San Francisco based band, Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs recently released their sophomore record Indian Rug Burn. The ‘trash blues’ band is comprised of members, Philip Thorneycroft, Jake Natkin, Alvie Adams, and Brady Boyle. The band hosted a release show for the new EP with some local friends this past October. Learn more about Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs from their responses. Don’t forget to check out the music video for their single, “Hay Bay,” below.
How would you describe your music to others?
The best way to describe our music is, very loud and in your face. We like to call our music trash blues. In reality we are a rock n roll band with bluesy and punk rock influence.
What is the story/meaning behind the name, Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs?
The band was originally from Tempe, Arizona, where Alvie lived in a house we called Breakfast; the reason behind that is a story in and of itself. Breakfast was a musicians party house and it’s where we all met. So to simplify it, Alvie wrote most of the songs and the rest of the band were friends that lived in and trashed the house all the time, hint the breakfast pigs.
Who and what influences your music? Why?
Old and as well as new music is always on our playlists. Whether we are listening to new garage rock like Fidlar or Thee Oh Sees, or to older classic music like The Band and CCR, each member has different influences on their writing styles. Our rhythm section Brady and jake definitely have punk rock influence in their blood, where as Alvie and Philip come more from the classic rock side. The balance of our roots really shows in our writing styles.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
We love doing outdoor stuff and being active if we can. Camping, drink beers on the beach, biking, or going on hikes are definitely some of our favorite ways to get away from life. Other than that music is stuff right on top still. We love supporting all of the great music in the Bay Area whether its local or touring music.
Who is the pickiest eater?
None of us are really too picky but if I had to guess I would say Alvie. He does not really like tomatoes or onions so it seems like his burritos,which are had often, always have some mods on them.
How often and how long do you practice together?
As much as possible, but we always practice once a week for 3-4 hours . When we have time we also try to get together on the weekends and play.
How would you describe your writing process?
In the past Alvie mostly wrote the songs and the rest of the band would be the cherries and sprinkles on top, making all the songs sound extra good. This time around we really took a group approach on writing this EP rather then just having one person come up with the songs and I think it really shows. When writing lyrics I really like to keep it ambiguous so that the audience can interpret our songs in their own way.
Can you talk about the inspiration behind your single, “Hey Bay”?
“Hey Bay” is really about our first 2 years in the Bay area and how much of a 180 it was from AZ. It talks about the crazy things you see living in SF along with some of the great things about living in the bay.
How is Indian Rug Burn different from your debut EP?
We are very excited to be releasing Indian Rug Burn in San Francisco; we have come a long way. This EP represents our Journey to get to where we are today. With songs like “Hey Bay” that represent our first few years in the bay and songs like “Stuck in Whittier” which talk about our life when we lived in Whittier, Alaska a small Fishing town where Philip and Alvie spent a summer to afford to move to SF. This EP is also from a much more mature band, in our opinion. We have really grown together in a short time and I think it is apparent on this EP. Adding a second guitar player, Philip, also really helps solidify our rock n roll sound.
Do you play covers at practices or shows? If so, which ones are your favorites?
We do not play lots of covers live, but when we do we like doing songs that we all really enjoy. Mostly old blues jams or classic rock like Jim Croce, Muddy waters, Little walters, The doors, and CCR to name a few.
What do you typically do post-gig?
We really like to stay and hang out with bands and fans and keep on drinking, or maybe head to a night spot to get some burritos and more beers.
What image do you think your music conveys?
Our Image is that Rock n Roll is not dead and you don’t need someone on a computer to dance and have a good time. We play loud and in your face music so you can keep your feet dancing and your mouth drinking. In this day and age it seems like if there is no 808 or DJ beat, dancing doesn’t always happen. Our goal is to bring back dancing to rock n roll.
What has been one of your biggest challenges?
One of our biggest challenges was picking up our band from AZ and moving it to SF. It has been quite the journey to get here. Philip and Alvie moved to Alaska for a summer in order to save the money to afford to come out to the bay and keep playing music. Philip was actually one of our OG breakfast pigs back when we were originally a 4 piece in 2010. We played a few shows just for fun before he moved away. Jake has been our drummer since 2013 before the first EP Snake Headed Faceless Cowboy came out when we were a 3-piece and was able to make the move out here a few months after Phillip and Alvie. Mike Spero our old bass player is on to bigger and better things. He now plays bass in Authority Zero and is killing it. Brady has been a friend for years and used to live in Tempe in our house “Breakfast”. He had been in SF for 5 years and was down to replace Mike when we made the move.
What has been your funniest or craziest fan/show experience?
I think one of our favorite shows was at our last EP release show in Tempe, AZ. The best part about the show was that we got to play a really small venue with a ton of people that were dancing and having a great time. With all the crazy stuff that happened that night our favorite was when the band that played after us, Plainfield butchers, ended up getting in a fist fight in the middle of the set that resulted in the singer punching the drummer out before the 5th song. It was not the craziest thing that happened all night but our favorite. Hopefully this Ep release will be just as EPIC.
What is something odd you want fans to know about you?
Alvie has never washed his mustache with water, he only uses bodily fluids and coconut oil.
What can we expect from Alvie & the Breakfast Pigs in the coming months?
SHOWS, SHOWS, SHOWS and well, if we keep things moving the way they have been, we hope to have a full length LP out next year, which is already in tracking stages for recording. We also are planning a small tour with dates TBA in the Spring, so 2017 is looking to be a busy year already.
Kryptonite Music Magazine 