The Morning Benders Bring Sunny Cali-Pop Back to a Wintry Atlanta
By Alexandra Edwards
The last time the Morning Benders came through town, it was a balmy October and they were the first band of the night, playing in support of Ra Ra Riot. Since then, the four-piece from Berkeley, Calif. has toured the country, had 2008's Talking Through Tin Cansfeatured on iTunes' Indie Spotlight, and recorded a follow-up album. Friday night saw them return to the Drunken Unicorn — only this time, they headlined the bill.
Part of the Morning Benders' charm is in how easily they seem to take things, how nonchalant they are. Call it a laid back California vibe, if you will. Before their set on Friday, they stood along the back wall, happily selling merch for co-headliner the Submarines. No rock star attitudes here. And when they took the stage, they played as though it was no big thing, as if we were all just hanging out in their practice space together.
Here's what makes it amazing: despite the casual vibe, the boys played an impeccably tight set. Their sunny, psychedelic indie pop sounded studio-performance perfect, and at times the boys were bent over their instruments, pouring all their passion into sounding so good. The crowd danced along in appreciation. A few songs in, lead singer and guitarist Chris Chu thanked everyone for being "in the groove" with them. He said it doesn't always come so easily, but it's tempting to think he was just being modest.
The whole band, in fact, has a habit of modesty.After the show, bassist Tim Or joked that one of the band's many mottos was, "It's all downhill from here." Nice try, boys, but that's just not true. The Morning Benders' star is still on the rise. No doubt they'll have accomplished even more by the next time they come to town.
