the morning benders caught our eyes, ears and hearts in 2007 with their inspiring ambition to become an international band, while staying true to their hometown of Berkeley and building things the right way.
Over 2007, the morning benders - chris (vocals, guitars, organ, rhodes, pianos), joe (guitars, rhodes, pianos, organ), julian (drums, percussion) and dp (bass) - self-released 2 very raw but charming EP’s. ‘Loose Change’ was recorded on a laptop with one microphone and ‘Boarded Doors’ was recorded at the bands home practice space in a basement. They began to build a passionate and loyal fan-base by feverishly gigging around the Bay Area and Los Angeles at everything from house parties to supporting noteworthy bands such as Yo La Tengo, Two Gallants, MGMT, White Rabbits, Au Revoir Simone, Yeasayer, The Long Winters, Oh No! Oh My!, The Deadly Syndrome, The Rosebuds and more.
Through the release of these EP’s and word spreading on their kickin' live shows, the morning benders began to receive a groundswell of support from the San Francisco media, including SF Bay Guardian ('perfectly perculating pop thrills') and SF Weekly ('brill building-like melodies'). The blog community began to take notice, including online tastemakers Stereogum, Pitchfork, My Old Kentucky Blog, The Tripwire, Idolator, Little Radio, and more.
Oh, and they also decided to record a full-length album. Lead Singer Chris Chu got a gig as an engineer at Different Fur studio and in exchange for getting paid, he received studio time. In 2 months time, he was engineering records for other bands and had finished his own record. Did we mention that he was 20 years old at the time?
Well, when you have vision, dedication, a magnetic personality, and, of course, a knack for writing a mean tune, good things happen...
the morning benders are now poised to reap the benefits of their hard work and vision and we will be taking their Cali-pop jams to the world in 2008 with the release of...
'waiting for a war,' limited edition 7inch (March 11th, 2008, +1 Records Club)
'talking through tin cans,' their debut full-length album (May 6th, 2008 +1 Records)
Local scene gurus such as Aaron Axelsen from Live105 San Francisco and Kevin Bronson from LA Times Buzz Bands have taken early notice and shown support. the morning benders have been one of the most requested local artists on Aaron Axelson’s 'Soundcheck' show 4 weeks in a row and the #9 top played this month. Aaron has also called them 'a new homegrown act from the Bay Area scene ready to make their mark' on his 'Bands To Watch In 2008' radio show.
the morning benders will be playing two shows supporting The Kooks in Los Angeles as well as Noise Pop in San Francisco in February, then will head down to Austin for SXSW in March. Stay tuned for news on special album release shows to be announced.
Upcoming US Shows:
Feb 7th Los Angeles @ The Troubador w/ The Kooks – SOLD OUT
Feb 8th Los Angeles @ The Echo w/ The Kooks – SOLD OUT
Feb 25th Costa Mesa @ Detroit Bar w/ We Barbarians
Feb 28th San Francisco Noise Pop 2008 @ The Independent w/ Kelley Stoltz & Grand Archives
Mar 1st San Jose @ The Blank Club w/ Scissors for Lefty
Mar 12th – 15th Austin, Texas SXSW 2008 (Details TBA)
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