Hot Breakfast!
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Hot Breakfast!

Wilmington, Delaware, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF

Wilmington, Delaware, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2010
Duo Rock Acoustic

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Music

Press


"WaveRadio, Glim Dropper, and Hot Breakfast! at Doc Watson's (Show Review)"

Colin McGetrick of WaveRadio is a busy man. Between the band, the acoustic duo he does with his wife, and booking at Sprout Music Collective, he is doing his utmost for the local and regional music scene. For his band’s only local show this spring, he called on friends in fellow regional stalwarts Glim Dropper and Hot Breakfast!

The latter is itself an acoustic duo, advertising themselves as "Delaware’s premier acoustic dork-rock power duo," a description as apt as any. With originals like “Kids Today” and “I Am Not Cool” decrying the social media age with a humorous bent, and covers like “Mr. Roboto” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” tongues planted firmly in cheek, they would fit just as well at a comedy club as a rock one. Jill Knapp’s phenomenal vocals ably run the gamut of theatrical tones, backed by Matt Casarino on both guitar and vocals. Knapp contributes to the instrumentation in various ways as well, at this particular show including various hand percussion implements, trumpet, and a melodica. The total effect was fantastic, provoking bouts of hilarity from the entire audience between rousing “Hot Breakfast!” cheers from their gathered friends and fans. - Music Without Labels


"Hot Breakfast! takes "Dork Rock" to Milton Theatre"

Wilmington duo Hot Breakfast will co-headline a Saturday concert at the Milton Theatre called A Night of Music Comedy, but the two performers have their own description for the style of songs they write – dork rock.

The Milton Theatre show, which is part of a concert series being presented there by the Middletown-based Premiere Centre for The Arts, will also feature singer-guitarist Todd Chappelle (known for his Johnny Cash parody called "I'm From Delaware") and pianist-vocalist Nancy Huebner.

Matt Casarino and Jill Knapp of Hot Breakfast are still riding high from a collaborative session they participated in Jan. 17-18. They tracked a song called "Prisoner's Cinema" in a Philadelphia recording studio with that city's iconic punk quartet The Dead Milkmen — while cameras were streaming the entire process over the Internet. Casarino answered a few questions about mixing rock music with dorkiness.


Q: The live stream recording session is such a cool concept. Was it nerve-racking to know you were under a microscope the whole time, or did it make everyone show off a little?

A: It's certainly odd to have people pointing cameras at you all the time, although Jill didn't mind them at all. The studio can be an intimidating place anyway; the cameras just made it more surreal. The people holding the cameras revealed themselves to be super-friendly and cool, and it all felt normal after a little while. We felt more nervous about the Dead Milkmen being in the control room than about the performance being documented.

Q: Did you follow the Dead Milkmen back in the day, during their original "Punk Rock Girl" incarnation?

A: Yes. Jill quoted their lyrics in her high school senior yearbook blurb — that's a die-hard fan right there. We're really sad that we never got to meet Dave Blood, who passed away in 2004. We first met Rodney Anonymous in person a few years ago, and it's still incredible to think that we've become good buddies with a musician we've loved since our teens.

Q: As far as this coming weekend's Milton Theatre concert, have you worked with Todd or Nancy before this?

A: We work with Todd a few times per year. We just love that guy. We did a joint recording together in 2013 called, "This is Our Hit Song." It took home a WSTW Hometown Heroes Homey Award in the Best Collaboration category. We've been very aware of Nancy Huebner and her music for quite some time, but this will be our first time performing on the same bill. We're excited.

Q: Your list of influences on your website mentions Tenacious D. Do you get compared to them often?

A: We don't get compared to them nearly as much as we'd like! But we share their conviction that hard rock is a state of mind. Even though we're only armed with one guitar, some percussion and a melodica, in our minds we're backed by thundering drums and an army of guitars. We take in (Tenacious D's) albums at least once a week, and we're always stunned. As dorky and goofy as we are, we take our music very seriously.

Q: You guys somewhat resemble The Eurythmics; do you ever take the stage at straight-ahead rock venues and then surprise the audience with the comedy angle?

A: Jill gets compared to Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics a lot. It's the hair, the build, but also the deep voice. She's not unhappy about that at all; Annie is one of Jill's musical heroines. As for surprising people – yes, definitely. It's only natural for the audience to expect some earnest, sincere, public radio alt-folk. We're "dork rock." A lot of our humor just comes from us embracing our dorkiness and examining life's quirks.

Q: Are there any other bands that you think you are on the same page with?

A: We get compared to Barenaked Ladies a lot. Are they a comedy band? No, but their humor made you pay attention in the first place. Sometimes our songs are funny, sometimes they aren't. The Dead Milkmen are actually a great parallel; they're satirical, witty, even bratty at times, but always insightful because their snark comes from experience. Ours definitely does too, for better or worse. - Wilmington News Journal (DelawareOnline)


"Take My Feels - Hot Breakfast!"

Posted September 8, 2014

Meet Jill Knapp and Matt Casarino! This band’s name makes me both hungry for pancakes and music. Luckily with my new music to pancakes machine.. I am unstoppable. While enjoying my delightful flat food, I also enjoyed the sound of HOT BREAKFAST. More like super fucking hot.. they are burning my ears.. in a good way. So many questions.. where are their up coming shows… do they have their own brand of syrup.. can I buy their music?! Here are the necessary links.. Website | Facebook
PS: I get a 90′s feeling from them. Which intentional or not.. is a good thing. GO 90′s! Such Nostalgia. - takemyfeels.com


"The King and Queen of Dork-Rock"

By Richard L. Gaw

July 30, 2014

In the online version of the Urban Dictionary, there is, currently, no definition for the term “Dork Rock.”

So it's up to the music to help fill in the blanks. Less conspicuous, far friendlier and easily more accessible than its rival Mope Rock, Dork Rock relies heavily on tongue-in-cheek wit, the effective spin of the most clever of lyrics, and the freedom of the musician to not take himself or herself too seriously. Ironically, the frequent punch line target of many Dork Rock musicians are, in fact, musicians who take themselves very seriously.

For the last four years, Hot Breakfast, featuring Matt Casarino and Jill Knapp, have served as the local definition of the genre, and in most musical circles from Philadelphia to Rehoboth. In addition to performing in Wilmington and Chester County, they've taken their act to the South by Southwest (SXSW14) in Austin, Texas, as well as to venues in Boston, California, Phoenix, and outdoor festivals in Austin, Reno, Wilmington, and the Delaware beaches. Their 2012 singles “It Only Takes Two to Rock,” “Hole In Your Pants,” and “An Idiot for Christmas” have been getting local airplay, and their self-titled EP won the 2012 WSTW Hometown Heroes Homey Award for Best EP. Knapp also took home the Homey Award for Best Lead Singer.

Hot Breakfast’s latest album, 39 Summers, features 12 original and diverse songs and was produced by the duo and Ritchie Rubini. The CD was released May 18, 2013 at World Café Live at the Queen to a sold-out house. This album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2013 WSTW Homey Awards, and tracks from the disc have been played on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM, iradiophilly, Y-NOT Radio, Gashouse Radio, Graffiti Radio, and Rockers Dive Radio.

On Aug. 1, they will be bringing their penchant for hard-rocking originals and quirky theatrical cover songs to the Kennett Flash, headlining a bill with comical musician Todd Chappelle and comedienne Melissa Bernard. Cleverly entitled “Comedy! Music! Comedy Music,” the evening will be a showcase of the work that has earned them the reputation as the area's premiere dork rock power duo.

"We're the ones who claim the title of dork rockers, so we love it and we're happy about it," Knapp said. "We consider ourselves dorks, and we consider it a badge of honor. Nerds have risen to the top. We're no longer the kids who get beaten up in locker rooms. It allows us to do exceptionally great things."

To hear a Hot Breakfast song, or to see them live, is to immediately understand that although the band leans heavily toward offbeat subjects with a comical edge, that a bucketful of talent comes with it. Casarino's songwriting is a musical offshoot of his work as a playwright, where he has written several plays that have been performed in nearly every state in the country. Knapp has an extensive background in voice and musical theatre. When they first began kicking around the idea of playing together, they looked around the local musical landscape and saw a dozen variations on the same theme; folk duos were plentiful throughout Delaware, and together, Knapp and Casarino looked at ways of hitting on a unique sound and genre.

"As soon as we started playing together, neither of us wanted to be a standard folk acoustic duo," Casarino said. "There's a lot of them and they've already got that field covered. We wanted to make it okay to be goofy and have fun. Not all of our songs and playlists are dorky, but dorkiness has been a nice hook that gets people listening."

Knapp said that Hot Breakfast has often been compared to Barenaked Ladies, who are known for their brand of offbeat lyrics heard in such songs as "If I Had a Million Dollars." Yet, like Barenaked Ladies, Hot Breakfast is far more than the musical equivalent of a one-trick pony. It's not uncommon for Knapp and Casarino to slip a few non-comical original songs into their sets.

"The truth is that the Barenaked Ladies also have a lot of sincere songs that aren't considered funny," Knapp said. "We connect with a lot of the audience and so they feel included, which allows us to build up their trust, and that allows us to get serious onstage at times through our music. They give us this room to float from dorkitude to serious stuff."

For those who have seen Hot Breakfast perform before at The Kennett Flash, Casarino and Knapp said that they can expect to hear new material. For those who have yet to see them, this Friday night should be a welcome change.

"They should expect a night of comedy fun of music," Knapp said. "We're full of quirk and puns, and we're sillier as opposed to funnier. We promise that they'll laugh and have a laid back evening to kick off the weekend."

"And they'll get to experience a lot of extreme dorkininess," Casarino added. - Chester County Press


"Sunny-side-up Acoustic Duo to Gig at Young Bean"

A write up by Andre Lamar which appeared in the SC Sun Times and the Dover Post. - SC Sun Times


"Review of 39 Summers by Holly Quinn"

Holly Quinn of DE Arts Info reviews 39 Summers.

GET READY! Hot Breakfast! Has a New Full-Length Album!

Wednesday, May 13, 2013

With two Homey Awards for their self-produced, self-titled EP (one for the EP itself and one for lead singer Jill Knapp), the first full-length album from Hot Breakfast!, 39 Summers, is highly anticipated, and has a lot of expectations to meet. The album, which officially drops on Saturday May 18 with a release party concert at World Cafe Live at the Queen (featuring special guests The Honey Badgers and The Joe Trainor Trio), continues their "Acoustic Dork-Rock Power Duo" tradition, with help from producer Ritchie Rubini and engineer Ray Gagliardino. The result is clean, tight, and catchy, with a superfun mix of song types.

If you're tempted to write Hot Breakfast! off as a novelty act (not that there's anything wrong with that), don't. Knapp, who also plays percussion, and Guitarist/vocalist Matt Casarino are skilled musicians and songwriters who excel at playful upbeat songs (think "oh-oh"-laden '60s bubblegum -- the real stuff that gave birth to melodic punk rock) and stripped down acoustic story ballads. The silly songs are there, but there's a layer of cleverness and complexity that raises them above sheer novelty.

39 Summers kicks off with the title track, with a frothy pop sound that contradicts (and enhances) its beaten-down lyrics, and right away you know this isn't simple goofball rock 'n roll. There's the acoustic-folk-meets-hard rock "Defender," the self-deprecating retro-rock "I Am Not Cool," the clever "Hole in Your Pants," which sounds a bit like a Renaissance Faire folk song, but is about, well, a literal hole in your pants. There's even some electronica in "Maybe You Saw it Too." The dozen songs weave together flawlessly, with a balance of styles and sounds, Knapp's clear, versatile vocals taking center stage throughout.

You can pick up a copy of 39 Summers at the release party (get your tickets online at http://queentickets.worldcafelive.com or call (302) 994-1400). For more information on buying the album, check out hot-breakfast.com. - DE Arts Info


"Podcast: Amber Macey of Graffiti Radio interviews Hot Breakfast!"

Amber Macey of Graffiti Radio interviews Jill Knapp and Matt Casarino of acoustic dork-rock band Hot Breakfast! on September 20, 2013. - Graffiti Radio


"Review: The Big Reveal by Hot Breakfast!"

If there was ever an album that encapsulates the X Generation in the 21st Century, Hot Breakfast’s “The Big Reveal” is it. It’s not about how we were in the ‘80s and ‘90s (OK, it is a little bit), but how we are somehow grown up, being responsible at parties (Someone’s Got to Drive Larry Home) and listening to the same five records even though there’s a nearly endless supply of new music out there waiting to be downloaded (Too Many Choices). By the end, Matt Casarino (guitar and backing vocals) and Jill Knapp (lead vocals and percussion) have thrown up their hands and give in to the inevitable with Kids Today [Am I Right?], a tongue-in-cheek(ish) lament about those damn, maybe doomed, Millennials.

And it’s not just squarely GenX, it’s squarely Delaware GenX, featuring Delaware punk rock legends Jake and The Stiffs on New York Drama, a high-energy rock track that hits right in the middle of the album, just when the extra adrenaline is called for. (This is a real album meant to be listened to in order like music was intended to be listened to -- forget the Spotify shuffle.) As is their style, there is plenty of humor (and, even in songs like Kids Today and Nobody Matters but You, it doesn't come off as mean-spirited), but there is also a lot of sincerity, coming through most notably on the tracks Going Your Way and the particularly moving love song Ten More Years.

Stylistically, Hot Breakfast’s signature sound is “acoustic dork rock,” like a cross between ‘80s pop and ‘90s nerd alt-rock, with Knapp’s voice ranging from quirky and sarcastic to lilting and beautiful, yet it is a completely cohesive record. All in all, it’s an album that isn’t trying to impress the kids (something that feels rare for a rock album, even strange). They know their demo, and they speak to them, relatably and in no uncertain terms. - inWilmington


Discography

THE BIG REVEAL (Album) was released in November, 2015 with a sold-out show at the Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington. The album is produced by Ritchie Rubini and features 11 original tracks (and one bonus!) with special guest musicians, including Rodney Anonymous (The Dead Milkmen), Cooke Harvey (Splashing Pearls), and Jake and the Stiffs. The show was nominated for  the 2016 Hometown Heroes Homey Award for Best Album of 2015.

"I'll Be Home On Christmas Eve" was released November 29, 2014, and included on the compilation album MIDNIGHT CLEAR: The 2014 Hometown Heroes Holiday Album

Singles "Too Many Choices" and "Going Your Way" were released in November, 2014 for airplay (93.7 WSTW) and streaming. 

"This is Our Hit Song" (featuring Todd Chappelle) was released in October, 2013. The single was played on 93.7 WSTW and won the 2014 Homey Award for Best Collaboration (Hot Breakfast! and Todd Chappelle).

39 SUMMERS (Album) was released May 18th, 2013. The album, which features 12 original tracks and guest musicians, is produced by Hot Breakfast! and Ritchie Rubini. 39 Summers was released to a sold out crowd at World Cafe Live at the Queen, and tracks have been played across the United States on Sirius XM, as well as on terrestrial stations on the east coast, and internet radio stations around the world. 39 Summers was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2014 Homey Awards, the same year Matt Casarino took home the Homey Award for Best Songwriter.

"An Idiot for Christmas" (Single) released on November 29, 2012, and was added to the Hot Breakfast! EP. The single, available at major online retailers, was included on the compilation album Comfort, Joy, Love, and Snow.

HOT BREAKFAST! (EP) released on July 7, 2012. The self-produced, 7-song EP won Best EP of 2012 at the 7th Annual WSTW Hometown Homey Awards, and that same year Jill won the Best Lead Singer Homey Award. 

The Dr. Demento Show added our songs "Hole in Your Pants" and "The Garden of Bad Metaphors" in May, 2014. 

Little Steven's Underground Garage on SiriusXM added our song "Underground" to the "Goldie's Garage" show in September, 2013.

93.7 WSTW (wstw.com) has played our songs "39 Summers," "We Are Not Cool," "Defender," "Hole in Your Pants," "It Only Takes Two to Rock," "This is Our Hit Song," "Too Many Choices," "Going Your Way," "I'll Be Home on Christmas Eve," and "An Idiot for Christmas" on-air and on-line, starting in October, 2012.

Gashouse Radio (gashouseradio.com) began playing our singles "Underground," "Defender," and "We Are Not Cool" in moderate rotation in May, 2013.

Graffiti Radio (graffitiradio.com) began streaming our songs, including "Act Surprised" and "Defender," in May, 2013.

NCB Radio (http://www.ncbradio.co.uk/) in North Cornwall, UK, began streaming our single "We Are Not Cool" in June, 2013.

Rocker's Dive Radio (http://www.rockersdive.com/) added our songs "39 Summers," "Defender," "Underground," "It Only Takes Two to Rock," and "We Are Not Cool" to moderate rotation in January, 2014

Women of Substance Radio (http://wosradio.com) added our songs "39 Summers" and "Gravity" to moderate rotation and "Gravity" to the WOSRadio Podcast in November, 2014. They added "An Idiot for Christmas" and "I'll Be Home on Christmas Eve" to their 2014 Holiday Playlist.

Photos

Bio

With a penchant for hard-rockin', offbeat originals and a rep for energetic and inclusive live shows, HOT BREAKFAST! is no background-music act. Jill Knapp and Matt Casarino demand your attention with stunning vocals, dorky humor, furious guitar work, snappy percussion, and their disturbingly attractive bodies – it’s no wonder they are renowned as Delaware's Premier Acoustic Dork-Rock Power Duo.

Since Jill and Matt became Hot Breakfast! in 2010, they've melted faces at festivals like Dragon ConSXSW and Burning Man, rock clubs like The Trocadero in Philly and Slim's in San Francisco, and venues & parties in Boston, NJ, PA, California, Oregon, Arizona, NY, and beyond. In January of 2015, The Dead Milkmen featured them on their new single "Prisoner's Cinema" - the session was documented for Weathervane Music Collective's project Shaking Through.

The Hot Breakfast! original songs "Underground" and "Hole in Your Pants" have been featured on Little Steven's Underground Garage on SiriusXM and the Dr. Demento Show. Their genre-defying tunes "Kids Today," "New York Drama," "Ten More Years," “We Are Not Cool,” “39 Summers,” "It Only Takes Two to Rock," "Defender," "An Idiot for Christmas," and more continue to receive spins on terrestrial and internet radio stations.

The WSTW Hometown Heroes Homey Awards recognizes and celebrates original music and artists from the Delaware Valley; Hot Breakfast! received their first Homey Awards in 2013 for Best EP (their 2012 self-produced Hot Breakfast!) and Best Lead Singer (Jill Knapp). Since then, they've won Homey Awards for Best Live Band (2015 & 2016), Best Collaboration (2014 & 2016), Best Songwriter (2014), and Best Lead Singer again in 2016. That's eight Homeys in all - and they're nominated for four more in 2017.

Hot Breakfast! released their first full-length album 39 Summers in May of 2013 to a full house at World Café Live at the Queen in Delaware. The Delaware Arts Blog calls it “clean, tight, and catchy, with a superfun mix of song types...the dozen songs weave together flawlessly,” while the Take My Feels calls it "super fucking hot...they are burning my ears...in a good way!" 

Their follow-up album, The Big Reveal, was produced by Ritchie Rubini (The Caulfields, von Grey) and features an appearance by Rodney Anonymous (The Dead Milkmen). It was released in November of 2015 to a sold-out show at The Blue Ball Barn. inWilmington raved about The Big Reveal, calling it "a real album meant to be listened to in order ... there is plenty of humor, but also a lot of sincerity, coming through most notably on the tracks 'Going Your Way' and the particularly moving love song 'Ten More Years.'" 

(Speaking of "Ten More Years," the song was dubbed by California pop-rockers RKVC the "Best Song Ever," calling it "one of the greatest songs from 2015" in a post and video. Check it out here.)

In December of 2016, Hot Breakfast! released The Holiday Shift, a seven-track EP of all-original holiday songs, at a unique concert event that lovingly satirized the TV Christmas Variety Shows of their youth. The unique, semi-scripted, guest star-laden show was a huge hit with the sold-out crowd, and the EP was a holiday hit.

In addition to touring with Boss Looping National Champion Angela Sheik and opening for The Dead Milkmen (several times), Hot Breakfast! recently shared the stage with Australia’s chart-topper Kate Miller-Heidke, Rockapella founder & comedy musician Sean Altman, bluegrass superstar Tony Trischka, punk-rockabilly sensations The Gas House Gorillas, and many more. But bragging’s not their style. Their style? Rock. Dork Rock.

Band Members