Like the number before this one has taken some time. Reasonably pleased with this latest arrangement. Musically I think it hits the mark. So no lyrics, just a solo scratch guitar direct. 

Won't tell ya much more other then I had read somewhere that Jim Steinman when writing for Bat Out Of Hell, nicked a riff or two from older works. Figured if it was good enough for Jim, well then. 

Okay so really curious to know what you all hear or see in your musical minds eye. Drop a comment if'n ya would. 

Cheers big ears xo

SUNNYLAND

Good Damn Day For The Next Big Thing

A late-night wander through Osaka, lit by swinging lights and fading hours. We chase claw machine prizes, watch the sun rise, and pretend it’s just another night,  even though we know it’s the last. Rough take, recorded in the moment. Thank you so much for listening!

Just explore everything underneath that sky
A pinstripe shadowy starry night
There's no hills in Osaka
At least none that we'll have to climb
From what I remember of that night
Let's play like we were just eighteen
Run through the fields as if they are streets
I'll win you that claw surprise
Oh I never felt so lost with you
We could travel through the world until we
We say goodnight
There's no hills in Osaka, baby
Walk all night
Watch as the sun rises
And there goes the light
There goes the sunshine
Baby let it be just one more night
Said baby let it be one more night

No Hills in Osaka (Sample / WIP)

“Close to Home” is a rough take, a WIP recorded in a single moment where everything hit at once. It’s raw, minimal, written in one take, straight from a place I didn't expect to go.

I wrote this in a moment where numbness and clarity were fighting each other.
It’s about trying to hold onto someone who’s already drifting, and facing the ache of realizing they were the closest thing you ever had to home.

If you’ve ever loved someone so deeply that losing them felt like losing part of yourself, this one’s for you.

💬 Let me know where it hits you
🖤 Reposts help way more than you think

LYRICS

Just take my heart
I can't feel anymore
I just thought I
Loved you
Where did you go
My love
Where is my heart
In our soul
Just tell me that you love me so
I never thought I'd be this close to home

Close to Home

Howdy! I’m Alexander Rivers, a songwriter, guitarist, and student of voice. These are raw, one-take sketches recorded on my phone whenever I pick up a guitar. I’m finding my sound, stretching into something new, just truth in the moment. I'm working on a more polished version of these songs (and others) to put in an album one day.

Some of these songs reflect hard things, grief, loss, mental health. If you’re already carrying something heavy, and these songs speak to it, please know you’re not alone. Music is how I process pain, maybe it helps you too.

If you’re struggling, please reach out:
📞 US: 988 or 1-800-273-8255 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
💬 Chat: 988lifeline.org/chat
🌍 Global support: 988lifeline.org/help-yourself


I’m also a proud supporter of To Write Love on Her Arms (https://twloha.com), a movement dedicated to hope and help for anyone struggling.


Thanks for listening. Truly.

Breadfoot is spawn of the East River Delta. He digs his whiskey neat and his coffee black. He is a one-man band who has a rather idiosyncratic take on life. His wide range of influences from The Carter Family and The Sherman Brothers to Tom Waits and The Replacements, fuel his unique brand of Tin Pan Folk & Americana.

Live Breadfoot has been described by London Time Out, as "....gritty guitar picking and home-spun wisdom....a raconteur par excellence" He has shared the stage with The Avett Brothers, Malcolm Holcombe, Regina Spektor, Kimya Dawson, Langhorne Slim, The Decemberists, Richard Buckner, Gary Lucas, and the Larry Love Show Band (the acoustic branch of Alabama 3).

His most recent full-length album Salvatella, was released in August 2015, and 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 it proves to be his most adventurous to date. The album was described by Americana UK as “…a refreshing alternative to some of the more archetypal Americana” And regarded by fRoots Magazine as "...beguiling and varied...well-crafted songs of love and loss...superior stuff and very charming." While Babysue declared Salvatella to be "...a real cool slice of underground Americana folk / pop played with class, style, and a whole helluva lot of personality."

Breadfoot has written and recorded as Just About To Burn, with Anti-folk legend and Ramseur Records recording artist, Paleface who has collaborated with the Avett Brothers and has been cited by Beck as a musical influence. In addition, Breadfoot has written and recorded with British violinist and composer Anna Phoebe, who has also worked with Roxy Music, Oi Va Voi, Jethro Tull, Jon Lord, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Breadfoot’s music has been featured in several episodes of Road Trip Nation on PBS. You can also find his music in the feature length documentary 10 MPH and the feature length comedy ‘The Karaoke Brothers.’ In addition, Breadfoot contributed music to a work in progress reel for the locally produced original documentary film ‘ Bringing It Home,’ and his song 'A Hard Day In Manhattan' was featured in the investigative documentary ‘Abandoned.’
 
Currently Breadfoot aka Stephan John Meyers, is knee deep in writing for his first musical to be called, 'SUNNYLAND.' It identifies as a rock banjo opera. As result of the live performance of the first three numbers at the Chatham Arts Jumpstart Walkabout December 2022 he was invited to participate in the Process Series at UNC. A staged reading of SUNNYLAND scheduled for February 7th & 8th, 2025 was huge success. 

Development continues as he works to add several new numbers and complete a third rough draft of the libretto. Applying for grants and seeking out new opportunities for concert style staged readings, along the way.

New tracks tagged #rough take