Common Shiner

THERE'S A NEW BAND OF LOSERS IN TOWN...

Well, okay, not that new; chances are you just hadn't heard of them.

That's probably because they're losers.

Michael is lactose-intolerant, Andrew is in school for engineering, and Morgan was once in an underground hip-hop duo--in middle school--which produced the not-so-hit single, "Butts in the Room." And, no pun intended, that's only scratching the surface.

Common Shiner takes their name from a small, abundant fish found throughout streams and lakes in the Midwest and Northeastern United States. In the same scope, the band writes music seeking to highlight the beauty found in the common experience we all share. Love and hope to melancholy and anger--and all the humor in between.

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Common Shiner began with college friends Morgan Foster and Tim Haig, who shared the desire to create music that would serve to be both meaningful and fun. After Tim moved to Pittsburgh, other guys joined to round the band out. Morgan's acoustic rock is now fully realized with Andrew Huisjen on electric guitar, Zach Hache on bass, Vijay Bangalore on drums, and Michael James Brooks on keys. When that lineup was finalized in March of 2006, the boys gratefully and gleefully felt they finally had a satisfying set of pseudo-slackers--who happen to be pretty serious about music.

The group's mission: clever songwriting and meaningful lyrics that appeal to a wide range of avid music lovers as well as casual listeners. Drawing from a wide range of influences, from the lyrical qualities of Death Cab for Cutie, the playfulness of Barenaked Ladies, the jazziness of Eric Clapton, the ease of Dave Matthews, to the rock sense of Pearl Jam, Common Shiner has an impeccable way of combining many elements for a sound that is "uniquely familiar."

It has been said, however, that the thing that sets Common Shiner apart the most is the quality and thoughtfulness of the songwriting, which encompasses just as many feelings and themes as their music does styles. Everyone who listens to Common Shiner comes away liking something different, and the band wouldn't want it any other way.