The Morpholinos joined forces in the gray dawn of the new millennium to lovingly recreate the pop standards of their youth for their own twisted purposes. Hardly a typical "cover" band, their cheeky instrumental reconstructions of the familiar incorporate improvisations and know no stylistic boundaries. NCM East Records is pleased to announce For Background Use Only (NCM 40119), the debut from The Morpholinos. With this highly anticipated and curious disc from NCM Eastıs Blue Series, The Morpholinos are on a mission to prove that background music does not have to make us cringe. "I knew we were onto something good," says bassist Lori Bingel, "when the drunk girls started singing along". The music of The Morpholinos is often described as "muzak on crack" and sometimes as "muzak that doesnıt suck".
Over three years they have accumulated a catalog of classic songs including hits of: Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, The Band, Madonna, Yes, The Police, Kansas, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi and many others.
The members are Matt Glassmeyer (The Jongleurs, Twelve 20 Six) on his invention, the "shuitar" (a bastardized guitar-turned-drum-set); Lori Bingel (Twelve 20 Six) on electric bass; And Brian Drye (The Four Bags) on electric and acoustic piano. But eighteen special guest musicians appear on For Background Use Only, and for good reason: a performance of The Morpholinos is often an intimate affair where many talented friends of the band are invited to sit in, mixing up the group chemistry and giving the audience a fresh new background sound. The spirit of a firey young New York musical community burns bright throughout For Background Use Only, the painstakingly twisted arrangements only a window to the sonic possibilities of a live set.
Along with co-producer Jano Rix (Gabe Dixon Band), The Morpholinos have created a smashing album to be enjoyed passively or actively. This Brooklyn-based band who continually play the hipster joints throughout the region has already begun conquering corporate America as well. Financed through a fluke partnership with an Oregon lab, For Background Use Only bridges gaps between fine art, pop culture and big-fat-cigar capitalism.
Check out the DISCOGRAPHIES of Brian, Matt, and Lori here.