The State Of The Breakfast Address....(A Stephengenc\'s Perspective)

[Stephengencs]

Okay, I have seen a lot of recent posts about this band and where they are and where people think they should be.  As a person that has followed this band pretty close (not as close as some but closer than others) since late 1999, I wanted to start this thread to discuss my thoughts on the current state of affairs of this band we all know and love dearly.....

The Breakfast has come a long way in the past 6 years.  I remember when Jordan was the only member who actually knew how to sing.  Shortly after, Ronnie showed his vocal chops.  At this point the entire band knows how to sing, and they each have their own style and sounds.  When they start harmonizing (which will require much more practice), they will be an unstoppbably musical and vocal juggernaut......  When that happens tears will stream from the eyes of the crowd.

Musically the band was always tight, innovative, and just amazing.  Ronnie having been the weakest musician in the band in the early years, but since coming back from tour in 2002 and at the Grand Band Slam in August 02, Ronnie is on the level with the rest of the band, and still growing.  And knowing the talent and experience of Tim, Adrian, and Jordan, this band has not yet reached their full potential, fills me with with insane anticipation...

I know its not really a good measurement, but I have tended to compare the growth of The Breakfast with the growth of Phish.  6 years into their life, phish played mostly VT and Northern New England shows.  It wasnt until 1993 (10 years into the life of the band) did they start playing theaters on a regular basis.  What were they doing in those first 10 years?  Building a strong and dedicated fanbase.  I feel that the Breakfast are moving along fine along this timeline.  And the growth of the Breakfast\'s fanbase in size and strength is coming along great.  In the past 2 years, I have seen some amazing things happen in the Breakfast family.  It has been a wonderful thing to be a part of and I look forward to continue to watch it grow and develop.

Right now I see 2 major issues hampering this band.

1 - I dont believe there is solid and dedicated "behind the scenes" leadership with this group.  They have a their "people" working for them, but I have not seen or met one of these people at any show.  Does this person have a plan laid out for them?  Are there goals?  If the goal is just for them to sell albums and make money playing shitty spots like the Lion\'s Den, then I believe that this ship will sink.  This isn\'t a band like Moron 5 or The Goo Goo Dolls.  Its the live shows and tours that is going to make the band the timeless legends that they are destined to be.....

2 - Speaking of live shows and tours, it has seemed that the breakfast have moved away from taking risks while on stage.  The Wheelhouse show last week was an exception.  That second set was a huge risk, and it paid off.  You could feel it in the venue, between the band and the crowd.  That feeling just hasn\'t been prevelant in shows of late though.

When the second set ended I went up to Todd and told him that the encore would be the PERFECT spot for them to debut a new song.  Todd vehamently disagreed with me saying that they wouldnt do anything as unprofessional or risky as playing a song nobody knows for the encore...  My reply, "well this is a band that is still playing at beginner venues like the Lions Den".  Touchee indeed......

Another, and my final issue, regarding what is hampering this band is practice.  Obviously they are amazing musicians and have been playing together for so long that they dont NEED to practice too much.  And honestly, I dont know how much the actually DO practice, but I do know that if they have trepidations about taking risks with jams, or playing new songs, or trying new things, practice will take the hesitation out of that with a quickness....

I just wanted to get these things out and see what all of your thoughts are on some of these topics, as well as give you the ability to voice your own thoughts and opinions on the state of The Breakfast as 2005 starts to bleed into 2006......

[davepeck]

Musically the band was always tight, innovative, and just amazing.  Ronnie having been the weakest musician in the band in the early years, but since coming back from tour in 2001 and at the Grand Band Slam in August 01, Ronnie is on the level with the rest of the band, and still growing.

quick correction - this is 2002 you\'re thinking of..

[Stephengencs]

fixed....thanks dave....

[freddiewaht]

well,they did just score a pretty damn ser agency that their manager hooked into..
things are doin,but like you said,there behind the scenes..

[leith]

One of the reasons Phish was only in the NE area is the advent of internet trading had not begun. How was anyone supposed to get tapes of this crazy band from VT. much less hear about them. It was not until phans began getting that shit out that Phish was able to trail the tapes and tour w/ a crowd awaiting them and knowing the songs.
Some of the frustration felt by fans can be attributed to being able to recieve and send out NEW Breakfast nearly every week. The amount of people that have heard of PB and now The Breakfast in this point of their career is way more than had heard of Phish @ the same point. So yeah The Breakfast are following that same path of developing a dedicated NE fanbase but my point is they DO NOT HAVE TO DO SO! They have a fanbase already spread all through the nation. They just have to tour and they will get crowds. It really is as simple as that.

[Stephengencs]

well,they did just score a pretty damn ser agency that their manager hooked into..
things are doin,but like you said,there behind the scenes..

I understand that there is more stuff than we know about going on behind the scene.  My concern is that these people making these decisions and navigating the ship that is The Breakfast, one haven\'t made it a point to at least introduce themselves to the people that have supported this band and love the members and its scene.  

Which way is this ship headed?  Are the navigators just doing what they feel needs to be done for the band to be profitable at any cost, or are they nurturing the music and its musicians all while taking into consideration the growing throngs of dedicated and loving fans....

[Klout]

I wonder about the managment at times too.

[freddiewaht]

well,they did just score a pretty damn ser agency that their manager hooked into..
things are doin,but like you said,there behind the scenes..

I understand that there is more stuff than we know about going on behind the scene.  My concern is that these people making these decisions and navigating the ship that is The Breakfast, one haven\'t made it a point to at least introduce themselves to the people that have supported this band and love the members and its scene.  

Which way is this ship headed?  Are the navigators just doing what they feel needs to be done for the band to be profitable at any cost, or are they nurturing the music and its musicians all while taking into consideration the growing throngs of dedicated and loving fans....

im sure an email to alex defelice would certainly answer these questions plus some..

[Stephengencs]

I hear ya freddie.....

However, I am sure that Alex gets a ton of emails a day, and I fear that the initial corespondence would be overlooked or misinterpreted....

[weekapaug19]

i think that once they start to sell out all bars and move to small theatres, then it\'s time to start going nationally more often.  They need to get a stronger fanbase in NE first.

[Stephengencs]

i think that once they start to sell out all bars and move to small theatres, then it\'s time to start going nationally more often.  They need to get a stronger fanbase in NE first.

Agreed.
I have seen the fanbase grow bigger and stronger in the past 2 years.  Much more than ever before.

One of the great things about the growth is that the time it takes to forge a strong fanbase is directly proportinal to the staying power of the band.  I would welcome another 6 years of what is going on now rather than have an overnight bottle rocket situation, where all of a sudden there are thousands of overnight fans and the band becomes the dreaded "one hit wonder"

[leith]

I hear ya freddie.....

However, I am sure that Alex gets a ton of emails a day, and I fear that the initial corespondence would be overlooked or misinterpreted....

Since when does management mix with fans anyway? Come On. The suits do the work the Band plays and we pay $$ to dance away. There is no need whatsoever for management to deal w/ anyone but the folk that hired them. Yet again the feeling that this band is a couple friends that just play around is prevalent. Professionalism goes a long way in this business. Management will send out a fan letter if they feel the need to do so or the band asks them to. I think Steffmo their record producer does a decent job of informing the fanbase of any events or progress of the band. This should be sufficient.

[Stephengencs]

I disagree in that I think that a band that I feel has been one of the "most giving bands in rock and roll", it is important for their management to take them (us) into consideration....

I didn\'t mean for management to don funny tshirts and some heady slang and slug beers and whatnot..

Regarding Vic, I have exchanged emails with him a couple of times and he has been amazing in his ability to "take a moment for the fans" and is always welcoming in that respect....

[WALSH]

^^^Ding ding ding!!!  Although this board is fanatical about this band and there is a spreading fanbase across the country...you can still go to ANY Breakfast show and walk right up to the door 5 minutes before showtime and get a ticket.  The Cafe 9 double headers are the only in my memory that this was aproblem.  Though a tour is definitely needed across this country, the band still could use an even larger NE fanbase.

Mike Gordon, was quoted once as saying, that a band from the NE shouldn\'t even think about a National Tour before they could sell out the Somerville Theatre in Mass.  Now this again like Leith pointed out, is from a time that Phish\'s music was not as wide spread as the Breakfast are able to do now with the interweb.  However, it is an interesting point.  For a band to expect to have a large fanbase, thay need the heads from home to want to come along.  It is that "home" fanbase that is usually the first group to go on the road with the band for tours...following their shows across the country and getting a core base of crowd that the band knows is going to be there.  These are the folks that get the energy going in those off the beaten path venues where not all have heard what the band has to offer.

Timmy Tour is amazing, but I would give it up in a second if the band was able to get residencies in Venues like the Knitting Factory, Plantation Club, The Trocadero/TLA in Philly, etc...  The Breakfast would gain that city as a new "home".

[freddiewaht]

wow,how many different titles could this thread get?