New Minglewood Blues: Introducing Morning Parade

The best part of an internship, hands down, is the experience you gain and the people you meet. I have been writing for Dualshow since late March and already have had the opportunity to briefly meet artist Brian Batt, actor James Franco and now, new British band, Morning Parade.

I was fortunate enough to have a (roughly) 20-minute conversation with lead singer and guitarist/pianist Steve Sparrow. Although it was difficult to decipher his muddled British accent (which I loved), I still got a wicked inside scoop of life on tour and what it's like to break through the music industry’s sturdy barriers, which they have successfully done so overseas.

Morning Parade is new and virtually unknown in America, but after being signed by EMI Music’s Astralwerks Records this past year, that is about to change.

EMI is an impressive label; they father sensations such as Kylie Minogue and Coldplay. Morning Parade actually has a very similar sound to the latter, in the sense that their music is neither pop nor rock, but a solid in between with an additional mixture of trippy, chime-like guitaring and soothing vocals.

I hate to be blunt, but just like Coldplay, I fell in love with half of their songs and thought the other half were trash.

Sparrow tuned me into the band’s musical interests, some funny touring stories and the future of the band.

Let’s start with the first note there. Just like any good band, it is important to have an eclectic array of influences to call for a more musically invigorating and dynamic sound. Some of their favorites include Radiohead, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Biffy Clyro and Sigur Rós. Another inspiration is the Kooks, who they performed with a few months back in New York City’s Terminal 5. Probably an ideal location for the two bands: small and acoustically stimulating.

Like I said, it was hard to understand Sparrow’s accent, but I did hear enough to find myself laughing at what appears to be the band’s typical touring antics. For example, he told me a rather embarrassing story of one of his band mates (not sure which one, oops!). He apparently snuck off with a girl late at night, and then woke up the next morning mysteriously wearing a pair of fuzzy slippers. It turns out they belonged to an affluent, and scary, CEO who caught him red-handed.

“We woke up and we thought we were definitely getting dropped,” said Sparrow, laughing. “But he was very cool about it.”

Although Morning Parade is a relatively new band, you can expect a lot from them over the next few months, in America and Europe. They are embarking on a worldwide tour this summer, with stops in both continents, and are particularly excited for their participation in the Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay (performing across England’s Midlands and London’s Hyde Park with a multitude of other British performers).

To break through in America is to break through worldwide. Says Sparrow, “Our hopes and ambitions lie here in America, it’s such a big place.”

If you like what your hear (from the videos below), check out a complete list of their summer shows, and make sure you look out for their self-titled album which was released June 19.

Also click here to see my Dualshow Morning Parade article for more quotes and information from Steve Sparrow.

Let me know which songs you like... or don't like.

Cheers!