by Sedera Ranaivoarinosy

The Morning Benders Release EP In Support Of Japan Relief Efforts

If you didn’t know, Chris Chu brothers of The Morning Benders was born in Japan. And the band was going to play a concert in Japan this month. In light of the recent disaster over there, and in order to offer all the help they can give, The Morning Benders are releasing Japan Echo, an EP only available on the band’s website, whose proceeds, 100% of them, will be donated to the Japan Society’s Emergency Relief Fund. Get it HERE.

Full EP Tracklisting:
1. Cold War (Star Slinger Remix)
2. Better In Blue
3. Hand Me Downs (Wild Nothing Remix)
4. Excuses (RAC Remix)
5. Mason Jar (Twin Sister Remix)
6. Wet Cement (Aislyn Remix)
7. Little Riot
8. Promises (Star Slinger Remix)

02.24.11

by Jane Lambert

Song of the Day: The Morning Benders – “Promises”

02.14.11

by Jane Lambert

Song of the Day: The Morning Benders – “Love Fool”

Happy Valentine’s Day Love Birds!

11.22.10

by kenami

The Morning Benders @ Webster Hall, NYC – November 18, 2010

The Morning Benders are a band I first encountered at The Market Place Hotel (R.I.P.) in Brooklyn supporting Surfer Blood (also that evening playing alongside bands such as Grooms, Turbo Fruits, and Beach Fossils) and I’ll admit at first I wasn’t impressed, but there was a certain charm their stage presence put out that has stuck with me. The band not only seemed incredibly young but ripe for the journey most aspiring musicians cannot even comprehend, fast forward to where we are today, the bands sophomore record Big Echo is destined to make many top 10 list, they have already supported Ra Ra Riot, White Rabbits, MGMT, Yeasayer, and The Black Keys, and after all of that the band have set out on their first headlining tour. Not bad for the four little guys who played Market Hotel earlier this year.

The bands performance really surprised me. Its unbelievable how much a band can change in the span of a year but The Morning Benders make it a feat to show that they’ve been doing nothing but learning. Chris Chu fronts the band with a relaxed talent but isn’t afraid to get into his tunes, while his brother Jon Chu backs him up with a rhythm guitar which could be named precision. After the third track Chris Chu proclaimed “Earlier this year we released an album called Big Echo! We’re going to play a lot of tracks from it to thank all of you for the year we had!” I was lucky enough to capture their show at Webster Hall (along with photos of opening act Twin Sister).

Photos from the show can be viewed here.

11.19.10

by Sedera Ranaivoarinosy

The Morning Benders’ “Excuses” Get the Golden Filter Treatment

If you missed The Morning Benders’ shows in the US and unfortunately cannot afford a Christmas/New Years’ vacation in Australia where they are headed next, this may not quite be enough to counter the disappointment, but it can at least provide you with one extra tune you can impress your friends with. New York City electronic duo The Golden Filter have remixed the Californians’ ballad “Excuses,” off their album Big Echo (Rough Trade). In this shiny new arrangement, Chris Chu’s voice is complimented with Golden Filter singer Penelope Trappes’s for an eerie, echoed beginning. It quickly transitions into a steady beat that replaces the original song’s twirling guitars. Instead, a never ending keyboard loop will have you entranced, so much that the abrupt breaks in the song will have you disoriented, until you realize they were just there to let you catch your breath before another round of frenetic dancing.

You can download this remix for free on The Morning Benders’ website HERE but make sure to get a first listen below:

11.15.10

by Jane Lambert

NYC’s Weekly Show Roundup!

Sufjan Stevens @ Beacon Theatre

DJ Shadow @ Irving Plaza

Fiction Plane, The Globes @ Mercury Lounge (Early Show)

Oh Land @ Mercury Lounge (Late Show)

Mumford & Sons, Cadillac Sky, King Charles @ Terminal 5

Jonsi (and Kjartan of Sigur Ros), Alex Somers (of Riceboy Sleeps), Hilliard Ensemble, Latvian National Choir, Wordless Music Orchestra
@ The Church of St. Paul the Apostle