Our Editor-in-Chief Micaela Merryman and our Executive Editor Cam Cave got the awesome opportunity to talk to Ryan (vocals), Dom (bass), Devon (guitar), and fellow Sonder man Bryce (drums) of Breakfast4Breakfast. They are a local band here in Flagstaff that we at Sonder are falling deeply in love with. We decided to ask them some questions regarding themselves, Flagstaff, and of course, their band.
Cam: Tell us the story of how Breakfast4Breakfast came to be! Where were you guys and what were you doing when you came to this decision?
B4B: After leaving our previous bands, Ryan and Bryce started going back and forth on Twitter about starting a project. Due to Covid it took a number of months of talking online before we finally got together to jam in person. From there we got Ryan’s coworker, Devon, on lead guitar, and a friend from NAU’s music program, Dom, on bass. We were all stoked to have a social and creative outlet after such a long time in quarantine!
Cam: That's so cool that it all started on Twitter, crazy what social media platforms can do for bring artists together. I really like the sound you guys have, the high reverb guitar melodic solos, and super groovy basslines. For someone about to listen to your band for the first time, how would you describe your sound in three words?
BFB: Psychedelic Funky Emo? It’s hard to describe, but we are big fans of adding different sounds and seeing how they blend together. Ryan’s a pretty emotional person, and the rest of the gang throws their influences into their parts that make the whole thing cohesive. We’re constantly evolving until we find what fits, and we are so excited to see where that takes us.
Mica: I love that description and love that you guys are continually playing around with the experimentation of your sound. What makes Flagstaff's local music scene so special? What do you think is unique about it?
B4B: Well before COVID-19, Flagstaff’s music scene was special because of how tight knit it was. in such a small town, everyone knew each other, and a good deal of us got to be good friends. On top of that, I think having so many people of different musical and personal backgrounds passing through was really great for the social aspect of the scene as well as a source of personal inspiration, learning about different styles of music and people’s personal experiences.
Cam: Definitely is a small town, and that's so true. So many unique souls here in Flagstaff along Route 66. Do you guys still make time to play together often?
BFB: We still practice once a week, and we are working with some local businesses to try to get safe, distanced shows back as soon as possible. We have started occasionally playing small shows for the Kava bar downtown, which is a great place to start!
Cam: Yeah! I saw your show at the Kava bar, that's a fun spot and you guys killed that set. Really hope that more places open up (safely of course). I'm curious as to who came up with your band name? What's the story behind that?
B4B: The band name was a suggestion of Ryan’s. He has a list of “potential band names” on his phone that he mostly keeps as a joke, but one of those suggestions was liked in particular by the rest of us. “I was listening to Blueberries for Breakfast by The Mamas and the Papas one day and the thought of having a funny name for a band was interesting to me because it’s like you’re speaking this nonsensical term into existence. I would also say that the title “Breakfast for Breakfast” is extremely ironic because I rarely even get up before noon.”
Cam: Haha that's really relatable and love that the Mamas and Papas helped inspire your band name. What does your creative process look like? Is songwriting a collaborative effort between you guys? How does a B4B song come to fruition?
B4B: I would say that there isn’t an exact process when it comes to writing a new song with B4B. Sometimes I [Ryan] will spend hours writing a song and matching it to lyrics that I have already written and sometimes Dom, Devon or Bryce will play a little riff that we collectively like and we will start to shape the song around it from there.
Mica: That's cool that you guys all collaborate to create your songs.What music movements, decades and artists have influenced your guys' sound? Your guys' cover of Dreams was absolute music to my ears!
B4B: Like we mentioned before, I think there are a ton of super diverse influences to our music. Devon and Dom are classically trained on their instruments and they bring a bit more of a theory and jazz background to the mix, Ryan brings his indie, blues, and folk passion to the table, and Bryce backs it all up with a drumming style rooted in surf, punk, and funk.
Cam: That's really cool and I can definitely hear a lot of those influences conglomerating in your sound. Let's say you guys are stranded on a desert island and given only one album to listen to for the rest of time, what are you guys going with?
B4B: None of the other boys seem to have an answer to this, so I (Bryce) will go with Hozier’s “Wasteland, Baby!” It’s one of those albums that I can listen to straight through on repeat, and what could possibly be better to soothe you during such a stressful time than Hozier’s sweet and calming vocals!
Cam: Nice! Love it Bryce, think everyone could use some calming Hozier in these times. What can the music lovers of Flagstaff be expecting from Breakfast4Breakfast? Is there more music on the way? More live shows? All I can say is that I am excited for what’s to come and desperately need more live music. Thank you guys for your time and keep shredding.
B4B: We will actually be releasing a single, “Toy”, very soon! We’re working on getting a final recording of it and spending time on making it sound the way it should before we do so. We’re currently putting together an EP that will release hopefully by this Summer, so follow @4breakfastband on Instagram and Twitter for updates on that! As far as live shows go, we are trying our best to figure out the safest ways to have shows in town. We will definitely be playing at the Kava bar again, but we are waiting on a few other locations to start opening up in order to have the opportunity to play at larger venues. Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at our next show! Also, send us suggestions on what songs to cover at our shows; we love putting our own spin on songs we want to do!
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