Morningwood
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Pedro Yanowitz, Chantal Claret |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Morningwood was a New York City-based alternative rock group established in 2001, with principal members Pedro Yanowitz and Chantal Claret. The band was signed to Capitol Records and issued two studio albums before Claret embarked on a solo path in 2012, which ultimately led to the group's disbandment.
Career
The band's debut album, titled Morningwood, was produced by Gil Norton, recognized for his collaborations with the Pixies and Foo Fighters. Prominent singles from this release included "Nth Degree," "Jetsetter," and "New York Girls." To promote the album, Morningwood toured alongside groups such as Mindless Self Indulgence, Head Automatica, and Kasabian during their 2006 United States tour.
The song "Nth Degree" gained notable exposure through Mercury car commercials featuring actress Jill Wagner. Meanwhile, "Nü Rock" was featured in the video games Burnout Revenge and SSX on Tour, with "Nth Degree" also appearing in Thrillville. A demo version of "Warrior" was utilized in advertising for Payless ShoeSource. Morningwood achieved national recognition as finalists in Yahoo!'s Who's Next competition in December 2005. Their television appearances included multiple performances on shows such as Late Show with David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daly, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Additionally, they performed live at MTV Studios during the Human Giant marathon. In 2008, their track "New York Girls" was featured in the Sex and the City movie. The song "Best of Me" was selected as the theme for VH1's reality series Daisy of Love and received remixes from Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence and Kevvy Mental of Fake Shark - Real Zombie!.
Morningwood finished recording their sophomore album, Diamonds & Studs, in August 2008. It was released on October 27, 2009 through VH1 Records, a Viacom-owned label for which they were the first and only signed act.
Following the debut of Claret's solo video "Snobby Little Elf," the band entered an indefinite hiatus but reunited briefly in March 2012 to support Mindless Self Indulgence on their farewell tour. Their final show took place on March 11 at Irving Plaza in New York City. After the group's dissolution, Claret pursued a solo career while Yanowitz shifted his focus to composing a Broadway musical.
Their track "Sugarbaby" was chosen as the theme song for VH1's reality television series You're Cut Off!.
Band members
- Chantal Claret – lead vocals
- Peter "Pedro" Yanowitz – bass guitar, backing vocals
Touring members
- Will Tendy – guitar
- Jonathan Schmidt – drums
- Jeremy Asbrock – guitar
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US (Billboard 200) | US Heat (Top Heatseekers) | |||
| 2006 | Morningwood
|
102 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Diamonds & Studs
|
— | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | ||||
EPs
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 2003 | It's Tits
|
| 2005 | Morningwood
|
| 2008 | Sugarbaby
|
It's Tits
The second EP produced by the band is titled It's Tits.
Track listing
- "Take Off Your Clothes"
- "Jetsetter"
- "Nu Rock"
- "Red Light"
Singles
| Single Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Associated Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt |
AUS | ||||
| "Nth Degree" | 2005 | 30 | 92 | Morningwood | |
| "New York Girls" | — | — | |||
| "Sugarbaby" | 2008 | — | — | Diamonds & Studs | |
| The symbol "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts. | |||||