Atlanta Shows us Blues Isn’t Dead : Meet Bread N Butter
Written by Rylea Anacleto 12/19/25
Nestled within the hustle and bustle of Atlanta is an intricate band of eclectic creatives making music that provides and creates irresistibly soulful sound, named Bread N Butter. You do not want to miss out on seeing them perform. The soulfulness that resonates from Frankie’s voice is much like the stories that reside in the walls of the old blues bar in which they perform.
Ronnie Bullock, who is on the keyboard, alto saxophone, and vocals, and Garrett Caver, who plays bass, have been playing for nearly a decade in other bands such as their origin band, Blue Talk. They met on the first day of freshman year because they lived two floors apart in the dormitory. During their first college house party in Starkville, Mississippi, they bumped into each other and learned of their shared musicality, and by the very next day they formed Blue Talk, which eventually led them to move to Atlanta about four and a half years ago.
Meanwhile, Frankie, who was coming from California but originally from North Carolina, eventually crossed paths with the group because of the interconnected gig scene that is prevalent in Atlanta. Frankie and Chris met while working a gig with Yule — a band headed by Riley Dugan. Riley may not be a part of the band, but he is noted as being the mastermind behind it. This is because he is the same friend who convinced Frankie to go watch Ronnie and Garrett play the very first night they all met. Frankie saw Chris absolutely killing it on the guitar dobro and vocals alongside Yule, leaned over to Riley, and said, “I’m poaching him.” And did.
You are likely to find them on the side of North Highland Ave NE, Virginia-Highlands, Atlanta, in a quaint but magical bar. Blind Willie’s is a legendary blues bar amongst locals, with a deep-rooted history. Inside the walls of this historic club, there have been over 10,000 nights of live blues bands. Among these bands, you will be introduced to Bread N Butter.
Bread N Butter is a five-piece blues band founded in Atlanta, but that’s not all they are. They are a wildly intertwined constellation of long-lasting friendships and overlapping projects with a history of Southern musical lineage. Instead of having a single origin point, they formed from years of interpersonal relationships which have gone as far as crossing state lines, dorm rooms, different gig circuits, band houses, and late-night shows that have helped define the local music scene.
“Blues is such a hard thing to do, right? Yeah. It's more of a feeling. And like, and it's so fucking good, too.” — Garrett Caver
Photography by Rylea Anacleto
At this point, they had their guitar dobro, lead vocalist, bass, and keyboard player, but they were still missing the final puzzle piece: a drummer. While pursuing a gig at Northside Tavern, they met Jeff Jani, who was playing alongside Tyler Neal, who used to have the Wednesday night spot at Northside but has since passed the baton off to them. Jeff plays a crucial role in the band, not only as the drummer but also by taking the lead in photography, videography, and what they refer to as “an all-around badass.” Once the band all found each other, Frankie noted that, “It was a no-brainer. The meat and potatoes. They just fit.”
Throughout the interview, you are overwhelmed with a sense of true friendship and recognition of each and every one of their talents and melodic purposes.
“I can be myself around these guys, and there's no unrealistic expectations of our humanness. Right? You know what I mean?” — Frankie
They all say that the reason Bread N Butter works so well is because they genuinely enjoy playing together. It’s joyful and collaborative, while simultaneously being creatively fulfilling.
The origin of the name Bread N Butter is unknown — or at least not remembered. Someone said it once and it stuck like glue. It became the bit of the group. They have talked about changing it, some saying they want something “more serious,” while others say it’s perfected in its uniqueness. One thing is for certain: the fans love it, and at this point it comes with the charm. So for now, it remains.
Each member of this band is constantly collaborating and working on multiple projects — Blue Talk, Vinyl Suns, Funk You, Five Man Trio, Yule — in addition to rotating gigs, video work, etc. Every one of them is extremely multifaceted, encompassing many different aspects of sound and music. Because of this, they naturally bring a supergroup feeling.
“We respect each other. We have a great understanding of like, you know, we're not just here playing music together, but we're people, and I'm choosing consciously to love you.” — Frankie
Each person brings different influences of funk, soul, blues, Southern rock, and even jam band sounds. As they described it:
“This band is all of us bringing every flavor we’ve picked up in all the other bands.”
When asked about the influence of rotating artists on the sound of Bread N Butter as a whole, Garrett was sure to say, “We each found our voices individually, and together it becomes a culmination of all of our individual sounds and experiences.” With each member coming from a different sonic background but being such multifaceted artists, I was keen to ask what makes Bread N Butter different from their ongoing projects. They mentioned how a big part of it was the blues aspect, which is unlike their other projects in terms of genre.
“I just, for whatever reason, I think it was my own ignorance, I kind of discounted blues, like, ‘Oh, I can play the blues.’ And then the more blues you play, you're like, no, you fucking can't.”
They also made sure to note that the relationships within the band create a notable sense of family and connection — one that cannot be duplicated.
“You can be a dope-ass musician, but to be in a band is special. It's like you're creating art or emulating art. We're not just playing. And it's because of all of the prior connections. You know what I mean? And all the ways that each of us are intertwined.” — Frankie
“Play it the Bread N Butter way.”
Photography by Rylea Anacleto
Being the South’s largest city, a crossroads for touring bands, and a place where the arts are supported, culture is rich, and the possibility for collaboration is endless.
“Everybody’s an Atlanta transplant. You get a reality check here because everyone is good. Everyone pushes you.”
Bread N Butter is among the newest projects in the mix for all of the people involved, and with this comes a fresh feeling and a gleaming sense of opportunity. Although they haven’t released music on streaming platforms, that only allows them more creative freedom to experiment with their sound.
“It's like the preciousness of being something so new.”
Despite being newer, they already have groupies — people who follow them from bar to bar to see them perform. Alone, in pairs, with friends and lovers alike, they are all left dancing. These people come from all ages and backgrounds, with one thing in common: a love for the band and the music. They have a way of creating a community ranging from ages 21 to 80, which is a rare commodity these days. This is especially unique because, in a day of instant gratification and an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset, the fact that their fanbase remains loyal when the only time they can hear them is live is remarkable.
So if you ever get the opportunity to see Bread N Butter, you’d be remiss not to take it. They perform locally at Blind Willie’s, Moonshadow Tavern, and hopefully — for the sake of all of us — many more places to come. They are an incredibly soulful blues band with a bright future.
“Music is emotion. It's nothing but feelings and emotions. And I think, in order to be effective and able to create music, you have to understand other people’s emotions — especially when they differ from yours. This group of people, we are very good at trying to understand where other people are coming from, and I think that reflects over.” — Chris
Go check them out!
Instagrams:
@breadnbutteratl
@frankienoname
@robot.ronnie
@garrett.caver
@chris_callahan
@jeffjaniphotos
With the band meeting and originating from the heart of Atlanta, but all coming from different places around the country, I was curious to find out if it was divine timing and why they all moved to Atlanta. Frankie said, “I moved to Atlanta for this kind of music.” As we know, Ronnie and Garrett moved to Atlanta from Mississippi in pursuit of music as well. Jeff moved to Atlanta for both the music and the videography — as he has been credited with working on the first James Gunn Superman, released earlier this year, and the most recent Godzilla vs. Kong. Chris noted, “Atlanta has got a very long history of a lot of the music that we play.”
They all agreed that Atlanta changed them for the better. They all felt like big fish in a small pond until they came to Atlanta, which initially made them feel like “a really fucking small fish.” It pushed them to be better artists and develop deeper, more meaningful sound. They explained it as a hub for musicians because of many things:
“Well, there is a realm of blues that came from Atlanta, but a lot of the music here came from a lot of different places. Right? This just became like the hub.”
Photography By Rylea Anacleto