Summer Concerts

This June, Primus and Mastodon are coming to Freedom Hill, and Morning Shadows will be in the audience. Where will you be?

Photo Request

Above: Vittata Vulgaris doing a sound check at an Ann Arbor house party in late 2016.

Do you have any photos of Morning Shadows playing live? Email us at morningshadowsannarbor@gmail.com

Weird Wisconsin

Though we haven't played a show in over a year, we've been seeing an increase in activity on our ReverbNation account. It started when this goofy band from Wisconsin checked out our music, and things have been getting busier since then. So, we'd like to show them a little appreciation by sharing their music. They're called Barrun/Runes. How is that pronounced? How do they sound? You'll have to ask them.

Is there Nothing to Report?

Just today, rumors began circulating that Ann Arbor legend, The Nothing, may be planning a reunion show. So far, these are only whispers. Will they? Won't they? What's the word? You'll have to stay tuned to hear it.

Also, we've recently learned that the Blind Pig has new owners. We're really hoping they make some long awaited changes. New Owners, hear our plea! You're townies, so we don't have to tell you about how precious this venue is to our local music scene. What would make things really great there?

• A good cleanup. Every time we have played there (in various capacities), our supporters have expressed how they wished the place wasn't so gross. Of course, there are plenty of people who can tolerate the grime, but there are LOTS who avoid it. A little facelift would do wonders. Oh and hey, how about some local art? A Treetown Mural, perhaps? 
• A friendlier atmosphere. Another thing we hear with GREAT frequency is that several of the staff are SUPER RUDE. We've heard this several times from a wide variety of people from several walks of life. We do not hear this about other venues we frequent, who run very similar operations. 
• More support in advertising shows. We're happy to contact WCBN, the Current, Mlive, the Metro Times, and other local media outlets to promote our show. We'll hang flyers and do weird little things around town to generate interest. We'll list it with Songkick. We'll send out notices via email, ask our friends, and blog to kingdom come. Still, bands really need the support of their venues. Local media are more apt to cooperate with bands in publicizing their events when the venue is also promoting them. If you want to see a really fantastic example of a local establishment who is doing it right, check out PJ's Lager House. Their website and approach is amazingly band-friendly. 
• Better booze selection. We live in Michigan, home to some of the world's best craft brews. We have traveled out of the country, even, and had beer enthusiasts light up when we mention we're from Michigan. Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor are Beer Destinations! Surely, the pig can tap into the offerings we have available locally. 

We're looking forward to spring, and all the fun things planned in the coming months. What about you?

Hamtramck Music Festival 2018

Lately, we've been checking out local bands to see what's out there, and with whom we might like to play shows. Huge music festivals really help. We were in Ferndale recently, and stopped at one of their record stores, where we picked up a flyer for the Hamtramck Music Festival. This is a goldmine of local talent. For us, it's a printed choose-your-adventure music list. Two bands that really stood out to us this year are Earth Engine, and The Savage Seven. Granted, we haven't been able to hear all the bands on the list, and not everyone has their music where it is easily found online (Bandcamp, Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Reverb Nation). Still, this year's offerings sound really promising, and there seems to be a wider variety of genres represented.


Have you been to the festival in years past? Are you going this year? What do you think about it?


What's that? You don't know when it is? Well, it kicks off today. In fact:


http://2018.hamtramckmusicfest.com/


From their website:

"The 5th Annual
Hamtramck Music Fest

is a music event in Detroit’s beloved enclave of Hamtramck, March 1–4, 2018. Celebrating Metro Detroit’s diverse music community, audiences hop venue to venue via foot, car, or shuttle to experience live performances by over 162 bands in 21 of Hamtramck’s favorite bars, venues and restaurants. One $10 wristband provides three days and nights of live music for the community, with many shows 18 and up, as well as daytime performances for family audiences."

Percussion

In order to continue working while we look for our dream drummer, we have begun using a great drum program, and we have to admit, it really works. Our songwriting approach varies. So, having access to a tool that gives us another option for creative exploration is a lot of fun.

Sometimes, a melody just pops into someone's head, and we build upon it. Other times, we start with a chord progression that needs some fleshing out. Frequently, we start with a bass line. A good, interesting bass line is a fundamental foundation for the feel of the rest of the song. A powerful bass line invites a multitude of chord progressions. Chord progressions give rise to melodies, and melodies seem to have this mysterious, parthenogenetic quality. One begets another, and no one is quite sure how it happened, because there was only one in the beginning... Ultimately, however, it is the percussion, the drumming, the rhythm, that is the framework that can make or break a song. If you're a musician, and you've spent some time with a keyboard or organ with multiple drum tracks programmed into it, you've had a chance to hear how profoundly a different rhythm changes the feel of a song.

Now that we have the ability to craft our own rhythms, we're free to explore beyond pre-programmed beat standards. While there is no substitute for a highly talented human drummer, and we really want to stress that- great drummers cannot be replaced by machines- having a means to give your music a spine when you're deep in the writing process really helps with bringing your vision to life. Some of our best material was written over an established rhythm.

We look forward to the day when we have another creative partner to add their ideas to the petri dish. In the meantime, we have the chance to develop what we want to hear so that our future drummer has a guide to our percussive aesthetic, and we also get to continue to play shows before we find that perfect fit.

Seeking a Drummer

Morning Shadows is officially scheduling auditions for our next drummer.

The ideal drummer will be someone who has fun planning stagecraft. The ideal drummer will enjoy wearing a costume both onstage and off. He or she will also be versatile, have their own transportation and drum kit, and be sober and on time regularly. A tall order, of course, but this area is bursting with talent, so we're holding out for someone special.

Contact us via morningshadowsannarbor@gmail.com to schedule an audition.