The Morning Pages

It began during a downtown Manhattan loft party on New Years Eve of 2008. A somewhat intoxicated Grant Maxwell, lead singer of The Morning Pages, was
approached by an equally intoxicated Russell Simins, drummer and producer for The John Spencer Blues Explosion. He had heard The Morning Pages EP and was impressed with the band's unique blend of country, soul and indie-rock. Simins and the band got to talking and eventually agreed he would produce The Morning Pages' debut album, Rising Rain.

With prominent influences such as The Band and Gram Parsons, The Morning Pages bring a deep, rural passion to the New York City scene. Alongside
contemporaries like The Felice Brothers and Fleet Foxes, the band blends the speed and sophistication of the city with the organic depth of the country.
Their debut EP, The Company You Keep, released in the summer of 2007, perked the ears of critics, with The Tripwire declaring: "The sound that these guys
got onto tape comes from the mighty heavens. It's like American Beauty slept with Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris while cheating on The Band's version of 'I Shall Be Released.'"

Although New York City is their home, the four members of The Morning Pages hail from cultural centers across the US. Lead Singer and Songwriter Grant Maxwell spent time in San Francisco, Austin and Nashville. Lead Guitarist Kevin Drost grew up in Chicago and Denver before landing in Brooklyn.
Bassist Matt Stoulil comes from Tulsa and Kansas City while Drummer Ben Arons spent his childhood in rural Massachusetts before relocating to New York City. This geographical diversity lends an authenticity to The Morning Pages as they inject their own sound into New York's burgeoning folk and country influenced music scene.

Simins and The Morning Pages hunkered down in Brooklyn-based CTS studios and began work on the 11 tracks that make up Rising Rain. Surrounded by
walls of vintage gear and faded Al Green and Waylon Jennings album covers, the band tore through material ranging from the raucous stomp of "With The
Lord," the epic beauty of "My Name Is Lion" and the classic country duet of the title track. The Morning Pages brought in a cast of NYC's brightest up-and-comers to help out on the record, including Alec Higgins (Alberta Cross) on piano, Gillian Rivers (Nicole Atkins) on fiddle, Simins himself on percussion, and sister-duo The Pierces who sing harmonies on over half of the record.

With the help of this illustrious cast of characters, The Morning Pages have created a unique combination of their urban and rural influences. Evident in both their lyrical themes and their musicianship, it is this
productive opposition between City and Country that drives the band to make music that is both unexpectedly fresh and grounded in the deep
musical traditions of America.