the morning benders are on quite a roll, perhaps even a danish. That makes no sense, but I started this piece in all lower case anyway (the indie rockers spell their name in lowercase deliberately) so here we are. The band out of Berkeley, CA are in the midst of a string of sold out headlining shows supporting their recent release "Big Echo," and will open this summer for buzzed about bands Broken Bells and The Black Keys. (They will play a free show at Governors Island in New York on June 19 by the way.) That's pretty impressive considering the band opened for similarly indie-buzz/much-beloved bands as Grizzly Bear and Death Cab for Cutie following their much talked about 2008 debut "Talking Through Tin Cans."
The band, which consists of the Chu brothers (Chris and Jon), Julian Harmon, and Tim Or, are all under 25, and will make you wince at their talent because you are much older and can't play more than two chords. As for Chris Chu, the front man, he comes off so likable you almost have to dislike him. He's cool, chill, and at 25, probably doesn't fully realize what an amazing run his band's been on since their inception. Or perhaps he does and he's just not as egomaniacal as he should be.
I spoke with Chu last month from an East Village hotel rooftop in NYC, and asked him about staying grounded, the current tour, opening up for amazing artists, and overall, his mellowness in the midst of a chaotic industry. What's he like to do for fun? Take care of himself and "eat food." Look out hotel maid service -- this guy means business.