The story for ‘SUNNYLAND – A Rock Banjo Opera’, centers on the punk rock loving, banjo slinging Gibson who has been bullied since before he could remember. After yet another run in with his small minded, small town arch nemeses the Jones boys, Gibson decides it’s time to accept the invitation of his one true and good childhood friend Sasha, and join her in the ‘Big City’. Once there despite his best wishes and Sasha’s promise that the city would be more accepting of him (and his music), Gibson is met with the harsh reality that the ‘concrete is not always greener on the other side’.

SUNNYLAND - A Rock Banjo Opera

Okay so another rough here. Added a vocal take. As with any of these numbers as the story develops lyrics and all are gonna change. Just listening back to this mix there's already words and phrases I'm keen to tweak. This number is sung by Gibson our main character. Left the small town and the small minds behind. He's on a over night bus ride to the big city.

Sunnyland

Good Damn Night New Rough with Vocal Take

End of Rory's opening monologue we have what they tell me is called the "inciting incident." Gibson's arch nemeses the Jones Boys run him off the road yet again. Gibson drags his busted bike home. He's made up his mind and as he is packing to leave for the Big City he brings us into his story.

Too Small New Vocal Takes And Lyrics

Okay. Haven't had dinner yet. Tired of trying to set the end mark so you're getting almost of minute of nothing on the back end of this track #FFS 

Fourth number here. Rough and ready. Really basic. Just guitars, drums and a vocal take. Number is called 'You're Gonna Love It'. Thought originally that it was gonna be a laundry list of every thing that Tasha and Dickie thought that Gibbie should see in the Big City ie. NYC but that changed.

Ended up wanting to be more about the exchange between the three. Starting when Tasha and Dickie come to meet(rescue) Gibbie from the Big City / Narrator who is giving Gibbie what for to the three of em rushing off to make the scene at the open mic.

Things that influence this number is me thinking of Tasha and Dickie as Heckle and Jeckle the cartoon birds and The Ramones specifically Sheena Is A Punk Rocker and that one line from the song, 'New York City really has it all'.

Okay. Number next.

You're Gonna Love It Rough Sketch

This here is the fifth number from my Rick Banjo Opera, Sunnyland. A bit of a love song for and a lampoon of many of the open mics I've ever been to. 

Action in this song has Sasha and Dickie dragging Gibbie fresh off the bus and still reeling from his encounter with the Big City, to the open mic that Dickie hosts. 

In Part 1 here Dickie introduces himself and lays out the ground rules for his open mic. Musically I was going for a too cool for school, NYC, Velvet Underground sort of feel.  I imagine Dickie's vocal being somewhere in the ballpark of Gilbert Gottfried doing his worst Lou Reed.  Something close to the vocalist for Dead Milkmen could work as well. Maybe got close with this take but yeah that's the idea I was going for.

Right so broke this out into parts just to make it easier for me to get the ideas down. Part two will feature the open mic performers that had lower numbers then Gibbie.

Part 3 will be Gibbie's open mic performance. Once I get all three parts done I'll tweak the transitions and tie em all together. Hope is that it'll be pretty epic. Or at least really fun.

Oh and if you're wondering the title comes from something I've heard a few open mic hosts say. Intention is of course to in a mildly humorous way get folks to tune their instruments cause well, when an instrument is tuned properly, it kinda sounds better : )

Oh and yet again I couldn't get Garage Band to not make he track longer then I wanted it to be. Frustrating ; (

Tuning Is Not A Town In China Part 1 I Am Your Host

Part 3 of 'Tuning Is Not A Town In China' Gibson's Debut. Gibson hasn't even had a chance to unpack and Sasha and Dickie have dragged him off to the open mic that Dickie hosts. Gibson performs last and amazes everyone. He gets the attention of Richard "Tricky Ricky" Drake the hot shot, Big City manager and catches the eye of Cassidy.

Tuning Is Not A Town In China Part 3 Gibson's Debut

One of the first numbers I sketched out for Sunnyland geez, almost 6 years ago? Wow. Initially thought the Big City would be more of a Tom Waits usher from Big Time type character. Though as characters can do, this one showed me otherwise. Rory (short for Lorilei), is a mature as Iris Apfel would say, "non-genarian." In this number in fulfilling her role as the Big City she is meant to be giving GIBSON what for. Had the pleasure of working with Taz on a recording for my Backburner EP and she's just awesome. After Rory had revealed herself I kinda had hoped I could get Taz in on this so here ya go. First whack. Couple takes and yeah pretty awesome.

Charmed, I'm Sure featuring Taz Halloween as Rory

Breadfoot’s fourth full-length album Salvatella, his most adventurous effort to date. From the opening solo acoustic salve of the title track to the final cymbal crash of the Dixieland inspired Still Can’t (Find My Heart) that closes out the side, Salvatella is a reminder of how rich, varied and whimsical the heartworn Americana musical landscape can truly be.

Salvatella was funded via Kickstarter. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at On Pop Of The World Studios in Greensboro, NC and features some truly exceptional local musicians from bands like Vaughn Aed, Tommy Flake, Damn Frank, Sarah Shook and The Disarmers, Corporate Fandango, Ameriglow, Holy Ghost Tent Revival and Lost In The Trees. 

At home on the porch as it is in the parlour is what many say about Breadfoot’s music and true to this fact he has proved well suited for many a stage. He has shared the lights state side with The Avett Brothers, Regina Spektor, Kimya Dawson, and Langhorne Slim and in the UK with such acts as The Decemberists, Richard Buckner, and The Larry Love Show Band (the acoustic branch of Alabama 3). He has written and recorded albums with both Anti-folk icon and Ramseur Records recording artist, Paleface and Anna Phoebe, a former Trans Siberian Orchestra String Mistress and Soloist, who has performed with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music.

The music Breadfoot has been featured in several episodes of Roadtrip Nation (www.roadtripnation.com) on PBS.  You can also find his music in the feature length documentary 10 MPH (www.10mph.com) and the feature length comedy The Karaoke Brothers, (www.thekaraokebrothers.com). In addition, Breadfoot contributed music to a work in progress reel for the locally produced original documentary film Bringing It Home (www.bringingithomemovie.com).

Breadfoot has written and recorded music for Long Beach, CA based Blight Productions’ (www.blightproductions.com) Award Winning Online Series ‘A Fool’s Idea’ and has filmed and written music for several of his own video shorts including one to promote the Chatham Arts Councils’ childrens festival ClydeFEST and another called ‘Curbside’ showcasing Artcars from the 2012 Artscape Artcar Parade in Baltimore, MD. 

His new video for Room In Her Heart from his latest album Salvatella, inspired by the tale of Don Quixote and the film Paris, Texas is the sweet and slightly absurd story of a fella searching for a love long lost.
