LOS ANGELES (Capitol Records) - NYC's louder-than-life Morningwood will release their self-titled debut album, produced by the legendary Gil Norton, on January 10th. And new tour dates have been confirmed for January and February, a full listing is below.
Morningwood, fronted by 23 year-old tempest Chantal Claret, made their reputation in NYC's clubs with a bumping, grinding frenzy of a live show and instant anthems like "Take Off Your Clothes," a dictate that some of their fans have been known to take literally
The band was born when Claret met Pedro Yanowitz (former drummer for the Wallflowers and Money Mark) at a birthday party for Sean Lennon at the historic Dakota in 2001.
"Sean asked everyone to take turns singing him a birthday song on the spot," remembers Yanowitz. "When it was Chantal's turn I thought she'd pass, but she launched into a song she wrote when she was sixteen with no accompaniment and blew everyone away. You could hear a pin drop." The duo immediately started writing songs together.
The band, signed to Capitol Records after wiping the stage with the intended headliners at a label showcase, was eager to get away from their hometown's endless distractions to record their debut. That's when famed producer Gil Norton called to invite the band to London.
Norton, who rarely works with new bands (but who is responsible for masterworks by bands from Echo and the Bunnymen to the Pixies to Foo Fighters) got a hold of Morningwood's demos and reached out directly to produce the band's debut album.
Songs like "Nu Rock" and "Body 21" erupt from the speakers with a devastating crunch of guitars, as instantly catchy as they are searing. "Nth Degree" is sultry sugar buzz, a call to the dancefloor that won't be denied. And throughout the album the band takes daring hairpin turns with their dynamics – "Jetsetter" in particular goes from flirty whisper to epic hard rock stomp in the blink of an eye, before lovingly destroying everything in its path.
MORNINGWOOD ON TOUR
1/11 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (record release show)
supporting Head Automatica:
1/24 Seattle, WA El Corazon
1/26 San Francisco, CA Slim's
1/27 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
1/28 Orangeville, CA The Boardwalk
1/30 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction
1/31 San Diego, CA Soma Side Stage
2/17 Buffalo, NY Icon
2/18 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theatre
2/20 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
2/21 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
2/23 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
2/24 Baltimore, MD Recher Theatre
2/25 Boston, MA Axis
