The Breakfast.info
Breakfast Babble => The Grand Scheme Of Things => Topic started by: spacebrush on February 02, 2006, 02:19:02 pm
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Although I don’t see them as aggressively as I used to, I have been following your beloved Breakfast since day one. These guys are great friends of mine that I care for. I would love to see them succeed at tremendous proportions, as they definitely deserve to. But for the last three years going into the fourth, I’ve asked myself and “The Save” Spears over and over again…
“WHY, YEAR AFTER YEAR, DO I HAVE TO THUMB THROUGH RELIX AND SEE FESTIVAL AFTER FESTIVAL NOT INCLUDING THE BREAKFAST?”
Even though I don’t post here ever, I do read and see what you guys and gals have to say about the band. Yet this issue is rarely brought up. There seems to be more love for the “side projects” rather than the band’s success.
Now, I know one thing for sure. (Sorry Al Z) Going out to San Fran to play at a bar is not going to get it done. ("Sports, live music and food make this Potrero Hill bar a favorite for locals and ex-New Englanders.
¬weekend nights with live music. Jam bands deliver blues, funk and post-Grateful Dead vibes from a tiny stage. There is no jukebox but the proprietors keep a library of good CDs on hand for background music. The vibe is friendly and mellow.)
T.B. should be at higher level of touring whether it’s touring with a band or not. I would assume that the management would know that starting in the spring and continuing until the fall, playing festivals is where it’s at for the jam band scene. That’s where the buzz is created. That should be the tour…..festival to festival all summer!
I’ve seen, as have all of you, a drop in production. There’s been talk about the drop, but nothing’s really been done about it. As of now, the drop could only be attributed to one thing - the dismissal of J. Kroop. If T.B. doesn’t rise to their potential in the near future, letting Josh go could have been a mistake. The kid got it done. And with that said, this present management is not getting it done. So I do have a couple of questions that I think about…
1. Could it be that the Breakfast isn’t that well known and promoters don’t know who they are?
2. Is it that the management doesn’t have the pull to get them onto festival bills? There are tons of them every year.
3. Why not a tour of just festivals?
4. Does the management just suck?
I’ve seen, heard or watched just about every band that was at the same level as T.B back in ‘99- 01. I do know that a bunch of them ARE playing big time festivals all the time and are playing at big time venues. In addition, I do know that T.B. has just as much or greater talent than most of them. So I guess it’s either a matter of not making the right decisions or just not being able to get the break you need to get to the next level. But I do know that playing festivals is where it’s at.
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this months relix really pissed me off.
i scratched my head at one point and asked myself if maybe the band broke up without me knowing about it or something..
not 1 word about the breakfast...sad really...
jut,good to have ya!!
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:thumbsup:
Well done!
For someone who doesn\'t post at all really, for you to come out and make a thread and post it, is exceptional.
I couldn\'t agree more with ya.
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I can\'t say I\'ve ever read Relix, but I read jambase online and it seems to me there should be a bit more Breakfast coverage.
But Breakfast does/has played StrangeCreek, Wormtown, Havest Fest, 10K Lakes (I think), moe.down, gathering of the vibes (I think), and probably a couple more I\'m not aware of. At least in these small/medium festivals it seems like they have been moving up the ranks in the last few years.
The problem is, not too many people have heard of the Breakfast outside of the northeast. If Wakarusa or Bonnaroo or Langerado was held in CT I have no doubt Breakfast would be playing there.
However, I think it\'s probably in the band\'s best interest to keep playing lots of Northeast shows to much larger and enthusiastic audiences than they are likely to find in other parts of the country. You have to blow up a region before you can blow up the whole country.
One things for sure, at least in my observation of the crowds and venues they\'ve been playing from 2002 to 2006, this band certainly isn\'t getting any *less* popular.
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Also I don\'t know jack about the management or production really. But I do know if the *only* thing they played in summer \'06 was festivals I\'d be pretty dissapointed. Festivals are important but frequent smaller shows where its easy to drag out a few newbies for $10-$15 are just as important.
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The mid-west has a big fanbase for the breakfast from my understanding.
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well said just, i have no comment (yet), i think i\'ll sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride this thread is going to take :)
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In addition to relix, how about the 6-page jambase 2005-year-in-review? Complete festival recaps, NYE recaps, and they asked all 20-odd people who work there to list their favorite shows, artists, albums, and up-and-coming bands from the year. The Breakfast\'s name was not mentioned once in the entire thing. (Was Real Radio ever actually released?)
Spacebrush, anyone who wants to gripe about the band\'s management can make an easy case. On your festival premise, I actually think the band has been playing a lot of festivals. Even if they\'re not the best ones, at least they\'re festivals. I don\'t think the managment necessarily sucks, but they sure aren\'t doing anything special. This band needs the Bill Parcells of band management to turn around the culture of mediocrity. They need a miracle worker. Unfortunately they keep getting average to below-average help.
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bring back josh kroop!
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To keep myself sane I look at it this way (selfish as it may be): "If the band really takes off and starts playing decent shows across the country (say like Umphrey\'s level) and has $25 tickets in New England that sell out fast and only play here 10 shows a year, what does that do for me? Makes my life much tougher. I\'m just enjoying my hassle-free 25 shows a year at $8-15 a pop and not worrying about it." Sure, this state of existence doesn\'t help the band, but thinking like this at least keeps me sane.
* * *
The Comprehensive JamBase Top Ten List of Best Albums of 2005:
1. My Morning Jacket - Z [rhapsody]
2. Beck - Guero [rhapsody]
3. Mars Volta - Frances The Mute [rhapsody]
4. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan [rhapsody]
5. Dungen - Ta det Lugnt [rhapsody]
6. Steve Kimock Band - Eudemonic [rhapsody]
7. Wilco - Kicking Television [rhapsody]
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl [rhapsody]
9. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - The Sameness of Difference [rhapsody]
10. Devandra Banhart - Cripple Crow [rhapsody]
I have never even heard of Dungen, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, or Devandra Banhart. But hey, maybe Real Radio will make this list in 5 years kinda like they won the "Best New Groove" jammy after 5.5 years of touring and 600 shows. :end venting:
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Ladies and Gentlemen, Justin Maturo!!! God Bless....
I also agree, bring back Kroop. I don\'t care what went on between him the band and he-who-shall-not-be-named, I still think Kroop was most positive force behind this band. He was the one who let me backstage 10/20/00 so I could interview the band for a short documentary on the jamband scene I made senior year of high school. He was the person who PRAISED anyone who made a serious effort in spreading The Breakfast. He was always there to listen and from what I remember from time to time, he was the serious manager. God willing If I knew how to manage a band I would have approached the band with a business model earlier this year, but that fire died out over the past few years and I only know of one person who could handle those boys.....
Bring back Kroop is all I\'m saying.
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some of those records suck. (i.e. the mars volta. their first record was the shit, but frances the mute is nothing but self-indulgent, narsicistic garbage)
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I can\'t really provide insight on the old-to-new Breakfast transition since I\'ve only seriously been attending shows for the past year, but I\'ve heard disheartening stories from people about how the entire vibe has changed. These guys have so much potential and they definitely aren\'t being utilized to their fullest. They can keep playing and pouring their heart and soul into the music, but the key ingredient is management. These guys will never thrive if there is no one backing them with a strong desire to help them succeed. I\'m not sure exactly what the problem is, but they definitely need a change for the better, or else they will remain at this exposure level forever... and it\'s not good for a band to get stagnant like that.
Playing at more festivals will definitely increase their fanbase... as long as the people at the festival decide to walk to the stage when the band plays. Just getting onto the bandlist is not enough. They need better promotions so that people can get excited about giving them a listen. Their old manager left for reasons I\'m not aware of, but I\'m sure they must\'ve been good ones. If there are unreconcilable differences, then maybe the answer is not looking back to an old manager, but rather looking ahead in search of a new manager that has as much excitement about the Breakfast as any one of their devoted fans.
As for Relix... yes they are considered a "jam band magazine" but I\'ve always thought they are biased. 90% of their cover photos are Dead or Phish related. It\'s about time they start recognizing that there are a multitude of bands out there that don\'t get enough credit for the beautiful music they create. Maybe if their writers took a little time away from interviewing Bob Weir or Trey for the billionth time, then maybe they\'d open up their eyes to the other bands waiting in the shadows.
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Relix Readers are sheep....
BRING BACK KROOP!!!!
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Keep adding shows to archive.org, tapers.
And keep adding 5 star ratings to the ones that definitely deserve it, fans.
Its almost impossible for a "jam band" to make waves with a studio album. The shows are so much better anyway.
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:banghead: :hair: :gulp: :huh: :wacko: :?: :idunno: :confused:
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some of those records suck. (i.e. the mars volta. their first record was the shit, but frances the mute is nothing but self-indulgent, narsicistic garbage)
absolute truth...
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:gulp:
haha that works too!
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Keep adding shows to archive.org, tapers.
And keep adding 5 star ratings to the ones that definitely deserve it, fans.
Its almost impossible for a "jam band" to make waves with a studio album. The shows are so much better anyway.
and keep replying to breakfast torrent threads on thetradersden to bring them up to the top. as long as breakfast stays near the top people will keep downloading.
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Holy schnikies Justin! Comin\' out swingin\'.
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Interesting discussion, albeit one that happens on a regular basis around here. One thing is for sure... the band is not getting any younger... if things don\'t change, I don\'t see how they can possibly continue. Being in this band takes up a ton of time and devotion.... time that could be spent on more lucrative endeavors.
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Keep adding shows to archive.org, tapers.
And keep adding 5 star ratings to the ones that definitely deserve it, fans.
Its almost impossible for a "jam band" to make waves with a studio album. The shows are so much better anyway.
and keep replying to breakfast torrent threads on thetradersden to bring them up to the top. as long as breakfast stays near the top people will keep downloading.
I like where this is going. It\'s easy for anyone to get on here and dis the management. It\'s harder but much better to make suggestions about what we the fans can do for the positive. But in the end this will do a lot more good! I\'d love to see this turn into the "How YOU can help The Breakfast" thread. My idea: Submit some writing to Breakfast Digest!!! breakfastdigest@hotmail.com :)
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I like where this is going. It\'s easy for anyone to get on here and dis the management. It\'s harder but much better to make suggestions about what we the fans can do for the positive. But in the end this will do a lot more good! I\'d love to see this turn into the "How YOU can help The Breakfast" thread. My idea: Submit some writing to Breakfast Digest!!! breakfastdigest@hotmail.com :)
1. go to shows
2. bring friends to shows
3. promote/flyer/call venues & radio stations
4. buy merch-CDs/posters/DVDs/etc.
5. submit writing & reviews - to above link, jam sites, Relix, etc.
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The best and most longlived is the good old word of mouth. Everyone I\'ve spoken to in the past two weeks has heard me rave about the Breakfast. I went to school in Florida and a bunch of friends came up for moe. down and they were all blown away by the Breakfast! After Daniel st I called a bunch of them to say this is "THE BAND"..one of them form Miami even joined info..I even told all my seniors that I have, to check them out when they come to Danbury..Word of mouth may take awhile, but it sticks in peoples\' minds---beacuse it comes from a reliable source......spread the word..
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i dont read any top 10 or whatever lists. its the opinion of someone else, more than likely someone higher up on a corporate ladder who after 3-4 years may even start to resent their job (although how could you if you get paid to goto and review shows). There are so many factors that can be thrown into the mix. As for moebass....i wouldnt like it if pb got alot larger. i would like to see them make the next step but thats about it for me, as long as they keep doin what theyre doin and most of all, have fun with it so that it can maintain at a great tenacity and balls to the wall rock they are capable of producing.
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I love your Napi picture charley..........
Kroop \'06
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Well the show bills kim made up (for Danbury) seemed to have stirred a little interest in our parts. I know of a few people who will be attending at premier.
I hope NYC on saturday gets a good pull
Think of it this way. As much as management gets knocked. In 2006 we have seen the band play Canada (an actually be allowed in) we have a show booked at the Knitting Factory (we all wanted this so better fucking show up, myself included) they are playing Premier in Danbury and it is only Feb. We have a festival booked well in advanced for May.
I mean damn this alone is exactly what I want to see. Now those places just need turnouts so we can say the band should continue to get good venues. When was the last time wqe could all say that there were this many choice venues lined up in this short amount of time. Its been a while and I for 1 look forward to seeing what the band does with these dates.
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I can definitely feel what you are saying. It is a step in the right direction.
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Book it and they will come.....
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While I agree that Festival slots should be really sought after, I think the band really needs to just bump up it\'s touring schedule.
The visibility of the band was @ it\'s highest from 2002-2004 due to a large touring schedule that went from coast-to-coast. They also won a Jammy during this time due to the increased visibility.
Tour tour tour and festivals basically have no choice but to start seeking YOU out.
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Jammys are a sham.... Shameless self promotion done by relix and jambands. New groove award?? Give me a fucking break!! They had 3 albums out and had been touring for what, 4 years? I mean yeah publicity is publicity. I just dont think the Jammy has any real merit. I dont know, I\'m debating whether or not to submit certain songs of Real Radio to A&R at Arista... I wish the boys had an edited version of Vera St!!
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Yeah the Jammies are a crock but people eat it up and the publicity would have helped if they had just capitalized on it. Even Tim has admited that they could have done more to capatilize on that Jammy.
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Tim should\'ve smashed the Jammy guitar Townshend style after he accepted it onstage.... That wouldve been the best possibility concerning Jammy publicity.
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Yeah that would have made a huge statement besides being the coolest thing he could have freakin\' done!
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Jammys are a sham.... Shameless self promotion done by relix and jambands. New groove award?? Give me a fucking break!! They had 3 albums out and had been touring for what, 4 years? I mean yeah publicity is publicity. I just dont think the Jammy has any real merit. I dont know, I\'m debating whether or not to submit certain songs of Real Radio to A&R at Arista... I wish the boys had an edited version of Vera St!!
couldnt have said it better myself
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I’ve seen, as have all of you, a drop in production. There’s been talk about the drop, but nothing’s really been done about it. As of now, the drop could only be attributed to one thing - the dismissal of J. Kroop. If T.B. doesn’t rise to their potential in the near future, letting Josh go could have been a mistake. The kid got it done. And with that said, this present management is not getting it done.
mr. maturo, how incredibly eloquent and constructive. nice job, and thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts into productive thread. it\'s easy to get frustrated to the point of utter rage, and it comes out sometimes with everyone bickering on the boards. nice to see a chance of pace... so thanks!
i guess the whole idea of the production really set in, for me at least, after the Freakout and New Years Eve show at the Webster this past year.... i remember not hating the webster as much when i first started going there years ago, and was trying to figure out why. I remember the Freakout in 2003, the circus theme... walking into the webster i remembered being absolutely floored by the amount of detail/attention put into that show. The walls were covered with decorations, there was a MOONBOUNCE in the bar, the stage was head to toe with detail.... it was an amazing thing, i was completely taken aback by the event -- not to mentioned, it was packed with people, in costume, having a blast.....
so imagine my dismay walking into a bare webster theater for new years eve. not even a shread of tinsel, confetti, or color. could have been mid-july in that venue for all i knew. dont get me wrong, the show was absolutely fantastic, and i had a blast, but the environment was most certainly lacking.
if it was josh kroop who brought us this fantastic atmosphere and promotion, then by all means, i gotta say it was a mistake to let him go.... if not, then whats the missing factor? the band has everything it takes, and i think as fans we do a lot too (a lot more than some other whiney fans give us credit for), so what is the missing element? what is that missing puzzle piece????
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Maybe...
we\'re all crazy and the band really sucks.
:duck:
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As for moebass....i wouldnt like it if pb got alot larger. i would like to see them make the next step but thats about it for me, as long as they keep doin what theyre doin and most of all, have fun with it so that it can maintain at a great tenacity and balls to the wall rock they are capable of producing.
I think it\'s kinda selfish of us to not want them to get any bigger. True, ticket prices will rise and we may not be able to see them as much if they are always on tour... but it\'s worth it in the long run for the band. They cannot stay at the level they are at for much longer, or it may start to take its toll, mentally and financially. If they don\'t increase their fan base, then they may start to get down on themselves... feeling shitty and underappreciated never helped anyone\'s soul. And financially- we don\'t really want to believe they are in this for the money, but they have to make a living, right? They need to put a lot of time and effort into touring, and they should be able to reap a bountiful reward... as incentive to keep playing music for us.
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Kroop 06.......
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moebass...i mean not a huge jump. yea, itd be great for them to hit it big, but i, personally am not a fan of what usually comes along with the fame. if i had my choice, id like to see them hit up more theaters, but still frequent the smaller circuit (bars), but beggars cant be choosers.
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I would love to see them play venues THEY are content with, that is first and foremost.
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Seconded.
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WOW! Imagine if I did come back?? Talk about pressure..
I haven\'t posted or even lurked since before Thanksgiving. A bird told me to check the boards and I have to say that I\'m touched.
Those of you who know, know that I remain very close to the band. We have way too much history and we always have been great friends.
Let\'s not get to crazy about this whole management deal.. It\'s not easy and it\'s definitely not ALL managements doing. Could things be done differently? Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. You gotta find the right match. If my tenure w/ TB was considered a "success" it\'s only due to the fact that I LOVE THAT F"N BAND and would not accept anything less. It also may have been the reason that we ultimately parted ways on a business level.
As far as getting better venues and building more buzz.. yes there is a role to be played by management but there is also a HUGE role to played by the band and their fans. Everyone should be printing at least 1-2 flyers from the band site and posting them in town when the band is there. Where ever you live. If you know someone in a strange town.. email it to them and ask them to do it.
Go to shows! You gotta go and tell others to go! You gotta trade CD\'s and BUY CD\'s and write reviews and email the media and call the radio and tell more people and email some more festival promoters and vote when they need you (hello jammy!)
There are 5000 + names in the data base. If EVERYONE emailed a festival promoter and asked the ? "Where is the Breakfast" I think they would listen. It takes more than 20.. more than 100..It takes 5000!!! Think of the protests in the 60\'s! We need to organize to be heard! Take the initiative and follow up with your friends to make sure they did also!!
OK.. I\'m done! Thanks for the kind thoughts and I hope to hell everyone out there keeps on supporting this band no matter what happens!
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Josh, YOU are the fucking man and sorely missed by many!!!
PS
teach me your ways....
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Josh, YOU are the fucking man and sorely missed by many!!!
PS
teach me your ways....
I do not know the current management on a personal level, though I do know Josh pretty well since I have been a fan from 1999 - present. Since I don\'t know much about the management, I really don\'t know what they do and Can\'t provide commentary to enrich the discussion, though I really appreciate Steffmo\'s outreach to the fans online. I generally try not to heavily engage in arguments unless I know of the subject at hand, and I don\'t know Alex/Steffmo.
One comment I can make at this Breakfast table:
Part of Josh\'s legacy was that he was always visible - posting online, hosting annual family/uncle sam jams, making himself available before, during & after most shows and often getting down with the folks at the after parties. As someone who was with the band from its infancy, he had a strong personal connection to both the band and the fans and nobody can easily forget that personal touch of a good friend.
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one thing i know is that i def have never hung out with, met, or even seen a manager anywhere on the scene since josh was around. i thought it was cool josh was always at shows watching everything that was happening, and available on site for anything.