Categories
Awesoming Snoozeletter coffee break concert news newsletter

Announcing Coffee Break Concerts With Hot Breakfast!

We just sent out our Spring 2020 Snoozeletter… and here it is!

https://mailchi.mp/21a48f0516cd/introducing-15-minute-coffee-break-concerts-with-hot-breakfast





Introducing: 15-minute Coffeebreak Concerts with Hot Breakfast!

Every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday
3:00 – 3:15 EDT

until May 15th or whenever the lockdown is lifted

This all happens on Facebook Live!
Click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/841662509642903/

Whether you’re working from home, working from work, homeschooling your kids, or anxiety-scrolling in bed for 19 hours a day, everyone needs a coffee break. It’s practically the law!

So join us for a quick 15 minute coffee break concert, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:00 – 3:15pm EDT from April 1st through May 15th (or until they lift Delaware’s Shelter in Place order, whichever comes first).

15 minutes! That’s it! No guilt, no obligation, no payment, no pants.

No, we don’t expect you to come to all of them. Jeez.  But there might be a day you want to feel a little less isolated, and a little more dorky. Let us help!  

We’ll say a quick hello, play two or three songs, and get you on your way.
https://www.facebook.com/events/841662509642903/

So come hang out if you need an afternoon break. We’ll be here. <3

Much love to everyone,

Jill and Matt 

HOLY CRAP IT IS A MIRACLE: THEY DIDN’T TYPE FOR 17 HOURS
IT IS BECAUSE THEIR HANDS ARE CHAPPED



Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Awesoming Uncategorized World Domination news

Hot Breakfast! at DRAGON CON 2016

This. Is. Happening.

Watch out, nerds – these dorks are comin’ to town.

Hot Breakfast! has been selected to be a House Band at Dragon Con 2016 in Atlanta, GA over Labor Day Weekend. And we could not be more psyched to bring our brand of dork-rock to Dragon Con! We’ve got sets on September 2, 3, and 4 – keep readin’ for the when & where!

You probably know all about Dragon Con – it’s one of the hippest Conventions around, a celebration of pop culture, sci-fi & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music – pretty much all the things that make life fun. For the 30 years they’ve been around they’ve pulled an amazing selection of guests and entertainers. They have incredible panels, fantastic sessions & programs, and, of course, hundreds of people in incredible costumes. You really should check out the Dragon Con link above to get the full experience, but here’s a very small sampling of some of the Special Guests who will be in attendance in 2016:

  • Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson – Flash! and Dale! from the 1980 movie Flash Gordon – one of our absolute favorites!
  • Kari Byron – from Mythbusters!
  • Gillian Anderson – from the freakin’ X Files!
  • Lloyd Kaufman and the Troma Team – from TROMA! We love Troma. Matt’s Troma movie and memorabilia collection is a little concerning.
  • Joey Fatone – Matt’s favorite N’SYNC guy! (Second favorite for Jill. Because Justin. She’s not made of wood, guys.)
  • Derek Yaniger (one of our f’real favorite artists)
  • William Shatner (some show from the 60s about stars or something)
  • Alan Tudyk from Rogue One and Firefly / Serenity!  Gaaaah!!! (BROWNCOATS 4 LYFE!)

And holy crap, just so much more. Some incredible authors, artists, actors, performers, and all-around great people will be there.

 

Star Trunk? Start Rex? We’ll come up with it.

We’ve got three sets scheduled:

  • Friday, September 2 at 2:30pm at AmericasMart Concourse Stage II
  • Saturday, September 3 at 5:30pm at Hyatt Concourse Stage I
  • Sunday, September 4 at 1:00pm at Hyatt Concourse Stage I

You can bet we’ll be hanging around the Con the rest of the time, checking out the crazy scene, taking pics, photobombing, and hopefully meeting some of our pop-culture heroes. (If not, no big whoop. We don’t wanna be pushy. We just wanna ROCK. And, y’know, meet Flash & Dale. How amazing would it be to do our version of “Flash!” FOR FRIGGIN’ FLASH AND DALE?!? EeeeeeeEEEEeeee!!!)

Now, this isn’t one of those gigs where you can just pay to see us. You buy a ticket for the entire Con. We’re only one facet of the entertainment here – besides concerts, there are parades, screenings, lectures, panel discussions, autograph sessions, Q&A sessions, and tons of great activities. It’s like a carnival, down to the thousands of Con-goers in cosplay.

So if you’re one of the thousands of people who go to Dragon Con, please look us up – we’d LOVE to see you there! We are gonna be dork-rockin’ with all the dork – and all the rock – we possess inside. As we do.

We have to give a shout-out to the mighty Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band for steering us toward Dragon Con in the first place. We had the good fortune to open for Megan Jean & KFB a couple of years ago, and they strongly recommended we send Dragon Con an application. We applied this year, and – holy crap! We’re in! (A wacky misunderstanding almost scuttled us, but that’s a story for another time.) So thank you, Megan Jean & the KFB! We cannot wait to hear your new album.

DEETS:

WHO: Hot Breakfast! at Dragon Con 2016!

WHEN: Friday, September 2 at 1:30pm (AmericasMart Concourse, Stage II); Saturday, September 3 at 5:30pm (Hyatt Concourse, Stage I); Sunday, September 4 at 1:00PM (Hyatt Concourse, Stage I)

WHERE: Dragon Con is held in a series of participating hotels in Downtown Atlanta. It’s best to check their website for more detailed information.

TICKETS: As of this writing, memberships – your way in to the Con – are still available! Here’s the application page.

PARKING: The lots get filled up REAL quick. If you’re going, shuttles are recommended.

FOOD: Oh, there’s food. Vendors are everywhere.

FACEBOOK EVENT: Here’s the Dragon Con Facebook Page, if you wanna Follow ’em.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Hot Breakfast! at Dragon Con. This…this is gonna be fun.

All the love,
Matt (The Suburban Legend) & Ji11 (Jilleven)

 

 

 

Oh, of course. Third Star from the Trek.

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Awesoming Rocking The Big Reveal Uncategorized World Premiere collaboration news

CD RELEASE SHOW for our new album: THE BIG REVEAL! Saturday Nov 14, 8PM (doors at 7)

LADIES AND GERMS, THE TIME HAS COME. You’ve been oh so patient… and now we can REVEAL… this album that was in the works for 18 months, and that we are absolutely head-over-heels in love with: The Big Reveal. It’s time to CELEBRATE as we unleash this new album with a blowout show at The Blue Ball Barn at Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington, DE.

Artwork by Nathan Hardoin and Joe del Tufo. You're seeing it here first, kids.
Artwork by Nathan Hardoin and Joe del Tufo. You’re seeing the album artwork here first, kids!

We will be joined by Glim Dropper in this special concert event. After the awesome Glim Dropper opens the show, they’ll back us on several tunes, including brand-new songs from our new full-length album The Big Reveal! Other guests include Joe Trainor and Kevin Niemi (from The Joe Trainor Trio), Joe Testa Noelle Picara (from Noelle Picara’s band), the fabulous Penny Carmack, Rachel Schain, Rodney Anonymous (!!!), Todd Chappelle, and more. (Don’t worry – we’ll be playing lots as an acoustic duo as well. It’s what we do.)

The doors open at 7pm so you can grab a beverage and some great post-dinner finger food from Bachetti Bros., and then the music starts at 8pm sharp! You’ll also be first in line to purchase The Big Reveal, the new album produced by Ritchie Rubini. The Big Reveal is loaded with original and highly eclectic rock n’ roll, a mix of styles from 70s “Mellow Gold,” analog synths of the 80s, blistering punk rock, and even rockabilly– all infused with that unmistakable Hot Breakfast! dorkiness you know and love. Guests on the album include Jake and the Stiffs, Angela Sheik, Cooke Harvey from The Splashing Pearls, and many more.

Don’t miss this unique and incredibly fun night of music at one of Wilmington’s true treasures – The Blue Ball Barn, a historic museum at the new Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington, Delaware. It’s a really cool space; you’ll dig it.

DEETS:

    • WHAT: Our long-awaited CD release party for our new album The Big Reveal

 

    • WHEN: Saturday November 14th. Doors open at 7pm, music starts promptly at 8pm

 

    • WHO: Hot Breakfast! Glim Dropper, and pals!

 

    • WHERE: The Blue Ball Barn at Alapocas State Park: 1914 W Park Dr, Wilmington, Delaware 19803. (You’ve seen this place from Concord Pike about 1000 times and always wondered what it was. Now you’ll know!)

 

CLICK THIS! It will help you find the place.
CLICK THIS! It will help you find the place.
    • PARKING: Free parking in their lot.

 

    • FOOD/DRINKS: Please eat dinner BEFORE you show up. We won’t have dinner for you, merely snacks, because what’s a party without snacks? These are catered finger-food simple snacks (cheese & crackers, fancy fruit, little delicious desserty things) but this is a gig in a museum, not a wedding in a restaurant. 🙂 There will NOT be any substantial food for sale. Snackages are included in the price of your ticket and will be mostly available pre-show — from 7-8pm or until we run out. 🙂  Simple, non-boozy beverages (Water, iced tea, lemonade) are also included in the cost of your ticket. Beer and wine (only), soda, and bottles of foo-foo water will be available for (cash-only) donation.

 

    • KID FRIENDLY?  This event is not geared for kids, and we won’t be watching our language… but with that said, we don’t really drop many F-bombs anyway. Maybe 4th grade and up? You know your kid best, not us. As long as they won’t be distracting, go for it. 🙂

 

    • TICKETS: http://hotbreakfast.brownpapertickets.com  They are $20 each online, and will be $25 at the door if it’s not sold out. If you’re buying at the door, we will have the ability to take plastic. (The bar will be cash only, however.)

 

    • CDs: All of our recordings will be available at this show. 39 Summers and The Big Reveal are $10 each; our 2012 “HOT BREAKFAST!” EP (which includes “An Idiot for Christmas” will be available for $5. We can take plastic.

 

That’s all the news!

We are SO EXCITED to share this music with you. We worked on it for 18 months, and we think it’s worth the wait. We hope you’ll agree. 🙂

See you soon!

Your pals,

Jill & Matt

Categories
Awesoming Uncategorized videos

Your key to fame and fortune: Be an extra in our video!

You too can be an idiot with our handy 12-step program.
You too can be an idiot with our handy 12-step program.

[NOVEMBER 25 2013 UPDATE: All of our video shoots are done! In fact, the video is done! Stay tuned here for more info re: its release date!]

The super-talented Kevin Regan is directing/shooting a video for our extremely cheeeezy song “An Idiot for Christmas” with help from the fabulous choreographer Georgianna Staley. It’s a multi-season song/video; we shot a good chunk of the winter stuff when it snowed in January, and now it’s time for the summer scenes. Woot!

There’s only one more opportunity for you to find fame and fortune through being an extra in a Hot Breakfast video (guaranteed to get at least two views on YouTube and plenty of disparaging and misspelled comments from 13 year olds about how old / lame we are):

  1. Sunday morning, July 28th, 11AM – 12 Noon. Brandywine High School, Foulk Road, Wilmington DE: For this shoot, you’ll be an extra in the stands at a baseball game. This is open to ANY and ALL who can make it, so feel free to spread the word around. Kids are welcome since we’re creating a baseball game atmosphere. We won’t actually need baseball players; we’re all just going to be sitting in the stands watching a fake game. We should knock this out in less than an hour, assuming Jill can catch a ball. 🙂 Please wear red if you can (it’s no biggie if you don’t), but please do not wear anything with a visible logo on it (no Phillies shirts/hats, no Nike swooshes, no Metallica T-shirts, etc.). Thanks!
     
  2. Saturday August 3rd, two hours in the late morning, Rehoboth Beach, DE: You can be an extra down at our Rehoboth Beach shoot! Everyone will be on the beach, dancing (or moving/walking, shaking towels, throwing beach balls) during a 16-bar sax solo. This all happens on the sand, though we will not be in the ocean. All shapes/sizes/looks/ages/flavors welcome! Wear whatever you would feel comfortable wearing to the beach… you DO NOT have to wear a bathingsuit! Heck, wear a parka, we don’t care. Just come and be your comfortable, wonderful self. This beach shoot will only take an hour or two, because we only need extras for a 16-measure sax solo. (Matt and Jill have a ton of other scenes to shoot by themselves afterwards, so as soon as you’re done with the shoot, you’re free… but Matt and Jill are being whisked off to their next shoot location.) We aren’t putting the times or specific location details of the beach shoot in this post because you MUST RSVP to be in it. We will send you the details when you RSVP. (RSVP by following the instructions in the blue text below.)
  3.  

  4. Monday September 16, 7:30 – 9:30PM: We’ll record some concert footage at 1984 in Wilmington. We’ll need people to pretend to like our music (haha), and we’ll also need people to drink the tasty beer and play the amazing classic 1980s arcade games they have at 1984. You’ll likely need to bring a change of shirt, since this is a multi-season video. RSVP to christmasvideo@hot-breakfast.com to RSVP and so we can give you more details. We are intentionally not giving a lot of details on the site here to force people to RSVP. We don’t want anyone showing up unprepared. Since this one’s happening at a bar, ages 21+ please.
  5.  

  6. Sunday, November 24th, time TBD: We will have one super-fast (and stealthy) holiday-shopping scene at Christiana Mall. We won’t need any extras for this shot, since we need to sneak in and steal the shot in one take, and coordinating extras for this tight shot won’t be do-able.
  7.  

** If you are interested in being in one (or all!) of these shoots, please send an email to our special video address (christmasvideo@hot-breakfast.com) and let us know which date(s) you’re interested in attending, if you have any special skills you’re willing to showcase (e.g., juggling fire, hula hooping, dancing), and please give us a reliable email address so we can get back to you. Spelling counts. 🙂   **

The Fine Print: I know you know this stuff already, but we have to say it anyway: This is all volunteer work… meaning, unpaid. In exchange for donating your time, gas, and parking money, you will have our undying love and gratitude, and hopefully a really fun and interesting experience! We will need everyone (kids, too) to go with the flow, to be patient (“hurry up and wait” is common during video shoots), and to pleeeeeeease be on time. Let’s have a ball while we make good, silly, dorky art!

We’ll give you more specifics re: what to bring, what to wear, where to be, etc. once you send us an email to christmasvideo@hot-breakfast.com. We are being intentionally vague here.

We are excited about this video! The footage we have so far came out super-cute, and we’re hoping with the addition of your sexy arses it’ll be super-awesome.
Wanna hear the song before you agree to hearing it 73,000 times during the shoot? This may change your mind. 😉
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/68859508″ params=”show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff7700″ width=”100%” height=”81″ iframe=”false” /]

Mobile users can click this link here: Hot Breakfast! – An Idiot for Christmas.

Yes yes, we know it’s hella schmaltzy. From the midi drums and gratuitous jingle bells to Jill’s prissy over-pronouncing of words and loungey delivery, it doesn’t get cheezier than this. The irony of all this is that Jill reeeeaally hates shopping (which also makes her a commie terrorist)… but hey, we’re not above stooping this low in hopes of getting on WXPN’s holiday compilation. 🙂

Lyrics:
AN IDIOT FOR CHRISTMAS (Written by Matt Casarino. (c) 2012 Suburban Legends Music, ASCAP.)

All the leaves are nice and green
The air conditioner’s cool
And hear the sound of happy children
Playing in the pool
It’s 92 degrees outside
But don’t you get me wrong
Cause even though it’s summertime
This is still a Christmas song…

Cause I’m not gonna be an idiot this Christmas
This year I’ll start buying gifts real soon
You think I’m over-dramatic, but I’m avoiding panic
I won’t be shopping in the snow, I’m kickin’ it off in June
I’m making up a list down on the boardwalk
And stopping at the outlets on the way
I’m not gonna be an idiot this Christmas-time
I’ll have my shopping done by Labor Day

(take the sax solo, Matt! This is what we’re shooting at the beach…)

So, okay, I bought no one gifts this summer
Shopping in the heat is hard to do
Besides, who can think of Santa, when you’re still chugging Mylanta
Cause you ate too many chili dogs at Uncle Henry’s Barbeque
I still have lots of time to look for bargains
I’ll buy the finest gifts you’ve ever seen
I’m not gonna be an idiot this Christmas-time
I’ll have my shopping done by Halloween

Well now December’s almost gone
The time just disappeared
And it’s too late for Amazon
To get a package here
So I’m scraping off the windshield
Wrap a scarf around my ears
Cause it turns out I’m an idiot this Christmas
I never did that shopping after all
It turns out I’m an idiot this Christmas-time
I’m spending Christmas Eve at Christiana Mall!

See you soon!

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Awesoming Uncategorized theater

GIG: Philly’s Primary Stages, April 23 & 24, 7:30

Just as Delaware is known for having a great acoustic dork-rock power duo scene (if you consider Hot Breakfast! a scene) (as we certainly do), 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.

We Hot Breakfastians come from pretty strong theater backgrounds ourselves, so we love getting to split our time between being on stage as pre-show and back-stage as the house-band/soundtrack.

This month’s shows are happening on Tuesday, April 23rd and Wednesday, April 24th – right after Jill’s birthday. 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.)

There are six different 10-minute plays each night, so 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… 🙂

DEETS:

WHERE: New Location! Community Education Center: 3500 Lancaster Ave. (sorta near 30th St. Station) Philadelphia, PA 19104-4916
WHEN: April 23rd and 24th, 2013. Doors open at 7ish, HB! plays at 7:30 sharp, the plays start at 8pm. Different plays both nights!
CASH: Five bucks donation… feel free to give more if you’re so moved.

For a measly five bucks ($5!), you get a night of terrific theater, snackies, beverages, and music. What better way to spend a mid-week night?

See you then!

Your pals,

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

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Rocking Uncategorized theater

HUGE GIG: APRIL 6, 2013, 8PM: PINK FLOYD’S THE WALL at World Cafe Live at the Queen, Wilmington DE

Lurking deep inside each and every one of us is an angsty 16 year old (or, maybe lurking not-so-deep?). Sometimes it feels really good to let that inner-kid out and get your Pink Floyd on, y’know? Except now you’re old enough to drink legally instead of sneaking into your parents’ liquor cabinet.

The Wall

No, you’re not looking into the future… this is a shot from the last time we did The Wall back in 2010.

On April 6, 2013, the.COMPANY will be resurrecting, for one final time, our big-ol’ production of The Wall, in its entirety. Yes, we’re building a wall, and yes, we’re gonna crash that sucker!

Who is the.COMPANY? It’s a strangely-capitalized 11-piece band that Matt and Jill are a part of– we sing, and Matt also plays sax. The other eight musicians are people you know: Joe Trainor (lead vocals / piano) and Kevin Niemi (bass) from the Joe Trainor Trio, Joe Testa (of Noelle Picara’s band) on guitar, Chuck Kuzminski (of CKuz Guitars and also from our Billy Joel tribute show) also on guitar, Shawn Trainor (formerly of Cubane) on vocals, mandolin, and SFX, Steve Kuzminski on HOLY CRAP ALL THE KEYBOARDS, Genevieve van Catledge and Steven We also on vocals, and coming in from Colorado because it’s not the.COMPANY without him: Ben E King (formerly of Apex Watson).

This show is gonna be great. We’re sad to hang it up, but we know it’s time. So please come bid farewell to the show, and also to Jill’s midriff because this is the last time that bizzle is gonna be on display. (One must age gracefully.) 🙂

DEETS:
WHO: the.COMPANY — an 11-piece all-star band, of which we’re a part
WHAT: All of Pink Floyd’s epic double-album, THE WALL
WHEN: Saturday April 6, 2013. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. There is no opening band.
WHERE: World Cafe Live at the Queen, downstairs.
TICKETS: Tickets are $20. Buy them at the Queen website here. Please note: The balcony is already sold out– these puppies are going fast!
PARKING: There’s a very nice parking garage on 5th between King and Market. (Enter from the King Street side, since 5th is a one-way.) Say hello to Cassondra the parking attendant– she is awesome.
FOOD: There is food upstairs in the restaurant before the show. (Get reservations. A concert ticket is not the same thing as a dinner reservation.)
BOOZE: There is a full-service bar downstairs where we’re performing. Rumor has it you can also order noshy-food at the bar, but I can’t confirm this, so don’t bank on it.
WEED: You’re on your own, son. Drugs are bad, m’kay?

We hope to see you there!

Your pals in rock,

Ji11 and Suburban Legend

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Uncategorized World Domination

GIG: Saturday January 19th 8:30PM: Mojo Main

Yes, we know our name isn't on this flyer. YET.
Yes, we know our name isn’t on this flyer. YET.

MY GOOD PEOPLE:
WE PROMISED YOU WORLD DOMINATION WAS IMMINENT, AND THE DAY IT IS HAPPENING IS JANUARY 19th 2013.

How do we know?
Because our name is about to be added to a flyer along with the phrase “Pabst Blue Ribbon Presents.”

WE HAVE ARRIVED.

How did this “arriving” happen?

A few days after we signed the paperwork to play at the Delaware Friends of Folk coffeehouse, we received an email from TriState Indie asking us if we wanted to be part of an AMAZING bill at Mojo Main on the same evening as the coffeehouse. We gracefully declined because a contract is a contract, and we asked them to keep us in mind for the next time. They said they would.

We just learned today that this month’s coffeehouse at Delaware Friends of Folk had to be postponed, so we asked the Tri State Indie folks if they still needed a an acoustic dork-rock power duo. They said “Heck yeah!” so we said “Woot!” and there you have it. (Once again, Amanda Palmer’s advice rings true: “Always ask; you never know.”)

We’ll be playing an abbreviated set, but we still need you to come out and show Tri-State Indie that we’re a band worth loving.

Here’s the scoop!

DEETS:


EVENT NAME: PBR Presents: Tric Town January: Tri State Indie Pre Music Awards Showcase at Mojo Main
WHO: Hot Breakfast!, Revolution I Love You, Moon Children, Mean Lady, Universal Funk Order. Aaaaaaand a listening party for Spinto Band’s new album!
WHEN: Saturday, January 19th. Hot Breakfast kicks the night off at 8:50PM and plays until 9:15PM. (We know the Facebook event and the flyer say 9PM. We’re playing before that. Trust us.)
WHERE: Mojo Main, 270 E Main St, Newark, Delaware 19711
PARKING: They have a private lot. If it’s full, park on the street. No biggie.
FOOD: They have bar and cajun food at Mojo Main. It is tasty. Lots of drink specials, too!
TICKETS: $6. Buy them at the door, or here.
FACEBOOK EVENT LINK: Here ya go!

So just when you thought you’d be missing us this weekend… have no fear. There’s plenty of Hot Breakfast! to go around.

See you there?

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Uncategorized World Domination

GIG: Saturday, Sep. 29, 7 PM: Rod Kim’s Birthday Celebration at the Queen

One of the best things about being Hot Breakfast! is that we get to meet and play with wonderful people.

From here to Arizona, we’ve met so many great musicians, some famous, most just happy to have a gig or two and money to make a homemade album. We’re proud to count Rod Kim among our talented new friends.

So we were thrilled when Rod asked us to join him at his birthday celebration! It starts at 7:00 on Saturday, September 29 at World Cafe Live at the Queen on 5th and Market Streets in Wilmington.

We’re not sure exactly when we’ll play, but we’ll be trading acoustic sets along with our good friend Rachel Schain and songwriter Jake Wilder Chapman. And then, Rod Kim and Vince Cirino will rock the house, followed by headliner Katie Dill, who happens to be half of the awesome trip-hop chillwave duo Mean Lady.

Those of you who’ve been to the Queen know it’s a great venue – the food’s wonderful, the bar’s bountiful, and the stage is great. We’re always happy to play there, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to join some incredibly talented friends while we make new ones. Tickets are only $5, but reservations (for the eating of the food!) are recommended.

So please come on out and join us in wishing Rod Kim a rockin’ birthday! We’ll be the acoustic dork-rock power duo in awe of the awesomeness surrounding us.

With love,
Matt (The Suburban Legend)

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: Sunday July 8, 12-12:30pm. A quick set at the newly-resurrected Rockwood Ice Cream Festival

I have a confession to make. I’ve lived in Delaware since 1999 and I have never been to the Rockwood Ice Cream Festival. I had friends and cow-orkers who went absolutely mental for the Ice Cream Festival every year, and every year it rolled around something came up and I didn’t attend.

And then they canceled it.

And my opportunity to take a shuttle bus to a place full of screaming kids and flatulating lactose intolerant adults was gone.

UNTIL NOW.

It’s 2012, and they figure this is the year to have a final creamy hurrah before the world ends. And thanks to the spiffy people at Gable Music Ventures, there will be a bunch of great live bands playing all day on the main stage, as well as emerging artists on the smaller stage too. We are especially excited to share a bill with Angela Sheik and New Sweden. (We’re not just saying that to kiss ass. We really like these people and they’re really wonderful musicians.)

I’m also excited to be stuffing my face full of Paciugo Gelato (and Lactaid pills) because WOOOOT I love that stuff… I got hooked on Paciugo while I was in DC last month.

OK, so here’s the deal. There will be a bunch of bands playing all day, each taking mostly 30-minute sets. We’re told that we’re going to be keeping to a really strict schedule, and since we’re on earlier in the day the chances are much better of them running on time when we’re playing. In other words, don’t be late, yo.

DEETS:
WHEN: We play on Sunday, July 8th from 12 Noon to 12:30pm.
WHERE: Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival at Rockwood Park.
Details about COVER, PARKING, and FOOD can be found on the event’s website, which is here: The Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival

If you’re the kind of person who likes Facebook, here’s a link to the Facebook event for the entire Ice Cream Festival itself, and a second link that goes to our show at the festival. Feel free to pass them along to your Facebook pals.

See you there!

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Rocking Uncategorized

GIG: Saturday May 19th, 10pm at 1984: HB! + video games + pinball + a Benatar tribute!

My friends, it is time to get your 80s on.

Some folks think of Hot Breakfast! as an 80s cover band. That isn’t entirely accurate; we’ve got plenty of originals and covers from other decades, too. But sometimes we’re willing to play the role of 80s cover band when it makes sense to do so… like on May 19th, for example.

On May 19th, we’ll be opening for Fat Benatar, which is a freakin’ outstanding Pat Benatar tribute band from Virginia. Sometimes people ask us why we don’t cover any Pat Benatar tunes, and honestly, it’s because Jill can’t sing ’em… Pat Benatar is amazing and Jill simply isn’t built for it. But HOLY CRAP, the singer from Fat Benatar most certainly is… so if you’re in the mood for to hear a chick with some killer pipes (and a sweet rack, we’re not gonna lie), May 19th is your night.

We’ll be playing at our new favorite hangout, 1984. 1984 is a bar + arcade (a barcade, if you will) with 80s trivia on Thursday nights1, tons of vintage arcade games and sweet delicious pinball, and about a zillion beers and ciders for the draankin’. Are you a proud dork? Then you’ll feel very welcome there. Woot!

DEETS:
WHEN: Saturday, May 19th 2012, 10pm
WHERE: 1984. 2511 W. 4th St., Wilmington, DE 19805. (between Union & Greenhill)
WHAT: Hot Breakfast! (Delaware’s premier acoustic dork-rock power duo) opening up for Fat Benatar (Virginia’s premier Pat Benatar tribute band)
COVER: $5. Cheap!
PARKING: They have parking in their little lot there, but there aren’t a zillion spots. You’ll figure it out; you’re a grown-up.
FOOD: They only have beer/cider there; no kitchen. However, it’s totally cool (and even encouraged) for you to order Chinese takeout/delivery from the place next door (they’re good) or have a pizza delivered. Go nuts!

See you there!

Your pal,

Ji11

———–
1 We won last week, yes we did. Our team name: The Keytards. Keepin’ it classy, we are!

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Benefit Rocking Uncategorized World Domination

Friday the 13th: Three Gigs in one day! Insanity marathon!

We’ve been told that once you hit 40 you start ordering chicken croquettes with Metamucil gravy off HoJo’s early-bird menu and then you’re in bed by 9:30pm after an episode of Matlock.

NOT US, BABY.

We’re so hardcore that we’re playing three (THREE!) shows in one day for you, just three short weeks after Matt had his gall bladder out.

THAT’S HARD-FREAKIN’-CORE.

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.

So lemme tell you about these shows!

SHOW THE FIRST:

We’ve been asked to be the first band ever to grace LOMA Coffee’s new music/performance space, so we’re kicking off an entire day of music. This means that we’re playing an early-morning show– that’s 8am. I wonder how bleary-eyed bankers will react to hearing Crazy Train as they make their way to the coffee counter for their first jolt of the day? One way to find out.

Jill would like to thank MAC Cosmetics in advance for creating foundation powerful enough to cover up her under-eye circles, since she is normally deep in full-on REM sleep at 8am.

WHERE: LOMA Coffee, 239 N. Market St. Wilmington, DE 19801.
WHEN: 8:00am – 8:45am. (What the hell are we thinking?)
HOW MUCH: No cover. Just grab a coffee. (Did you ever notice that Canadians say “a coffee” and Americans say “some coffee” or “a cup of coffee?” Discuss.)


SHOW THE SECOND:

Since 2011, we’ve been the house band for Philly’s Primary Stages, which is a quarterly two-night theater event where playwrights see their newly-penned short works performed at the Shubin Theater. It’s super-cool because over the course of two evenings, about 16 plays are staged with script in hand, and Hot Breakfast! gets to provide the interstitial music, as well as playing a fun half-hour set to a terrific crowd each night. We LOVE this gig!

As a thank you to Denise Shubin who owns the Shubin Theater, Philly’s Primary Stages is holding a fund raiser which showcases the best short plays of the last seven or so years of PPS. Because it’s a “best of” night, the actors will be off-book, and the shows will be spit-shined to a gleaming polish. There are two shows on the night of the 13th, and each performance features the same seven plays. And because it’s a fund-raiser, tickets are $20.

As usual, there will likely be beer, wine, and perhaps a bottle or two of something passed around (heh), as well as chips, snax, vienna sausages (it’s a Todd thing) and puddin’ packs. (We have “Jill gets 2 pudding packs” in our rider for this show, we shit you not. If Jill doesn’t get pudding, she trashes the place like fuckin’ Air Supply.)

WHERE: The Shubin Theater, 407 Bainbridge St. (that’s 4th and Bainbridge), Philadelphia, PA 19147
WHEN: We start at 7pm sharp! The plays start at 7:30.
HOW MUCH: It’s a fund raiser for the theater, so tickets are $20 and well worth it. Get yer tickets here: http://is.gd/Shubin_Tix
MORE DETAILS: http://www.facebook.com/events/255436124551441/


SHOW THE THIRD:

Same exact gig as the previous one, except this show starts at 10pm and may feature slightly more awesomeness from the house band. (Awesomeness subject to availability; house band awesomeness may be substituted for yawning and crankypants at the discretion of the management.)

WHERE: The Shubin Theater, 407 Bainbridge St. (that’s 4th and Bainbridge), Philadelphia, PA 19147
WHEN: We start at 10pm sharp! The plays start at 10:30.
HOW MUCH: It’s a fund raiser for the theater, so tickets are $20 and well worth it. Get yer tickets here: http://is.gd/Shubin_Tix There will likely be beer, wine, and perhaps a bottle or two of something passed around (heh), as well as chips, snax, vienna sausages (it’s a Todd thing) and puddin’ packs. (We have “Jill gets 2 pudding packs” in our rider for this show, we shit you not. If Jill doesn’t get pudding, she trashes the place like fuckin’ Air Supply.)
MORE DETAILS: http://www.facebook.com/events/255436124551441/


All of this is happening on Friday the 13th. What could go wrong?
NOTHING; for the power of ROCK protects us.

Amen.

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Awesoming Rocking Uncategorized World Domination

To whom do I need to give a kidney so we can open for Jonathan Coulton in Philly?

So… JoCo (aka the freakin’ magnificent Jonathan Coulton) just announced that he’s going back on the road in June. And looky there: he’s playing at World Cafe Live! I wonder who is opening for him? Don’t you think it should be us?

Here are our qualifications:

  • We are Delaware’s premier acoustic dork-rock power duo, by cracky!
  • We have songs about having a hole in your pants, about UFOs + love, about sheepishly and nerdily asking someone on a date, and we do a douchey cover of Crazy Train and a sweeeeet cover of Kiss Off
  • Jill’s .sig back in the USENET days was about professing her love for John Flansburgh
  • One of the first conversations Jill ever had with Matt was about programming TI-99/4As
  • We’re nerds (kinda goes without saying…)
  • Stormtroopers cannot resist our charm
  • Matt’s hair will not compete with Jonathan’s
  • We’ve played at World Cafe Live before. They like us there.
  • Most compelling reason: We’re cheap!

So Mr. Coulton, what’s it gonna take? I will bake you a batch of my world-famous maple-bacon cookies! I will eat an entire box of Cinnamon Life in one sitting! (Oh wait, I’ve done that already today.) I will get a dumb tattoo! I will donate a metric assload of money to a charity of choice! I will stop ending every sentence with an exclamation point!

Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top? And with a Grade B maple syrup drizzle and crumbled bacon? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE?
OH SWEET BABY WEDGE ANTILLES, I WILL NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING ELSE EVER AGAIN FOR MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFETIME EVER EVER EVER!
PLEEEEEEEZE?
ALL CAPS!
ALL CAPS!
DILUTE! DILUTE! OK!

———————
Hmmmm. Or maybe we should just send his booking agent an email with a link to our electronic press kit. We must consult our management.

Stay tuned.

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Awesoming House concerts Recording Uncategorized World Domination

Nekkid concerts? A project with Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, and Kyle Cassidy? Sure!

Jill has been following Kyle Cassidy on LiveJournal and Twitter for a while because he is a freakin’ amazing photographer, a man-about-town, and they have some mutual Philadelphia friends, too. Kyle has photographed some fascinating people, and has been photographing the Dresden Dolls and Amanda Palmer for eons now… and he also shot many of the photos for Neil Gaiman’s book “Who Killed Amanda Palmer: A Collection of Photographic Evidence.”

Kyle’s photographer life takes him to some neat places around the globe, and for the past few months Hot Breakfast! and Kyle were coincidentally in Tucson and Austin at the same time on two separate occasions, yet missing each other by just a few hours each time. We all pretended to be concerned that we were stalking each other. 🙂

Kyle often alludes to “seekrit projects” via his LiveJournal, which naturally makes his readers lean in and read extra-carefully, trying to eke out any clues as to what he’s working on and who he’s working with. The other day he barely revealed just a few small details of his latest Neil Gaiman / Amanda Palmer / Kyle collaboration, and mentioned he needed a few couples of “certain ages” willing to be photographed tastefully naked for this seekrit project. Since Matt and I are of certain ages, we volunteered, mostly because we have been wanting to finally meet Kyle! (And after you hit 40, any concerns you ever had about being naked in front of folks just goes away… we look like what we look like. Having done a lot of theater helps, too.)

This morning we headed up to Philly, where Kyle and his (jaw-droppingly beautiful) wife Trillian so warmly welcomed us and made us feel completely at home. We got down to business after learning more about the project, and we took our solemn oaths of secrecy. As a thank-you for contributing to the project, we snapped a few fun HB! photos covering our jibblies with Matt’s guitar and a strategically-placed tambourine… and hey, since we had the instruments out, we played a bit. Naked house concert! Woot!

We have a show tonight in Wilmington at the Chris White Gallery, but we figured we could do a quick living room concert. What a beautiful life we have… we are surrounded by people who are doing what they were put on this earth to do. Damn, it feels good. We don’t need a ton of money in the bank account when we have the ability and opportunity to create and share art.

Here’s a video of us singing “Defender” in Kyle’s living room. Hopefully you can see from the preview that we are indeed clothed for this rendition.

Life is pretty awesome.

Your pal,

Ji11

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesome-sauce Awesoming House concerts Uncategorized

Thanks, Amanda Palmer

Our mantra for 2012, courtesy of Amanda Palmer:

“Always ask. You never know.”

What this means to us is: We’re not gonna sit around wishing we had something… whatever it is. If we want something, we’re gonna ask for it. Someone might say yes!

We never would have played a kick-ass house concert all the way across the country in Arizona this weekend to a home packed with 50 friends and strangers if we didn’t ask someone to host it. It was a little scary asking (“What an imposition!” we thought), but the worst the potential hosts could have said was, “No, thanks.” But instead they said, “HELL YES!” and during the show they said, “HOLY CRAP! WOOOOOOO!” and then after the show they said, “Wheeee! We should do this more often!” And we all smiled and giggled and hugged and drank wine and were (and are) all very happy having created and shared something so awesome.

So join us in making 2012 the year you ask for what you need.
Don’t be upset if people have to say “No, thanks,” since you’re no worse off than if you hadn’t asked.
But don’t be surprised when they say “Hell YES!” with a fistpump.

Let us know how this works out for you, and we’ll do the same.

Your pals,

Matt and Jill

Categories
Ass-kicking Gigs Awesoming Rocking Uncategorized

That’s what I call a weekend!

We had a really wonderful weekend, and we wanted to tell you about it.

On Friday afternoon, we were at Jill’s house rehearsing a few tunes and relaxing before we had to start thinking about getting down to Chapel Street for our show there later that evening. Matt decided to start loading our sound equipment (speakers, cables, PA, etc.) into the car when he realized… uh, it’s not here at the house.

You see, we played a Thanksgiving-eve show in Philadelphia and were heading out of town immediately after the show to visit family, so friends of ours from Philly let us store our equipment in their basement so we didn’t have to schlep our sound system up to New England… and then we forgot it was up there because we’re super-geniuses. So up to Philly we went to grab our sound equipment. Thank Elvis that traffic was kind– totally fortuitous considering it was a Friday afternoon during the holiday season.

So anyhoo, we made it back to DE with almost two hours to spare, so we still had time to brush our teefs and look marginally presentable for the show.

The show was really fun– we played for about 25 minutes, from 7:50 – 8:15, as a pre-game show for Chapel Street Players’ production of The Santaland Diaries. We love playing for theater crowds– they tend to get our dork-rock humor, and they’re kind and generous with the applause. Everyone’s pal Kevin Regan was there to shoot video of the plays, and he was kind enough to record our set, too. Here’s a video of us doing Total Eclipse of the Heart from that night (Thanks, Kevin!):

Anyway, the rest of the night went just as nicely and dorkily, and we were treated to seeing Seasons Greetings and The Santaland Diaries. Afterwards we headed out for dinner (sooo hungry!) and drinks, and our night ended with a high-five of rockitude.

Our set list from Chapel Street Players went thusly:
No Myth
Defend0r (an HB! original)
Fairy Tale of New York
Hole in Your Pants (an HB! original)
Heaven on Their Minds
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Do They Know it’s Christmas (featuring Andrew Mitchell as Bono)

Saturday we met for brunch at a local haunt around 1:30pm (that’s when rockstars eat breakfast!), and afterwards Joe Trainor came over to the ol’ HB! rehearsal space and we ran through “She’s Right On Time” by Billy Joel, which Joe was going to sing with us at our Film Brothers gig that evening.

We loaded into Film Brothers around 5:30-ish, met our opening band Fish Castle (we love them!), did a sound check, and hung out until the show started. Fish Castle played a lovely set– they’re an acoustic folk duo and they play probably 10 different instruments between the two of them– and that’s just for an hour-long set. I wonder how many instruments they’d play if they had a whole two-hour show to fill?

We took the stage right after Fish Castle, and played for a little over an hour. The audience helped us write a spontaneous holiday song (though I couldn’t come up with anything to rhyme with “gift”– argh! — but in hindsight I should have thought of “stiffed”), we debuted a few new songs, and had a generally warm, happy night. After we packed up the car we headed next door to Extreme Pizza where we enjoyed noshes and beverages and a jolly time was had by all.

Here’s our set list from the night:

Wastepaper Basket Fire
Defend0r (an HB! original)
Major Tom
Eye in the Sky
She’s Right on Time (featuring Joe Trainor)
An Easy Mistake (an HB! original)
Merry Christmas from the Family (featuring Cyril Everett on dobro)
Hole in Your Pants (an HB! original)
Gravity (an HB! original)
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Take the Lead
“spontaneous holiday song”
Here I Go Again
Kiss Off
Total Eclipse of the Heart

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us for those shows; it was great to see everyone especially during this nutty-crazy time of year.

Here’s to some happy, relaxing, rocking holidays coming up!

Rock on,

HB!