslapped by a microburst– and the chances of those things happening are infinitesimal. But still… Yikes. It’s bumpy. I’m gonna cut to the chase and get to the deets because I need to put my portable electronic device away.]

DEETS:

WHAT: Los Festingos CD Release Party — we’re playing the first set, and we’re playing it just for you!
WHO: Hot Breakfast and Los Festingos! Los Festingos is a four-piece band from Kennett Square, PA. They don’t use the phrase “dork-rock” to describe their sound, but we will gladly let them into our dork-rock club. Read about them here. I love their bio.
WHEN: Friday the 13th of June (oooooh!). Doors open at 7:00PM; The show starts at 8PM sharp with Hot Breakfast!
WHERE: Kennett Flash, 102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, PA. Click HERE for directions and a map.
FOOD/DRINKS: They have yummy sandwiches and simple appetizers. No bar, but you can (and should) BYOB. There’s a $4 corking fee per person. (BYOB! BYOB! BYOB! The more you drink, the better we sound!)
PARKING: Street parking is free in Kennett Square after 6:00. There’s a garage for The Flash only a block away…check this map for directions.
Facebook Event: Here you go!

See you there! (assuming my plane doesn’t crash because of these thunderstorms we’re flying by right now. No lie, the woman directly behind me on the plane just barfed. I’m not saying this for comic effect. There is actual, literal, real barf. And everyone knows that when one person barfs, there is often a barfy chain reaction… so yeah, I’m gonna close my laptop now and do some deep breathing, because I’m not gonna barf next, no siree!)

Sitting in a chair in the sky,

Your pal Ji11

We totally just flew by this. I'll show you the video I shot out my window next time I see you!
We totally just flew by this. I’ll show you the video I shot out my window next time I see you!
Categories
Arden Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Uncategorized World Domination

GIG: Sat May 10th, Arden Gild Hall, Arden DE – Opening for Tony Trischka Territory! (HOLY CRAP!)

Apologies to Planet Ten Media for defacing their poster with our name with Paint Shop Pro 7.06.
Apologies to Planet Ten Media for defacing their poster with our name with Paint Shop Pro 7.06.

Arden, Delaware really is a remarkable place. For what is essentially a collection of neighborhoods (“population 474” says the Year 2000 census), they have at least five terrific performance spaces, several art galleries, clubs of all kinds, weekly community dinners, you name it. Their concert series is run by the Arden Concert Gild, and it’s impossible to predict who is going to grace their stage. I know there are many others involved with the Concert Gild, but in my mind it’s personified by Ron Ozer. Ron is such a music fan, and his tastes are all over the map. He is so passionate about live music and sharing it with everyone, and his enthusiasm is truly infectious. I love seeing shows with him. If I’m attending a show and Ron walks in, I know I chose the best show in town. Purely on Ron’s recommendations, I’ve seen bands which normally wouldn’t be on my radar: Debo Band immediately comes to mind. Ethiopian jazzpop? Never knew it existed, but thanks to Ron’s eclectic tastes and ability to bring musicians to our state, we danced our asses off to this incredibly complex but accessible and vital music. Wheeeee!

One thing I especially love about the Arden Concert Gild’s shows is how they pair headlining acts with opening bands: they often don’t match genres– SO COOL. Like, if I’m going to hear a jazz quintet, most promoters would book another jazz musician or ensemble as the opener– logical, right? Sure, but that doesn’t really expand anyone’s horizons. For example, when Debo Band (Ethiopian pop fused with with hella sick jazz and heavy funk) played in Arden in 2013, the flawlessly ethereal musician/looper Angela Sheik opened (She was the BOSS’ Looping Champion of the USA). You wouldn’t think they’d go together… but the Arden approach is, as long as the musicians are great at whatever it is they do, they’ll fit!

So with that, we have no earthly idea how the heck we’ve gotten to play in Arden so many times. (Could it be the subliminal messages we’ve been whispering outside Ron’s window for the past few years? That’s not creepy at all!)

We’ve had the honor of playing on Arden’s various stages over the years, both as a headliner and as a supporting band. It’s always a laid-back (but super-professional) vibe, with a great sound system and the magnificent George Brockelsby on lights. If you’re lucky to be playing on a non-summer Saturday night, performers also get treated to the Arden Dinner, which is a community meal prepared by volunteers and eaten with neighbors. It’s the best. The food is always incredible, and the company simply can’t be beat.

So all of this backstory is to tell you the news: As of just the other day, we’ve been invited to be the opening band for the Jedi Master of the Banjo, Mr. Tony Trischka…or more specifically Tony Trischka Territory, which is him and his band. Even if you don’t know diddly-squat about bluegrass, you’ve most definitely heard Tony Trischka. He’s a freakin’ legend not only in the bluegrass world, but also in Arden: He’s holds the title of Artist Who Has Played in Arden The Most. The New York Times called him “…the godfather of what’s sometimes called new acoustic music.”   And DUDE… we get to open for him! EEEEEEEEEE!!! By now you’ve probably figured out that this blog post was written by Jill and not Matt. 😀

In true Arden style, it only makes sense to pair the bluegrass’ Banjo Deity with Delaware’s premier acoustic dork-rock power duo. 🙂

The show is this Saturday, May 10th and it starts at 8pm. We play right at 8, and we’ll serve up a 30-35 minute set… after which we’ll pour ourselves a glass of wine, grab our seats, and let Tony whisk us away on five strings of awesome.

We’ve got a ton of new material for you… so now we have to decide if we play the new stuff with an eyeball on the new lyrics, or if we stick to the classics. You’ll just have to show up to see. 🙂

DEETS:

What: Arden Concert Gild and WVUD Present Tony Trischka Territory
Who: Hot Breakfast! opens, and Tony Trischka Territory headlines (of course!)
When: Saturday, May 10th, 8:00pm
Where: Arden Gild Hall: 2126 The Highway, Arden, Delaware 19810
Tickets: $20-25, via Brown Paper Tickets. Click For Tickets!
Food & Drink: Beer, wine, soda, water for sale. No food, though. (The dinner I mentioned above is for Arden Dinner Gild members only).
Parking: Plenty of free parking at the Gild Hall.
Facebook Event: Here you go!

We’re really excited about this show. We hope you are too.

Your pal,

Ji11