The Official Site of the B Breakers
Instrumental Surf 'n' Twang!
Band Biography
Formed in 2010, the Bakersfield Breakers are a three-piece instrumental group from New York City that consists of Keith Yaun (Guitar), John Hamilton (Bass Guitar), and John DiGiulio (Drums).
The band’s mission is to reawaken the classic guitar-driven sound of 1950’s Bakersfield and the driving tunes of 1960’s surf rock. In addition to its large catalog of covers, the group also performs originals that fit perfectly with the vintage vibe and can comfortably cover gigs of anywhere from forty-five minutes to three hours.
Band Reviews
the B Breakers always strive to create music that is unique and sounds great. Browse through the following selection of reviews relating to the B Breakers, covering everything from insights on the evolution of their musicality, to ratings of their latest work and recent performances.
"Keith Yaun and the 'Bakersfield Breakers' will definitely tickle your auditory nerves with
amazing, tasteful and powerful guitar picking combined with a 'no holds barred' rhythm section
that regularly breaks the sound barrier.
Superb musicianship and great tunes that blend high end country rock and jazzy west coast
surf-twang. Great stuff!!"
Gene Parsons - The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, co-inventor of the Parsons/White B-Bender
"I finally got a chance to listen to the CD you sent me, it's GREAT!
You know I grew up on and love instrumentals, so it's right in my "wheelhouse" as they say.
It's a very cool sound - And I can't think of anyone doing anything remotely like it at the moment.
I hear a blend of The Ventures, Buck Owens, Link Ray, and The Byrds when Clarence White was in the band. You got a great band, a great guitar player, and his playing reminds me of some of the instrumental passages on "The Byrds Live at the Fillmore West" CD that came out about a decade ago.
The Monkees cover is a gas, a good and unexpected choice for an instrumental.
There's a lot of love in this music."
Pat DiNizio - The Smithereens
"In a discussion of the similarities between the Bakersfield Sound and the sound of Surf Guitar from the early sixties, I learned of the existence of
The Bakersfield Breakers, a band that uses these elements within its signature sound. I bought their album Dune Buggy, which I enjoyed greatly. I also just purchased their album In the Studio With The Bakersfield Breakers. There's some great Surf and some great Country here.
Telecasters are seldom seen In the Surf guitar world. More than once I've thought of a Surf Tele, but Keith Yaun seems to be ahead of me on this one. His Tele doesn't seem to have a vibrato tailpiece but it does look like there's a B Bender. He gets a very credible sound and uses it well. The guitar work is of the highest caliber.
It has recently been brought to my attention that there actually is more to a band than the lead guitar, which came as a bit of a shock. In this band, John Hamilton (Bass Guitar), and John DiGiulio (Drums) certainly earn their recognition as musicians of skill equal to the task. The three work together as a seamless unit. As I type this, I'm listening to a cut called "Whispering Guitar" and the sensitivity of all members is apparent as they work together to make the lower volume passages listenable. The balance is remarkable, not just with regard to volume, but with regard to what each musician plays and how they all yield sonic space to the needs of the song.
Perhaps what I like best about this band is that it so perfectly fits my notion of a trio. I strongly prefer working in a trio setting and I enjoy the challenge of keeping a full sound without a rhythm guitarist or keyboard player. In this band the sound is a pure and clean Tele backed by a P bass and drums.
Because of this experience, I have an even greater appreciation for what is happening in the Bakersfield Breakers. They keep a solid, consistent sound, even in the challenging realm of a G,B,D trio. That's the hardest aspect of the trio, keeping the sound full without making it too busy or just sinking into a bed of chords at every turnaround. For anyone wanting to study how to go about this task, the Bakersfield Breakers recordings are an excellent source of information."
Mark Sorenson - Gretsch-Talk.com
Dune Buggy
The official video for the title track of the B Breakers' second album!
Live on RBBC Radio
The B Breakers - LIVE - on RBBC Radio!
The Girl That I Knew Somewhere
A Michael Nesmith tune originally performed by the Monkees. Recorded live at Singlecut Beersmiths, Astoria, NY.
Tell the B Breakers what you think about their videos. They’d love to hear from you