Morningwood - Putting TheTrash Into Pop Rock

Thu 25th May, 2006 in Features

Growing up Jewish in Salt Lake City, the Mormon capital of the world, you’re not exactly pre-disposed to becoming a rock star…Or are you?

According to bass player Pedro Yanowitz from trash pop rock band Morningwood – it’s “the perfect breeding ground”.

“I got lucky I guess,” muses Pedro. “Utah really is the perfect breeding ground for aspiring rock cheerleaders with a Greek and Iranian best friend to use as a springboard for non-conformity.

“A typical day for us would start by riffing on each other – and that would go back and forth until we decided to cut out of class and go and listen to records or smoke spliffs.”

Pedro’s Dad was a “jazz musician” and “there was always some kind of music going on in the house”. Little wonder then when the young Pedro decided to take up the drums his parents were more than supportive. “They bought me a kit as soon as I asked for it – and were more than happy to have me play.”

Pedro’s affinity for music soon found him jamming in a number of bands “until my skill level got high enough that I could start a band of my own”. He beat the toms for a number of groups such as the Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant and Money Mark before turning to the bass on a whim. “I walked past a shop window and saw this blue Gibson up on the wall. I fell in love with that bass – I had to have it – even though I couldn’t play at all… People were saying ‘why would you buy it?’.” Well why not?”

That summer he “wrote the first of his songs” on bass and discovered a different element to the creative process. Eager to start a new band, it wasn’t until he was at a birthday party at Sean Lennon’s house that he met his nemesis/muse, Chantal Claret (Morningwood’s lead singer).

“It was around 3am,” recalls Yanowitz. “Everyone was totally fucked up and they were kinda going around the group getting each person to do a song. There were people like Rufus Wainwright, really great singers, you know. And it got to Chantal and she doesn’t play any instruments – so I thought she’d pass – but instead she broke into this song a Capella, that she’d written back when she was about sixteen and it had this really Billy Holiday feel to it.

“It was great. There were all these really bad ass musicians and she just busted her shit out in a big way. I had no idea that she was a rock diva goddess… she’s been to film school – never been in a band – but that was it. We both knew…

“So I got her number and we started hanging out and writing songs. And we got on to the nth degree. It’s just rare.”

With the addition of former Cibo Matto drummer John Paul Keenan O and guitarist Phillip Shause; Morningwood was born. After a massive creative spurt, tonnes of local gigs – where their bouncing boisterous onstage shenanigans became the stuff of legend, (yes people did take off their clothes, no, it wasn’t any members of the band) Morningwood was ready to record and that’s where famed producer Gil Norton came into the picture. Norton, who has tweaked and pushed buttons for the likes of the Pixies and Echo and the Bunnymen heard something in the Morningwood sound that immediately excited him, inviting the band to the UK to lay down some tracks.

Hunkered down for the summer in London’s Rack Studios, the band created their self-titled debut. There infectious music was an immediate hit with the masses; the perfect antidote to what Pedro refers to as “cry at me, masturbate” music and earned the band a slew of new fans.

“It’s bizarre,” offers Pedro. “We get all kinds of people at our shows, there’s lots of young girls and old guys – doctors with families.” You can almost hear him shaking his head down the phone line. “There’s no logic to it. We don’t care about costumes or special effects. We just have a lot of fucking energy – and we really want to do something, make something, play something… and we don’t take ourselves seriously at all…”

So what’s up next for the band?

A tour to Japan apparently, playing at the Mt Fuji Udo Music Festival. “I hope we get to come to Australia,” says Pedro. “I really dig the sound of your voice…”

Morningwood’s self-titled debut CD, Morningwood, is out now through EMI/ Capitol.