The Breedings are a brother-sister duo (for real – not in the White Stripes sense), comprising singer/songwriter Willie Breeding and his sister, Erin. Though originally from Lexington, KY with stops in Boston and Brooklyn, they recently moved to Nashville, where they recorded their debut LP, Laughing at Luck. What you get is a sound that fuses Erin’s southern-Stevie-Nicks-inspired pipes with her brother’s soft, emotional tone and locomotive songs with plenty of rock sensibilities (and from their harmonies, you have to imagine they got along as kids rather than punch each other in the stomach). Listen to their tune “Laughing at Luck” here, and catch them live on Thursday at the 5 Spot.
The Breedings /// Nashville Five:
The Breedings spend a lot of time eating and drinking, and thinking about eating and drinking, everywhere we go. When we’re back home in East Nashville, nothing changes. We plan the activities of our day around consumption! Here is our Nashville Five – Eating and Drinking Around the Clock:
10:00 am: UGLY MUGS – We love the food, drink and people here – the baristas are super nice, know you by name and even laugh at your jokes. An excellent start to the day is an egg sandwich and a latte. I like some vanilla in my latte, but Willie prefers plain (boring). It’s also an excellent lunch, mid-afternoon snack, or I-have-no-excuse-to-eat-but-watch-me meal. We are here so often that we don’t actually designate a place for band meetings, we just both show up at Ugly Mugs. In fact…we are writing this from Ugly Mugs right now. Shrug.
2:00 pm: THE TOY BOX STUDIO/MITCHELL’S DELI – We just finished recording our second album at the amazing Toy Box Studios and every single day lunch was from Mitchell’s Deli. They never disappoint! They make amazing fresh, fat sandwiches and will alter yours any way you require (cucumbers and jalapenos on everything, right Hags?). The highlight, though, is checking their twitter feed every day for their ever-changing soups and specials. The excitement of the unknown!! But be warned: they will sell out. And it could ruin your session for the day.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: HOLLAND HOUSE – Our favorite happy hour in the city!! The Holland House specializes in fresh, hand-made cocktails filled with love. From 5:00 – 7:00 every night, they’re $5! FIVE BUCKS, people! They also have great beers for $2.50. If you don’t know what you want (this is rare in Breedings-land – we drink a lot of bourbon and wine here), the bartenders will read your mind and make something up on the spot. The food here is amazing, too, but we just ate lunch at 2:00, remember?
7:00 pm – 12:00 am: RUDOLPH AVE – Yeah, I know. I put my own house. But I love cooking. A lot. And we are here for dinner most frequently. (Willie: “Hands-down, the best pizza in Nashville is served at Erin’s house. Sitting around talking shit, listening to tunes, and eating is what we do, so it happens all the time. Erin and her husband also have an amazing sound system, which is rare these days! Our listening parties are usually some form of fish tacos and then sitting around the stereo with a drink. Most importantly, this house is within walking distance of any bar we would (and do) need to walk to to check out who is playing what.”)
12:00 am – 2:00 am: BEYOND THE EDGE/I DREAM OF WEENIE – Our two favorite options for a late-night dinner after a gig. Buffalo tenders (Extra Hot!), fries and a Yeungling on the patio at Beyond the Edge end a night perfectly. And, if it’s winter and you are sitting inside, they have a jukebox! Their menu is actually huge and quite varied and they have a thousand beers, but we almost always order the same thing. Both of us. On some nights, however, if you’re really, really lucky….across the street…a small building cemented to a trailer might just have its lights on. When that is the case, I Dream Of Weenie will serve you the best damn hot dog you’ve ever had in your life. Even if you’re vegetarian! You’ll wonder how anyone could make such soft buns. And you won’t even feel dirty about it.
The Breedings’ “Come Summer”:
Lockeland Springsteen 