In this second installment of “future CMW bands to watch for”, allow me to introduce you to the melodic prog-meets-altfolk sound of Toronto’s Morning Fame.
Citing influences ranging from R.E.M. to The Cure, the band’s gift lies in the ability to craft minimalistic stories that evoke memories of times and places past, highlighted by intricate guitar and drum work that stretches out to poke gently at the cerebral cortex. Take, for instance, previously profiled track “The Colour Of Sound” — a six-minute track that descends into a jam reminiscent of classic rock’s stalwarts. Catchy and evocative, it’s been on regular rotation Chez OTM for months.
Recently, OTM was able to sit down with two of the men behind the music magic and chat about the band’s forthcoming album, The Captain and Tenille, and just what exactly Morning Fame means (the answer may surprise you!).
OTM: OTM recently was able to scratch Roger Waters from the “Bucket List of bands/artists to see before I die”. Who’s on top of your musical Bucket List?
Joe Liranzo, Guitar/Backing Vocals: Is there a way of resuscitating Freddie Mercury and seeing Queen perform live with the original lineup?!
If there is, please God, sign me up! The man’s a legend. Speaking of fame and infamy, “Gangnam Style” exploded onto the scene in 2012. If you could dictate the song or trend that would become the viral monster of 2013, what would it be?
Joe: Tough question. It’s very unpredictable to know what is going to go viral, but we wish more organic music went viral nowadays, classic 4 or 5 piece band sound over again.
Alan Dennis, Drums: No doubt these viral events have something worth watching, but we don’t dance like we are riding a horse, nor do we all squeeze in to play one guitar, so I don’t think we will go viral unless someone’s pants accidentally fall down during a live show.
If you could recruit anyone to direct a music video for you, who would you choose and what song would you want them to tackle?
Joe: A film director like Steven Soderbergh filming a video with our “The Colour of Sound”.
Alan: Easy — Seth Macfarlane making his directorial debut with Jokers Game. He would put a great spin on our mocking of the ridiculous event within the lyrics of that song.
What was the last great book you read?
Alan: The phone book. Got the Pizza Hut number in 2 minutes flat. A great read.
Share with us something that fans would find intriguing, but no music writer has managed to draw out of you yet.
Alan: None of us know what Morning Fame means. What’s more, none of us care.
And now we know why I don’t ask where band names come from! Alright guys, Spice World: terrible movie that should have never been made, or five clever, self-deprecating women taking the piss?
Joe: Terrible movie
Alan: I have no issue with it. Our movie would suck, too.
Bastardizing a Metric lyric: who’d you rather be, The Tragically Hip or Rush?
Joe: Our drummer – Rush. The rest of us The Tragically Hip probably.
Alan: Easy: Rush. Better to be known outside of Canada and be headed to the Hall of Fame (finally).
The music industry can be daunting at best. What keeps you going in a world flooded with talent, each person or group jockeying for listeners and airplay?
Joe: Just playing the music we feel sounds good. We don’t believe in making music only for listeners and airplay (purely mainstream) or making music strictly for indie audience (strictly non-mainstream).
Alan: Good day jobs. If it happens… great. If not, creating music is a great hobby and exercise for body and mind.
The world is ending in ten minutes. You can listen to one and only one song before the world ends. What song do you go out on?
Joe: Tough Question, maybe “Comfortably Numb”, live Pulse.
Alan: “2112”. That way the world can’t end for at least 20 minutes.
Last one: what can we look forward to from Morning Fame in 2013?
Joe: We are currently pre-producing several songs to have them recorded and complete our album The Colour of Sound. We are looking forward to recording the material we have. We will be playing the material in the city of Toronto across the year.
Alan: More change. Every new song seems to take us in a different direction and we eagerly follow it.
OTM looks forward to watching the unfolding changes — and the music. Thanks, guys!
Stay tuned, OTM readers – we’ve got a review of Morning Fame’s recent release, Back And Forth, coming your way! We’re also pleased to announce that we have copies of Back And Forth on hand to reward Canadian music lovers during our Canadian Music Week promotional giveaway! Check out the details here but first, spin “The Colour Of Sound” below and hit their official site to learn more.
Open 'Til Midnight 