articles
Morningbell
from volume 01 issue 08 // James Ferreira
Morningbell
The Power of Love
Words: James Ferreira
Photos: Courtesy of Morningbell
A few months back, my good friend PJ and I were one of the few in attendance at a benefit show for 88.5 WMNF in which Morningbell was playing at the Orpheum in Ybor City. Their performance that night sparked this brief conversation:
PJ: “These guys are fucking awesome! Why aren’t there more people here?”
Me: “Because everyone is stupid except us, PJ.”
PJ: “You may never be more right about anything in your whole life.”
Although Morningbell hails from Gainesville, thankfully, they play here in Tampa quite often. I had a chance to speak with Eric (Bass, Vocals, and Theremin) and Travis (Lead Vocals and Guitar) about the past, present and future of one the most important bands in Central Florida’s rapidly growing independent music scene. “Travis and I are brothers. We've always played and learned music together. The idea to start a band for real was when Travis began attending the University of Miami and I (Eric) was in my senior year. I had a roommate who played drums and we were going to do it up right. It's evolved over the years via various lineup changes but it has been Me, Travis and Stacie Thrushman (keys) since the summer of 2001. We moved to Gainesville in 2002 and have been here ever since,” Eric explains to me.
Their highly entertaining live shows are eerily reminiscent of a lower budget version of the Flaming Lips, who are one of their greatest musical influences. “The Flaming Lips are irresistible. Wayne Coyne is like Santa Clause and Batman mixed into one. I don't think there is anyone around right now who is even in the same universe as them when it comes to performing and making music into an event to experience with every sense, not just listen to. They are pioneers and they are one of the things that inspire us to try to make our music an event to experience,” says Travis.
I have never seen a more entertaining live performance in all aspects. Morningbell uses humor, cost effective lighting (Christmas and flood lights), a theremin, and an entire band member drum circle to captivate their audiences. Couple this with a strikingly precise sound and you have an instant recipe for a great time. I asked the guys whether or not their on stage antics were used to garner fan interest and Travis said, “I think it started as an attempt to get us more into the music. Or at least more into performing. It's something that sort of starts as self defense; when you're an inexperienced band and aren't very comfortable with performing, you either get really drunk and wear sunglasses or you make silly jokes. I guess I just couldn't find the right pair of sunglasses.”
Eric adds, “We've always believed that if you can't laugh at yourself, you're never going to make it in any business. Having a lighthearted approach helps immensely when something accidentally goes wrong. It's not the end of the world when you're goal is to have a good time rather than put on a flawless show. Also, I don't believe independent bands have room to be uber serious on stage. I feel it's a turn off for a crowd. Unless you're Bono or Chuck D, no one is going to believe you when you dedicate a song to the political prisoners. In the beginning, I feel like it was a way to amuse ourselves and grow as performers. Now, I feel that it’s an intentional way to reach out to the crowd in alternate ways to our music. I think it definitely works. If someone isn't getting the humor, they're probably not going to get our music.”
The end of the 90’s went a long way towards killing rock music for a lot of people. Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock were all over the place and college radio seemed to be dominated by Dave Mathews Band. While this was disheartening for a lot of people, it’s different these days, and rock music, especially on the indie front, has recovered quite well in spite of some gruesome scars. I asked Travis and Eric how they felt about the current state of rock music, “That's tough. It seems that independent music is doing well on an underground, DIY scale. However, without relentless touring, there isn't really a way to get regional,let alone national, recognition. The major labels are obviously hurting and are less willing to take chances on a project that only caters to a niche market. Rock music is not going to die off, but it is definitely wounded and hurting,” Eric tells me.
Travis then said, “The term ‘rock’ has lost all meaning. I even think ‘indie’ has lost all meaning. We need to come up with a new word. But I think popular rock music is like having someone suck your soul out through your eyeballs while the devil sticks syringes filled with pus into your ears. That being said, I really have a problem with people who think that there isn't any good music going on now. There are plenty of college students, people younger than me even, who believe that the 1960’s were better than now and I think that's total bunk. The difference is that now you have to look a little harder, maybe. But I find the current state of music to be very exciting. You've got artists like the Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Bjork, Of Montreal, Death Cab, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, the Shins and on and on. I think all of them are all defining genres and making truly classic music that will stand the test of time. It's quite an exciting time to be making music.”
As grizzled veterans of the Florida touring circuit I asked the guys about how the scenes differ in opposing cities across the state. Eric tells me that, “Gainesville and Tampa have evolved over the past 4 years to become more friendly towards bands. More venues have opened in Gainesville and the smaller rooms have given lots of young bands opportunities for shows. The newspapers have done a complete 180 from when we first arrived and pretty thoroughly cover local music on a weekly basis. Also, Gainesville has drifted away from its' traditional punk rock notoriety and has seen more general college students going out to more diverse shows. Tampa has also seen a resurgence in underground music's popularity. The venues have started booking more bands and are doing more shows. And my favorite thing about Tampa is how they've embraced a handful of us Gainesville bands. Tampa is pretty much our 2nd home now.
Orlando needs work. Even when you try to swap shows with an Orlando band, the Orlando club wants to know how well you draw. They're only concerned about competing with Mickey and finding the next Creed. Problem is that there are a bunch of great people there who want to see quality music. There is also a fair share of good quality bands there.”
In addition to their professed love of Tampa’s growing independent music scene Morningbell actually has pretty strong ties and good friends in Tampa. I asked the guys about their relationship with New Granada Records (based in Tampa) and Eric said, “We met Keith (NGR) through our old friends in Candy Bars. Keith basically inspired me to legitimize my own label in Gainesville (Orange Records of Gainesville). At first we were the only act on the label, but now I have 6 bands, a website, a PO Box, buttons, stickers, and I even have people waiting in line to record with us. It's great. Just to clarify, there is no official business relationship between Morningbell and New Granada, but we constantly appreciate his efforts in the Bay area on behalf of Morningbell, Candy Bars, and music in general.”
With two phenomenal albums already under there belt (2004’s Learning by Musical Montage and 2005’s Forgetting to Wake-Up) the band is set to release their third album. I asked the guys when it was coming out and what to expect from it and Travis told me, “The new album is due out early next year!! All musicians get excited about the new stuff, but I can honestly say, and I think Eric will back me up, that we've never made better music. I'm very excited to put it out. I think it will take us musically to another level.”
Eric adds, “March! We're working on a Tampa preview date for it. And yes, I'm very proud of what we've got so far.”
When asked what the future holds for Morningbell Eric says, “The only plans we make are to be better than we were 6 months ago. So far, we've kept up the pace and we hope this next album will push us even further.”
“I think I might eat something in a few minutes,” Travis informs me.
Check out Morningbell at: www.morningbellonline.com
The Power of Love
Words: James Ferreira
Photos: Courtesy of Morningbell
A few months back, my good friend PJ and I were one of the few in attendance at a benefit show for 88.5 WMNF in which Morningbell was playing at the Orpheum in Ybor City. Their performance that night sparked this brief conversation:
PJ: “These guys are fucking awesome! Why aren’t there more people here?”
Me: “Because everyone is stupid except us, PJ.”
PJ: “You may never be more right about anything in your whole life.”
Although Morningbell hails from Gainesville, thankfully, they play here in Tampa quite often. I had a chance to speak with Eric (Bass, Vocals, and Theremin) and Travis (Lead Vocals and Guitar) about the past, present and future of one the most important bands in Central Florida’s rapidly growing independent music scene. “Travis and I are brothers. We've always played and learned music together. The idea to start a band for real was when Travis began attending the University of Miami and I (Eric) was in my senior year. I had a roommate who played drums and we were going to do it up right. It's evolved over the years via various lineup changes but it has been Me, Travis and Stacie Thrushman (keys) since the summer of 2001. We moved to Gainesville in 2002 and have been here ever since,” Eric explains to me.
Their highly entertaining live shows are eerily reminiscent of a lower budget version of the Flaming Lips, who are one of their greatest musical influences. “The Flaming Lips are irresistible. Wayne Coyne is like Santa Clause and Batman mixed into one. I don't think there is anyone around right now who is even in the same universe as them when it comes to performing and making music into an event to experience with every sense, not just listen to. They are pioneers and they are one of the things that inspire us to try to make our music an event to experience,” says Travis.
I have never seen a more entertaining live performance in all aspects. Morningbell uses humor, cost effective lighting (Christmas and flood lights), a theremin, and an entire band member drum circle to captivate their audiences. Couple this with a strikingly precise sound and you have an instant recipe for a great time. I asked the guys whether or not their on stage antics were used to garner fan interest and Travis said, “I think it started as an attempt to get us more into the music. Or at least more into performing. It's something that sort of starts as self defense; when you're an inexperienced band and aren't very comfortable with performing, you either get really drunk and wear sunglasses or you make silly jokes. I guess I just couldn't find the right pair of sunglasses.”
Eric adds, “We've always believed that if you can't laugh at yourself, you're never going to make it in any business. Having a lighthearted approach helps immensely when something accidentally goes wrong. It's not the end of the world when you're goal is to have a good time rather than put on a flawless show. Also, I don't believe independent bands have room to be uber serious on stage. I feel it's a turn off for a crowd. Unless you're Bono or Chuck D, no one is going to believe you when you dedicate a song to the political prisoners. In the beginning, I feel like it was a way to amuse ourselves and grow as performers. Now, I feel that it’s an intentional way to reach out to the crowd in alternate ways to our music. I think it definitely works. If someone isn't getting the humor, they're probably not going to get our music.”
The end of the 90’s went a long way towards killing rock music for a lot of people. Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock were all over the place and college radio seemed to be dominated by Dave Mathews Band. While this was disheartening for a lot of people, it’s different these days, and rock music, especially on the indie front, has recovered quite well in spite of some gruesome scars. I asked Travis and Eric how they felt about the current state of rock music, “That's tough. It seems that independent music is doing well on an underground, DIY scale. However, without relentless touring, there isn't really a way to get regional,let alone national, recognition. The major labels are obviously hurting and are less willing to take chances on a project that only caters to a niche market. Rock music is not going to die off, but it is definitely wounded and hurting,” Eric tells me.
Travis then said, “The term ‘rock’ has lost all meaning. I even think ‘indie’ has lost all meaning. We need to come up with a new word. But I think popular rock music is like having someone suck your soul out through your eyeballs while the devil sticks syringes filled with pus into your ears. That being said, I really have a problem with people who think that there isn't any good music going on now. There are plenty of college students, people younger than me even, who believe that the 1960’s were better than now and I think that's total bunk. The difference is that now you have to look a little harder, maybe. But I find the current state of music to be very exciting. You've got artists like the Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Bjork, Of Montreal, Death Cab, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, the Shins and on and on. I think all of them are all defining genres and making truly classic music that will stand the test of time. It's quite an exciting time to be making music.”
As grizzled veterans of the Florida touring circuit I asked the guys about how the scenes differ in opposing cities across the state. Eric tells me that, “Gainesville and Tampa have evolved over the past 4 years to become more friendly towards bands. More venues have opened in Gainesville and the smaller rooms have given lots of young bands opportunities for shows. The newspapers have done a complete 180 from when we first arrived and pretty thoroughly cover local music on a weekly basis. Also, Gainesville has drifted away from its' traditional punk rock notoriety and has seen more general college students going out to more diverse shows. Tampa has also seen a resurgence in underground music's popularity. The venues have started booking more bands and are doing more shows. And my favorite thing about Tampa is how they've embraced a handful of us Gainesville bands. Tampa is pretty much our 2nd home now.
Orlando needs work. Even when you try to swap shows with an Orlando band, the Orlando club wants to know how well you draw. They're only concerned about competing with Mickey and finding the next Creed. Problem is that there are a bunch of great people there who want to see quality music. There is also a fair share of good quality bands there.”
In addition to their professed love of Tampa’s growing independent music scene Morningbell actually has pretty strong ties and good friends in Tampa. I asked the guys about their relationship with New Granada Records (based in Tampa) and Eric said, “We met Keith (NGR) through our old friends in Candy Bars. Keith basically inspired me to legitimize my own label in Gainesville (Orange Records of Gainesville). At first we were the only act on the label, but now I have 6 bands, a website, a PO Box, buttons, stickers, and I even have people waiting in line to record with us. It's great. Just to clarify, there is no official business relationship between Morningbell and New Granada, but we constantly appreciate his efforts in the Bay area on behalf of Morningbell, Candy Bars, and music in general.”
With two phenomenal albums already under there belt (2004’s Learning by Musical Montage and 2005’s Forgetting to Wake-Up) the band is set to release their third album. I asked the guys when it was coming out and what to expect from it and Travis told me, “The new album is due out early next year!! All musicians get excited about the new stuff, but I can honestly say, and I think Eric will back me up, that we've never made better music. I'm very excited to put it out. I think it will take us musically to another level.”
Eric adds, “March! We're working on a Tampa preview date for it. And yes, I'm very proud of what we've got so far.”
When asked what the future holds for Morningbell Eric says, “The only plans we make are to be better than we were 6 months ago. So far, we've kept up the pace and we hope this next album will push us even further.”
“I think I might eat something in a few minutes,” Travis informs me.
Check out Morningbell at: www.morningbellonline.com
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