Update: This past summer, the local indie band Morning Bird released a new single it recorded in quarantine. Now, the band has returned with yet another new single, the alt-country power ballad of sorts "Pawn Shop Drugs," an epic, Drive-By Truckers-like tune that concludes with a brittle guitar solo.
"The song recalls the story of a partner who devotes their heart to the other, while the other partner gives their heart and eventually everything to a dangerous mistress," reads a press release about the tune written two years ago by singer-guitarist Jeremy Taylor.
The song was recorded by Josh Roman at Mindrocket Studio as well as Jeremy Taylor at the Nest; it was mixed by the Morning Bird and mastered locally by Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio.
"This was the first time we had recorded in a live setting rather than recording each instrument track by track," says Taylor when asked about the tune whose chorus relies on a bit of dark humor. "We then went back and recorded the vocals back in Cleveland shortly after. Recording this way allowed us to capture more of the raw feel of the song to showcase how listeners can experience the song at a live concert."
Original Post 6/4/2020: A folk-rock band from Cleveland formed by singer-songwriter Jeremy Taylor and guitarist Daniel Rice, the Morning Bird released its debut single “Sweet Wine” two years ago. Last year, the band followed that initial offering with a second single, "Underneath" and its debut album, an EP that was accompanied by a release party at Mahall’s in Lakewood.
Just this week, it’s announced that it'll issue its new single, the somber ballad "Knoxville, TN," tomorrow on all major streaming services.
The band recorded the song, which explores “a tale of love, loss and longing,” at home during quarantine.
“We used this as an opportunity to get away from the fanciness of the studio,” says Taylor in a phone interview. “We bought ProTools and good microphones. We’ve been passing files along, and I played the kickdrum and bass and shifted it off to our guitarist, who added guitars and backing vocals. It was difficult because it was the first time we pieced things together. We had Zoom meetings and talked about things we wanted to do differently. The song is essentially about a woman taking off and leaving the guy with the kids and the mortgage. It’s not a song about my life, but my parents are divorced, so I have that in my back pocket to draw from."
Adam Boose mastered it locally at his Cauliflower Audio.
The band’s anxious to perform live but willing to wait until it’s safe to do so.
“We’re taking things month-by-month, but this seemed like a good opportunity to put out some new music,” says Taylor.
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