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Reviews of So Long...
Revue Magazine
So Long ... is a great CD from Grand Rapids band Common
Shiner (yes, named for the fish) -- although at first you
might think you're listening to the Barenaked Ladies (not
that that's a bad thing). The pop-rock vocals and music
mix well together. There's no need to skip around, either;
all the tracks are solid. "Bookstore Girl" boasts
some clever lyrics. "Beautiful, Dangerous Blue"
stands out with its vocals and excellent acoustic guitar.
"Rachel's Song" is another gem. It's listed as
the last track, but don't pop out the CD when it's finished.
Wait about five minutes for a fun little surprise; it's
worth it. Get a copy of the CD at Common Shiner's CD release
party on Friday, June 23 at Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids.
The event starts at 7:30 p.m. - K. Wall
Recoil Magazine
GR’s legacy of rootsy pop-rock bands comes and goes
like the seasons. This spring, look for the emergence of
Common Shiner, a jammy five-piece taking the Festival Stage
June 4 and releasing their debut CD, So Long… at a
free Rosa Parks Circle show June 23. By the album’s
second track, “Too Late,” O.A.R. fans will fill
with jubilation - with over an hour of music yet to come.
DMB fans should start grooving along a few songs later as
vocalist/guitarist Morgan Foster’s voice sounds regularly
reminiscent of Matthews’ lower register. Guitarist/vocalist
Andrew Huisjen will bring in the rest of the jamheads with
his busy lead guitar-work, leaving just enough room for
Foster’s acoustic ballads to bring out the lighters.
- Eric Mitts
Grand Rapids Press
The music: The folk-rock approach of Grand Rapids' Common
Shiner might most resemble the music of Barenaked Ladies
but also plows new ground with distinctive tunes that "highlight
the beauty found in the common experience we all share."
General Press
Common Shiner strives for style, universal appeal
Grand Rapids Press
Thursday, August 03, 2006
By Rachael Recker
GRAND RAPIDS — Common Shiner takes the commonplace
and makes it unique.
Whether it’s having fun, feeling spiritual or knowing
bitterness, the Grand Rapids five-piece tries to reflect
the human condition in its pop-glossed, folk-rock style
of music.
“We wanted to write songs that relate to the human
experience and relate to common people,” said Morgan
Foster, lead singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for
Common Shiner.
Humor is part of the picture, too, such as singing about
a sudden crush on a store clerk in the “Bookstore
Girl” track.
“The goal is reflecting the beauty in the common
experience. I would say that applies to most of our songs,”
Foster said.
Celebrating shared experiences was Foster’s initial
impetus in selecting the band’s name, in 2002, when
the group was an acoustic duo of Foster and fellow Calvin
College graduate Tim Haig.
Common Shiner — a type of minnow found far and wide
— seemed to sum up the purpose and lyrical direction
of the group, Foster said.
Foster said people often inquire about the group’s
name, but he doesn’t push the fish angle that much.
“I say, ‘What do you think it means?’
And they say something, and I say, ‘That’s exactly
what it means,’” he explained.
“It can mean a lot of different things, and I think
that’s fantastic,” he said, noting that the
name’s natural open-endedness also was attractive.
Open-endedness is a philosophy that preoccupies the group,
which includes Calvin students or graduates Andrew Huisjen
(electric guitar, vocals), Vijay Bangalore (drums), Zach
Hache (bass) and Mike Brooks (keyboards, vocals).
Even though spirituality arises in Common Shiner’s
lyrics, the group resists being pigeonholed as a Christian
band.
“We definitely are Christians in a band, but I don’t
define us as a Christian band,” Foster said. “The
idea of being a Christian band these days has taken on a
different meaning and has taken on a meaning I wish it didn’t.
The group’s lyrics and music simply don’t fit
into a specific category, Foster emphasized. Talking about
God in one song could be juxtaposed with drinking and smoking
in a bar in the next.
“We’re not afraid to dabble in different genres
and just allow different music we listen to to just influence
our songwriting,” he said. “We can appeal to
just about anybody. We’re not a niche-market kind
of thing.”
First full-length CD
The band recently released its first professionally cut,
full-length CD, “So Long …,” in late June.
It is available via iTunes, CDBaby.com and Schuler Books
and Music. And the group will play Cincinnati’s Midpoint
Music Festival in September.
“That’s what I’m most excited about right
now,” Bangalore said of the indie music event.
Bangalore said he believes the band’s contribution
to the Grand Rapids music scene rests in each member’s
musical virtuosity as well as the honest and mature Common
Shiner lyrics.
“Morgan’s lyrics are so accessible, and they
have a pop sensibility to them that people can really latch
on to.”
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