Interview with Chris Chu of the Morning Benders

(photo by Timothy Norris via MySpace)

Following last year’s show at the Fine Line Music Cafe where the band opened for the Kooks, the Morning Benders are returning to play the Triple Rock Social Club tomorrow night. Culture Bully’s Chris DeLine caught up with the Benders’ Chris Chu recently, talking about the band’s upcoming album, tainted peanut butter and the split single the band recently did with the Submarines.

Chris DeLine: The last time I saw you the band was on tour, opening for the Kooks. What are your favorite memories from that tour?

Chris Chu: All the free Clif bars! During that tour since we were playing big places they would give us free food… and Clif bars. So many Clif bars! Now Clif bars have salmonella. Ahh the good old days…

CD: Have you come across a city yet that has got you thinking about leaving your West Coast base?

CC: We are thinking about New York. We also just went to Montreal and really liked it there…

CD: How’d you get involved with the Submarines?

CC: It was written in the stars.

CD: Who came up with the idea for the covers project you’ve all put together—the Submarines covering your “Waiting For a War” and you covering their “1940″?

CC: I think they did. I’m not sure though. These ideas are in the air, you know?

CD: Who was in charge of choosing the song you covered?

CC: We got to pick it ourselves, and they picked the one they wanted to cover. We liked “1940″ cause it had a sort of Dub vibe to it. It sort of stood out to us on their album.

CD: I’ve always enjoyed split albums and split singles–my favorite being the record NOFX and Rancid put together for the BYO Split Series. Do you have any favorite split singles or records?

CC: I’m not sure I know any. I think we’re going to be doing a split 7″ later this year though, exciting stuff… can’t say what just yet… btu soon!

CD: Last year I had the good fortune of being able to ask a few questions of Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes. Regarding the band’s EP series that they were in the middle of he said “It’s a little bit more interesting to write and record four songs at a time than having to concentrate on 12-14 songs for a full length. This way you can do something new and exciting on all three of them. I wish people just recorded singles instead of albums, actually.” You’re putting out two EPs this Spring and have been no stranger to them in the past. Do the shorter recordings have a similar appeal to you as they do Wagner?

CC: I like the idea of EPs, but I’m not sure if they are anymore interesting or anything. We like them because you can get them out faster, less prep and such for an EP than a full album, and we like to put as much music out as possible. I tend to write songs in big batches, so the idea of the album comes pretty natural. Our next album, for example, was taken from a family of like 15 or 16 songs.

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Also: 2006 Interview with Chris Chu of the Morning Benders