The Morning Benders have been one of my favorite bands ever since I saw them open for The Kooks in spring 2008. They moved even further up my list after releasing the wonderful Big Echo, and capturing my heart and adoration. Chris Chu and the band have been really busy touring and promotion the record, but he still made time for a short little interview with me. The guy is top class, and really friendly.
Check it out:
Will: My introduction to The Morning Benders was when you guys opened for The Kooks at Terminal 5 back in 2008. What do you remember about that show?
Chris: That show was a lot of fun. I remember the sound being kind of weird, but the crowd being great.
Will: Can you tell my readers how the Morning Benders came together?
Chris: Match.com
Will: What was the song writing process like when you were writing Big Echo?
Chris: I wrote all the songs in one spurt, mostly in about a month or two. I generally write songs in families like that, so we know they belong together as an album. From the beginning we were calling them “Big Echo” songs. I wasn’t really clear why I thought they should be called that at the beginning, but as we started fleshing the songs out a bit it made more and more sense.
Will: How did the Yours Truly video come together? How rewarding was it for you hearing all the acclaim for it?
Chris: It was just us wanting to get together with all our friends and play a song. You see a lot of videos of bands performing songs in studio sessions or whatever these days, and I find a lot of them to be pretty boring. This was our attempt at making something special. I am so happy to see that people have been moved by the video, and have been affected enough to want to show their friends and such. It’s amazing!
Will: When did your brother become an official member of the band?
Chris: He’s been with us for almost a year now, since last spring. He went to Europe/UK with us, and did the Grizzly Bear and Girls shows.
Will: How has the moved from NYC changed your lives as musicians? I see you discovered the soup dumpling at Joe’s Shanghai from another interview. Isn’t it the greatest?
Chris: It’s been great so far. Honestly, the main reason I wanted to move to NY was the food. Joe’s Shanghai, for example, is incredible, and so unique in the states. Ippudo is really amazing as well. Diner in Brooklyn. Aburiya in midtown. They got it all.
Will: How does a song come together for the morning benders?
Chris: We start with the lyrics and melody, and then we infuse true love and deep thoughts/feelings.
Will: Favorite tour memory?
Chris: This crackhead sneaking in the back door at the Local 506 in North Carolina and pushing Julian out of the way and taking over his drum set. Right when we were supposed to start our set…
Will: With that said, Whats your “Almost Famous†moment? If you’ve never seen the movie (watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qn3tel9FWU ). Whats the “defining†moment as the morning benders so far?
Chris: We had a literal “Almost Famous” moment in the van in Arizona, last tour. We stuffed 18 people in the van, and we were all singing “Tiny Dancer.” It was beautiful! I love that movie!
Will: What artists inspired the sounds on Big Echo?
Chris: Too many to list, but here are a few albums I was really into at the time.
The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters
Big Star – Third/Sister Lover
Kevin Shields – Lost In Translation Soundtrack Stuff
Blur – Think Tank
Talking Heads – Speaking In Tongues
Dirty Projectors – Rise Above
Nico – Chelsea Girl
Will: Favorite beer?
Chris: I drink Gin.
Will: A band that my readers should know, that no one knows about?
Chris: The Magic Kids
Big Echo is out now, and if you haven’t bought it yet, you better do so now! It’s totally worth it! Purchase it here via Insound.
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