An Interview: Tim Palmieri of The Breakfast

Tim, I appreciate you taking the time to do this...

*So, Kung Fu*

J-man: How has the Monday night residency at Stella Blues with Kung-Fu been?

Tim: It has been awesome. Good turnouts, great music. Its been a perfect starting point for this new project. We are ready to take this to new places.

J-man: Has the turn out been pretty solid so far?

Tim: Yes, great feedback and support. People dancing and listening. Its an intense group of musicians and songs.

J-man: So, how did that project come together? And can you talk a little about the musicians involved?

Tim: Dave Livolsi started this project gathering people and he jammed with Adrian at a bridgeport show, stoops was in the house and that was the start. Jensen then was added and then myself. Dave Livolsi is an amazing bass player. creates a wonderful pocket and space to work in and supplies serious groove that the whole band picks up on. Adrian, I have been playing with since high school. Need i say more? Stoops is a unique keyboardist; great chops, great energy, great composer & tons of fun to play with. Jensen, the jazzman of the group. He is a serious player and rounds the group out perfectly.

J-man: I saw that you guys did a Haiti Relief show, how did that go?

Tim: It went very well. We raised $900 for Americares. We hope it helps.

*As far as the Breakfast goes*

J-man: You’ve been together for about 12 years, and this is arguably the best incarnation of the band to date. What are your thoughts on the future of the band?

Tim: Keep it going. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and changes, but now that this lineup is stable, we want to keep writing, performing, and hopefully one day make this a band that will be able to sell out rooms and be a mainstay in the scene. Chris DeAngelis on the bass is one of the best musicians I have ever played with and each show is an exploration into musical spaces and zones we've never got into before. Its constantly new which is fun. This year we'll be doing the same thing; playing the northeast, festivals, and hopefully get a record out before the year is out.

J-man: You guys have kind of confined yourself to the North East, are there any plans to tour outside of the area anytime soon?

Tim: Not really, now that we are older and have families and more responsibilities, its tough to tour when the money isn't there. We'd love to and we do have fans across the country who would love to see us, and us them, however its just not feasible at this stage of the game.

J-man: So, what festivals do you guys have lined up for the spring/summer?

Tim: So far Camp Barefoot, The Bug Up on Sunnyview Farm, Jam-Boree Festival.

J-man: What do you guys do outside of playing with The Breakfast?

Tim: Jordan works a day job as a machinist, the rest play gigs and teach music lessons.

* In regards to side projects*

J-man: Do you have any other projects in the works? Or are there any artists currently that you desire to play with?

Tim: I desire to play with everyone :) Projects in the works; I have a bunch of side projects like my Beatles Tribute band that covered 245 beatle songs in alphabetical order. I also play solo acoustic a lot, and have a Red Hot Chili Pepper tribute band as well.

J-man: I know you play solo gigs as well, how does the vibe of a show like that compare with Kung-Fu or The Breakfast?

Tim: Not as much energy as four or five musicians playing loud funk fusion, but its still the essence I want to have come across to people. I take what i do seriously & i look to have fun at the same time. I look to do things no musician has done before and I want participation in the energy level. I can't stand being a background musician.

*As far as the scene goes*

J-man: I’m curious as to what you think of the jam scene as a whole and your thoughts on why it’s so difficult for newer bands to obtain Grateful Dead, String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic like status? What has that struggle meant for a band like The Breakfast? Does that success/status matter to you?

Tim: Honestly I don't get to attend concerts the way I used to so i'm not sure about the jam scene as a whole. Music trends always change. Music technology always changes. Its a combination of factors whether a band can make it or not. Record sales are not what they used to be. People are going out a lot less cause of the economic troubles (don't get me started on the political b.s. that is causing that), and there are tons of bands everywhere always playing. Its tough to compete with the digital media age when you don't have to leave your house ever to see things going on in the world.

The main thing is staying on your path and doing what is right for your life and the people's lives in the band. I always say as long as we want to get on stage together to make great music and if people want to hear us do it, then we win. Money does effect things and we would like to make more but we're not done yet and we still have good music within us so we'll keep going and keep perfecting this craft.

J-man: Thanks again, Tim.

www.thebreakfast.org

www.myspace.com/timpalmieri

The Breakfast's Most Recent Show on The Archive:

The Breakfast Live at Harpers Ferry on December 18, 2009.


Interview Questions Composed With The Assistance of Brian Croce.