Morning Goldrunner

The last time we saw Morning Goldrunner, they packed the house en route to a Round 2 victory. Not bad for a folk trio going up against a predominantly rock-dominated lineup.

Expectations were high this time around, but the hardest obstacle to overcome? It had nothing to do with the overall vibe of the place (electric, by the way), nerves (they’ve been in music for a while) or the rest of the competition (goes without saying). Rather, it dealt with a wild card:

A fog machine.

“That was a little off-putting,” said singer/guitarist Andrew Bean. ”I gotta say that I was not ready for (it). I was told that there was gonna be a fog machine, but I was not prepared for that.”

To put it another way:

“Fog machines don’t go well with folk music really,” he said, “but we compensated and you get kind of used to it.”

For a folk band to stick out during a rock n’ roll battle, you have to do many things right. Morning Goldrunner did many things right: the harmonies between Bean and vocalist Michelle Keesling were precise; their stage presence–while not flashy by any means–still engaged the crowd; plus if you have a cello player, you’re automatically cool in my book (but I digress). They even get our first clap-along for the evening. Hey, when they bring a crowd, they bring a crowd.

How did they feel?

“I felt like we did pretty well,” said Bean. ”I mean…it was kind of how we wanted to execute it and everything and I had a great time. So that’s always the measure of it is having a good time.”

And the ovation they received at the end of it all?

“It was great,” he said. ”….you can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Though a fairly new band–they formed last May–things are looking up, but even if they aren’t the last band standing, they know what the bigger picture holds.

“We’re gonna be around,” he said, “and we’re gonna keep playing and hopefully ramp up here pretty soon so I hope people look for us and hopefully people like it.”

Looks like they’re off to a good start.

...

And your grand prize winner including various prize packages from some of the sponsors, $5000 in cash and the bragging rights of being the last band standing?

Morning Goldrunner (1252)

And just like that, the 2012 Battle of Birdy’s is in the books. Bands exchange pleasantries and congratulations from all around are in order.

But how does the band feel about it?

“It’s pretty cool, man,” said Andrew Bean. ”It was not expected.”

In other words:

“Feels really good after a lot of work,” said Michelle Keesling.

Did they expect it at all?

“I mean, not really,” said Bean. ”I think our goal was just to kind of get some more exposure and just to get out in front of people…because we’re a fairly new group and everything so I think that was kind of the goal.”

Instead, they got so much more than they bargained for. They may be a fairly new band, but already the future looks bright for them.

“It’s amazing, man,” said Bean. ”It’s a great testament to…good bands in Indy and there was a wealth of talent here tonight, and…it’s pretty humbling to be 1st but…it was just a great night all around.” - indyconcerts.com

…and then there was one.

When they got together just a few months ago, they were just s simple folk music trio looking for a way to get their name out. Just one of 50+ bands who shared the same aspirations as those around them.

And on one late November evening, one band proved they could reach for the gold before dawn.

Morning Goldrunner took first place in the eighth annual Battle of Birdy’s competition. Along with the bragging rights and prizes that go along with being crowned this year’s champions, they now join an elite group which includes the likes of Phoenix on the Fault Line, Breakdown Kings, Glass Halo, Xero Sum and more.

“(It) Feels really good after a lot of work,” said vocalist Michelle Keesling.

For these guys, taking 1st is a very impressive feat, considering that roughly six months ago Morning Goldrunner was just a collective gleam in the eyes of members Michelle Keesling, singer/guitarist Andrew Bean and cellist Grover Parido.

“Grover and I have been playing together for a little bit,” said Bean,”…and then Michelle and I have been friends for a long time and she and I just got together in May and just started working on tunes and everything and it just ended up sounding really great.”

Of course, when they formed last May, not even they would’ve believed they would make it to the final round of Indy’s largest organized battle of the bands contest. Let alone winning it all.

“I think our goal was just to kind of get some more exposure,” sand Bean, “and just to get out in front of people…because we’re a fairly new group and everything so I think that was kind of the goal.”

Instead, they got so much more.

“But we got the music out to a lot of people,” said Bean, “and a lot of people really dug it, so that was what…we were really excited about. We’re gonna hopefully build a fan base off this and…springboard from that.”

But the underlying message of this entire experience?

“It’s a great testament to…good bands in Indy,” said Bean, “and there was a wealth of talent here tonight, and…it’s pretty humbling to be 1st but…it was just a great night all around.”

“I want to second that how great it was to see so much talent in Indy coming from the stage tonight,” said cello player Grover Parido,”…and if you missed it, you missed it. It was really good. So honored to be a part of it.”

So cheers, Morning Goldrunner, but don’t think their pursuit of the gold ends tonight. So where to go from here? There’s only one place to go:

“Onward and forward,” said Parido.

So we see. - indyconcerts.com

David Lindquist
Metromix
June 29, 2010

In a nutshell: In five words, "The Wreckage of My Youth" is sentimental, impulsive, optimistic, focused and fulfilling.

Fan finder: Transitioning from hair-metal band Emerson Rose to this heartland rock project, Andrew Bean's new direction should appeal to fans of the Black Crowes and the Wallflowers, while elements of Hoosier acts Old Pike and Chamberlain are echoed.

That's a keeper: Bean captures an underdog's spirit with the line, "I've got a king-sized heart, but a poor boy's soul." The words bolster “Hats Off,” a soulful assessment of a relationship on the ropes.

Didn't see it coming: Lani Williams of Mars or the Moon adds sturdy female perspective to "Song to the Siren," while Bean portrays a father battling time and distance on "Live Through."

Selling points: "Wreckage" maintains momentum during its second half, highlighted by sprawling decree "We Own the Night." Skillful production places Bean's voice front and center throughout. - Metromix

By Bryan Johnson on July 2, 2010 in Music

It’s no surprise that Indianapolis has strong country roots. The Circle City is located smack dab in the center of the Midwest; on all sides are cornfields, forests, back country roads, and isolated little Indiana towns that rarely see a passing car. As such, there’s no shortage of Indianapolis bands with their roots in Americana: see, for example, Flynnville Train, Brandon Whyde, and The Elms. Most of these groups grew up with roots and country music, so the fact that their bands have a little twang is no surprise. For Indianapolis musician Andrew Bean, however, the roots of rock didn’t appear to him until he was down on his luck and looking for a new project, a project that turned out to be Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo.

Andrew Bean knows about being down and out. He was something of a famous Indianapolis person just a few short years ago, when he was the frontman for Emerson Rose, an Indianapolis band that frequented heavier Indianapolis music venues like The Emerson Theater (names not related). When Emerson Rose fell apart, Bean was left in the detritus of a destroyed band, with no career options and not much direction. He ended up working as a janitor at the Indianapolis high school from which he graduated, writing new material and making ends meet. The result of Bean’s time in the trenches is Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo, a whole new band with a whole new list of songs.

Throwing out the heavy breed of rock and roll that Emerson Rose was accustomed to, Bean took a whole new tactic with Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo. In an interview with NUVO Newsweekly, Bean says: “I wanted to be a rock star, but I also wanted to be smart about it as well…there was something smart about [Led Zeppelin IV]…there was hard rock, but they also incorporated folk and blues and things like that.” He used a similar approach on Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo’s debut album, The Wreckage of My Youth, released just in April of 2010 at a CD release show at Birdy’s Bar & Grill. Culling from influences as diverse as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, and Jeff Buckley, Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo have created a compellingly eclectic record that caught the attention of Indianapolis media and fans alike.

Now a burgeoning force in the Indianapolis music scene, Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo are slowly gaining a dedicated fanbase. Andrew Bean’s resurrection is in full swing, riding on the back of his strong songwriting and tight backing band. Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo has already performed around several Indianapolis cultural districts, including downtown Indianapolis, Broad Ripple Village, and Mass Ave. Indianapolis bars and Indianapolis restaurants the band has played at include Birdy’s (where they’re almost a regular staple), Kessler House, and more, and they’ve shared the stage with several top Indianapolis bands, including Stereo Deluxe, The Working Hour, Endiana, Northern Kind, and more.

Overall, Andrew Bean and the Lady Apollo is a band that’s just getting started in the Indianapolis music scene. Their debut record, The Wreckage of My Youth, was released only a few short months ago, and it’s already garnered the band more shows and more press. The band’s sound is a unique breed of Americana that references blues masters as well as hard rock oldies. Combine their easily digestible, catchy sound with a tight, exciting live performance, and you have an Indianapolis band that’s worth the cover charge.

- Cities Of The World

Andrew Bean finds his roots
by Jeff Napier

A few years back, when Andrew Bean was lead vocalist for Indy hard rock giants Emerson Rose, it would have been hard to imagine him in any other context. But times change.

After Emerson Rose broke up, Bean spent some time playing oldies and working as a janitor at his alma mater, St. Matthew Parish School. And then he regrouped.

He's spent the past couple years assembling a new band, Lady Apollo, and has found a new life as a roots rocker. Bean's coming-of-age party falls this Saturday at Birdy's, where he will celebrate the release of his debut album with Lady Apollo, The Wreckage of my Youth.

"This album is a concrete remembrance of what has brought me to this point," Bean, sitting in the cellar-based studio of local engineer Joe Cheeseman, explains. "A lot of what's on this record, especially the lyrics come from things that I picked in my youth, so it's going back to a sort of comfort zone for me."

With Cheeseman's help, Bean has created a mature, heterogeneous album which jumps from the catchy country twang of "Imaginary Lines" to the R&B-flavored "All Dead" to the Black Crowes meets gospel sound of "Maybe Tomorrow."

"I tend to hold on to my stuff a little too tightly, and I have these preconceived notions about what they should sound like," Bean says. "This was the record where I learned to let go, to be able to trust another person to help shape the sound. Joe really helped me to realize that I don't know everything."

Bean could be forgiven if he thought he did know everything, given how Emerson Rose so quickly rose to the top of the local scene through a combination of face-melting live shows and tight, groovy songs.

Growing up in the giant sucking void known as the late 90's, Bean struggled to find his musical path. That is, until Robert Plant and Jimmy Page saved him.

"Led Zeppelin IV was the record that made me want to be a rock star, but it was a different type of rock star that I was inspired to be," Andrew says with a smile. "There was something smart about what Robert and Jimmy were doing with this record, there was hard rock, but they also incorporated folk and blues and things like that. So that was what I picked up on. I wanted to be a rock star, but I also wanted to be smart about it as well."

In Lady Apollo, a rhythm section made up of bassist Andrew Newell and drummer Alex VanBergeijk, a smooth-sounding guitarist, Adam Sarzo, and piano utility man David Hammes supplements Bean's warm husk of a voice. The band can handle a wide range of material, and particularly shine on their gorgeous version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" or the Darkness on the Edge of Town-fuelled rave-up "We Own The Night."

"With this record and with Lady Apollo, it's a much richer experience. All the guys I play with have such a deep knowledge of roots music: jazz, blues and country. I feel like I'm in a blessed place because, with this band behind me, I feel like I can do whatever it is I want to do." - Nuvo

Andrew Bean finds his roots
by Jeff Napier

A few years back, when Andrew Bean was lead vocalist for Indy hard rock giants Emerson Rose, it would have been hard to imagine him in any other context. But times change.

After Emerson Rose broke up, Bean spent some time playing oldies and working as a janitor at his alma mater, St. Matthew Parish School. And then he regrouped.

He's spent the past couple years assembling a new band, Lady Apollo, and has found a new life as a roots rocker. Bean's coming-of-age party falls this Saturday at Birdy's, where he will celebrate the release of his debut album with Lady Apollo, The Wreckage of my Youth.

"This album is a concrete remembrance of what has brought me to this point," Bean, sitting in the cellar-based studio of local engineer Joe Cheeseman, explains. "A lot of what's on this record, especially the lyrics come from things that I picked in my youth, so it's going back to a sort of comfort zone for me."

With Cheeseman's help, Bean has created a mature, heterogeneous album which jumps from the catchy country twang of "Imaginary Lines" to the R&B-flavored "All Dead" to the Black Crowes meets gospel sound of "Maybe Tomorrow."

"I tend to hold on to my stuff a little too tightly, and I have these preconceived notions about what they should sound like," Bean says. "This was the record where I learned to let go, to be able to trust another person to help shape the sound. Joe really helped me to realize that I don't know everything."

Bean could be forgiven if he thought he did know everything, given how Emerson Rose so quickly rose to the top of the local scene through a combination of face-melting live shows and tight, groovy songs.

Growing up in the giant sucking void known as the late 90's, Bean struggled to find his musical path. That is, until Robert Plant and Jimmy Page saved him.

"Led Zeppelin IV was the record that made me want to be a rock star, but it was a different type of rock star that I was inspired to be," Andrew says with a smile. "There was something smart about what Robert and Jimmy were doing with this record, there was hard rock, but they also incorporated folk and blues and things like that. So that was what I picked up on. I wanted to be a rock star, but I also wanted to be smart about it as well."

In Lady Apollo, a rhythm section made up of bassist Andrew Newell and drummer Alex VanBergeijk, a smooth-sounding guitarist, Adam Sarzo, and piano utility man David Hammes supplements Bean's warm husk of a voice. The band can handle a wide range of material, and particularly shine on their gorgeous version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" or the Darkness on the Edge of Town-fuelled rave-up "We Own The Night."

"With this record and with Lady Apollo, it's a much richer experience. All the guys I play with have such a deep knowledge of roots music: jazz, blues and country. I feel like I'm in a blessed place because, with this band behind me, I feel like I can do whatever it is I want to do." - Nuvo