Breakfast with Amy
Encyclopedia
Breakfast with Amy was an Alternative Christian rock
band that formed in 1986 in La Habra, California
at the La Habra Four-Square church. At that time, the band consisted of vocalist David Koval, bassist Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn, guitarist Christopher Colbert, and drummer Paul Pellegrin. The pastor of the church was throwing a Saturday night concert. A band had backed out and he needed a replacement. David, Christopher, Paul and Jeff quickly formed "Friends of Amy" to perform.
The band was later joined by Caryn Barker (married the guitarist Christopher Colbert about 1989, divorced about 1996) and Charlotte Stripland on bass. Charlotte was later permanently replaced in 1989 by Bob "Edwin" Wohler. Brothers Eric and Jeremy Wood filled in on Bass and Drums respectively in the final days of the band.
The band initially released an independent demo tape in 1987. It featured 3 songs (Funeral, Ferris Wheel and Love Song) and was recorded at Half Moon Studio by engineer Dan Bush. For the demo, the line-up featured Rich Berger on Drums. In 1988 the band released a professionally recorded demo tape (see side B of the Narrowpath release). In 1989, Breakfast with Amy was approached by Greg Sostrom of Narrowpath Records and subsequently signed by him in 1990. This led to the formal release of their studio album Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
. The album was recorded at Casbah studios in Fullerton, California
during two sessions about a year apart. The A side featured new material recorded at the time the band signed with Narrowpath Records of Concord, California
. It was produced by the legendary Chaz Ramierez known for his work in the Orange County New Wave and Punk scenes. The B side featured their first studio tracks (previously sold at concerts). After limited release through Narrowpath, the band signed with Michael Knott's Blonde Vinyl Records in 1991. With a new label that could better represent the band's progressive music and image, Breakfast with Amy quickly moved to the forefront of the underground Christian rock scene that had been taking shape in Southern California since the early 80's. During the short lifespan of Blonde Vinyl, Breakfast with Amy released 2 studio albums. After the collapse of Blonde Vinyl Records (largely due to a poor distribution network, ill equipped to handle "new" music in the Gospel market) the band dissolved. In 1995, they released their final album (a live compilation), Live At The Hawleywould Bowl!, under Flying Tart Records. The band never truly found a mainstream audience in or out of Christian circles.
In 1995, Gray Dot records re-released their first album with completely re-mastered tracks and
four bonus demo tracks (culled from their original demo). Today, Breakfast with Amy is remembered by fans of the fledgling alternative Christian rock scene as one
of the staples of Blonde Vinyl Records, being present on nearly all of their compilation CDs (as well as other alternative Christian rock compilations) and being one of only a few artists on the label to make a music video.
For those lucky enough to have seen them live, the band may be best remembered for their outlandish stage shows. A typical performance featured costumes, Go go dancing, flaming taxidermy
, and movie projectors used as stage lighting. Shows often ended with instrument destruction and a 5 minute wall of feedback
. Due to these factors, the band was rarely invited back to a venue be it a club or a church.
Stylistically, the band is best described as Post-punk
, mixing elements of Psychedelic rock
, Art rock
, and Punk rock
into an odd amalgam. Some of the songs have decidedly Pop music
melodies, while others feature layer after layer of guitar dissonance
and feedback
. Musical influences include U2
, Echo & the Bunnymen
, Sonic Youth
, The Who
, The Ramones
, The Sex Pistols
and The New York Dolls
.
Stage Hands
Happy fun Clown- Ken Bower (VEEPEE @ BV/VofY)
Live Albums
Compilations
Videos
Christian alternative rock
Christian alternative rock is a form of alternative rock music that is lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview. Some critics have suggested that unlike CCM and older Christian rock, Christian alternative rock generally emphasizes musical style over lyrical content as a defining genre...
band that formed in 1986 in La Habra, California
La Habra, California
La Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. Its related city, La Habra Heights is located to the north of La Habra, and is in Los Angeles County.-Origin of name:...
at the La Habra Four-Square church. At that time, the band consisted of vocalist David Koval, bassist Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn, guitarist Christopher Colbert, and drummer Paul Pellegrin. The pastor of the church was throwing a Saturday night concert. A band had backed out and he needed a replacement. David, Christopher, Paul and Jeff quickly formed "Friends of Amy" to perform.
The band was later joined by Caryn Barker (married the guitarist Christopher Colbert about 1989, divorced about 1996) and Charlotte Stripland on bass. Charlotte was later permanently replaced in 1989 by Bob "Edwin" Wohler. Brothers Eric and Jeremy Wood filled in on Bass and Drums respectively in the final days of the band.
The band initially released an independent demo tape in 1987. It featured 3 songs (Funeral, Ferris Wheel and Love Song) and was recorded at Half Moon Studio by engineer Dan Bush. For the demo, the line-up featured Rich Berger on Drums. In 1988 the band released a professionally recorded demo tape (see side B of the Narrowpath release). In 1989, Breakfast with Amy was approached by Greg Sostrom of Narrowpath Records and subsequently signed by him in 1990. This led to the formal release of their studio album Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (BWA album)
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is the first studio album by the Christian alternative rock band Breakfast with Amy, released in 1990. Produced by the band at Casbah Studios in Fullerton, California, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt was the group's first release on Narrowpath...
. The album was recorded at Casbah studios in Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
during two sessions about a year apart. The A side featured new material recorded at the time the band signed with Narrowpath Records of Concord, California
Concord, California
Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 122,067. Originally founded in 1869 as the community of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco, the name was changed to Concord within months...
. It was produced by the legendary Chaz Ramierez known for his work in the Orange County New Wave and Punk scenes. The B side featured their first studio tracks (previously sold at concerts). After limited release through Narrowpath, the band signed with Michael Knott's Blonde Vinyl Records in 1991. With a new label that could better represent the band's progressive music and image, Breakfast with Amy quickly moved to the forefront of the underground Christian rock scene that had been taking shape in Southern California since the early 80's. During the short lifespan of Blonde Vinyl, Breakfast with Amy released 2 studio albums. After the collapse of Blonde Vinyl Records (largely due to a poor distribution network, ill equipped to handle "new" music in the Gospel market) the band dissolved. In 1995, they released their final album (a live compilation), Live At The Hawleywould Bowl!, under Flying Tart Records. The band never truly found a mainstream audience in or out of Christian circles.
In 1995, Gray Dot records re-released their first album with completely re-mastered tracks and
four bonus demo tracks (culled from their original demo). Today, Breakfast with Amy is remembered by fans of the fledgling alternative Christian rock scene as one
of the staples of Blonde Vinyl Records, being present on nearly all of their compilation CDs (as well as other alternative Christian rock compilations) and being one of only a few artists on the label to make a music video.
For those lucky enough to have seen them live, the band may be best remembered for their outlandish stage shows. A typical performance featured costumes, Go go dancing, flaming taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
, and movie projectors used as stage lighting. Shows often ended with instrument destruction and a 5 minute wall of feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
. Due to these factors, the band was rarely invited back to a venue be it a club or a church.
Stylistically, the band is best described as Post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, mixing elements of Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, Art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, and Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
into an odd amalgam. Some of the songs have decidedly Pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
melodies, while others feature layer after layer of guitar dissonance
Dissonance
Dissonance has several meanings, all related to conflict or incongruity:*Consonance and dissonance in music are properties of an interval or chord*Cognitive dissonance is a state of mental conflict...
and feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
. Musical influences include U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and The New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
.
Band members
Band members- David Koval — vocals, electric sitar, acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, mandolin
- Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn - bass guitar
- Charlotte Stripland - bass guitar
- Bob "Edwin" Wohler — bass guitar
- Eric Wood - bass guitar
- Christopher "Chrissy" Colbert — guitar
- Caryn Colbert — guitar
- Rich Berger - drums
- Paul Pellegrin — drums
- Jeremy Wood - drums
Stage Hands
- Mr. Rhumba - Team captain and babysitter (band manager)
- Nathan Pellegrin - ProjectionistProjectionistA Projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector. In the strict sense of the term this means any movie projector and therefore could include someone who operates the projector in a home video show or school. In common usage the term is generally understood to describe a paid employee of...
- Trish the Dish - Go Go dancer
- LaLa Nellie - Go Go dancer
- Beth - Go Go dancer
- Gina - Go Go dancer
- Sonja - Go Go dancer
- Margaret the Bubble Girl
Happy fun Clown- Ken Bower (VEEPEE @ BV/VofY)
Discography
Studio Albums- Breakfast with Amy (custom demo)
- Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (custom demo)
- Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing HurtEverything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (BWA album)Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is the first studio album by the Christian alternative rock band Breakfast with Amy, released in 1990. Produced by the band at Casbah Studios in Fullerton, California, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt was the group's first release on Narrowpath...
(Narrowpath #SPCN7900602550) 1990 - Dad (Blonde Vinyl #BVCD 5556) 1991
- Tuck in Your Love Gift [unreleased album from Vox Vinyl] 1991
- product # bvcd 3482 (love gift)Love Giftproduct # bvcd 3482 or Love Gift is the third and final studio album by the Christian alternative rock band Breakfast with Amy, released in 1992. Love Gift was the band's last release on Blonde Vinyl Records, and ended up being one of the lastreleases by any record label owned by Michael Knott...
(Blonde Vinyl #BVCD 3482) 1992 - Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing HurtEverything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (BWA album)Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt is the first studio album by the Christian alternative rock band Breakfast with Amy, released in 1990. Produced by the band at Casbah Studios in Fullerton, California, Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt was the group's first release on Narrowpath...
[reissue] (gray dot #gdr 9503CD) 1995
Live Albums
- Live At The Hawleywould Bowl! (Flying Tart #TARTCD 1005) 1995
Compilations
- Blonde Vinyl Teaser II: Food for Thought (Blonde Vinyl #BVCD 0072) 1991
- Radioactive Hits: The Definitive Blonde Vinyl Collection (Broken Records #84418-8885-2) 1993
- Live Long and Perspire: Sub Tart Vol. 1 (Flying Tart #TART-1001) 1995?
- Afters (gray dot #BPD3010) 1997
- Toast and Olive. "Friends of Tomorrow" (gray dot #BDP3031) 1998
Videos
- Me [video of the song]
- The Sound of One Hand Snacking [unreleased documentary]